On the way we picked up our canyon guide, Omar. He was very knowledgable about Arequipa and the canyon, and kept us entertained for most of the journey with facts and stories of the region.
Vicunas on the way from Arequipa to Chivay
And llamas too
Me at the highest I've ever been (~4900m)
Colca Canyon
And another, at a different place
And another, complete with yours truly
An Andean Condor in flight
On the way we hit some serious altitude (around 4900m at the highest), and stopped a few times for photos of Alpacas, Llamas, Vicunas, and the scenery of the high plateaus and wetlands (all on the camera, I'll bet you are shocked). Also we tried a blend of 3 teas intended to help you adapt to altitude.
Chivay is a small village, and has only recently seen an increase in tourism (due to Colca Canyon being the deepest/second deepest canyon in the world, depending on who you listen to, plus the condors) and so the village is pretty... basic. The town square is currently under construction, I believe they decided what they had was too simple, and decided to renovate. Also a lot of the roads are dirt tracks, and there are mounds of dirt everywhere, including at the mouth of the street to our hotel, which along with the unlit street and innocuous entrance made the whole thing a bit sinister. The hotel was nice enough inside though.
After a short rest, most of us took a walk of 3km or so to a nearby hot springs! The altitude made the walk harder than it should have been, but we took it steady, and enjoyed the fantastic backdrop as we walked along by a river in a canyon.
The hot springs were hot! The water comes out of the springs at 85 degrees, boiling point at this altitude, before bring watered down to human suitable temperatures. We must've soaked for a good hour, in the open air in the middle of the picturesque canyon, before catching the minibus back to Chivay.
Another short rest later we all went out to a restaurant where there was a traditional band, and dancing. A couple of the party were suffering from altitude sickness (Chivay is at 3690m, so getting pretty high), but thankfully all I've had is a few mild headaches. I had a salad, and an alpaca steak (I tried alpaca yesterday at a creperie, and today at lunch too, but forgot to mention it. It tastes quite like beef, but not exactly, and I really like it), and also tried a bit of Katie's quinoa, which was also very nice. I also had a large beer, which did not get me drunk at all, so I guess yesterday's Pisco Sour was pretty damn strong.
The dancing was pretty unusual, more like a fancy walk really, but a couple of our party got asked up, and that made it more interesting, and the music was pretty decent, a 4 piece with pan pipes, drum, guitar, and ukulele.
After the meal we hit the bed, as we had to be up at 5.30 for condor viewing!
On the way to the hot springs:
Vicunas on the way from Arequipa to Chivay
And llamas too
Me at the highest I've ever been (~4900m)
Colca Canyon
And another, at a different place
And another, complete with yours truly
An Andean Condor in flight
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