Chivay is a small town we stopped in to pay canyon tax and have breakfast. We chatted to the others on tour including 2 English, 2 Spanish (one Ibiza born and bred who was a dead ringer for Pauly Shore) and a French couple.
We stopped at Cruz Del Condor, a sight high up on the side of the canyon where we, if lucky, would be able to see condors. We'd been hearing about these 3 meter wingspan vulture birds ever since Ecuador, but they had always moved on due to human expansion. This time we were in luck. There perched
on a rock outcrop were 5 condors. Every few minutes one or all of the giant birds would take to flight over the canyon and return, often flying over our heads. Many photos of the condors, but where there's people in the photo, you truly got to appreciate their size.
We continued to the start of the canyon hike. This tour consisted of a hike down the canyon, across the river and lunch in a local home stay, then further 2 hours to the oasis where we'd spend the night and take on the morning hike out the canyon. We'd just completed the Inca trail, so were ready for anything.
From the starting gun, it was clear that this would be different to the Inca Trail's more controlled manner. It was every couple for themselves. We'd meet at the bridge in 2 to 3 hours. The path is pretty raw with sandy and rocky sections and ever present drops that would be impossible to get back up.
We happily held back and took photos and quizzed Angel the guide along the way. The canyon is the deepest in the world - we weren't doing that part (7 days down and up), but were going down the 1.2 km descent. The people in different villages here come from 2 backgrounds, speaking 2 different dialects and dressing differently. Back in the day, the villagers' new born would have wood strapped to their heads for 4 years to mould the shape of the head to represent a volcano (upside down V), the other flattened heads representing 3 volcanos. Children fatalities would result during this. Today, it's less barbaric with bowler type hats representing this.
We learnt that the Condor is a sacred bird representing heaven and the afterlife, The Puma represents earth and hell is represented by the serpent. These 3 are all found in the canyon.
2 hours brisk paced walk later we met at the bridge and continued to lunch at the home stay - although it seemed more purpose built for tours now.
We had a 30 minute taster of the ascent after lunch - altitude uphill. These 30 minutes were worse then the Inca trail! My lungs worked double time and Mands hit a few walls - lack of air and dizziness. Angel ran off and came back with a plant that when rubbed gives off oxygen and helps out immediately with altitude related sickness. This seemed to help and Mands soldiered on with frequent rests to the top. With the poor / lack of sleep we'd had for the 2 pervious nights Angel said he'd seen this happen to a few people in this section. The next hour and a half to the oasis was fine.
The oasis was fantastic - crystal clear swimming pools, bright green grass and flower beds seemingly landscaped out with basic bamboo cabins dotted throughout. All of this set against the red wall of the canyon. Palm trees provided shade and we all raced off for costumes and then into the pool! Well deserved.
You could order beers, pisco sours or virtually anything from their bar and they laid on a great dinner with plenty of spaghetti for the next day.
"Blow that I'm walking" was the shortened response Mandy gave to the suggestion by Angel to take a donkey out of the canyon. We headed off at 5am and a good time to finish would be 3 hours. We got into a cycle of 10 minute walk, drink, 10 minute walk, eat. Along the hike up were a few donkey convoys with Gringo's clinging on. Most of the way up we could look back down to the oasis that quickly shrunk with each step.
We reached the top in 2h45. What a great feeling to have completed a challenge and all of this by 8am! We walked through the surrounding maize fields to a small town where we were given breakfast with huevos (these eggs were like gold after that walk).
We had about an hour before pickup and we spent it with Maria and Peppe, a 4 year old girl and her llama that were dressed up for photos for tourists. I bought her a couple of sweets (against Mandy's advice) and she gulped them down before her llama got too interested. Llamas eat anything and everything!
On the way back we noticed how the tunnels for the road were only carved into the mountain - no reinforcement, straight carving!
We stopped at a natural hot spring swimming pool for a half hour dip and then raced (we were getting a bus pickup to go to Puno) back to pick up our luggage from yesterday's breakfast spot and get our bus. With 0 seconds to spare we boarded the bus and continued the adventure.
Instead of going back to Arequipa we left the tour early and took a 100 Soles touristico bus to Puno. Not much tourist about it besides a couple of announcements and school type sandwich with jamon y queso. We did save a day in getting to Puno, so all worth it. There were some amazing views along the way, particularly the rainbow and the lake.
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