If the idea of walking up a steep mountain for two hours, carrying a heavy(ish) backpack and at altitudes of over 3,000m sounds like your idea of fun - get yourself to the Colca Canyon in southern Peru.
That mammoth hike - more of which later - was the final testing part of a great three day experience in stunning Peruvian countryside.
I was picked up in a minibus at 3am, and after a circutous route round the backstreets of Arequipa - picking up various other groups along the way - we set off on the three hour journey to the Colca national park.
Along the way, I got my first experience of the effects of altitude. Drifting in and out of sleep, I kept being awoken by my lungs struggling to take a proper breath. It's a weird experience, and all it takes to stop it is to take a deep breath, but it's slightly unnerving all the same.
After a brief breakfast and some last minute fretting about whether we had the right gear, we set off.
The first stop was at Condor Canyon, the spot with the deepest drop and where condors frequently fly. These birds are the second biggest in the world, after the albatross, and have wingspans of three metres across.
We spent forty minutes waiting patiently for one to appear, during which time I bought myself a hat from one of the local women:
Just as we were about to get back on the bus, a condor appeared and swooped low in front of us. It was a special sight, seeing this enormous bird silently gliding through the enormous canyon corridor, showing itself off to the massed banks of tourists.
Happy with our luck, we set off for the short journey to the start of the trek.
Our tour guide Luis was a good guy and knew the canyon like the back of his hand. His 95 year-old grandparents still lived - and worked! - in one of the villages that banked the steep mountainside.
He gave us the info on what we could expect from the next three days - namely a lot of walking - and we began.
The sun was beating down as we descended one side of the canyon. The views were awesome as we negotiated the shingly path downwards:
Walking downhill is actually tougher than it first appears. Constantly stopping yourself from slipping down the mountain on the shingle, 33-year-old knees buckling under the pressure and toes squashed at the front of trainers is hard going.
So when we reached the bridge at the bottom of the canyon, following a two-hour descent, there was relief all round. A short uphill walk the other side took us to our lunch spot, where we ate alpaca (similar to llama) and drunk energy-boosting Coke.
After lunch, the four of us set off again - while the other tour groups we'd been walking with stayed put for the night. Our destination was the next village, and Luis's uncle's hostal.
After a steep final ascent we arrived at the hostal Danilo:
Editors needed in Colca Canyon. Apply within.
We had a few hours of playing with Kevin - the son of the owner and a big fan of repeatedly punching English people - as we overlooked the green valley below.
At one point, a group of 30 Icelandic walkers turned up in the village. Luckily they decided to stay next door, and our tranquil little home for the night remained just that. James and Sarah had a room to themselves, and I had a five-bed dorm to myself with amazing views as I woke in the morning:
Day Two was a good day. A short walk to the neighbouring village found us at a one-room museum, created and run by Luis's cousin Vanessa. It was a interesting little tour through the way of life of the local people, from the way they make food, to the animals they have and the clothes they wear.
A few stuffed animals, like this chap...
...and a picture of me wearing alampshade traditional hat, alongside Vanessa...
...completed the tour. Good stuff.
We then had an hour's descent to a place called San Galle, a small 'oasis' at the bottom of the canyon where tour groups come to stay the night, swim in the heavenly pools and eat by candlelight:
It was the perfect spot, and we had a few well-deserved drinks with the various other groups and individuals staying there.
After a few hours sleep in a hut, we rose at 4.30am and started the most difficult part of the three day event - the walk back out of the canyon.
The first twenty minutes or so were in the dark. Not the easiest conditions for walking up a steep gravel and mud path, with sheer drops down the mountain just inches from your feet.
But we survived until daybreak and after a brief communal stop, Luis gave us instruction to go at our own pace and he would see us at the top, some three hours later.
Fortunately I was feeling fairly strong that morning and got 'in the zone', as they say. I covered the ground fairly quickly, bend after bend, sweat pouring but legs on auto-pilot as I ascended the 9km up the mountain.
I passed several groups on the way up and finally reached the top as the sun burst through, gasping in the high altitude and with a big sense of achievement. I did the walk in 1hr 45m, for something that is supposed to take 3hr, which felt pretty good.
I got a couple of pics at the top, first on my own:
And then with my fellow tour group of James, Sarah and Luis:
A leg-shaking final walk back to the sleepy town of Canaconde, and breakfast, was our final proper walk of the trek. After scrambled eggs and coffee we had a bit of chill time in Canaconde's main square...
...before heading off on the long journey home.
We stopped at a couple of eye-popping viewpoints on the way, and then had an hour in the hot thermal springs at a place called Chivay. Soaking our weary bodies in 39C water was the perfect way to finish a great three days.
I got chatting to a guy called Tom (Belgian) on the trek and we happened to be staying at the same hostal in Arequipa. We agreed to go out that evening and celebrate a good trek trekked.
Accompanied by Roger (Swiss), we hit the town. After a couple of quiet bars, we stumbled across a live music venue where Peru's answer to Queen were blaring out the hits: Radio GaGa, I Want To Break Free, etc.
They threw in a couple of Nirvana classics and the obligatory Guns N Roses covers. They were fun to watch and it was amusing seeing the local kids shouting out requests during song breaks. One guy was so obsessed in hearing The Cure, I almost felt like paying the band to play one of their songs.
At the bar we met a bunch of locals and they took us next door where we danced some salsa (badly) and drunk copious amounts of pisco:
At 6am the club kicked us out, and we went to another bar down the road. At this stage I'd been up for well over 24 hrs and had drunk my body weight in pisco. Another three hours there - where some of the locals were convinced I was Coldplay singer Chris Martin - and we were again kicked out.
A final couple of hours back at the hostal with our new-found friends, and I finally dropped off at about 11am. A messy, but great night out in Arequipa.
Here's a few more pics, and loads more are on Flickr:
That mammoth hike - more of which later - was the final testing part of a great three day experience in stunning Peruvian countryside.
I was picked up in a minibus at 3am, and after a circutous route round the backstreets of Arequipa - picking up various other groups along the way - we set off on the three hour journey to the Colca national park.
Along the way, I got my first experience of the effects of altitude. Drifting in and out of sleep, I kept being awoken by my lungs struggling to take a proper breath. It's a weird experience, and all it takes to stop it is to take a deep breath, but it's slightly unnerving all the same.
After a brief breakfast and some last minute fretting about whether we had the right gear, we set off.
The first stop was at Condor Canyon, the spot with the deepest drop and where condors frequently fly. These birds are the second biggest in the world, after the albatross, and have wingspans of three metres across.
We spent forty minutes waiting patiently for one to appear, during which time I bought myself a hat from one of the local women:
Just as we were about to get back on the bus, a condor appeared and swooped low in front of us. It was a special sight, seeing this enormous bird silently gliding through the enormous canyon corridor, showing itself off to the massed banks of tourists.
Happy with our luck, we set off for the short journey to the start of the trek.
Our tour guide Luis was a good guy and knew the canyon like the back of his hand. His 95 year-old grandparents still lived - and worked! - in one of the villages that banked the steep mountainside.
He gave us the info on what we could expect from the next three days - namely a lot of walking - and we began.
The sun was beating down as we descended one side of the canyon. The views were awesome as we negotiated the shingly path downwards:
So when we reached the bridge at the bottom of the canyon, following a two-hour descent, there was relief all round. A short uphill walk the other side took us to our lunch spot, where we ate alpaca (similar to llama) and drunk energy-boosting Coke.
After lunch, the four of us set off again - while the other tour groups we'd been walking with stayed put for the night. Our destination was the next village, and Luis's uncle's hostal.
After a steep final ascent we arrived at the hostal Danilo:
Editors needed in Colca Canyon. Apply within.
We had a few hours of playing with Kevin - the son of the owner and a big fan of repeatedly punching English people - as we overlooked the green valley below.
At one point, a group of 30 Icelandic walkers turned up in the village. Luckily they decided to stay next door, and our tranquil little home for the night remained just that. James and Sarah had a room to themselves, and I had a five-bed dorm to myself with amazing views as I woke in the morning:
Day Two was a good day. A short walk to the neighbouring village found us at a one-room museum, created and run by Luis's cousin Vanessa. It was a interesting little tour through the way of life of the local people, from the way they make food, to the animals they have and the clothes they wear.
A few stuffed animals, like this chap...
...and a picture of me wearing a
...completed the tour. Good stuff.
We then had an hour's descent to a place called San Galle, a small 'oasis' at the bottom of the canyon where tour groups come to stay the night, swim in the heavenly pools and eat by candlelight:
It was the perfect spot, and we had a few well-deserved drinks with the various other groups and individuals staying there.
After a few hours sleep in a hut, we rose at 4.30am and started the most difficult part of the three day event - the walk back out of the canyon.
The first twenty minutes or so were in the dark. Not the easiest conditions for walking up a steep gravel and mud path, with sheer drops down the mountain just inches from your feet.
But we survived until daybreak and after a brief communal stop, Luis gave us instruction to go at our own pace and he would see us at the top, some three hours later.
Fortunately I was feeling fairly strong that morning and got 'in the zone', as they say. I covered the ground fairly quickly, bend after bend, sweat pouring but legs on auto-pilot as I ascended the 9km up the mountain.
I passed several groups on the way up and finally reached the top as the sun burst through, gasping in the high altitude and with a big sense of achievement. I did the walk in 1hr 45m, for something that is supposed to take 3hr, which felt pretty good.
I got a couple of pics at the top, first on my own:
And then with my fellow tour group of James, Sarah and Luis:
A leg-shaking final walk back to the sleepy town of Canaconde, and breakfast, was our final proper walk of the trek. After scrambled eggs and coffee we had a bit of chill time in Canaconde's main square...
...before heading off on the long journey home.
We stopped at a couple of eye-popping viewpoints on the way, and then had an hour in the hot thermal springs at a place called Chivay. Soaking our weary bodies in 39C water was the perfect way to finish a great three days.
I got chatting to a guy called Tom (Belgian) on the trek and we happened to be staying at the same hostal in Arequipa. We agreed to go out that evening and celebrate a good trek trekked.
Accompanied by Roger (Swiss), we hit the town. After a couple of quiet bars, we stumbled across a live music venue where Peru's answer to Queen were blaring out the hits: Radio GaGa, I Want To Break Free, etc.
They threw in a couple of Nirvana classics and the obligatory Guns N Roses covers. They were fun to watch and it was amusing seeing the local kids shouting out requests during song breaks. One guy was so obsessed in hearing The Cure, I almost felt like paying the band to play one of their songs.
At the bar we met a bunch of locals and they took us next door where we danced some salsa (badly) and drunk copious amounts of pisco:
At 6am the club kicked us out, and we went to another bar down the road. At this stage I'd been up for well over 24 hrs and had drunk my body weight in pisco. Another three hours there - where some of the locals were convinced I was Coldplay singer Chris Martin - and we were again kicked out.
A final couple of hours back at the hostal with our new-found friends, and I finally dropped off at about 11am. A messy, but great night out in Arequipa.
Here's a few more pics, and loads more are on Flickr:
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| View of the Misti volcano from my hostal in Arequipa |
