Peru: Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

After no problems passing through my last border into Peru, I took a bus straight to Arequipa (skipping Puno and the lake and floating islands after my stay on Isle del Sol and hearing that Puno isn't very nice). I only spent a few days in the town on either side of doing a three day trek into the Colca Canyon, but the city was beautiful, with a nice square and good food (I had a green-cheese and quinoa crepe).

Parade in Arequipa's main square

 

The Colca Canyon is the world's deepest, 4km from top to bottom, and about twice the size of the Grand Canyon. I decided to do a three day trek over the two day option to spend more time in the villages; also didn't really want to hike 7 hours the first day. 

 

Andean Condors - second largest bird after the Albatross

The trip was amazing - another highlight and no dust like with the Salt Tour! I was with a great group of six other people (a couple from Quebec, girl from France, guy from Germany, and guy from Belgium) and our guide, Fidel. We spent the first day hiking down into the canyon to the small village of San Juan de Chuccho. After lunch and a nap, we ventured out into the area to pick fresh oranges, figs, and apples from the trees.

The crew before the start of our hike

The second day we hiked along mostly flat ground and stopped along the way for Fidel to tell us about the plants and environment (small, white bulbs off cactus burst purple and are used for dye; there's an Aloe Vera type plant that smells like chicken soup when you break it). Then we hiked up to arrive in the Sangalle Oasis - and what a beautiful place it was! After lunch and a swim we did some more fruit picking and Fidel led us to a mango tree - so delicious.

Face paint from red rock dust

Swimming pool with bungalows at Sangalle Oasis

The last day we woke up for a 5am start hiking 5km back out of the canyon. It was pretty challenging, (you can see the zigzag path to the left in the picture below) but rewarding to finish. Then off to an outdoor thermal pool to relax our sore muscles, stops to see alpacas and llamas (still not sure the difference) and a buffet lunch before returning to Arequipa.

 

Terraced landscape for farming

La Paz and the Ticketless Ride to Isle del Sol (Potosi and Sucre)

So I am far behind on my pictures for Bolivia and leaving the country today, but there won't be as many as my last post! Kallon and I left Sucre one night before the girls and took the most comfortable bed-seat bus overnight to La Paz. We spent one night in the Adventure Brew Hostel before moving to the Wild Rover party hostel, where Romilly and Siobhan joined us. Our dorm room was a dark den in a huge hostel, with it's own pub.

Parade in main square La Paz

The city itself is huge, built up into the surrounding hillsides, but full of great artisan markets and food. I visited a music museum, where you could see and play instruments from around South America, and my last day I went on an amazing walking tour, where I found out lots of local history:

• San Pedro prison located in La Paz is like a little town of it's own, where prisoners run the prison, selling cocaine as a main means of employment, with very few guards
• The reason Indigenous women wear bowler-type hats is because in the 1900s colonisers had ordered too many small hats, so they told women they were all the rage in Europe, and they became part of the traditional outfit
• Shoe-shiners in the city wear masks covering their faces because feet are considered dirty in this culture and they want to remain unknown
• Cholitas (Indigenous women) in La Paz wear long skirts that cover their legs because calves are considered the most attractive part of a woman

"Witches Market" - Artisan Market

We ended the walking tour at Urban Rush, a tall building overlooking the city, where for 100 bolivianos (about $15) you could walk vertically down a wall and then free-fall. Yes I did it! One of the scariest things I've ever done!

View from top of building I scaled down



Me in a Super Mario costume scaling 50m

A few days ago I left La Paz, heading out on my own again (though I may see some people again in Cusco) to the Island of the Sun. Because of some semi-bad information regarding the busses I ended up without a ticket waiting outside the hostel and hoping for a seat. Ended up getting the last seat on a bus headed to Copacabana, where I then took a ferry over to the small Isle del Sol for a few restful days (basic electricity and cold water; no wifi, etc.). Such a beautiful village with a nice beach, fresh trout and some good hiking up to 4066m to see ruins.

Bus on separate raft on the way to Copacabana

Challapampa Village where I stayed on Isle del Sol

 

Potosi

Cerro Rico Mountain and view of city

Sucre

View over city and black market (mostly clothes)

Municipal market with many kinds of potatoes

Parque Cretacico - Dinosaur footprints

Me and some t-rex prints



Bolivia: How I Ended up in Tupiza and the Salt Tour

Hola Chicos,

So I took the overnight bus from Salta, Argentina to the border, where I met 7 other various travellers in the cold 7am air walking towards the border to cross into Villazon, Bolvia. There was no problem crossing the border, but by the time we caught a cab none of us could feel our toes. I was supposed to head to Uyuni and book a tour there, but we had a good group so instead I headed to Tupiza for a night before booking a 4-day tour through the Andes and to the Salt Flats. The crew: Romilly, Siobhan, and Charlie from England, Chris and Kallon from Australia, Micah from Toronto, and Jonathon from Israel. 

The tour was amazing! Cold mornings stopping at lagoons filled with flamingos, hot afternoons at crazy high heights viewing geysers, a thermal pool in a desert surrounded by mountains, llamas with tassels in their ears, mostly banos natural (aka little rocks and bushes and bare butts) and finally the salt flats. The largest in the world, a salt lake where the water has dried up and all that's left is miles and miles of hexagon-shaped salt. 

After the tour I continued traveling with Romilly, Siobhan and Kallon to Potosi (highest city in the world at 4060m) and then Sucre (the official capitol full of white-washed buildings and near the largest number of dinosaur footprints in the world). The altitude has been quite a challenge, leaving you winded after a short walk and breathing deeply even when lying in bed (not sure how I'll manage the Inca Trail!). There are lots of photos from my tour below (I took about 800 in the 4 days!) so I will post photos of Potosi and Sucre in the next blog.

Ghost town - 4690m

We drove the drove through this! And many other waterways. 

Detergent used for washing hair - yes I tried it!

Geysers - 4855m

Charlie, Romilly, Siobhan and me with flamingos!

Driver fixing our jeep - we had a flat tire and broke down a lot!

Me at a heart-shaped lake

Salt hotel where we spent last night - walls and floor are salt!

Fish Island on salt flats - watched sunrise here

The mountains looked like they were floating!

Me climbing a converse - because of the way the salt is you can get fun distance pics!

Our bad attempt at spelling UYUNI

Everyone with the 2 drivers and cook