Day 4 - Arequipa to the Colca Canyon
We were off at 8.30am but the first obstacle was getting out into the rush hour traffic. We headed out of the city on the main road to Chivay and Puno, but progress was slow and eventually we took a detour through the back streets before finally reaching the open road. The outskirts of Arequipa are not pretty and the Pan American highway is well used, mainly by trucks and tour buses.
Eventually we reached the highest point, almost 5000m, where there is a view of the distant volcanoes. Sadly, Peru is having funny weather so they were partially in cloud. We both felt slightly odd walking about at that altitude, but we survived and by the time we were coming down on the Colca Canyon side, the views were clearer.
We dropped down to Chivay and then headed west to our hotel which is down a very narrow unmade road. It is lovely, see the photos of our 'house' with private hot tub. We were looking forward to a sit on our veranda after our lovely lunch but sadly it started to rain so we sat inside and watched flocks of birds in the trees outside.
At 4.30pm we headed back to the main building for a couple of real treats, a cookery lesson on Peruvian classic Lomo Salgado, made with alpaca meat and quinoa, with an English translation from one of the waiters and a tasting at the end. We and a Spanish speaking couple then went on to a lesson in making the local cocktail Pisco Sour with another tasting. Having missed a dip in the hot tub, we had done another of the things you are told to avoid while acclimatising to high altitude, which is drink any alcohol - we'll see how we are tomorrow. The rain had stopped by the time we came back to the 'house' so we walked round the hotel site which is very attractive.
We began to climb and soon reached the National Reserve dedicated to preserving the wild vicunas, which graze happily beside the road despite the litter. They are exceedingly cute, looking a bit like deer. Further on the roads to Chivay and Puno split and we stopped for a break and some Inca tea, coca plus mint, which was very nice. Further on were herds of grazing Alpacas, the ones with the faces like sheep and llamas, the thinner-faced animals with long ears.
Eventually we reached the highest point, almost 5000m, where there is a view of the distant volcanoes. Sadly, Peru is having funny weather so they were partially in cloud. We both felt slightly odd walking about at that altitude, but we survived and by the time we were coming down on the Colca Canyon side, the views were clearer.
We dropped down to Chivay and then headed west to our hotel which is down a very narrow unmade road. It is lovely, see the photos of our 'house' with private hot tub. We were looking forward to a sit on our veranda after our lovely lunch but sadly it started to rain so we sat inside and watched flocks of birds in the trees outside.
At 4.30pm we headed back to the main building for a couple of real treats, a cookery lesson on Peruvian classic Lomo Salgado, made with alpaca meat and quinoa, with an English translation from one of the waiters and a tasting at the end. We and a Spanish speaking couple then went on to a lesson in making the local cocktail Pisco Sour with another tasting. Having missed a dip in the hot tub, we had done another of the things you are told to avoid while acclimatising to high altitude, which is drink any alcohol - we'll see how we are tomorrow. The rain had stopped by the time we came back to the 'house' so we walked round the hotel site which is very attractive.
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