Canyons and Condors

Well, you can´t  go wrong watching the world´s biggest birds in one of the world´s deepest canyons.

Another amazing spot.

Birds the size of small planes in a canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.  Almost 2 miles from top to bottom.

Two thumbs up for Colca Canyon, about a 4 hour drive from Arequipa.

Vicuñas, the gazelle of the Altiplano.

They´re a protected species, but locals are allowed to capture them and shear their coats, since the wool is worth a lot.

More llamas at high altitude.

The skyline - the only range higher than this is the Himalayas.

Effective marketing.

Alpacas that haven´t had their coats cut in a long time.  They look... ridiculous.

Mop on 4 legs.

This dog got frisky with the llamas, and the llamas weren´t pleased.

Colca Lodge - a wonderfully peaceful retreat at the base of Colca Valley.  

Elegant architecture and thoughtful use of color.

Quinoa - it´s the local grain that thrives at high altitude.  It´s becoming popular in the US for Whole Foods types because it has a lot of protein and is gluten free.

Colca Canyon and Valley

Literally hundreds of stories of terracing.  Unbelievable.

Facing towards the sunrise.

Entering the Canyon.  You can see a jeep in the bottom right.

Bottomless Colca Canyon, at the Condor Cross.

First sighting - long distance.

Closer.  These birds have wingspans of up to 11 feet.

Buzzing the crowd.

These birds are amazing. They sort of float by like small planes.

It´s hard to capture the space... this canyon is over 10,000 feet deep.  You can sense some of it here.

20,000 foot peaks in the background.

Majestic from far away, ugly ugly up close.

Getting tea at a shop that could double as a petting zoo.  There were chickens, llamas, cats and sheep there.  And they would wander in and out of the kitchen and seating area as they pleased.  Imagine a Starbucks with llamas in the mountains.

Getting a little more rugged...

The public restrooms on the way back!