Peru 2005

We bought tickets for a 2-day excursion to Colca Canyon. To get there you have to cross a 10k foot high mounain pass. There's a rest area close to the top with a cafe and lots of vendors selling Peruvian crafts. That's where I took this picture. That's a real llama (llamita?) sitting in front of her! It's not uncommon to see kids walking around holding baby llamas. In hindsight, it wasn't worth going to Colca Canyon, because there can be severe consequences from that altitude. We spent the night of the 28th in the town of Chivay, near Colca Canyon. Chivay is at 7500 feet. There isn't much to the town, but there is a thermal bath where all the tourists hang out. Some of tourists are Peruvians -- we met a family from Arequipa -- so it doesn't feel too touristy. There are two things to see at the canyon: the canyon and the South American condor. The condor is a big, ugly bird, but watching it fly around is impressive.