Canyon de Colca of Condors and Cats


December 12-14, Colca Canyon

My primary reason for going to Arequipa was in order to visit the relatively nearby Colca Canyon which is the second deepest canyon in the world at 4160m which is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon! It is also the home to a fairly significant number of Andean condors, the largest of the vultures and a threatened species and naturally I hoped to see one if I was lucky!

I booked a three day/two night tour via the travel agency located on the rooftop of my hostal for only 150 soles (plus 35 soles for the touristic boleto the Peruvian government requires anyone who steps foot into the canyon to purchase), which is a far cry cheaper than my previous Salkantay Trek. Such a deal! And I must say how thoroughly pleased I was with the whole trip from the awesome guide, Edgar, aka Eddie Murphy, to his lovely assistant, Julia, of the long flowing dark locks and local hat adorned with wild flowers. Furthermore, the meals were cooked to a reasonably tasty degree, the group I was hiking with were pretty chill and friendly (all except for this one rather nasty Czech girl who acted like a spoiled princess!) and the daily hikes themselves were both challenging and breathtaking to behold. The only downside was my health. What I had hoped was just a bit of a cold on Sunday turned into a raging case of the 48-hour flu so I struggled during the first two days of the hike.

Oh! And we saw condors! Oodles and oodles of condors flying overhead, perched on rocks, and posing for the touristic masses with wings outstreched all purdy like! Simply glorious! We were truly fortunate for I was told later on that NO condors were spotted the following day.

I feel compelled to mention that I met an interesting compatriot on the second day of the trip while staying at the oasis-he was a self-proclaimed exhibitionist and hasher named John who grew up in Baltimore (another one?!?) but had most recently lived in Chicago. Definitely a memorable man whose description of hasher events has me significantly considering giving it another go. For those who haven't a clue what a "hasher" is, Google is your friend. Check it out!

Double Oh!! How could I forget to mention the blue/green-eyed cat and her kittens being terrorized by a Rastafari dog!??! At the first night's lodging, we met this beautiful cat with different-colored eyes and she had these 4 adorable kittens. Then Eddie informed us that only days previously there had been 5 not 4 kittens. Apparently, the hostal dog with fur so matted that it resembled dreadlocks had EATEN ONE OF THE KITTENS!!! I have never ever heard of a dog doing such a dastardly deed but apparently the canyon does strange things to the mind and tastebuds of dogs which dwell there. You've been forewarned...

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