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We left Cusco early in the morning, in a cold and overcast conditions, not a perfect day to go anywhere, except sitting in a truck for a very long trip. The knees certainly didn't mind after the 4 day Inca hike.
Although Arequipa & Cocla Canyon, are only 400 Km in straight line distance to Cusco, but the direct road is very rough and difficult for our truck, so we virtually had to revert back to Puno, before turning south.
As we reached the same high pass at APU Chamboya ( or Abra La Raya Village, 4335m ASL ), the sky became blue again.
Along the way, I could not help but to take note of the deserted terrace farming plots, there were no one to work on them. Could it be the season? Because I just could not see how mechanical farming can work these plots.
But soon a little disaster hit, one of the truck's front suspension air bags blew. After nearly 2 hours of roadside repair, and after replacing the air bag twice, as one of the spare ones was leaking too, we got going again.
During all this, and throughout the trip we noticed there were quite a few straying dogs, begging along these roads for food, but they were not aggressive. This seems to be the case since we left Santiago. It is a little sad to see this sort of things happen, with people care little about their own dogs.
We were running late for our rendezvous with a another tour bus which was to transfer us to Cocla Canyon for one night while the truck would continue on to Arequipa.
After turning south, the road towards Arequipa is much the same. Generally, the highway we’ve been traveling on in Peru so far, are of very good conditions, though a little narrow. Again, I couldn’t help but notice the number of stray dogs along the roadside.
But the scenery is otherwise grand and majestic, and there were rain clouds dump their lot in the distance, whilst we were under blue skies this side of the plain.
We reached our rendezvous with our Cocla Canyon guide and his bus just before 5 pm., nearly two hours too late.
Hurriedly, we boarded with a day pack, and went onto a very winding road to a small town, Chivay for dinner. The sunset during the first part of the journey was a glory red and then crimson.
We had a most enjoyable 3-course dinner at a small restaurant in Chivay, a very nicely garnished meal, worthy of some fine dinning restaurant in most cities, and a very entertaining local dance show.
The lodge we checked in this cold evening at Coroque, a nearby village, was also of very good quality and settings, a little similar to some of the lodges in some US National Parks, but not their prices.
Day 50 – See Condors soar on top of Cocla Canyon
After having a sumptuous buffet breakfast for less then $4, we checked out, and boarded the bus for our long ride to Cocla Canyon in this fine, but cold morning.
Cocla Canyon is the deepest canyon in the World, at its deepest part, it is 4160 m from the rim to the bottom. More info here on Wikipedia, CoclaCanyon........
After a seemingly never ending trip on a very corrugated dirt road, alongside the shallow part of the Canyon, we arrived, just after 8:30, at the popular viewing point, for our appointment with the Condors.
We were amongst the early arrivals, judging by the much larger crowds on big tourist buses that arrived 20 minutes or so later, we had the most advantageous spots.
xAnd then that was one....then there were 2, 3... then they came in pairs.....soaring with the thermals / air waves.
First they were about a 100m or so below us, then gradually, they became a little braver, and soar passed our heads....wow... what a show !
"Oh, yes I would, if I could, I surely would .........."
They swoop by and soar, up and down. If I could, I surely would.....
The focus was less than optimal, so I was busy adjusting the settings of my camera to capture all of these actions, however, I came to the realisation, that it is at the optical limit of my lens. The alternative is to, cart a $4000 lens and tripod, but would that be practical for a trip like this ?! That has been the forever proverbial question for many travelers who are also keen amateur photographers.
After an hour of marveling at these large soaring birds, we left for a walk around the rim of the Canyon. The part of the canyon where we were was not particularly deep, probably about 1,000m or so, and we can see there are villages more than mid way below, with trails running near them. They do offer accommodations and adventure treks for the keen travelers.
However, to get to see the deepest part of the canyon, another 8 hours of 4x4 driving ( return ) would be required.
We left for Chivay for lunch.
Chivay, where we stopped for a nice dinner last night, is a very tidy little town, and I particular like their local costumes. Very colourful and cheery, with a matching hats for many ladies.
It was another long drive on the same road back out to the highway, to take us to our final destination, Arequipa.
On the way to the highway, we stopped for a view at a mirador ( lookout ) for the 3 volcanos surrounding Arequipa at 4910m ASL, arguably, also the highest toilet in the World.
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| The highest toilets in the World |
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