We had a 5:30 a.m. departure to go to Cruz del Condor. This is the spot where people go to watch condors take off from the canyon floor where they catch thermal currents and circle around higher and higher until they fly off to hunt for food. Pablo gave us some facts about condors as we drove to the crossing. They are part of the vulture family and only feed on carcasses. They are endangered because the local people used to fear them thinking they would prey on livestock and children so they were hunted by them. They are also suffering from a reduction in their food supply adding to their dwindling numbers. Condors are one of the largest birds in the world (technically the albatross has a longer wingspan of 4m although it weighs only 8 kg), with a wingspan of 2.5-3 m and weighing up to 15 kg. They usually build their nests in the highest peaks at 5000m or more and live from 65-100 years.
We got to Cruz del Condor ahead of the crowds and for the first hour saw a handful of condors from a distance rising up from the canyon floor. All of a sudden dozens of condors started flying a few meters in front of and above us and we had a chance to really observe them up close. A couple of them flew down and perched on a rock right in front of us and we really got to see their faces; the resemblance to vultures was astonishing. They seemed to glide around effortlessly and their black and white coloring was so striking to watch. Truly an awesome sight.
As we passed the valleys we noticed the same system of agricultural terracing we
had seen in the Andes. Pablo told us that the terraces date back to pre-Inca times although the Incad refined the system and were able to grow more variety at higher altitudes. We also learned that people in the valley practice the Inca system of mita where each families take turns helping one another with the agricultural work.
After the condor crossing it was time to get to the starting point of our trek down Colca Canyon. The canyon was steep, rocky, and dusty and by now the sun was pretty strong so it was blazing hot as well. The three hour hike down was brutal for me but the students seemed to leap down the trail like mountain goats. At the bottom of the canyon we came to a bridge which then led to an uphill climb to our stop for the day where we also got lunch. I arrived at that stop a good hour behind the students and they had been amusing themselves by playing cards. Lunch was wolfed down by all of us, ruined only by the fact that we later found out that the meat we had eaten
was baby llama : (
After a brief rest we then walked further down the trail to the home of a local family. This was a very poor family that Pablo had set up a visit with. In Chivay we had bought some staples like rice,
pasta, oil and sugar to give to three families in the valley. Pablo had also brought some onions, lettuce and beets to plant.
First we had to till the ground which we did with hand held hoes, one of which Pablo had brought along and the others the family had. The students all took turns at the hoe although Kurt and Pablo did the brunt of the work. While they tilled the ground the rest of us pulled weeds to clear the ground while a couple of us prepared the vegetables for planting.
Next Pablo dug the rows for us to plant the vegetables in and finally the ground was ready and we were able to plant. The whole process took over two hours but the students all commented that they really enjoyed the activity and felt good about helping the family. Before we left the family had picked a variety of fruits for us to try as their way of thanking us. These were all fruits that are native to Peru, none of which we had tried nor seen before so for the fruit lovers amongst us it was quite a thrill.
We finally got back to our campsite, tired and hungry but with the contentment that comes from doing something worthwhile. During dinner we had another class discussion to evaluate our experiences and after that it was time to turn in. I'm guessing everyone slept like a
log at night.
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