Arctic Safari

I left the luxury resort in the Colca Canyon by taxi and moved into more rustic accommodation in Chivay.

The taxi driver spoke no English.  I had anticipated this and had used a translation application on my iPad.  To get a receipt I simply fired up my iPad and let him read the Spanish.  He was amused and I got my receipt.

Chivay is the regional capital in the Colca valley in southern Peru.   It is located at about 12,000 feet.

The town is a popular staging point for tourists visiting Condor Cross, or Cruz del Condor, where I viewed the eagles and condors catching thermal updrafts.  It is really used more used by the backpacking, hostel types.

Based on previous experience in Peru, I have been drinking a lot of Mate de Coca tea to counter the side effects of high altitude.  It tends to keep me well hydrated.  You will find an urn of this tea in most hotel lobbies.

I did two walkabouts in Chivay.  It is not that big and it is quite a dusty frontier type of place.  The tourists all get dumped at the Plaza de Armas.  They are easy to spot as they are the only ones wearing short sleeves and short pants.  No self-respecting rural Peruvian man would wear shorts. The local women tend to dress in traditional garb which is both colourful and quite heavy.  Of course their hats are so unique. The men wear western style long sleeves, a sweater and long pants.

The local market is both for the inhabitants and tourists.  Unlike other parts of the world, the Peruvians are quite pleasant and do not hassle the tourists.  In their stalls the women have sewing machines whirring as they make head bands, shawls, scarves, hats and purses in very gaudy colours.

In other parts of the market I saw two separate groups of men watching a bullfight on television. In another part, a group of kids watched cartoons. Obviously, public television has another meaning here.

Since it was to be my last dinner in Peru, I decided to splurge.  I found a restaurant that had the typical Peruvian pan flute ensemble and dancers.  I was entertained while I enjoyed Peruvian pizza and beer.

I slept well, since beer and high altitude will knock out an elephant.

I was awoken at 05:00 by the sound of suitcases being trundled down the stone paths.  I was reminded of the tumbrils of the French Revolution.  I slept until 07:30.  That was a huge mistake.  The French and German tour groups, which had left so early, had also used up all the hot water.  The red knob in the shower was merely decoration.  Many times I had enjoyed a cold shower in the army, but at my age it is good for a heart attack.

Of course the herds had also vacuumed up the buffet breakfast.  I had some scrambled eggs that could best be described as “fossilized”.

I did some more walking around town in the blinding sun.  At a whim, I followed the irrigation canal and wound up in the mud brick factory.  It was a one man operation.  Since most of the humbler abodes are made from undressed mud brick, I assume that it does not rain that much.  I also noted a unique trick.  The fields are separated by walls about four feet high made out of field stone.  On the top course, they slather on a thick layer of mud into which they plant small cactus plants.  Soon they have a topping of vegetable barbed wire.

This is my fourth trip to Peru.  Away from the urban centers, life is pretty straightforward and very photogenic.  Peruvians are friendly and quite unassuming.  I like Peru, big time!

At 14:00 hrs I was picked up and driven back to Arequipa airport.  I then had a brutal 22 hour trip from Arequipa to Lima to New York to Toronto.

As a Major in the Canadian Army I spent three weeks on an Arctic Survival Course.  We trained in February in Churchill, Resolute and Frobisher Bay.  We lived in eight man tents and dragged our kit on sleds.

Later in life I visited the Antarctic Peninsula on board the Norwegian ship Nord Norge.  We landed on ten separate beaches examining penguin colonies.

In my dotage, I have now spent three fabulous days in the headwaters of the Amazon.

Thus, I claim membership in the Triple “A” Club.

With a driver and guide I departed Arequipa at 08:30 hrs. We went to the north west and as we left the city limits the landscape got quite arid. Of course the higher we went, the more the vegetation became sparser.

The road is single lane and heavy trucks really slow progress.  There are few places to pull off for photos, but we found a couple to capture the snow-capped peaks.

At about 12,000 feet we found guanacos and llamas.  Again, we got the dramatic shots.  At about 14,000 feet we found rivulets of water and some frozen ponds.  As I witnessed last November between Cusco and Puno, the flamingoes migrate along this route and the water is crucial.

We got over the pass at 15,911 feet.  Having never smoked marijuana, I can truthfully say this is as high as I have been while still attached to the ground.  Spread out in all its glory was the Central Range of the Andes.

The winding road down into the Colca valley bled away the extreme altitude that was leaving me quite light headed.

By noon we were in the regional capital named Chivay.  We checked out the local market located at the town centre and then found a place for lunch but did not eat.  We had three hotels to check out.

After two hotel checks, I was deposited at the most luxurious.  As I was being escorted to my casita, I realized that the driver had not taken my jacket and sweater out of the van.  Tomorrow’s activities will highlight their importance.  The security guy phoned the gate guy and I got my stuff back.

Then I tried to write a series of reports only to find out that the Inca wireless signal was showing signs of excessive coca consumption.

As the sun set, I walked up the steep hill to supper.  Climbing at 11,200 feet takes a lot out of you until you acclimatize.

The next morning at 07:00 and 7 Celsius my driver and guide took me to the Condor Cross at 12,426 feet.  At this point the guide told me the Colca Canyon is 7,545 feet deep.  Since the area is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, I wondered about this statistic.  To me the venue looked a lot like the Fraser River canyon in BC.

It was cool and windy but I had dressed for the occasion.  Besides, I was so excited that I barely noticed the chill.

The black and white buzzard eagles started the air show and then the nine foot wingspan condors took to the sky.  The birds roost at night in the crevices on the canyon wall and start their day with warm up exercises.

The two species co-exist because the eagles seek live prey while the condors feast on carrion.

I shot as many frames as I had available.  The scenery was stunning and the birds so majestic in flight.  I thought I would not have enough zoom in my lens.  But, when one hungry condor tried to eat my Tilley hat for breakfast, I had to widen the shot to get the three meter wing span within the frame.

By 09:00 the condors were hungry and took off for the higher slopes in search of carrion.

On the way back to the lodge we did several photo stops and resisted the trinkets offered by the locals.  We did a short visit to the village of Maca that was levelled by an earthquake in 1991.

The rest of my time was spent doing nothing but relaxing in this beautiful area.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the incredible array of stars.  With the clean mountain air and lack of light pollution, the night time star display is incredible.

As I stepped off the airplane, there was a distinct chill in the air. I had gone from thirty Celsius in the Amazon to eighteen Celsius.  The fact that my bag did not transfer in Lima was a downer.  I checked into the Sonesta hotel on the Plaza de Armas.  The square has lovely illumination at night so I went on a camera safari.

Arequipa, with a population of 837,000 is the second largest city in Peru.  It lies in the south of Peru in the Andes at an altitude of 7,661 feet.  An extinct volcano named El Misti  overlooks the city.

The colonial buildings were constructed using pearly white volcanic rock (sillar) which gave the city it’s nickname ” La Cuidad Blanca” – the White City.

Fortunately, I had my emergency survival kit in my carry on and I had washed my Tilley underwear and socks before bedding down.  I had a lovely breakfast, to make up for the dinner I missed changing planes.  The restaurant overlooked the old city centre.

My local guide took me on a three hours city tour.  Among other venues, I visited the huge 20,000 square meter convent, which has been in operation for over 430 years.  I also admired a vicuña shawl for only $12,000.

This is earthquake territory.  The last one in 2001 measured 8.3 on the Richter.

My mind kept wandering as I wondered when I would next see my suitcase. My black bag and I were reunited at noon.

I checked out three hotels, checking into the last one to make sure it meets requirements.  In the afternoon I did a lot of walking to verify tourist possibilities.

As I walked down one side street I could hear “Fuer Elise”, one of my favorite pieces of classical music.  At first I thought it was coming from a store.  Then I realized it was coming from the garbage truck.  Now that is a class act!

By mid-afternoon the sun had cranked up the temperature to about 28 Celsius.  The thin air at altitude gives quite a temperature range.

Tomorrow I go onwards and upwards with a driver and guide and will be over 4,000 meters.

I spent three nights on the RV Aria.  We cruised upriver from Iquitos towards the town of Nauta.

Each day there were three excursions, the first being at 06:00 hrs. The second would be after a fabulous breakfast, which was followed by very unique lunches.  Then out again in the skiffs.

The food on the RVAria was unique and outstanding.  Free wine and beer made up for the tough slogging in the jungle 😉

On several occasions we watched grey and pink dolphins.  Yes, I have the photos.

The bird watching was fabulous and the photo opportunities endless.  Using my point and shoot I found out that the recent repairs had fouled up the zoom focus.  But, the trusty Nikon D5100 did sterling duty.

Piranha fishing was a big hit.  It took only 45 to 60 seconds to haul in these greedy devil fish. But, their teeth are vicious as our poor guide discovered.  Most piranha were released but a couple became bait for fish hawks.  The guide would skewer the victim with a large twig and then throw the squirming target onto the water.  The hawk would fly down and make a dramatic capture with its talons.

We did a memorable visit to a village in the jungle.  It was a fair walk as the village had washed away in a recent flood and has moved to higher ground.  The elevation change was very slight, but enough to keep the high water at bay.  We had a delightful encounter with the kids at the grade school.  We all brought donation kits that we purchased from the ship.

We had a very close view of a three toed sloth near the village.  As a result I bought a bead necklace at the school trinkets and trash market that featured a sloth toe nail.

We went cayman hunting on the last evening. Having qualified as an Amazon Guide, I bought the T-shirt.

Far too soon we were back at the airport.  I flew from Iquitos to Lima. But, I had a hair-raising dash to catch my flight to Arequipa.  I made it, but my suitcase did not.

I was met at the Arequipa airport and my guide helped me with the lost luggage routine.

This is the third time I have had trouble with Lima airport.

I booked into the Sonesta Posada del Inca on the old city square.  It was so beautifully illuminated that I was out until 23:00 taking photos.  The cathedral bell went off every 15 minutes all night to keep me company.

Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of about 406,000. Located on the Amazon River, it is only 106 metres above sea level. It is situated 125 km downstream from the confluence of the Ucayali and Maranon rivers, the two main headwaters of the Amazon. Iquitos has long been a major port in the Amazon basin.

The city can be reached only by plane or boat, with the exception of a road to Nauta, a small town roughly 10 km to the south. It is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road. Ocean vessels of up to 9,000 tons and 5.5 metres draft can reach the city from the Atlantic Ocean, some 3,000 km away.

I worked with a local guide to inspect three hotels in Lima.

As usual, Lima was blanketed in a thin veil of sea fog, but it was short sleeve weather.

After the inspections I worked with the operator of the Amazon excursion.

Then I flew from Lima to Iquitos, a city of half a million.  Its existence is due mainly to the rubber boom, which crashed about 1919.  At the airport the Aqua operator had things well organized.  We were driven nine kilometers over a road that had seen much better days.  Just as the sun set we did a short walking tour of the old center of town and then boarded the first class RV Aria.