Cañon Del Colca, first day
November 21, 2020
We left Arequipa early on 31 July with a small group to begin our journey through the Cañon Del Colca. Since we were traveling to heights of almost 5000 metered over sea level, our guide advised us to buy and chew coca leaves, which would help with altitude sickness. Coca leaves are the raw source of the well known narcotic cocaine. However, you would need a hundred kilograms of leaves to make a kilo of cocaine. We chewed less than 10 leaves at a time and therefore only achieved numbness in the cheek as well as a sour taste in our mouths.
We first stopped along the road to see Alpacas and Vicuñas in their natural habitat. We also saw wonderful views of the three main volcanoes around Arequipa, one of which erupted, shooting gas into the sky, just as we stopped to take photographs. Further stops lead us to small villages where Peruvian farmers still farm like they used to in the Inca times. The locals still wear the traditional Peruvian clothing.
At the end of the first day, we reached Chivay, where we were dropped at our hostel for the night. The temperature dropped from the mid-twenties to minus 2 degrees centigrade. Fortunately, our room had been prepared for the occasion and the bed had been made with several layers of alpaca throws. We also had a little heater and welcome warm water.
It was wonderful to watch the life of the small village of Chivay where local families gathered together in the evening to cook and eat their evening meal around the market place. It was such a colourful sight as the people wore the traditional Peruvian clothing, selling their homemade or grown produce from their market stalls to each other and to the tourists. We realised how far away from London we were in this place. People are so kind and welcoming, children play together with almost nothing in the small safe streets and take their alpaca for a walk around the central plaza.
It was wonderful to be able to be part of this beautiful little village for just one day.
