Peru: Yanahuara

Outside Arequipa, we stopped into a nursery outside Yanahuara with views of volcanos ....

 ... and exotic fruits and vegetables.

 

We learned about maca (Lepidium Meyenii), a root with great medicinal and nutritive properties that grows at high altitudes (12,800 - 14,800 feet).  We were also offered coca leaves in various forms to alleviate altitude sickness, depression and pain.

 The small town featured fine examples of the white sillar stone used in so many buildings here and in Arequipa.

Peru: Colca Canyon Condors

We hiked along the canyon while waiting for the condors to begin hunting from "Cruz del Condor".  Andean Condors are vultures and scavengers, but they prefer larger prey such as dead cows and beached marine mammals.  At over 10 feet, they have the largest wingspan of any land bird (exceeded only by the Wandering Albatross and Dalmatian Pelican sea birds)

We thought they were magnificent and spent several happy hours watching them soar from beneath our view point (we were almost 4,000 feet above the canyon floor) to above our heads. 

 On our drive back to Arequipa, we saw this woman herding her llamas...

 ... and little girls leading their alpacas.

Our hotel (Casa Andina) in Arequipa was delightful and well-situated.

Peru: Colca Canyon Patapampa

After having flown from Juliaca into Arequipa the night before, we set out early morning on our Colca Canyon adventure. The Colca Canyon is 124 miles long and over 11,000 feet deep. We passed fascinating flora and fauna (note nursing alpaca).

The fertile valley was filled with terraced farming.

And we admired volcanoes

But my big thrill was a personal altitude record. The sign said 4,910 meters which is a bit over 16,000 feet (Cusco is a mere 11,200 feet and El Tatio Geyser Field is 13,800 feet above mean sea level) 

We continued on for lunch at La Casa de Mama Yacchi in the sleepy town of Corporaque

After lunch our guide decided to take us on a long, steep hike.  

Our reward was the sight of candies placed in the mouths of pre-inca skulls.  Note the elongated shape of the skulls, a sign of beauty. 

At the end of our hike, we were ready to join these burros seeking shade.

We travelled back along the canyon to our hotel. This was the most rustic and quiet of all the places we stayed. We amused ourselves by watching craftsmen embroider various useful souvenirs like eyeglass cases and water bottle holders. We also attended the planetarium / observatory lecture but the astronomer spoke so quickly I am not really sure what planets and stars I saw. I still took pleasure in the plentiful constellations in a night sky with almost zero artificial light.

Peru: Chucuito & Sillustani

We visited the Chucuito “Fertility Temple” ruins for a short time before walking up the hill to the main plaza. We wandered around taking photos and waiting for the “procession”.

The Sillustanti burial towers called “chullpas” were built by the Colla people perhaps 500 years ago. Some are almost 40 feet high and many are unfinished.

Up and over the ridge we viewed the peaceful Lake Umayo.

For a small fee, the nice lady allowed Teresa to pet the young alpaca.

Enroute to the airport, we saw ranches and alpacas

BTW – If you ever get confused between alpacas and llamas, check out the great video on this website: www.owning-alpaca.com/alpaca-and-llama.html

Peru: Lake Titicaca

We flew into Juliaca to reach Lake Titicaca which at 12,500 feet above sea level is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world (slightly larger than Lake Tahoe). Our room in the Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection had a spectacular view of the lake.

Early in the morning, we set out for the Uros Floating Islands. Our enthusiastic guide explained how floating islands are created from totora reeds, fish are farmed and how water depth is checked. When the islands get built up too much and are too close to the bottom of the lake, they are pulled out to deeper water.

We appreciated seeing how the women created the textile souvenirs we bought. 

We had our picture taken with colorful singers, moments before they hopped off and sang our farewell concert.  Two strong men rowed us over to the next island which was much more fun than taking the bigger, faster speedboat.

We were picked up from Amantani and sped off to the larger and fixed (not floating) island of Taquile. We climbed and climbed until we finally reached our restaurant for lunch.  Gorgeous views on a gorgeous day.

Then we climbed even higher via a steep shortcut to “downtown” or the main square.

Further along, we saw a home under construction, waiting for its bricks to dry.

Finally, we cleared the island ridge and started our descent, passing an industrious weaver.

As we waited for our boat to bring us back to our hotel, we marveled at how the water was as clear as in the Caribbean.

Peru:Pachacamac

Pachacamac is a largely pre-Incan archeological site located only ~25 miles outside Lima. An important fact I had to be reminded of repeatedly was that the powerful Inca Empire existed for the relatively short period of time from ~1438 to 1533. Therefore, much of what we visited was referred to as “pre-Incan”.  

On site there is cemetary and fish fresco from ~200-600 AD. The Huari established Pachacamac ~600 – 800 AD. Most of the buildings, including at least 17 pyramids, were built ~800 – 1450 AD. When the Inca arrived, they allowed the Pachacamac priests to continue to function independently. The Inca built five more buildings, including a temple to the Sun. Teresa’s driver Esau drove us slowly around the complex while our official guide navigated. Quite often, we got out at a viewing point (usually with an explanatory placard) while our guide provided additional details and history. At one point, we made quite an ascent through the sand and were treated to a view of the ocean. No wonder everyone wanted to live here!

The museum displayed many examples of textiles and ceramics. Outside the museum, we were greeted by dogs that had lost much of their fur, but sported jackets intended to protect at least some of their exposed skin from sunburn.

After a hard day of sightseeing, we lunched at a nearby seaside restaurant. We are not drinking a pitcher of sangria but rather “chicha morada” which is a Peruvian specialty made from purple corn. The Peruvian Cuisine Blog (www.peruvian-cuisine.blogspot.com) provides the following recipe to make your own:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lb (¾ k) purple corn

• Peelings from 2 lb (1 k) cooking apples

• Peelings from 1 large pineapple

• 4 key limes

• 1 cup sugar, or to taste

• 4 whole cloves

Bring to a boil the well washed apple and pineapple peelings, the corn and cloves with 3 quarts water. Simmer for half an hour, and then strain.

Repeat simmering process with same ingredients and 3 quarts clean water. We have to strain and mix both liquids.

Finally, add sugar and lemon juice. Serve chilled.

Note: Add sugar and key lime to the Chicha only when ready to use. In fact, before adding sugar and lime it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days

Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) Overview of Panama & Route of the Maya (3/24/10 – 4/11/10)

Not only did I get to tick off 5 countries on my list ( Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala & Belize), I also saw and experienced a wonderful part of the world. I completed a partial transit through the Panama Canal, visited indigenous communities (Embera, Maya), climbed through Mayan ruins (Joya de Ceren, Copan, Tikal, Yaxha, Lamanai), toured Spanish colonial cities (Panama City, San Salvador, Guatemala City, Antigua), zip-lined across a bioreserve, ferried around lakes Atitlan and Peten Itza, and witnessed many Santa Semana (Holy Week) processions. My fellow travelers were experienced and all had a great sense of humor. Our Route of the Maya guide was knowledgeable and ensured our days were full. OAT did not charge me a single supplement and overall I got good value.

 Overseas Adventure Travellers Group Photo in Front of Tikal