Colca Canyon, Condors, and Coca

We´ve just returned from a wonderful 2 day trip to the Colca Canyon. It is a far drive, about 5 hrs, but really beautiful. The drive begins around the mountains and volcanoes and through the low land, past the Vicuñas and down into the valley town of Chivay. We began the trip with a several hour hike up the mountain to some Incan tombs. Like most of the Incan and pre-Incan tombs in Peru they had already been broken into by grave robbers probably decades ago, who stole the ceramics. Thus, the graves we saw had human bones scattered everywhere, I really felt like I was impossing. Anyway, interesting fact: Incan tombs always face the east, because they worshiped the sun. Whereas pre-Incan tombs from different cultures would face north or south.

I think perhaps my favourite part of this trip was the landscape. Dad, you would have liked it. The region was entirely agricultural and it seemed that a lot of the locals working in the fields (especially the women) still wore traditional garments. Anyway, what was really spectacular about the landscape was that it was completely divided up into terraces. It was gorgeous looking out and seeing all the perfect lines dividing the land, and each little block was filled with a different colour. Also, because it was a farming region, it was not uncommon to come upon a cow, or sheep, or donkey just wondering down the road. In fact at one point we had to stop the car to allow a whole herd, or pack, or nipsyrussle or whatever of donkeys to pass by.

The last part of the trip was to Cruz del Condor, or Condor Cross. We were really lucky when we went because on that day we were able to see 8 condors, which according to our guide is quite unusual. The condor is the largest bird or the heaviest bird capable of flying. It was really spectacular, some of them flew down within a couple metres of our heads. Here are some pics.

Oh, and to fulfill the title of this post, Michaelle and I chewed our first coca leaves. We´ve had them before in teas but we´d never chewed them before... it is quite complicated. The process involves taking about ten leaves and wrapping them around a tiny chunk of some kind of lime stone. Then, you stick this big wad of leaves into the back of your mouth and between your molars, chew a minute then just hold it in your cheek chewing occassionally for the next 30 mins or so. In order to have any effect that cocain has you would have to chew something like 40kgs of the leaves at once. Our way you only feel a little numbness in your mouth and throat, but I still consider myself pretty bad anyway! hahaha. I guess I should also explain that we haven´t just been sporadically poppin´coca leaves, they are used by people here to combat altitude sickness and nausea, something we haven´t really been affected by. hahaha.