Flight of the Condors

Finally I got the chance to get out of a city & head to the mountains; in this case Colca Canyon, which is not as wide but deeper (that’s what she said) than the Grand Canyon in the States. Colca is a 4hr bus ride from Arequipa, half of that spent of smooth asphalt that allows you to rest yourself before your trek, yet the second half was over what only one can assume was recently littered with roadside mines. It didn’t slow our bus driver down any, he had a schedule to meet, and seeing we departed Arequipa at 3am, we pulled into our first location, the Condor Crossing, by 7am.

We were approx 10,000ft in elevation and the warm air current that cut through the edgy peaks that formed the Colca Canyon are the perfect location for the condors to stretch their incredible wingspans and glide amongst the clouds. We were fortunate to have to showoffs on our visit; they put a show on that the Ringling Brothers would’ve paid to see. Continual swoops over the audience clinging to the cliffs’ edges to snap that perfect memory for their friends and families.

This seems like a great time to mention my first travel travesty; I captured the best pictures of the condors in flight & perch, not to mention memorable photos of my trek, sadly, my files are corrupted & seem lost for good. No visuals to tags along on this journey, sorry.

Once we were full of condor vanity, we started down the mountains; myself, four Germans, two English & our Peruvian guide. I informed the group first thing that I would gladly take the caboose role of the trip; I like my own pace. We started out looking to the bottom of the canyon with a tame river running through it, the opposite mountain wall cluttered with villages, and a sun that had risen to a crest directly above us and leaving no room for shade. Our decent sounded easy in Arequipa, but once we hit the 3hr mark, my quads strongly disagreed. We were nearly at the bottom, first of three suspended bridges, when I realized the beauty we were walking through. Although the path itself was cluttered with nothing more than loose gravel, gray rocks and mule shit, the walls we were carving our way down were filled with greens lush to the eye. The blue of the sky was blinding and the calm of the waters we were approaching made that moment of sweat and fatigue worth the trip. I was far removed from not only home but now Peru as I known it in cities, historical building and lost translations. Sitting on a boulder, with my feet in the river cooling, I realized this is why I came on this trip.

We collected our things, made our way to a small village, seven families, who served us lunch of soup & potatoes. We continued on with conversations of Europe vs. The U.S. and talk of the “oasis” that awaited us for our sleep. Another 4hrs later we finally made our way over all passes, crossed the river twice, cleared 3 villages, and logged more miles than I care to remember. The sun was setting & it was beginning to chill some, but that stopped none of us from getting into our trunks and diving into the fresh water pool the lodging had set up. This was an abandoned village with no electricity, adobe huts with straw roofs, but it had manageable plumbing. None of us cared where or what we slept on seeing we were exhausted; somehow myself & two of the Germans found enough strength to stay up a bit later than everyone (a whopping 830pm) to finish off the community beer. Up at 4am and back on the trail by 5am!!

Going up was the perfect blend of man & nature; it was grueling & physically challenging but we saw a perfect sunrise as it broke the ridge & then valley after valley of agriculture the locals use to feed the entire region of villagers. (I am so pissed the pictures didn’t make it). Once we reached the top, we cut through a corn field to the village square in Cabanaconde, bought some eggs from a farmer and then we went on to get them fried and munched on them with some bread the guide had. A perfect breakfast to end our morning. The tour headed back to Arequipa, but we first stopped in a small town that had natural hot springs to refresh ourselves & clean up a bit.

My first trip into the mountains was what I had hoped for; an opportunity to be challenged, to reflect and to enjoy some beauty I wouldn’t otherwise be able to have experienced. I have wrapped up my first 10 days & I am excited to see the new phase of living with others vs. by myself, but I can say much as been enjoyed and learned thus far. Adios.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colca_Canyon