World Peru Arequipa Chivay

Honeymoon Adventure 2007/08

Chivay & around Jul 13, 2008

We booked a trip through Ana to take us up to the Andean town of Chivay which is 3633 metres above sea level. The journey we had to go even higher than this for some time and then come back down and you really could feel your ears popping like being on a plane.

The first stop just outside Arequipa was at a shop selling coca leaves (to chew) and coca candies which, in addition to many other health-giving benefits, are said to alleviate altitude sickness. Coca has been used in medicine in the Andes for thousands of years but is illegal in many countries as it is the natural element in cocaine. In its natural form, however, coca is entirely different to cocaine and in many parts of South America is consumed by adults and children alike (even the nuns here drink coca tea)! Further along the way to Chivay we stopped at a cafe selling fresh coca tea (the leaves in hot water). We must admit that it doesn´t taste great at first but is vastely improved by several spoonfuls of sugar!

We enjoyed lots of impressive views along the way and spotted lots of animals around the National Reserve. Victoria was delighted to see a herd of sheep, llamas and alpacas and later got the opportunity to stroke a young llama and alpaca both of which felt much softer and thicker than a sheep´s wool (and may now be competing for the position of Vic´s favourite animal!).

When we finally got to Chivay the tour group had a buffet lunch in a local restuarant where we sampled lots of Peruvian food (including some alpaca meat). We then had some free time to explore the town of Chivay (which was a really nice place) before heading to the hot springs late in the afternoon. The pools were great and in lovely surroundings but it was freezing getting out after the sun had gone down (in most of Peru the days tend to be warm but the nights cold).

In the evening our group had dinner at a nearby restaurant which had put on a traditional local band and dancers. We were lucky to be seated quite close to the front and it was an enjoyable evening. The highlight was after having watched a dance that involves one dancer lying on the floor and the other hitting them with a piece of rope, when the 2 dancers chose partners from the audience and David was lucky enough to be selected to take some abuse from the female dancer!

The next day we were up at the crack of dawn and, after showering, Victoria was very surprised to find that despite the hotel having provided her with a hairdryer to borrow, there were no electric sockets in our bedroom or bathroom so she had to dry her hair in the hotel reception, receiving funny looks from several passing guests on their way to breakfast!

We were picked up at 6.15 from our hotel in Chivay and transported to another small town called Yanque where there were lots of photo opportunities from brightly dressed girls dancing in the centre of the square to local people ready to pose with various birds and animals in return for payment (we didn´t take them up on this offer). There were also many stalls set out displaying local handicrafts and and Victoria purchased a rather fetching hat made from alpaca wool!

Our bus then took us to Cruz del Condor Observation Point where we managed to peer over the heads of hordes of other tourists to see some condors. It was then time to say goodbye to our tour group when we linked up with our guide for the Colca Canyon trek... to be continued!