colca canyon

this three day trip made me so happy i went to REI and spend lord-knows-how-much- moneys in geeky hiking stuff. so happy, that the only shoes i brought were my hiking shoes. geeky hiking stuff ftw.

day 1: downhill
wake up at 3am to take a 4hr bus to colca canyon? sure! at about 4000masl it was cloudy, not foggy, cloudy. we were in the clouds. we were supposed to see the bottom of the canyon from here, but it was white. like the clouds. we were dropped off at a random spot where the trail began. 4 hours, 11km to go 1200m down to the bottom of the canyon. downhill is easy right? no, not easy, not for me. i admit it, i struggled, same motion for 4 hours in the sun, (yes, the sun came out) was a bit hard for me. but oh so beautiful!

  after four hours and crossing a scary bridge, we arrived at our place. food, warm shower, the sound of the river and good advice to check the cieling for scorpions before going to bed.

day 2: fruity
the next morning, this was the view. crisp fresh air, birds singing, the river still loud, oh, it was like being on tv, but better.

my legs were in pain... no shame, i never reaaally hike, so yes, i was in pain. pepe, our awesome guide, gave me a bamboo stick to walk. i need to tell you, that bamboo stick, it saved me. ;) this walk was easier, shadow, pepe stopped along the way to get us fruit and explain the plants around us. yes, there are places where people can just walk around and get awesome fruit.

we walked up again through small towns and then back to the bottom of the canyon. rollercoaster i tell you...

the walk ended in oasis. little cabins made up of bamboo and wood, by the river, pool that gets filled with the water that comes down from the mountain. yes, oasis. 

day 3: mule it.

the last day consists of a 3hr walk up to the top of the canyon. 1000m up, rocky, slippery, and i am in pain. so, i muled it. no shame. my friend the mule took me up. because my friend, i was in too much pain, and in this altitude, my lungs were not working properly either. so, i muled it.

this is our group, with pepe. :)

 corn fields, keeping the tradition of the pre-inca/inca terraces.

way back: out of the canyon
we stopped at some hot springs place. maybe it would have been good for my muscles, but i decided to have some laying-in-the-grass-under-the-sun time.

remember that first picture, above the clouds? this is the same place, cloud-less. :)

breathing was not very easy at 4910masl.

pictures are better than words right? so, forgive the crazy writing... not much time to proof read. i have cuzco to explore. :)