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Day 7 (15-Dec-15) Arequipa - Corporaque
Another leisurely start to the day, with Christian
arriving at the hotel with a new driver, Julio, at 09:00hrs. We then departed
Arequipa over the Altiplano (high plain) plateau to Chivay, via Patahausi, Vizcahani
and Tocrapampa. The very circuitous route at the beginning took us around the
backside of ChaChani and Misti volcanos, before entering the Salinas and Aguada
Blanca national park. Entrance to this vast reserve is free, which is a great
deal given this Andean expanse is home to a multitude of dozing volcanoes and
brawny wildlife forging out an existence against the odds several kilometres
above sea level. The climax of the journey across the Altiplano is the
viewing spot at a giddy 4910m (16,105ft), with many tourists opting to take
Diamox to mitigate risk of altitude sickness. On the way we encountered
numerous herds of Alpacas, Lamas, and their wild cousin the Vicuna. Smaller
than both Lamas and Alpacas, they are nonetheless more fleet of foot, and can
reach eye-popping speeds of 85kph across the desolate pampa – far faster than I
could hope to achieve, given the laboured breathing required simply to get out
of the bus!
The scenery on route was simply stunning, with volcanoes
all around puncturing a blue sky dotted with white cumulous clouds, and the
Alto Plano stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see. Aside to
mammals, we also encountered flocks of flamingos, Andean geese, Andean gulls,
and a variety of duck with distinctive blue beaks indigenous to the region.
Perhaps most impressive of all was the smoke emanating from Nevado Sabancaya
(5976m), creating a plume that stretched up into the stratosphere; a very
visible and clear reminder that we were essentially on the Pacific Rim of Fire
that extends around the Pacific from New Zealand up through Japan, Kamchatka
Peninsula, around the Aleutian Islands, down through the Rockies of Canada and
USA, into Mexico and then along the entire length of the Andes in South
America.
The descent from the highest viewing point at 5910m
into Chivay at 3651m, was very steep and involved navigating innumerable tight
hairpin bends; a route that leaves many people very car sick. Thankfully, none
of us were left bilious, though Astrid did feel somewhat light-headed from the
altitude. However, this did not stop us from consuming a hearty lunch in Chivay,
after which we then took a stroll down through the Plaza to view the 300 year
old colonial era church at the main plaza. Suitably impressed we then dived
into the local market to purchase Diamox for Astrid and Simon, a spare battery
for Simon’s heart rate monitor, and some XXXXXL size underwear for Simon to
cradle the small family jewels… We then headed onto our final destination for
the day at Coporaque. After checking in at the very delightful Mama Yacchi
Lodge, we then embarked on a 1.5hr hike to visit an ancient burial ground some
2000ft above the village, with the route affording magnificent views of the
steep terraced slopes around the Calco valley. On return to the hotel we then jumped back into the
bus for the short trip to the local hot springs to soak away the aches and
pains of the hike and altitude. These hot springs originate close to the
volcanic vents that feed the many volcanoes in the region, with the smoke stack
still emanating from Nevado Sabancaya looking very menacing as the sun dipped
below the horizon. Suitably refreshed, we headed back to the hotel for a
sumptuous feast, and to finalise plans for the exhausting day ahead….
Another leisurely start to the day, with Christian
arriving at the hotel with a new driver, Julio, at 09:00hrs. We then departed
Arequipa over the Altiplano (high plain) plateau to Chivay, via Patahausi, Vizcahani
and Tocrapampa. The very circuitous route at the beginning took us around the
backside of ChaChani and Misti volcanos, before entering the Salinas and Aguada
Blanca national park. Entrance to this vast reserve is free, which is a great
deal given this Andean expanse is home to a multitude of dozing volcanoes and
brawny wildlife forging out an existence against the odds several kilometres
above sea level. The climax of the journey across the Altiplano is the
viewing spot at a giddy 4910m (16,105ft), with many tourists opting to take
Diamox to mitigate risk of altitude sickness. On the way we encountered
numerous herds of Alpacas, Lamas, and their wild cousin the Vicuna. Smaller
than both Lamas and Alpacas, they are nonetheless more fleet of foot, and can
reach eye-popping speeds of 85kph across the desolate pampa – far faster than I
could hope to achieve, given the laboured breathing required simply to get out
of the bus!
The scenery on route was simply stunning, with volcanoes
all around puncturing a blue sky dotted with white cumulous clouds, and the
Alto Plano stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see. Aside to
mammals, we also encountered flocks of flamingos, Andean geese, Andean gulls,
and a variety of duck with distinctive blue beaks indigenous to the region.
Perhaps most impressive of all was the smoke emanating from Nevado Sabancaya
(5976m), creating a plume that stretched up into the stratosphere; a very
visible and clear reminder that we were essentially on the Pacific Rim of Fire
that extends around the Pacific from New Zealand up through Japan, Kamchatka
Peninsula, around the Aleutian Islands, down through the Rockies of Canada and
USA, into Mexico and then along the entire length of the Andes in South
America.
The descent from the highest viewing point at 5910m
into Chivay at 3651m, was very steep and involved navigating innumerable tight
hairpin bends; a route that leaves many people very car sick. Thankfully, none
of us were left bilious, though Astrid did feel somewhat light-headed from the
altitude. However, this did not stop us from consuming a hearty lunch in Chivay,
after which we then took a stroll down through the Plaza to view the 300 year
old colonial era church at the main plaza. Suitably impressed we then dived
into the local market to purchase Diamox for Astrid and Simon, a spare battery
for Simon’s heart rate monitor, and some XXXXXL size underwear for Simon to
cradle the small family jewels… We then headed onto our final destination for
the day at Coporaque. After checking in at the very delightful Mama Yacchi
Lodge, we then embarked on a 1.5hr hike to visit an ancient burial ground some
2000ft above the village, with the route affording magnificent views of the
steep terraced slopes around the Calco valley. On return to the hotel we then jumped back into the
bus for the short trip to the local hot springs to soak away the aches and
pains of the hike and altitude. These hot springs originate close to the
volcanic vents that feed the many volcanoes in the region, with the smoke stack
still emanating from Nevado Sabancaya looking very menacing as the sun dipped
below the horizon. Suitably refreshed, we headed back to the hotel for a
sumptuous feast, and to finalise plans for the exhausting day ahead….
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