Sunday, Monday and Tuesday June 14, 15, and 16

On my last day in Puno (Lake Titicaca) I decided that in Arequipa I would take a tour to Colca Canyon where one can see Andean condors flying. This tour could be done in a day where one leaves Arequipa at 2 am and returns by 5 pm, but one young couple of college kids who did this said it was insane, so I opted for a two day tour which turned out to be a great idea for many reasons.

On Sunday morning I was picked up in a 12 seater van. My compatriots were a Brazilian couple, a threesome from Belgium, a couple from Romania, and two young female students from Quebec City, Canada who had done some volunteer work in Lima. In addition we had our guide and the driver, so it was a tight fit. I got to sit in front with the driver and sometimes also the guide, but it was much more comfortable han being squeezed in the other seats. Because of a bit of an altercation between the Romanian man and the guide about the quality of the vehicle provided we did not hit the road until about 9:30 am

We headed out for about a four hour ride through majestic mountains on some very rough roads with stops at scenic overlooks and in a couple of small towns. At every stop we would encounter local inhabitants selling their wares, mostly woolen and alpaca clothing, ceramics, wood carvings and some jewelry.

Our lunch stop along the way provided an excellent buffet, with chicken, alpaca beef, etc. and the usual side dishes of rice, potatoes and various vegetables in different sauces. On the way we hit an altitude of about 14,900 feet which is 400 feet higher than when, as a young man, I hiked up Mount Whitney in the California Sierras. That peak was only 14,496 feet.

On arrival at our destination at about 3 pm we were dropped off at various hotels and told to be ready to go to the hot springs at 4 pm. My room was freezing, and I turned on a space heater hoping that the chill would be gone by the time i returned. All of us went to the hot springs and, except for one incident to be described, we had a great time for two hours relaxing in an outdoor pool and drinking pisco sours and beer.

The one unfortunate incident occurred when the Romanian fellow left the pool and had a dizzy spell. He fell backward hitting his head on the stone walkway and had to be taken to the hospital for stitches. He seemed to be recovered by the next morning and he and his wife joined us for the trip to see the condors.

After two hours in the hot water we all were taken to our respective hotels and told to be ready at 7 pm for dinner and a show. This show turned out to be a delight. On stage six male musicians played guitar, mandolin??, drums. pan pipes, and flutes. We were also treated to female and male dancers who periodically grabbed audience members to join in the dance.

After the show I returned to my still chilled room, took a hot shower, and climbed under about seven blankets. A quick bit of reading and I fell asleep knowing that I would get a 5:30 wake up call for the trip to the condors.

As expected at 5:30 there was a loud knocking at my door,since the rooms had no phones. Another quick hot shower, a barely adequate breakfast of coffee, and cold bread with butter and marmalade, and we were off.

We got to the condor crossing and joined about 100 other tourists waiting for the bids to begin their flight. At about 8:30 am the first condor rose from the canyon
soon to be joined by at least 20 others soaring around, and slowing climbing to greater altitudes as the air currents continued to strengthen.

I took about 50 photos, none of which would win even an honorable mention, but just seeing these flying machines was enough of a reward.

About 9:30 the birds had disappeared and just before 10 am we climbed into our vehicle for the trip back to Arequipa. Again a few stops including another delicious lunch, and by 5 pm I was glad to be back.

A quick hot shower revived me, and I wandered down to the main plaza and onto some nearby streets with many shops, restaurants, and hordes of people. I found one of the restaurants that Allen had recommended, and enjoyed a repast of grilled alpaca, potatoes, sauteed carrots, green beans and red peppers, and a glass of red wine that equalledt the top Oregon wines.

Again an early night since I wanted to see the Monasterio de la Santa Catalina and the Plaza de Armes (main plaza) in the daylight and had to be at the airport at 11 am.

Tuesday morning,the Monasterio opened at 8 am and I was there about 5 minutes later. This Spanish creation covered several city blocks, but was isolated from the town by high walls. The inhabitants were all cloistered women who, once they entered, did not interact with the outside world again except through small portals like revolving doors except they were totally opaque. If something had to be exchanged like a letter, the vertical wooden slats would be rotated.

After two hours of exploring the different cells, sitting rooms, kitchens, and quite pleasant gardens, I went through the museum which contained many 17th century religious paintings and some statuary. Many of the paintings were of the Cusqueña style, painted by indigenous artists, who, Beth had pointed out earlier, blended Catholicism with subtle additions from their former beliefs. Then it was off to the Plaza de Armas for a few quick photos and back to the hotel to catch a taxi to the airport.

The one hour flight was pleasant, but the taxi ride through Lima took over a half hour, and the pollution level made the trip miserable. So I holed up in the hotel for supper and an evening of TV and reading.