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November 6, 2005
Arequipa to Cabanabonde via Cañon del Colca
Despite the fact we spent so much time on buses today we actually got to see a good deal.
We arrived in Arequipa about 7:00 am and after buying our tickets for the 11:45 bus to Cabanaconde, we headed into town to have some breakfast. After eating we had a few hours to explore the small town, which I realized is actually the home town of Mario Vargas Llosa. At 11:30 we were back at the bus station and shortly traveling once again.
The scenery on the 7 hour journey to Cabanaconde was spectacular. One of the highlights was that we got to see vicuñas for the first time. At one point we were so high up crossing some of the Andean peaks that a Belgian woman on the bus fainted from altitude.
Passing through the various small mountain towns also got me thinking about how this area was most likely affected by the Shining Path in the not so distant past. If anyone is interested, I’d recommend Mario Vargas Llosa’s Death in the Andes for an interesting perspective of the Path’s dark history in Peru.
Most of the small towns we passed were especially unique due to the Incan terraced farming techniques that cut into the steep hillsides. Em actually got some great pictures of the scenery as we would momentarily stop to pick up new passengers. Also impressive was the steep drop-offs into the canyon as the bus ascended into the Andes.
Finally, as it was getting dark, we entered tiny Cabanaconde and 10 minutes later we had checked into a nice hostel. We had dinner off the main square at a small restaurant with only one set menu. Luckily it was delicious. We are both feeling the altitude but as of yet no signs of altitude sickness. Hopefully, if we keep avoiding the alcohol and taking things easy like the book recommends we’ll be okay.
Tomorrow we’ll be up early to see the condors. They better show up after all this traveling. Oh... and one more thing. Our laptop screen cracked on the bumpy bus ride up here. It's still usable but it doesn't look good.
Posted by Peter Mork at November 6, 2005 1:29 PM
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