The drive to the Colca Valley Area

Friday, May 25, 2012
Colca Canyon, Peru
Friday we were picked up at 8:30 after a delicious breakfast at Casa Arequipa. Our destination today is Colca Lodge near Chivay, altitude about 12,000 feet. On the way out of Arequipa we learned about the construction of the small homes that take years to build by the less fortunate of the area. Most are in various stages of construction and even when finished may not have running water for years. On the drive today we saw Vicuna, Alpaca and Llama. We were given a lesson on the differences between the three. It was interesting to find out that the Vicuna wool is worth 10 times the value of Alpaca wool. We had great views of various volcanos and mountain peaks on the drive and stopped at the highest point of the drive at 16,000+ feet for a panoramic view. Had a buffet lunch in Chivay and as usual there was too much food. Drove through the town of Yanque on the way to our lodging for the night. Stopped to get picture of the lodge from a lookout point. It is in a majestic setting along a river. The road from Yanque to the lodge was all dirt and gravel. They have natural hot springs at the lodge, so after checking in, we indulged ourselves in a very pleasant soak even though the air temperature was in the 60's.. Went to the dining room at 6:30 when it opened since we had a 5 AM wake up call the next morning. Had a very light dinner. Think the altititude took care of our appetite. On the way back to our room we star gazed, It was magnificient. Crashed even earlier tonight - 8 PM.
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