Monday, May 08, 2006
Llama Crossing
The last two days the road has taken me from Arequipa to Al Alto and the back road in to the Canon del Colca. I first drive across the desert where nothing is growing. The road is flat and straight, then it drops into a dry river and it follows this for some time. It starts to close in and there are some Inca terraces. Someone has a farm there, a small dot of green in a gray desert. The road starts to climb from here on a zigzag pattern before leveling out to a high desert. The road crosses this like a ribbon before climbing again over a pass and dropping in to the village of Huambo. There's Inca terracing here, too, and it's all green, what a change from the morning. The road then climbs over another pass and down to the village of Cabanaconde. I rested the night there, my car locked up at the police station (the only safe parking in town!)
In the morning it is off early to Cruz del Condor too see these big birds fly. They have wing spans over 6ft! It's great to watch them flying overhead, catching the thermal air coming off a 1300 meter cliff. After this the road continues to drop down through more Inca terracing (still being used today) until I reach the town of Chive. This, too, is an overnight stop. In the morning I head down to the (agua thermal) hot water springs for a dip in the mineral water, then back on the road. I am trying to get to the town of Yauri, but in the process the road follows a river for some time before turning into the hills and once again in a zigzag pattern till it reaches a height of 4800 meters. There is even snow around from the last storm. It stays at this height for the next few hours before dropping a little to
Yauri, but the surprise was just before the town. There was an open cut mine run by "BHP", "the big Australian!"
On I go heading to Sicuani for the night, but before I get there I pass some great
countryside and a lake which viewed from a hilltop looked stunning with just a small town on the lakeshore. On to Sicuani to spend the night at 3600 meters. In the morning it is off to the Inca ruins at Raqchi. I arrived a little early. The guy at the gate was not there yet but arrived quickly. The ruins here have some of the Inca stone work but the best part was to see the village ruins of round houses with grass roofs. Some have been reconstructed so as you get a good idea what the place would have looked like. Then the last 100 ks to Cuzco on a good road that passes most villages, except of course the one which I have to pass through. (Pain in the ass, as there is no clear way out or sign and you have to ask directions.)
