Exploring the Colca Canyon

So we just spent a few days exploring the Colca Canyon. Did you know that it is the second deepest canyon in the world? And nope the deepest is not the Grand Canyon ( in fact it`s only half as deep) but another neighbouring canyon in Peru. It was a three day tour that involved walking down to the bottom on the second day and sleeping there in tents for the night. We climbed back to the top starting in the moonlight. We were in a group of 10, including a family with two young boys and two other couples ( one from Paris and the other from New York.)

• The first day we drove to a small village ( the last on the south side of the canyon) but stopped at lots of places along the way. One included the 4900m high pass that was laden with Inuckshucks. I don`t know what the Spanish word is but they were rock offerings to the mountain gods. There were hundreds of them.


• Cruz del Condor is the hot spot area because families of condors ( though their numbers are swindling) make their nests in the sometime snowy, rocky outcrops inaccessible to predators. In the mornings and late afternoons the thermal wind currents are perfect for gliding making it a wonderful look out spot. You are standing at 1200m while the north side is 3100m deep. This is the second deepest part of the canyon. In total the canyon is 100 km though the first section is a rolling valley.


• The condors are the biggest bird in the world. They have a 3m wing span and can weigh up to 10 kg. It is impressive to watch them fly because they often adjust their wings or tail weathers and simply ride the currents rather than flap their wings ( they still do that once in awhile.)
• Along the north side of the valley are some functioning terrace gardens. The Pre-Incan civilizations figured out a way to irrigate these dry areas and successfully grow corn, potatoes and wheat. Thought they were made over 1500 years ago 60% of them are still functioning. They would carve models of the hillside into a rock and the proposed irrigation to determine if the water would drain the way they expected.
  
• We saw a variety of animals and plants. In one day of driving we saw 3 out of 4 types of camelid beasts. Llamas and Alpacas have been domesticated and you see then grazing away in fields. Llamas are a little bigger and a hardier animal particularly because they don`t mind eating from dry, poor pastures. They have long ears and their fur is the most rough of the bunch. Alpacas have a cuter face with curly facial hair ( very similar to a sheep)!! They prefer well watered grasslands. The yummy grasses make their coats very fine. Vicuñas are very dainty and have the smallest heads and the best wool. They are wild and roam about as they please. We also saw these burrowing rodents that look a lot like rabbits. They are called Viscachas.
• The Yareta plant is one of the slowest growing plants in the world, with a whooping 1cm a year. It is very tough and looks like algae or something like that growing on a rock. The sap that it produces is used as a resin for local remedies. There are all sorts of different types and sizes of cacti. We even tried some of the fruit. One was sweet and the sour type looked just like the inside of a kiwi. They are both rough on the outside.
• We also stopped at the rock gardens the fist day. It was a collection of rock that had been molded into all sorts of crazy shapes and sizes by the water and erosion.


• Our first and last meal with the tour were buffets at local restaurants in a small town named Chivay. They were a great place to sample the local dishes. We even tried Alpaca meat. Potatoes are a big deal around here so there were all sorts of types and flavours.
  
• This was also the village were we went to the hot springs. It was a well earned treat after hiking out of the canyon. It was a little strange being in a hot pool while the sun radiated down on you in the 20 plus weather. Though it must have done some good as the mineral laden water is known for it`s curative powers.


• The women`s clothing is in a league of it`s own. We have not yet seen anything like it. It is intricately embroidered by hand in bright and colourful shades. Their dresses, ( which have two layers) jackets, blouses, right down to their hats are decorated in this manner. However this is true for the women living on the west side of the canyon. The east side ladies hats are made of straw and embellished with sequins, medallions, flowers or lace. Who knew that something as simple as a hat could be a distinguishing feature?
• At the bottom of the canyon we stayed at a place appropriately named the Oasis. Palm trees were abundant. We enjoyed the ¨in the rock¨pool with cold water coming from a lagoon some 5 km away as well as candle light meals.
• We passed by the Mismi mountain. It is about 5597m high. It is the origin of the Amazon River. It is hard to imagine that the river travels so far. Our guide made an interesting comment about the local water supply. For whatever reason (global warming, pollution, etc..) alot of the high mountains no longer have snow caps. This changed has occurred over the last 7 years!! They are melting more rapidly than before. The mountains are one of the main water sources in Peru. What will happen if they no longer have snow/water?