Lest anyone have any doubts, I think y'all suck, 'cause no one is writing me any comments. It's really not so much fun writing up all that crap into the void. Even the void has standards and all... Be that as it may, this will be a loooong looooong post, because I have a lot of time to kill until my flight to Iquitos and the airport is a boooooring booooring place and I already drank a bunch of coffee so for now that looks like a grim alternative to typing away at the computer.
That said, past few days have been a bit surreal what with running around the Colca canyon with food poisoning and such. Apparently even hiking downhill can be exhausting (yes, i know Sami, you think it's more exhausting in general) when you´re nauseous as hell. It was very beautiful, but I must say I didnt take many photos just because I ended up not pulling out my camera that much.
It all started around 1 am. Which is when I had to wake up to catch a three-scheduled (four-in-reality) hour bus to a town in the canyon. There, (and at this point it´s around 6am) I was supposed to meet up with a guide called Cesar for the trip. I was rudely awakened by the cold the moment I stepped off the bus (since apparently it´s much colder there then in the neighboring Arequipa--who knew and didnt tell me?) and waited around twiddling my thumbs in a bus terminal eatery 'till I heard yells from all around announcing Cesar´s entry. Apparently he´s a popular character. Either that or everyone was just bored out of their mind at 6am at the bus terminal and was excited to inform him/me of each other´s presence. Aaaaaaanyway, after leading me to a place where a previously formed group was sitting around getting breakfast, I was informed that i had about 3.5 seconds to eat (all the meals are supposed to be included in my luxurious 2-day $25 trip) before we are to set out. The group included two kiwies that were supposed to go hiking into the canyon with me and three italians who were to stay in the van. One of the italians had the biggest dark circles I had ever ever ever ever seen in my entire life. I know it´s not polite to stare, but you try and avoid not looking!!!!
After driving through a few villages in the canyon (how do people decide to live in remote places like that? i mean i can understand ascetics and such, but there are villages, so that doesnt seem out of self deprivation.... i dont know, i just dont know) we stopped at an overlook called Condor Cross. There is in fact a cross there. A rather big one at that. But for at least about an hour, there were definitely hoards more tourists there and locals touting souvenirs than condors. Up until those things appeared out of nowhere and started swooping down so closely i thought i was going to tip over and fall backwards while trying to take a picture of it and hoping it wont poop on my head aaand trying to keep myself wrapped in a fluorescent-orange-embroidered blanket that a local woman lent me for a while to keep warm (she was selling other stuff, but that stuff wasnt warm enough)--not being blessed with the best of balance even in a more rested condition--you can see my predicament, right?
After we had our fill of condor-viewing, the two kiwies and i were joined by another guy and tranfered into the hands of another guide, who was to take us down into the canyon. The sun actually came out during the walk, and it was generally very pleasant, though i had managed to slip down the rolling rocks on the path so many times that i think i may have been on a permanent adrenaline rush.
While we were getting lunch at the bottom of the canyon, it came out that one of the kids in our group was supposed to be on a 3 day tour, and had no idea where to go next, and obviously we only had one guide, and the whole thing just seemed a complete mess. At some point our guide said that he would go with this kid up the canyon to make another loop, while we were to be taken further by his sister. Since unfortunately the sister spoke no english and the kiwies spoke less spanish than me, I ended up serving as a half-ass interpreter (maybe I should´ve asked for a discount, but after lunch I started feeling so sick I was just looking forward to getting to any place where I could assume the horizontal position... the kiwies on the other hand were planning to ask for money back for not getting an english speaking guide). While on our way to the camp site (which was on a place strangely called 'Oasis' -- it did look an unusually dark green color from the top of the canyon) we got rained on, and seeing as I was too lazy to carry any rain gear with me (it hardly ever rains in arequipa supposedly, why should the canyon be any different?) I of course got soaked. The canyon looked gorgeous though, all misty and such, and we spotted a few waterfalls that seemed to be coming out of nowhere, like faucets out of a wall. Very cool. Also, on the way our guide picked us a bunch of fruit (pomegranate and some other stuff, the names of which i cannot remember now) but i only stashed a couple in my pack for later since the mere thought of food made me sick. Oh, and the smells were amazing!! I dont know if it was the rain, or our breaking of branches while walking through the shrubbery or what, but we walked through the most amazingly fragrant shrubberies ever! Smells ranging from the spice rack to the perfume store to the kitchen and everywhere in between. I do wish we didnt rush as much, but the guide and the kiwies liked walking fast and since i was sick in addition to everything i just trudged along.
And when we got to the oasis there was running water!! woo hoo!!! and we were staying in a bungalo! (never seen a bungalo before, dont even know if i´m spelling it right!) and i just passed out and slept through dinner and into the next morning, when we woke up at 5am to trek up the canyon with no breakfast. I´ve never been a breakfast person, but apparently after a couple days of not being able to eat, my body cant quite go up the canyon. I was pretty much as beat as could be by the time i made it half way up and it took me much longer than it should have and so when I saw a bunch of locals going down the path with horses and my guide suggested I might want a ride up, I pretty much jumped at it. You´d think I´d feel all losery about giving up on the hike? no fricken way!!! i´d NEVER EVER BEEN ON A HORSE BEFORE!!! AND NOW I COULD GO UP THE FRICKEN CANYON WALL ON A HORSE!!!! I was as psyched as could be pretty much!!!
And then I got to get to the top of the canyon first! Who´s king of the mountain?? I am I am!!!!
