Onto Valle de Colca, Peru
From Arequipa, we took a motorcoach eastward into the mountains, over a very high pass to the Valle de Colca—Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon on the planet.
As we drove from downtown Arequipa, we passed through working class neighborhoods that reminded me of the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela where I grew up in the 1960s.
It seemed like nothing much had changed. Well, there are now cell phone towers. We didn’t have anything like that back then but the buildings, the power lines, the businesses, and the vendor stalls all looked familiar.
It was early morning; many people were stopping and shopping for something on their way to work or school. As we climbed, the scenery began to change.
First, dry gulches, then fertile valleys, both inhabited and developed for their natural resources.
As we ascended above 14,000 feet, we saw some of what we were looking for—the natural wonders, flora, and fauna, for which the Andes are known—this time, llamas in the wild…
…then, vicuñas.
As if we weren’t already high enough, our next stop was near the top of the pass at just over 16,000 feet of altitude—the high point of the entire trip.
And, long ago, the locals discovered a remedy…
…available today at a rest stop and café near the summit.
A warm, welcome respite, with restrooms. Then, down we went on our way.
More beautiful high altitude tarns
Back down into green valleys and towns.
Next stop, lunch, and a special treat—what the Peruvians call “causa”— in a town on the way down into Colca Canyon.
NEXT: Mama Yacchi’s en el Pueblo de Coporaque
A Finis Terrae 