[July 2024] Robyn and I drove 2500km in 3 days from Santiago to the border of Peru, then spent 3 weeks driving around souther Peru, including Arequipa, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Puno and Colca and Cotahausi Canyons. We were excited to revisit many places that we had last visited 24 years ago! (Arequipa, this time we did not go to Macchu Picchu). We had a great time exploring and camping, but our trip came to an unfortunate halt when we both got very sick, especially Robyn. We left our car in the very far north of Chile and flew Robyn to a hospital in Santiago, where she was diagnosed with Salmonella and Rotavirus and was hospitalized for being dangerously dehydrated. Thankfully she is on the mend! Click on any photo below to open in a gallery.
Wild camping in northern Chile.I was excited to visit this museum to Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, since I had just read one of his excellent books in my book club.Checking out 17th century wheelchair technology in Arequipa.Robyn getting her shoes shined.Lots of different kinds of potatoes in Peru, which is where potatoes originally come from.A cheeky lamma at one of the campgrounds we stayed at!Massive Apacheta field at the top of a pass. These stacked stones mean different things to different people. For some they are an offering to the gods for safe passage, which we certainly needed!Colca CanyonThe ever present thermal baths.One of my favorite days of the trip occured when we happened upon a village festival in Colca Canyon. We spent several hours celebrating with the locals and not another tourist in sight.Free beer for everyone at the festival! Everyone was super friendly!Condors!Cactus on the top of walls to keep intruders out!Sketchy roads! We were terrified! For 4 days we drove on a single lane dirt track with 2000m+ drop offs and no traffic around to help if we broke down. I was sweating the entire time!The ‘road’ we followed for 4 days through Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons.Sketchy road!Camping riverside in Cotahausi Canyon. There was almost noone around.Cotahuasi Canyon.The stars at night in Cothausi Canyon were amazing.Traversing the altiplano (read 4500m+) between Colca and Cotahuasi canyons.Ollantaytambo Incan site in the Sacred Valley.Lots of good restaurants and particularly salads in Cusco!The huge fort of Saqsaywaman just outside of Cusco.Condor viewing point in Colca Canyon. Hundreds of people come to this spot each morning to watch the Condors soar around. These huge birds have wings spans of up to 3m!Incan walls all over the place in Cusco.The Irish Pub in Cusco.Maras Salt Mines in the Sacred Valley, which have been mined for thousands of years.Temple of Wiracocha, the tallest of the Incan temples. We had a great guide who made for a fascinating visit.Hotel Apacheta in Arica, one of our favorites due to it’s location right on the water. We’ve stayed there 3 times.The incan Moray Circular Terraces. As with so much that is Incan, noone really knows why they made them – they don’t appear to have had irrigation for agriculture.Llamas everywhere!A spectacular campsite at an oasis in the desert with just one caretaker around.Most of our trip was spent above 3000m and much of it was above 4000. Most hotels had oxygen available for guests.Street food in the market.The fertility temple outside of Peru, we visited the exact temple on our previous trip to Peru 24 years ago!Our trip came to an abrupt halt when we both got very sick in Puno, Bolivia. We eventually flew her to Clinica Alemana in Santiago, where they admitted her and helped her get better.
