Continuing our Blog:
this is our view from our eco lodge in Colca Canyon
In the afternoon we started on our drive from Arequipa with Alejandro and Jorge up to Colca Canyon, a ride of about 4 hours. At its highest point our road went over a pass at 4,920 meters, which is higher than any glacier topped peak in our beloved Switzerland. Here it was just cool and dry.
We saw lots of neat animals, including the vicuña, llamas and alpacas – lots and lots of them. Our friends Don and Kim raise these, and we are now able to attest to their value: Susan bought an alpaca sweater (not Incan stuff) and we had a great meal of alpaca meat - delicious! Don, I have a suggestion for the next golf trip menu…..
The highway, such as it was, continued on until it turned into what we would consider an “off road” experience. The switchbacks went at a 180 degree angle and after getting a glimpse across a gorge of Colca Lodge where we were to stay, it took us another 45 minutes to get there bumping slowly through the village of Yanque which has one telephone in the city hall. When/if a villager gets a telephone call, someone announces it through a megaphone from the city hall and the “callee” races to receive it. We could also hear the megaphone each morning from our room at Colca – probably reading news from the NY Times! Colca Lodge is an eco lodge with beautiful views, comfortable though very basic rooms and even hot spring baths – a very long cry from the Marriott in Lima. Great dinner of alpaca meat in an elderberry and wine sauce. (Poor little alpaca!) It was either that or roasted guinea pig which is another national dish. Since they serve that one whole, we opted for the small, unrecognizable alpaca steaks.
We saw lots of neat animals, including the vicuña, llamas and alpacas – lots and lots of them. Our friends Don and Kim raise these, and we are now able to attest to their value: Susan bought an alpaca sweater (not Incan stuff) and we had a great meal of alpaca meat - delicious! Don, I have a suggestion for the next golf trip menu…..
The highway, such as it was, continued on until it turned into what we would consider an “off road” experience. The switchbacks went at a 180 degree angle and after getting a glimpse across a gorge of Colca Lodge where we were to stay, it took us another 45 minutes to get there bumping slowly through the village of Yanque which has one telephone in the city hall. When/if a villager gets a telephone call, someone announces it through a megaphone from the city hall and the “callee” races to receive it. We could also hear the megaphone each morning from our room at Colca – probably reading news from the NY Times! Colca Lodge is an eco lodge with beautiful views, comfortable though very basic rooms and even hot spring baths – a very long cry from the Marriott in Lima. Great dinner of alpaca meat in an elderberry and wine sauce. (Poor little alpaca!) It was either that or roasted guinea pig which is another national dish. Since they serve that one whole, we opted for the small, unrecognizable alpaca steaks.
1 comment:
Mom bought an Alpaca sweater? For whom, pray tell? I haven't heard ANYTHING yet on this blog about the awesome gifts you're buying all your sweet children and grandchildren. Let's not forget the important things here folks. All is not wine (despite the way it reads in your blog!!) Wink
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