July 3rd - Colca Canyon

Since my last blog, I attended a second day of the Archaeology conference. It was so interesting, and included many presentations on bioarchaeology and osteology. I went to lunch with a small group of working archaeologists again, and really loved sitting in on the analysis, banter, and idea sharing. It seems surreal to be a part of all that, but somehow, there I am. The conference ended for the evening at 8:00 or so, and I returned to the hotel to pack for Colca. While I was assembling my things, Miriam came knocking on the door to tell me that she was just watching one of my lunch companions on the Discovery channel. Fun stuff.

Francesca and I were told that the tour agency's van would pick us up at our hotel between 5:30 and 6am for the Colca trip, so we were asleep by 10 and up bright and early. The only thing we hadn't anticipated was that our hotel is secured both for people coming in (there is a buzzer system that notifies someone inside to unlock the door), but the security also apparently works for people leaving. So, at 5:30am we found ourselves locked inside our hotel. It was rather odd. There are courtyards within the hotel grounds, but to get out required passing through padlocked doors, so eventually we had to wake someone up to let us out. At least we know that security is tight here!

The trip to Colca takes about 5 hours, over mostly unpaved roads. We stopped for coca tea and breakfast at 7 or so, to prepare us for the altitude. The road goes over a pass that is something like 4600 meters (I'll look up the precise number and update the blog soon). Coca tea helps with altitude, or so the local lore goes, so who are we to question it? It was tasty and we were off again for the small town of Chivay.

We arrived in Chivay at 11 or so, and took a walk down a country road to the local hot springs. They were much more elaborate than I expected, with a full, clean swimming pool full of hot mineralized water from the springs. They provided towels and lockers and showers, and everything was really very decadent. After the baths, we went to lunch and then to our hotels. The funny thing was that our hotel turned out to be in another town altogether. We had told the guide we'd like to take a little siesta and then go exploring, and so he gladly started driving down a country road into the booneys. When we finally asked where we were going, he said 'to your hotel'. After a bit more discussion, he agreed to give us a couple of hours and then return us to Chivay so that we could see the town, and the market and have dinner in a restaurant (instead of in the hotel ). We had two hours to explore our little town and then two and a half hours in Chivay before dinner. It was great - Francesca and I wandered all over the place and shopped in the market and explored the churches and I took a bunch of pictures. We waited for the guide in an Irish Pub - yes that's right, and actual Irish pub in the middle of a little Peruvian town. They had Guinness on tap and a pool table. It was a hoot.

Dinner was at a place with a Peruvian band and folk dancers, and was a lot of fun. The dancers performed several traditional routines, and a finale which was decidedly odd. The first dances were romantic or about planting the fields or that sort of thing. The final dance started with a couple - one has an apple, the other has a rope. The woman gives the apple to the man, and takes the rope from him. He 'tastes' the apple, and falls to the floor in mock convulsions. She then proceeds to whip him with the rope, and not gently either. Then she stradles him and fans his face with her skirts, then wraps the rope around his neck and hoists him to his feet. He then gives her the apple, and the whole scene is repeated with roles reversed. He even fans her with her own skirts, then hoists her over his shoulder, pickes her up and spins her around. Following this, they take to looking for audience participation. I mean really, who wouldn't want to lie on a restaurant floor and be whipped by someone in traditional Colca attire? It was honestly the weirdest folk dance I've ever seen, and no, I didn't volunteer to 'dance'.

After dinner, we returned to the hotel and went to sleep. Other than the fact that there was no running water (or water of any sort provided), it was a lovely place, with a great view of pre-Incan terraces out back. The water problem wasn't the hotel's fault I guess - the whole town was without water. I don't know why.

Anyway, we got up for a great buffet breakfast, and set off to find the condors. We drove a ways through amazing scenery in the canyon to the Cruz del Condor, and hiked for 40 minutes or so before arriving at the first lookout. The condors come really close, and surprisingly they're not territorial. As many as 7 were circling at once, riding the thermal winds in spirals across the canyon. They are huge birds and are both very ugly and amazingly graceful as they tilt their wing tips and tail feathers to navigate the breeze. We stayed for an hour and it was fabulous.

The drive back included a few stops in little towns to look at the colonial churches, and stops at overlooks to see more terraces and views of the valley. Lunch was in Chivay again, and then we headed back for Arequipa.

I've had so many experiences in the past four days, it's hard to belive. It was great to be a part of the conference, and then wonderful to be travelling again. My new class on Textile Conservation and Mounting starts tomorrow and continues for the next week. I'm looking forward to the information, but it's hard to have my time so tied up when I'm here in Peru with so many things to see. Thankfully there's time to return after the program if I don't fit in everything on my wish list.

It's almost 9pm, but feels later because I've been going non stop, so that's all the story telling for now. Hope everyone is well.

Karen