Cañon Cotahuasi & Colca

It has been three weeks sins I've seen a bed or a shower and I could not feel better, richer or cleaner. The last three weeks I've been hidden in deep canyons with small towns where I could pitch my tent in any main plaza. I climed three passes over 5500 meters and I discovered the most friendly people. They fed me warm auhuitas, maza mora, roasted havas, whole meals and many cups of chicha. Many times I lost the way, never I back-tracked; I would simply point my nose in the right direction and follow the cow paths. Sometimes I was lucky to run into somebody with some sheep, a donkey with cargo or the mine workers. All very happy to stop their trail and chat to this gringa so far away. I pointing finger was offered, a vague discription of the road ahead or, in the case with the mine workers, a ride to a mine (there is a lot of gold in those mountains) only three hours away from my destination (those man were so bafled with me that I was given a huge lunch in their cantina and crackers and water for the road).

No electricity, cooking with dried cow-shit, corn and potato's three times a day; but a school in every town, sometimes with only five children. The teachers walk in (sometimes ten hours with a donkey with their food) and stay about three weeks before returning home (a 24 hour journey) for a few days.

It's the time of planting corn and brown beans, other grains will follow. The sun gets up at 5:40, the people at 4:30. They work several hours before breakfast in the field in big groups. The whole town works on one mans field, then they move to the next. Chicha (fermented corn-drink, to me really yakkie but boy does it give you energy) is poored plentyfull to keep the men going. Lunch about 11am and 4pm they call it a day, walking home uphill for about an hour or more. To me it felt a lot more in harmony then any 'group' in our world.

Men work here to live, their time is spend to fill their stomach. What they put in the ground they eat five months later. They were so proud to tell me that there life is way better because everything is organic. The wall they build is to keep the wind away, the water chanels are kept up-to-date, the animals are walked to fields with the most grass and everybody knows that extra wood is always welcome to cook. Many donkeys fload around for cargo, every woman has a bundel on her back, big cows are used to plow the land, llamas, alpacas, sheep and guinea pigs are raised for wool and meat.

Many times no money is made; why, they grow everything they need. Just a little salt and sugar is traded.

There is so much I could tell you about the far away life on those high plateaus, but it would bore you without photo's, my enthousiastic voice, the taste of the choclo & the havas to wash it all down with chicha, the sun shining down on your face or the cactispines pinching in your toes. For those who will see me in the future, they might be lucky to get a good story about this still hidden place. In any other case I can only recommend you to take a trip, some places should stay untouched and are only describable by going there.

O, don't forget to learn Spanish before you go.

Before Cañon Cotahuasi I hopped off the bus to see the Toro Muerto Petroglyphs near Corire.

This unusual site, spread over several square kilometers of desert, consists of thousands of black volcanic boulders carved with stylized animals, people and birds. It's thought to be made by the Wari culture about 1200 years ago.

Almost every rock you see in the photo has a patroglyph. Really amazing.

Ten at night the bus passed Corire on it's way to Cañon Cotahuasi. I hopped on, we arrived at three in the morning and I decided that this bench in the little cozy plaza was good enough for the next four hours. The locals were very surprised when I stuck my head out of the sleepingbag that morning.

A good meal before leaving. This is a perfect example of how they use pasta, rice and potato's in one dish. Sometimes the pasta is spaghetti, sometimes the potato is like fries or baked.

Leaving the town of Cotahuasi, let the three weeks walking begin.

First goal was Catarata Sipia. Slept not too far away from there and bathed in the fresh river.

Next day I came across my first llamas with bells around their neck and plumes in their ears, the local way of dressing up. This is a group of 50. The man in the back are on their way to a party. The one on the left has a cage on his back with three chickens. It's the last of seven to pay for his future wife.

It was a super fun walk this day. Lots of variety. Here going over one of the many bridges made from old train tracks, stones and branches.

I ended with a last haul in Huarhua. A little town with a salt mine and no electricity.

Graciela and Diana is where I found a warm meal of Mute (a sort corn), havas (big brown beans), donkey meat (very tastefull) and sopa de Cebada (soup with a chunck of sheep meat, very soft meat).

Packing up the tent the next morning with the snowy tops of the Solimana mountains in the background.

Cañon Cotahuasi, the deepest canyon in the world with 3345m below the adjacent snowy peaks of Nevado Coropuna. The Grand Canyon in the USA is only 1500m. This is not it's deepest point.

A group of corn planters waved me in for chicha. I learned a lot that afternoon. About the tool they use, a Chaki Taglia which is puched into the ground with the foot and then pulled down on the half-round top to break the earth. And this in groups of three men. A woman walks where the ground is open and throws corn around after which some others reik it all over.

After two cups of chicha I hiked up the hill with one of the man because they had told me about funeral places with bones and skulls with hair. Well, it was all tru, under different huge boulders were funeral grounds. Walls were build and closed as tombs, but now opened by a careless geologist. All bones were thrown out in search of 'treasures'. It was still amazing to see those sites which are pre-Inca. Precious cups, painted pottery and textile were all seen.

I did not make it to Pampamarca that night so I slept beside the gravel road. In the morning it turned out to be a mining road and I escaped being run over by just half a meter ........ twice. I tell you, hell of a way to wake up at 5:17am.

From Pampamarca you hike up to Bosque de Piedras de Hito. See Photo.

I hiked further up and got extremely scared with how the 'path' was going: straight up and climbing narrow gaps with brittle rocks and loose grasses. Getting to a plateau I really had no idea how I was going down. I'm here writing this, so probably I made it.

I was invited by the lonely nurse in the exteremely dirty hospital to eat and sleep. She enjoyed my company and me the bed and nit putting up the tent.

But what I really should have done was walk one hour down the hill and camp at the Jhosla hot springs. I could kill myself when I saw this beautiful spot the next day. With perfect grass, no people and a cave with hot water it would have been haven to spend a night here. Now I could only soak to get super dirty again within half an hour sweating up the hill.

Again I met a group of hard working, bright smiling people who invited me for Choclo and Havas.

High up, at 5000m or so, you still come across people going from town to town. This old lady and her son were packing woven goods on thier donkeys. Even during the hiking she was spinning her wool with the Puska.

Many free llamas along the way. The Alpacas live higher and are smaller/finer build. I also spotted Vicuñas which are brown, thinner yet and have very different necks.

The hike went further down all the way to the river in the bottom of the canyon. The town of Luigo has warm baths as well and I camped right infront of thier door. The people of Luigo use the springs as thier shower (lucky yes) and are delighted to see tourist to share their bathing hour.

That night I left for Andahua, taking three busses, setting my tent on a gabage spot half a night and waiting in a desolated town the next. Arriving in Andahua at two in the morning to, again, put my tent in the plaza gardens in the freezing dark.

I was very welcome in this town. Very fast I was known all around as: 'The Gringa who is looking for a burro (donkey).' I made my last halfday walk here. Then it was done with my toes. I had caught feet fungus in the last week and with walking in closed shoes, sweating the whole day, it had gotten really bad and now there were nasty wounds that hurt like hell.

I stayed three days in Andahua, got to know the whole town, was fed by anybody who wanted a bead- or knotted bracelet (I became so famous with this that people were looking for me).....

...... My feet were washed by Irma who made a bath of camomille, rock salt and tiqueltique herbs. It really helped, the next day my sores were dried and closed!

Her mother was over 90 years old and still would not eat untill her two children and the guest were full.

Ms Pilar owned one of the watering holes closest to my tent and the first morning she came down with an extra frasada (thick banket) which I thankfully used every night. We had tea evenings and shared some stories.

Towns meeting.

No donkeys to be found in Andahua, so I walked to Chachas through Valle de los Volcanos to continue the search. I wanted to have this four-feeter to carry my backpack to the next canyon. In Cotahuasi I had left half my cargo in the town where I returned, this time I would not return, I would go in one line to Chivay.

Upon arrival in Chachas my message was spoken over the towns microphone .......... hahahaha: 'Quien tiene un burro para vender. Aki hay una gringa qual quiere comprar para crusar el cerro a Miña.' It was hilarious. I watched the football game Peru-Bolivia (0-3 for Bolivia) with those guys (yeah, they had sattelite and electricity sins two years) but nobody showed up.

The teachers of this town took good care of me. It was a truly gezellige evening with toasted corn, cheese and very chatfull cheer. Gracias Luzgardo y Haide para un noche muy comodo.

I met a lady who went to Arequipa. She took my box with extra stuff and I would call her upon arrival in Chivay so she could put this box on a bus (only three hours away). A great solution and so my search for a donkey ended.

And the real hiking started again. Up the hill, leaving Chachas behind. You can see valle de los Volcanes too.

Five pm, I was dead from walking up to 5800m. Pithed my tent in the icy wind, looked a last time to the colorful mountains around me, saw the full moon rizing and crawled into my warm sleeping bag to wait for the next sunrise.

Nothing but colorful mountains I passed at that altitude. It's the day I met the miners and was brought to a mine from where the town miña only three hours downhill was. It's where I slept and was fed tea and soup by the school teacher.

Several times I saw the superiour condor fly right by me. One of the highlights for most tourists to this part of Peru. An ancient looking bird that does not flap it wings for hours bur sears on the warm winds that rise from the canyon grounds.

Cañon Colca.

The deeper into the canyon the more I saw the traditional clothing of the woman. Fine broidered hats, vests, skirts and blouses. All done with a regular sowing machine.

On my way down to the river bodem. Taking a break with some tea.

Two days later on my way back up to Tapay I saw my first tourists in two weeks.

This lady (I forgot her name) kept me three hours in her little store to teach her different knitting bracelets, she was very taken with it and gave me one of her own (different type) when we said goodbye.

Just a few steps further I met part of a group of medico's from the USA and Canada. They were here for two weeks to give medical aid to people in small towns without a doctor. Its a society, a pilgrimage where all participants pay a huge contribution, their own flight and try to get sponsored medecins.

I've always wondered if I could not do more then just pass-by in those towns and on my walk to Tapay I decided that this was a good chance to see what those volunteer-groups do.

Coincidentially we all ended up at the same lady who had a free camping spot for me and cheap little houses for the medical team. The next two nights I would sleep here, get to know those people, SPEAK ENGLISH (what a delight), eat delicious meals, learn what medico's do in the little towns and help out here and there.

For two days they set up clinic, spreading out a table full of medecins and vitamins. Reading glasses and a seccion to educate the people. One room for the two doctors and one for chiropractic help.

Sometimes those 'white docters' come across a case they can help and save, like a hand which was swollen cause of a wrong lymph system, or a girl who had a wrong growing neck-collum, or a child with a heavy outbreak of a fungus. Many times they are preventive with the gifts of reading glasses, informative lessons about picking up stuff and toothbrushes. But sometimes I wonder if their own helpful medecins: the herbs, pre-inca remedies and just plain rest are not forgotten with all those chemical pills. It scared me sometimes how much the team tried to solve any complained of themselves with a pill or cream. In any case they are very welcome in every town and save or better the lives of many, maybe only for a month, sometimes for a lifetime long. Their work is well worth it, if only for their own pleasure of getting to know those far away places.

The last day, the last six hour climb up to almost 5000m. The Coropuna tops in the far distance.

A long 12 hour day behind me, I arrived in Madrigal when the lights of town went on.

I made a call to Gregoria to send my stuff to Chivay the next day and pithed my tent for the last time in a friendly park.

The bus to Chivay was bumpy and relaxing. Wow, so nice to sit and watch the scenery go by without getting tired. In chivay I was greeted by many tourists that had no idea what treasures were behind these hills, a market where I could CHOOSE what I wanted to eat, fresh bread, icecream, an internet cafe, my extra things at the bus terminal and right now I'm off to my hotel with a bed and (hopefully) warm shower. I feel like a spoiled princess.