Our next stop was Arequipa. A really cool city in the south/central mountains. I actually liked Arequipa more than Cuzco. It was a lot less touristy and it probably didn´t hurt that it was warm and sunny the whole time. Unlike Cuzco where it was frigid and drizzling and you had to run the gauntlet of vendors every time you left your hostel. But let´s face it. Cusco is a pretty awesome city. So much history! But now back to Arequipa.
This is the main plaza . All the cathedrals and major buildings are made form this white volcanic rock called silar. Very pretty. Below is a view of the country side and the surrounding volcanoes. Absolutely gorgeous!
After a few days in Arequipa we headed to the Colca Canyon. One of the deepest canyons in the world. The scenery was very reminiscent of the Sacred Valley outside of Cuzco. With all the stone walls and terracing. We woke up very early one morning to go to canyon and El Cruz de los Condores. We got to the cross and waited till the sun warmed us and the condors up to get a glimpse of the Andean Condor. The condor is one of those iconic symbols of the Andes and it was incredible to finally see one in flight.
A beautiful church in one of the many little pueblos on our way to the Cross.
Finally! It´s a condor! (looked a lot more impressive in real life)
Our last stop on the trip was the southern coastal town of Pisco. I was really excited about the prospect of lounging on the beach and sippin´a Pisco Sour after more than a year of being landlocked in Bolivia. Unfortunately, Pisco is not really a place to go sunbathing and frolic in the waves. The beach and the water in the harbor were not what you would call very inviting. The beaches were pretty rocky and dirty and the water in the harbor just looked icky. I rolled up my pants and dipped a toe in, just to say I'd touched the ocean more than anything.Actually, we stayed at a little place south of Pisco called Paracas, nearby Paracas National Park and Las Islas Balestas. A lot more charming than the devastated ruins of Pisco (Pisco was the epicenter of the earthquake last year and is still slowly recovering).
We took a group tour of Paracas Park. It's main attraction is a natural arch carved by the waves called El Catedral. Unfortunately, the arch actually collapsed during the earth quake and was more depressing than awe inspiring. The Candelabra, a mysterious etching in the sand dunes located in the park could only be viewed from boat. On our way to the Balestas Islands we stoped for a better view and pondered it's origins. Paracas Indians, pirates or Mason's? Who knows?
Shoot!! I erased the picture. Will add it again later.
The highlight of our time on the coast was the trip out to the Balestas Islands (otherwise known as the poor man´s Galapagos Islands). There's a group of small islands that are home to thousands, perhaps millions, of sea birds. Every inch of these islands were covered in birds and their guano... pelicans, cormorants, boobies, puffins and even a few penguins. Not to mention the thousands of birds constantly flying overhead. There was also a large sea lion colony with lots of cute pups. A really neat place.
