Colca Canyon Day 2

On the second day of this trip we got up early and headed out in the bus to get to the mirador from where we were hoping to spot some condors.

The Colca Canyon is the deepest in the world (apparently) and we were told that condors got up in the morning and rose with the thermals in this particular valley before flying off to hunt ofr food.  We were, though, warned that because it was the breeding season half the condors would be nesting so the chances of seeing any was obviously reduced.

When we got there the views of the canyon were magnificent, and I´m not sure photos can emphasise how deep a drop there was below us.  We went on a brief walk to the miradors and then waited for the condors.  For 2 hours.  With no sign of the condors we got on the bus ready to return bak, defeated.

  Just then a shout went up that a condor could be seen, we all rushed out of the bus but agonisingly it was too late and we´d missed the one that had circled briefly before pissing off somewhere else.  We did see two eagles which in any other circumstance would have been excellent, but the felt like something of a let down compared to the mythical condor!  Not everyone realised that these 2 eagles were not condors though, so some people went away happy believing they´d see what they´d come for!

On the way back we passed through a couple of villages where a couple of old ladies almost convinced me to buy some of their finger-ppuppet collection which included traditional animals such as llamas, condors and somewhat inexplicably a lion!  We then passed through Chivay before the tortuous journey back, in which the sudden descent of about 2000 metres in little over an hour was too much for my ears which remained in need of ´popping´ for the next 2 days.