Doug writes:
Saturday morning in Cabanconda. Having dusted a thin layer of ash from the local cafe seats, courtesy of a nearby volcano puffing away overnight, Chris and I enjoyed a coffee overlooking the main square. Hard-working local ladies, mostly in traditional garb, were waiting for the minibus taking them to the Saturday market in Araquipa with their goods for sale.
Back at the curiously-named and quirky Kuntur Wassi hotel , the team gathered for a healthy Peruvian breakfast comprising Huevos Revueltos (scrambled eggs, not at all revolting..), bread rolls and Avocado. This went down well although Mike and I were beginning to regret our choice of Alpaca steaks for dinner last night since they seemed to be having a somewhat explosive effect on bowel movements, of which less said the better.
Back on the road, first stop was the Cruce Del Condors viewpoint overlooking the spectacular Colca Valley, where we were assured the condors would put in an appearance at 0800 hrs precisely. Before condor-watching we were apprehended by an official demanding to see our Colca Valley tourist permits. Having approached by the non-tourist dirt road route we had thus far avoided having to part with our Eurodollars but this time they had us bang to rights and Mike (aka Dad) was marched off with the expedition funds to settle up. Immediately thereafter, with punctuality which would not disgrace the Red Arrows, an enormous condor sailed lazily along the canyon wall below our viewpoint – what a sight..
We drove further along the canyon, enjoying fabulous views down to the cultivated valley floor – the canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and second deepest in the world at 10,725 feet, just behind its near neighbour Cotahausi Canyon.
There having been no petrol station in Cabanaconde, Mike was flying on fumes as we entered the town of Chivay at the Eastern end of the canyon. This time we took no chances and filled up Tessie’s roof tank as well as her normal tank.
After much asking of directions we located the Peruvian equivalent of Kwik- Fit in another Chivay back street and presented the technician with yesterday’s flat. Chris lent his expertise and after stripping the tyre off the rim, the two experts pronounced it Kaput. Good job we still have another on the roof.
Fully fuelled and rolling even more than usual on the corners with the extra weight of fuel on top, we turned our nose South from Chivay. This was the long-awaited mountain pass which topped out at 16,030 ft. We stopped for a quick piccie but left the engine running since Tessie is inclined not to re-start easily once her engine is stopped at altitude.
The remainder of the day was an epic if uneventful road trip, all on tarmac and in beautiful sunshine, mountains and blue sky on the horizon. We descended after the pass to about 14,500 ft and drove a further 250km mostly through altiplano – a beautiful if sparsely-vegetated landscape with very few settlements and occasional small herds of cattle, alpaca and even a few llamas. In the distance are volcanos rising to 16,000+ feet.
After an unplanned diversion through Juliaca, notorious as the gold-and-cocaine trafficking capital of Peru – it is estimated that 60% of the inhabitants earn their living on trading goods (!), we trundled the last 35 km to the more salubrious city of Puna on Lake Titicaca. Our various satnavs insisted on taking us up an un-paved track which would have challenged a normal car, finally to have the hotel gates opened and we pulled into the oasis-like Mirador De Titicaca, a unique hotel with a fantastic view over the city and the lake. Still, by the way, at 13,000 ft elevation.
Total distance driven today:- 408 km / 255 miles.
Tomorrow we are looking forward to a boat trip on the lake – let’s see if boats made of reed really float!
Our America’s Challenge Drive 