Arequipa and Canyon Country

Lately I had been moving a little faster than normal. Due to the constant tick of time and the fact I still wanted to see Bolivia and Argentina, as well as volunteer, I had decided to catch a night bus to Arequipa the same day I returned from our exhausting 3 day Machu Picchu adventure. I figured I could sleep on the bus and save some time... Little did I know how far from the truth this would be. I seemed to be on an unlucky bus streak that was unlikely to end soon. When I purchased my ticket from the company with the lowest price I had a gut feeling the "perks" they promised were either exaggerated or fabricated completely. To keep a long story short and my complaining to a minimum, the bus ended up leaving almost an hour late and the cama (bed) and blanket I was promised were non-existent. The typical action films were blaired throughout the night and at one point I woke up freezing cold to find the windows coated in a centimeter or two of ice. I immediately realized we must be on a high mountain pass because the ground outside was blanketed in snow. It would have been an optimal opportunity to cover myself with my non-existent blanket. Instead I curled into a ball and tried to trap what body heat I had left. We arrived in Arequipa only slightly behind schedule and I only had sleep on my mind.

Arequipa, a beautiful European type city in southern Peru, is Peru's second largest city (next to Lima) and is popular for it's proximity to Colca Canyon. Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world (the first lies very close in southern Peru as well) and is perfect for a few day trekking trip. However, before embarking I needed a few days of relaxation and recovery after pushing myself so hard. Arequipa was the perfect catalyst. Aftet some sun, sleep, good food, and strolling the bustling thoroughfares I was rejuvenated and ready for another trek.

Thus, after a few days rest my Canadian travel buddy and I set of for Colca Canyon on a series of buses. The first, besides running an hour late, was refreshingly normal. However, my bad luck returned for the second bus... I was surprised when we pulled into the Chivay station to transfer buses onto Cabanaconde and found an orderly line of locals waiting for the second bus. We jumped in line fairly close to the front and we confident we would obtain seats. Unfortunately, the bus arrived and the Peruvian norm reasserted itself: Within seconds the line was a bubble hovered around the door with barely enough time or space for the arriving passangers to make their way off the bus before the blob, with a life of it's own, was funneling to the door. There was pushing, shoving, yelling, cursing, and could have even been some biting going on for all I know. After much effort and just when I was about to board, an old man plowed through me, pushed my friend into the door, and boarded, while proceeding to give me a dirty look. I finally managed to board and occupy one of the last standing spaces on the bus. I would comment how unbelievable this circumstance was, but I had seen it many times before, and it was now an expectation when boarding buses without a ticket.

We had made it in the bus and only had 3 hours of standing... no problem, the locals do it all the time. However, I had one disadvantage in this case... my height. If I stood upright, it was impossible to fit into the bus, so after occupying the fire exit space (it had extra head room where you could pop up the ceiling to exit the bus in an emergency) for about an hour, I was dismayed to be slowly pushed back to where I had to hunch with my ear next to the speaker that blared horrible Peruvian music. After 2 hours, a stiff neck, and one blown ear drum, I almost lost my temper when we arrived... everyone that was seated and those occupying the back of the bus decided they wanted to disembarque first. Another round of pushing and elbowing ensued as little ladies used all their force to be the first off the bus. Instead of lose my temper, all I could do was laugh.

The Colca Canyon proved to be an amazing hike... down to the bottom, across the river, up the other side, across the terrain of the opposite side, and back down to our lodging oasis along the river. It was hot, dry, and after 7 and a half hours it felt good to kick off my shoes and relax. We completed the loop the next morning in just 3 hours of tough uphill hiking. More kilometers on the old boots and another great South American experience.

** I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post... I have been having some trouble uploading with the slow connection speeds in Bolivia. I guess it is just another reason for everyone to come see the pictures when I come home