Peru contains a couple of big ticket items on the South American travel list and we were excited to get to Lima and rendezvous with Mum and Dad who’d decided to join us for Christmas. Our itinerary for the first week and a half was jam packed with exploring and trekking that would take us to the bottom of the worlds second deepest canyon, while cruising on the worlds highest navigable lake and spending the night with some of the locals.
With a couple of days to kill we set about exploring Lima, a much more upmarket city than we were expecting. The Miraflores Mall was easily the most elaborate shopping complex I’ve ever seen, with upmarket shops set in a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was all very first world and we even made it to the cinema to see a little film called El Hobbit: Un viaje inesperado, which we were surprised to find playing in English. Once mum and dad arrived it was time to board another overnight bus and make for Arequipa. We’d heard stories about the Peruvian bus’ and this did not disappoint, with huge leather seats, pillows, blankets and meals making us feel like we were flying business class. Finally some transport worthy of my status.
Arequipa is a cute little town, but we had limited time to enjoy it as it was our gateway to trekking the Colca Canyon. The 2 day trek started in the wee small hours as we went in search of a famous Condor Eagle nesting area. It’s a bit hit and miss whether you’ll see Condors soaring, but despite the dramatic landscape we were feeling a bit robbed when we only saw a few darting about. Then, right on que, just as we were leaving, a huge group turned up and put on an almighty show, soaring out over the canyon in large numbers. It had apparently been a week since a group last saw any flying so we counted our blessings and headed for the walking track. Setting off on the 1,000m descent into the canyon the weather was perfect and the scenery dramatic. I’d been imagining a huge hole in the ground ala the Grand Canyon, but this was more of a gigantic gorge, with a walking track winding down steep cliffs. Along the way we got plenty of info from our great guide as we passed through a few local villages, I was lucky enough to get involved in a game of soccer with the kids at one of the villages; though at altitude my lungs gave out long before the kids did.
There’s nothing more satisfying after a hard days walking than a nice hot shower and a cold beer in front of a fire. Unfortunately what we got was a swim in a cold pool, followed by a warm beer in our powerless accommodation. Still, it was good to relax with a feed and we all slept like logs before rising at 4:30am for the climb out of the Canyon. In all we managed the 1,000m climb in 3 1/2 hours, not bad for a couple in their late 50’s and Cush battling a foot injury that left her with only 9 toenails. Yummy!! All that was left was a buffet lunch, some handling of a giant eagle and a soak in some hot pools to round out what was a fantastic trip. We’d done a lot of walking, been up to 4,900m (where we were in snow) and were pretty satisfied with our achievements.
With Father Christmas rapidly sneaking up on us, we headed to the town of Puno on Lake Titicaca, to celebrate Dad’s birthday and begin a day of Skyping into the various family festivities back home. Christmas in Peru is celebrated like everything else in Latin America, with food, church and a truckload of fireworks. While drinking a couple of bottles of red wine and watching Home Alone in Spanish, I also managed to throw together a Chicken roast, and with mum recovered from a serious bout of altitude sickness we had a great family day.
Keen to see more of the lake we took a 2 day tour which started by visiting the famous floating islands of the Uros. In a bid to escape the invading Spanish, the Uros people cunningly decided to build hundreds of islands on the lake using layers of buoyant totora reeds. It’s a bizarre concept, but it obviously worked because they’re still here and even though it’s decidedly more tourist focused than I’d like, it was certainly interesting. We then pushed on to the Island of Amantani, where the 4 of us got to spend the night staying with a local family. They prepared our meals, gave us some insights into their lives on the island and even put on a disco with local music and dressed us in traditional clothes and dancing. Spending time with locals is always a highlight for us and this was no exception. Again, we’ve been struck by the warmth of the locals, who will happily bend over backwards to help where they can.
Traveling with Mum and Dad had been a real eye opener and it was a treat to be able to see their reactions to the surroundings. You’re surrounded by so many crazy sights here that you do become a little immune, so
their comments about the overloaded cars, and the crazy living conditions and the unsafe everything was a pleasant reminder to us. Of course it also meant Christmas Day was more of an occasion than it otherwise would have been. Feeling pretty happy with our conquering of the worlds second deepest canyon we set off for Cusco and our date with the Machu Picchu ruins….
Nights Stayed: Lima – 2, Arequipa – 2, Conon Del Colca – 1, Puno – 2, Island Amantani – 1
Stay at – Arequipa Downtown Backpackers. We did our Colca Canyon Trek through them as well and it was brilliant
We got here – on a 28 hour bus ride from Guyaquil, Ecuador to Lima, Peru on Ormena. This was our longest single travel leg to date. God bless Temazepame. Overnight bus from Lima to Arequipa on Oltursa. Both companies were great.
Hard to believe – they have some problems with rubbish in the canyon as the locals don’t know the difference between organic and plastic. They think a drink bottle will decompose just like a banana skin
Quote of the week – “I don’t think there’s any seatbelts in this van” – Joan Hegarty. Bless you mum, but the real fun starts when you see how they drive
Best safety seen yet – A woman rides on the back of a motorcycle, with her newborn baby in a sling, while she breastfeeds. Credit where credits due, that’s multitasking
The downside of traveling – The wedding season has kicked off in New Zealand, meaning we missed the nuptials of good friends Mark Jolly and April Pitman.
What grinds my gears – Whinging little kids on overnight bus rides. I’ve no problem with kids having a good cry when things are amiss, but those little buggers who just grizzle cos they’re bored or tired or whatever need a good smack. Parents, pull your finger out