Canyon de Colca

Last Wednesday we left for our trek in the Colca Canyon. We left around 5am and headed on a local bus to Chivay on the rim of the canyon. After Chivay we took a 4 hour bus ride to Cabanaconde. After lunch, we began our trek down the steep walls of the second deepest canyon in the world. Our guide Angél was really wonderful and did a good job allowing us to set our own pace and stop to take lots of pictures. The canyon is absolutely beautiful. The first day we ended up trekking around 16km. It was all downhill and therefore very painful on our knees, back and joints. Luckily we only took one pack, so Lauren and I switched off every few hours. We discovered Lauren is really good at carrying the pack downhill, while Im better at lugging the pack uphill. After five hours we arrived at our lodge for the night. We had a rustic bamboo hut and enjoyed the natural hot springs. Upon awakening Thursday morning we discovered we had definitely over-done it the previous day...our legs were in pain. The first part of the second day included trekking straight uphill for three hours. This was exceptionally difficult. Due to the altitude, frigid air, exhaustion etc. we couldnt breathe and it was difficult to will our legs to keep moving. As we climbed we were silently re-evaluating why in the world we thought a three day trek was a good idea. After the three hour climb up, we rested and then began the "flat part". We soon discovered there are no flat paths in the canyon...we were always hiking up or down. There was never a break. After a few more hours we stopped at a small town for lunch. We were amazed that people have lived in the canyon for centuries. There are no roads, so the only way to get there is to hike in (this takes at least three hours, 2 if you ride a mule). It is a very isolated place, but we enjoyed admiring the detailed embroidery of the womens traditional skirts and vests. After a two hour rest, we hiked down into the bottom of the canyon. All together, the second day we trekked around six and a half hours. We could barely walk as we arrived at the camp. I like fell down the canyon the last hour. My knees kept collapsing and I kept slipping down the steep rocky paths. On Friday morning we woke up at 3am. However, we were really excited about our mule ride to the top of the canyon. At 4am we mounted our mules and began the trek up. We were greatly thankful that it was pitch black for the majority of the ride because the mules love to walk next the edge. Due to the soreness in our legs we enjoyed being off our feet. However, the route up is extremely steep. The mules were literally climbing stairs of rocks for an hour, and Lauren's mule was not a fan of being up that early, stopping every 5 or 10 minutes. As a result, we had to use our legs, abs and arms to keep balanced and not fall off. At sunset and after a two hour ride we arrived at the rim of the canyon. Greatly releived we climbed off our exhausted mules. We then realized every part of our bodies ached. It was difficult to walk to the hostel in Cabanaconde for breakfast. It was around 30 degress in Cabanaconde, and we were absolutely freezing, so we climbed in my sleeping bag during breakfast. Next, we went to see the condors. We were really exhasuted, but were excited to see so many condors gliding on the thermals in the canyon. A very majestic sight. Then we took a bus to Chivay to enjoy the very hot thermal pools and have lunch. The end of our trek was a 3 hr bus ride back to Arequipa. We had a few hours to re-pack and buy snacks and then we hopped on a night bus for Lima. Due to all of our uncomfortable and terrifying bus rides, we decided to splurge on a luxury bus for the 15 hour ride to Lima. It was definitely worth it. We had leather seats that reclined into a semi-bed. We cuddled in our sleeping bags and were served dinner and breakfast. We watched Madagascar and ConAir and slept a little bit...there were a lot of loud snorers around us. Anyways, we're excited to be back in Lima with the family at the hostel. We are off to find some food for dinner. We have been living off of candy, chips, wafers and water. So, we are ready for something of substance. Tomorrow the Mom is cooking us panchamanca and we're so excited! Ciao!