Dodging donkeys and alpacas has become a normal part of my life for the past two days.
As we have travelled through itty bitty villages and stunningly diverse countryside we have seen everything from vincunas (a type of South American camel - like a llama or alpaca but wild and protected from extinction) to llamas and alpacas grazing by the side of the road....and sometimes venturing ON to the road. If the bus isn't swerving around exotic Peruvian creatures it is swerving around landslides or donkeys - with, or without, a colourful peruvian farmer bouncing along on its back. The locals are friendly, quick with a smile, but also quick to sell some sort of peruvian nick-knack. They are dressed in their traditional costumes, colourful and pretty with matching floral hats, I asked my guide if this was done for the tourists. It is not....I have seen them now walking down the narrow streets of their villages going about their daily chores dressed this way, leading their alpacas and carrying their babies across their shoulders in a colourful fabric sling...I find it charming and hopeful that there is still a culture that clings to its traditions on a daily basis.
While dodging donkeys we have driven through astonishing countryside. Having spent hours driving through the desert as we left Lima and Pisco, we are now deep in the Andes with lush green fields in the valleys framed by rocky, snow capped volcanoes and mountains. Arequipa itself, Peru's third largest city, is surrounded by three volcanoes, one of them, named 'Misty' is considered active...and, although she hasn't erupted since the 1400s the locals are wary...no less with all the natural disasters occuring in the world at the moment. Comforting. Perhaps to apease the mountains, the locals still make offerings of coca leaves (the bitter tasting leaves that are supposed to sort out all manner of ills including alltitude sickness), money and flowers. Thankfully they no longer offer babies...at least the catholic influence of the invading Spanish discouraged that particular practise.
Climbing high into the Andes we visited Culca Canyon - known to be one of the highest canyons in the world and famous for a large family of condors which draw crowds of tourists from all over the world in the early morning light, hoping for a glimpse of one of these magnificent birds. A glimpse is all I got, -while perched on a rock recovering from the hour long hike to the lookout point I saw people pointing down and managed to glimpse a wing before the bird disappeared. I waited for another 40 minutes to see another one - with no luck.
Recovery from my little walk took longer than it should because of one worrying factor that is becoming the bain of my life - alltitude sickness. From the moment I decided to come to Peru I knew that alltitude sickness may be an issue. It's discussed in all the books i've read. My doctor had a long chat with me about it before I left home. My guide speaks of nothing else. First thing every morning my fellow travellers and I compare of our symptoms. It's hard to explain what alltitude sickness feels like - it's almost like you feel drunk - but it's not as much fun. The air feels thin and it can be hard to breath. When we first reached 4000 meters I felt dizzy and breathless. Now, at about 3500 meters and slightly more acclimatised I have a throbbing headache and feel absolutely exhausted - even though all i've done is sat on a bus, gone for a light hike and searched a rocky ravine for condors...oh...and eaten.
I could never say I didn't eat well in Peru. The traditional food here is simple and hearty. Chicken soup is a staple (which makes me feel like I should be curled up in bed nursing a cold) as are potatoes and rice. Together. Not potatoes OR rice. Potatoes AND rice. It's a carb lovers dream. We have eaten alpaca-meat stews and a lot of corn. Fish caught straight from the river and delicious desserts made with local fruits. The only thing we haven't had a chance to try yet is the local delicacy....guinea pig. It's only a matter of time.
Tomorrow brings us two 6 hour bus rides to get us to Cuzco...the reason I am here...the beginning of our discovery of inca ruins and, on Monday, the start of a 4 day hike to Machu Piccu.
Till next time...
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