Arequipa and the Colca Canyon
Maria's perspectiveOur ten hour overnight bus to Arequipa can be summed up as twisting, turning, bouncing, and swaying on the second floor of the double decker bus. Waking in the middle of the night only to peer into the darkness encompassed by fog as the driver raced at what felt like high speeds thinking we were going to topple over a cliff. Needless to say, we arrived to the Arequipa bus station in GI distress and ready to lie down. Marlon's House arranged for a taxi to take us to our overnight stay. The problem was, the taxi driver did not hear our destination, therefore after we were on our way, he asked our address. We just looked at each other for a moment on a very busy road where he slowed trying to speak with us as a bus came flying up only stopping inches short of hitting us. But then again, that's traffic here... people pretty much do what they want and make their own lanes. Needless to say Jackie pulled through for us and found it on our downloaded google maps. Phew... crisis averted. Our first day in Arequipa we visited the city center and the beautiful Basilica Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas. I have to say, the white buildings were quite stunning. Day two we walked with our packs to our new hostel Maycawasi right around the block of the Plaza de Armas. We also enjoyed a free walking tour of downtown Arequipa where we learned more about the history of the city and were able to enjoy samples of coca tea which is commonly used for altitude sickness and Pisco sour. Night two in Arequipa we made our first dinner of pasta, toasted bread, and fresh mangos. The bagged spaghetti sauce left much to be desired, however the mangos in South America are to die for! On day three in Arequipa we left for a Colca Canyon tour at 330am which we thought was a bus tour with a small amount of trekking... let's just say, we are sure to read the fine print after the Colca Canyon tour. After 3-4 hours in a minibus making multiple stops along the way, we arrived to Cruz del Condor where we were able to see the soaring condors in the canyon. After that we headed to our next stop which we found out was where we were starting our 6km trek before lunch, followed by a 11km trek after lunch which would take us to The Oasis in the bottom of the canyon. We were under the impression we were doing maybe 5km total when we booked the tour. Thankfully we wore our hiking boots. After waiting for one couple to arrive and paying 1 sole to use the restroom, we set out on our trekking adventure with our guide Roberto, an Austrian couple, and three girls from Spain one of which was a nurse so we had a lot to talk about. Before lunch the trek was all downhill. Unfortunately Jackie developed severe blisters due to worn out hiking boots. Jackie is a hero for trekking on because I don't know that I could have done it. After seeing a girl have a severe asthma attack and vomiting, we arrived to lunch which was a Peruvian dish lomo saltado and soup. We then trekked another 11km and arrived at The Oasis. We stayed the night in a bungalow which was not sealed... very rustic with spiders, other bugs, and then a scorpion which we promptly did away with and bombed the place with DEET. Andrea and I may or may not have slept with a sheet over our face to avoid unwanted guests. Jackie toughed it out. The trek out in the morning started just after 5am and was 5km with switchbacks straight out of the canyon. It was very hard. The altitude at the top in Cabanaconde was shy of 11,000 feet which is quite different than the flatlands of Ohio and Michigan. The last mile was the toughest because I was getting severe muscle cramps in my quads which was probably a combination of dehydration, depleted electrolytes, lack of my normal oxygenation, and my body is not used to that type of exercise for that duration. After arriving to the top, we had breakfast and then continued on in the minibus to several cities including Chivay and the highest point at 4900 meters and then headed to the natural hot springs. After making it back to Arequipa that evening we showered and enjoyed a well deserved dinner of either KFC or Pizza Hut. I have to say, we slept well that night to take a bus out in the morning to Puno!
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