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1994
Peru (Colca) - South America
Bec2004-09-20 16:51:46
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Arequipa
I was pleasantly surprised to discover beautiful Arequipa after the long dusty drive through the coastal desert it took to get here from Nazca. This is the Cathedral in front of the Plaza de Armas.
There are lots of cheap places to stay in Arequipa. I had a comfortable room for 4.65$ at the Hostal Niko not far from the Plaza de Armas.
I enjoyed Arequipa, the colonial architecture had a lot of charm, it had several fine old churches and the Santa Catalina Convent was definitely worth a visit.
More importantly, the people seemed friendlier and I felt safer than in Lima as I roamed the streets and enjoyed the sights such as this Franciscan Monastery.
Sierra
As I probably have mentioned already, I just love mountain scenery. That is why I got up very early to catch the local 4:30 am bus to Cabanaconde on the rim of the Colca Canyon, seven hours north-west of Arequipa.
From Arequipa, at 2350 meters, the bus climbs to 4800 meters before dropping down to Chivay at 3700 metres on the edge of Colca Canon.
It gets pretty cold on the high plateau which is often lost in the clouds like now. I was luckier on the way back for I got a glimpse of the views I had missed on the way in.
Chivay
Chivay is a fair sized town with a busy market even on Mondays when I was there.
I was surprised to see so many people in this isolated place 160 kms from Arequipa. Actually Chivay is not as isolated as it looks for the nearby Colca Canyon is terraced and has been inhabited for centuries.
Cańon de Colca
There is something magic about discovering this Lost Valley high up in the Andes, miles from nowhere and surrounded by inhospitable peaks. It is much like stumbling upon a lush oasis in the middle of the Sahara, or the Gobi.
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See photographs from:
Peru Gallery
