3 unforgettable days in the Colca Canyon (Arequipa, Peru)

Oh, THE Canyon trek...
I shouldn't have waited so long to write up the details of SUCH an adventure! It's been 3 days already and we've moved to a different place, a new landscape and a whole new adventure has begun. Hopefully I can reccount it with exactitude ...

ACTUALLY NOW IT'S BEEN LONGER. I LOST THIS TEXT WHILE EDITING AND SO HERE I GO AGAIN (OCTOBER 27).

I think the Canyon was one of the most amazing experiences so far, definitely a highlight. It was tough and grueling (physically) and so awe inspiring (the landscape, the people met along the way....). And I can't tell you how good it felt to make it up all the way, on my feet. I really didn't think I could make it. Gracias Alvaro (our guide)!

And Brel...
The guide encouraged him along the entire way, telling him stories and legends about the incas, never letting go of his hand (when he needed it) and often even taking their own way, off the beaten track... an adventure of their own. Brel was in heaven (and will be changed forever I am convinced).

15 km of walking up and down tiny little paths of sand and gravel (slippery I tell you) in 2 days. I understand why people get all decked out in special shoes (so as not to slip all the way down- Brel's converse were not ideal), clothes made of special breathable materials (soooo hot under that sun!). I have to stop here and tell you all about the sun. Brel noticed it first. It was a full circle sun with a black "aureole" all around it and then a thin ribbon of rainbow colours. Really spectacular, I must say. Apparently it has a name and 1 of our fellow trekkers (from Manitoba) said that we, Canadians, are also lucky to experience this kind of sun. Not in Montreal.

A taxi picked us up for the trek at 5 am. We made it to the terminal and for some strange reason, and with no apparent warning whatsoever, just before we got on the bus, Brel started puking his lungs out. A long and wet stream of liquid ... oh, oh, bad start I thought. Couldn't even run to the bathroom to wash him off as we would have missed the only bus to our 6 hour destination...Just had time to buy 2 plastic bags on the way, just in case ...

Got on the bus and we had to fight for seats. The tourists (sadly and unfairly) always win. Each guide had saved seats for his group while the locals, (often the most loaded- corn, kids, live animals...) get to stand for hours ....often falling asleep standing up. Quite an amazing feat as the road is so bumpy....

After a few hours, in the middle of nowhere (just a gorgeous Andean landscape) the bus decided he couldn't go any further. Shit ... And so people started running out to pee. Loads of women included. Easy for a man to pee on the side of the road but how do 15 women do it at once??.... they all ran to the river...and poor Brel who had stop puking but had to go #2 so badly...I ran out with him and found an abandoned house wall he could hide behind, so as not to be "the show" for a loaded bus watching .... Poor guy had diahrea. It's never fun but even less on the road, and really bad timing off to a trek ...

Anyways we made it to our first destination. People were filming along the way, the landscape was so crazy. Finally some green in Peru... And you should have seen the women who hopped on the bus along the way....GORGEOUS in their traditional outfits, so different from the previous ones I had seen.

Check it out ...

Nice vegetarian lunch. I had warn the tourguide that I was vegetarian so as not to have to eat chicken at every meal. Just can't seem to digest Peruvian chicken (nor Ecuadorian chicken for that matter).

Then off to the first part of the hike. We got a little briefing and when we looked down at the "road" and all that we were to accomplish just on that first day, it was a little scary. Brel seemed a little worried ...

Check out a little village in the Canyon. There are 4 in total....

Brel is happier now ...

Even though this first day is all down hill (5 hours)... Hard to breath at first as we just had eaten a lot and had to adjust to the climate and altitude ... After an hour I was fine. Making my way down nicely, although trying not to slip and wearing a t-shirt on my head so as not to get sun burned. Made it all the way to a bridge (thank god it didn't swing!) and continued for about 3 hours. the final hour was the toughest. Brel had no more energy (neither did I) and it was all the way up for an hour. Climbing over rocks....But the guide was persistent with both of us and we made it to the family with whom we were to spend the night. Brel's tiredness came out in tears and so we both cried at the top before enjoying a nice cooking session by a fire, the way they still do it in indigenous families here. Our guide was the cook and we were his assistants and the warmth felt so nice. The guiney pigs were running around the kitchen floor (mud) and it all felt so special ...Off to bed by 9.

Day 2.
I was afraid and worried. I had heard and read other people's accounts of that day which was to be a 3 hour walk UPHILL .... The first 3 hours were pretty smooth. We walked through a typical Andean vilage and were lucky to run into the eldest woman of the village (89 years old and she keeps on walking (no choice in this canyon where there are no cars) and you should check out her feet...

The eldest church tour ...

Then a visit to a little museum, created by one of the villagers to show the daily life, instruments and food of the indigenous living in th canyon. Interesting and nice. Beautiful woman ...

And another one met along the way. And I thought I was loaded. The women here are soooo courageous, tough and hard working.

Then walking to a natural pool. Here it is from the top.

We walked and walked until we finally made it IN ...

Brel had slipped a few times and hurt himself. he wasn't in the best of moods. But we made it. The swimming was really cold but so nice. My calves , thighs and ass were in pain from day 1 and I thought the water would help me heal and get me ready for the hardest part .. it did! Lunch and 2 hours to relax before attacking the monstruous walk up. At this point we could decide if we wanted to ride a mule up rather than use our feet. I thought about the mule but felt like it would be cheating... It was decided that Brel would ride up (with my backpack- at least I removed the load off my back which didn't help). I started and the first hour was ok (aside form the heaviness of the heat). We started the journey up at 3:30 because apparently the sun is at its hottest at noon here... I was sweating like a pig and my own smell made me want to run away...There was no way to run UP...

Check out part of the path we had to take up....SO CRAZY!!!

I lost the group, each of us going at his/her own space and then was rescued by the guide who took my hand when needed. I felt like Brel the day before...The hand was reassuring and I felt accompanied, really nice. Brel passed me on his mule. He had a big smile and his guide came beside me and told me "your son is really good". Youpie, more encouragement.

Made it up to be reunited with the entire group. Heaven!!!!!

Then we walked back to the village where we had lunch on the first day as we were to be lodged for the second night. It was around 6 pm , the sun was coming down , the light was changing, the mountains were turning orange, the mules were resting, the kids were playing in the streets, and the women, dressed in their crazy colours were walking home slowly ...like me. Magical atmosphere, magical re-entry into civilization (ha, ha, ha). The hottest shower I've had in SA (sooo good on the aching muscles, less on the crazy sunburn) then supper and bed early.

Day 3
Up at 7 to take a bus to the Cruz del Condor, a condor lookout. We were so lucky, we arrived and there were 3 gliding majestically....

And the landscape on the way back o the city ...OUT OF THIS WORLD.

I want to do more treks!!!!