Arequipa, Chivay and the Colca Canyon
Trip Start
Mar 18, 2007
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Trip End
Mar 16, 2008
Arequipa, Peru
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
For the past few days we have been back up in the mountains. First for a few days in Arequipa, a town full of handsome buildings and churches....and lots of cake shops!
Then we moved onto Chivay (via a very scenic bus ride), a very small town at the start of the Colca Canyon which is the second deepest canyon in the world, after its next door neighbour which is a bit more remote. Being in Chivay is slightly like stepping back in time, last night there was no electricity so we had a game of cards by candle light!
Today we first visited the local hot springs, which were the perfect temperature for a dip. Out the back you could see the water heated by the volcano bubbling up.
Cakes
We then took a trip down the Colca Canyon, which was very spectacular. One of the most amazing things, other than trying to see the bottom (1200m away from the highest spot we reached) was that most of the valley floor was covered in Inca terraces, the amount of work that must have taken is incredible!This entry is better explained by pictures which I will add shortly as the internet here isnt that fast.
Next stop back to Arequipa and then onto Cusco, plenty of time on the bus for us!
Bye for now.
