The White City of Arequipa

Arequipa is the city in which I first lost, and then regained, my faith in humanity. Our saga with Andina Travel Services was the reason why I felt disillusioned with people. But, luckily, just a few hours after that disappointing experience, a kind stranger who welcomed us to his home helped me remember that most people are good, and that humanity should not be judged based on a few rotten apples.

With a population of almost a million, Arequipa is the second most populous city in Peru. For comparison, Cuzco is inhabited by half a million people, but it feels several times smaller than Arequipa. I think one reason might be that Cuzco seems more traditional and old-fashioned, whereas Arequipa feels much more modern. In Arequipa, there seem to be more taller buildings, as well as more companies and universities. In Cuzco we saw many people in traditional Peruvian outfits, whereas in Arequipa everybody was wearing more modern, Western-style clothes.

This doesn’t mean that there are no interesting buildings in Arequipa, just the opposite. The city was founded in 1540 by Spanish conquistadors, in a valley formerly inhabited by successive pre-Hispanic cultures, and many of the city’s colonial-era buildings survived in great condition till our times. Because of those buildings, the historic center of Arequipa was inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites List.

Also the location of Arequipa is spectacular. The city lies at the foot of a 5,822 meter-high (19,100 feet) volcano (El Misti), after which it derives its name: ariq qipao means "land or place behind the volcanoes." The volcano contributed to the city’s nickname as well. In Peru, Arequipa is known as “La Ciudad Blanca” (The White City), as most buildings in the city are built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock.

Arequipans are very proud of their city, its beauty, cultural heritage, and location near the volcanos (all in all, seven volcanos are within close vicinity of the city). The city inspired many of its inhabitants to become writers/poets. For example, one of the most famous Peruvian writers alive, Mario Vargas Llosa, the winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize of Literature, was born and lives there. And another famous Peruvian writer, Manuel Gonzales Prada, is famed for saying: "Not in vain were we born at the foot of a volcano” (No se nace en vano al pie de un volcán).

While wandering on the streets of Arequipa and taking photos of its central square—Plaza de Armas—we met another proud Arequipan. Seeing me with a camera, he stopped rushing wherever he was going, and started a conversation with us in which he invited us to the roof of his house. He insisted that the views from up there were unsurpassable, and that going there would give me an opportunity to take great pictures of the square, the city, and El Misti (the volcano). Seeing that we weren’t comfortable going to his house without him, the kind stranger changed his plans, turned around, and took us back to his house, and up the stairs to its roof.

I loved every minute of this adventure. I loved the views from the top, but even more I loved the fact that somebody—a selfless stranger—would alter his plans to share with us his love and admiration for Arequipa. While we enjoyed the views of the city, the nice man told us the story behind Arequipa’s name, and shared with us his observations on the changes that had occurred in the city during the 30+ years that he had been living there. I was so absorbed by his story that I hardly took any pictures. It’s a pity, as those photos would have been spectacular. Not only were the views from the top fantastic, but also the time of the day was perfect for taking pictures: we were there a few minutes before sunset, the soft light of which made the white buildings of Plaza de Armas look even more picturesque and dreamlike. But not every memory has to, or can be, immortalized on film. Some of them—like this one of a kind stranger who helped me regain my faith in humanity—are so special, that they will always live on in us, and make us feel warm inside even when we recall them 20 years from now.

Curiously, Plaza de Armas in Arequipa was inhabited by thousands of pigeons. The locals seemed not to mind their presence.

And here is another gem that we found in Arequipa. Can you recognize the people on the poster?

Cruz del Condor

When a majestic condor soared directly above my head and my camera refused to take a photo of it, I almost burst into tears.

I could not believe my bad luck: when we stopped at the Cruz del Condor viewpoint three days earlier, we hardly could see the tip of our nose, let alone condors; now, when the weather was perfect and condors were there, my camera decided to stop working!

I quickly collected myself and started investigating the camera to see what might be a source of the problem. Soon enough I realized that the problem lay in my telephoto lens, not the camera. That made me feel somewhat better, as I could survive without good photos of condors, but not having the possibility of taking photos of Machu Picchu, and other ruins along the Inca Trek, would have been disastrous.

Anyway, just in time before the next condor flew close to me, I managed to make my telephoto lens start taking pictures again. Unfortunately, the lens would only work with a manual focus … Because of that, my condor photos are not as good as they could have been. Still, I’m quite proud of myself to manage to shoot a few good ones, despite all these obstacles.

The Andean Condor is a truly impressive bird. It has the largest wingspan (at 3.2 m or 10.5 ft.) of any land bird, but despite its large size it looks unbelievably graceful and majestic when it soars through the air in search of carrion (it’s a scavenger). It’s found only in the Andes and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, and it’s considered nearly threatened. Interestingly, California–home to the California Condor, the second largest bird in the world–has instituted a successful captive breeding program for the Andean Condor as well.

The Andean Condor is also one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 100 years in captivity. Despite its long lifespan, it mates for life and both parents are involved in the egg incubation. (Maybe the lesson we should learn here is that the monogamy and strong family ties are good for you?)


The condor flaps its wings on rising from the ground, but afterward it relies on thermals to stay aloft. It soars with its wings held horizontally and its feathers bent upwards at the tips.

The Andean Condor is mostly black in color, except for the head and neck, which are dull-red and nearly featherless. It also has a ruff of white feathers surrounding the base of its neck, and might have large white patches on the wings.

Backpacking in Colca Canyon with a Friendly Dog Companion, Day Three

Anil and I woke up before the sun, and as soon as its first rays hit the mountains towering above the canyon we started an ascent back to civilization. The hike to the canyon’s rim was surprisingly tough. I think it took us nearly four hours to climb about 1,100 meters (3,700 feet) of elevation change, and we were quite tired once we did it. I guess it didn’t help that we carried heavy backpacks …

A few minutes into our hike we encountered two stray dogs. One of them quickly developed warm feelings for us (even though we didn’t give it any food), and decided to hike with us all the way to the canyon’s rim! Needless to say, the dog could hike much faster than we could, and if it had wanted, it could have reached the canyon’s rim in the fraction of time we did. Still, to our great surprise and amusement, the dog decided to stick with us and adapt to our slow speed. Every time the dog found itself ahead of us, it stopped to wait for us. Sometimes it would lie down and rest, and sometimes it would keep itself busy looking around and checking out the views, but only when we caught up with it, would it start going farther. The dog stayed loyal to us even when other hikers were passing us.

Anil and I were so deeply touched by the dog’s behavior that we promised to buy it a nice meal once we would all get to the village at the canyon’s rim. However, once we got there, the dog decided to part ways with us before we managed to fulfill our promise. I guess it decided that its job was over: it safely escorted as to the top, so it assumed that we didn’t need its guidance anymore. We felt sad about the dog leaving, as we truly wanted to reward it for its faithfulness, patience, and perseverance. The dog’s company, in addition to great views, made this hike unforgettable.

Christmas Eve in the Oasis at the Bottom of Colca Canyon, Day Two

“Dear Parents,

I hope this postcard finds you well. I’m thinking about you warmly and sending you best Christmas wishes, as I’m sipping my cocktail, sitting in an outdoor swimming pool located in a small oasis at the bottom of the deepest canyon in the world. We would have loved to share the Christmas with you, in cold, snow-covered Europe, but, hey, this isn’t too bad either.

Love, Monika and Anil.”

—I sent this postcard to my parents from the bottom of Colca Canyon. It was somewhat mean, I know, but I just couldn’t resist the temptation to brag about our awesome Christmas. The spectacular beauty of the oasis soothed any feelings of remorse associated with being far away from the family. And taking a swim in a pool fed by the water from a natural waterfall is a memory that I’ll cherish for a long time.

In the evening, we all gathered for a Christmas dinner, after which we all shared a traditional Peruvian panettone cake and a bottle or two of wine.

Earlier that day, on the way to Sangalle (the oasis), we passed through the village Cosñirhua, founded in Spanish colonial times.

Backpacking in Colca Canyon, Day One

The drive to Colca Canyon was remarkably beautiful, despite being deadly dangerous. In particular, I truly enjoyed driving through the high-altitude Andes, which looked gorgeous under a blanket of fresh snow. The highest pass was at about 4,970 meters/17,000 feet, which is the highest I had ever been in my life.

We also passed some pre-Incan terraces, which had been continuously cultivated—using the same farming techniques—since the 15th century. For that reason I found the terraces fascinating, and because of their perfect geometry I found them also aesthetically pleasing.

After about four hours of driving, we arrived at Cruz del Condor—the best place in the world to see the Andean Condor. However, not on the day we got there: the fog was so thick that we could barely see our stretched arms. So even if there were thousands of Condors flying above our heads, we had no chance to see any of them. (We had more luck on the way back, but more about that later.)

Also our hike to the bottom of the Canyon started in a thick fog. Luckily, after a half an hour or so, the fog partially lifted and we got to see the beautiful Canyon, and even a few Condors flying above it.

Colca Canyon, at 13,650 feet (4,160 m) depth, is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, and it might be the world's deepest canyon. In fact, two Polish expeditions, one that took place in 1981 and the other from 2005, proclaimed Colca the world's deepest canyon. As such it was also recognized by the Guinness Book of Records and National Geographic Society. However, others claim that Cotahuasi Canyon—another canyon nearby—is a tiny bit deeper. The argument is ongoing. (Isn’t it amazing that, despite all the amazing technological advances, we cannot conclusively answer this question?)

No matter what the outcome of this argument, I think the point is moot. Colca Canyon might be the deepest in the world, but it’s not even half as spectacular as the Grand Canyon. First, the walls of Colca Canyon are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon, and also its “deepness” is measured in a misleading way. In case of the Grand Canyon, what you see is what you get: its depth is measured from the Colorado River to the canyon rim on which the view points and access road are located. In the case of Colca Canyon, the depth is measured from the Colca River to the top of the highest mountain peak located near the canyon, and not to the canyon rim, where, e.g., the Cruz del Condor, Cabanaconde, and the beginning of the hike, are located. This means that the hike to the bottom of Colca Canyon is way easier than the hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and it’s only around half the distance and two-thirds of the elevation change.

Second, also in the beauty category, the Grand Canyon is the uncontested winner. The rocks of Colca Canyon are mostly grayish, whereas in the Grand Canyon you can find a spectrum of colors from orange to brown, from red to violet. This doesn’t mean that Colca is not pretty, it’s just not as beautiful as the Grand Canyon.

All in all, the hike to the bottom of Colca Canyon was quite easy, and it took us about three to four hours (including the breaks to enjoy the views and to snack). On our way we met several locals in traditional outfits, we saw several interesting plants (including a cactus from which the Incas used to make purple and blue dies), and a few interesting animals (e.g., the Condors, but also parrots, hummingbirds, and a fox), which made the hike more interesting. We also had several interesting conversations with our hiking companions (two couples: one Dutch, one Canadian) but, to be honest, at that point in time we would have preferred to be exploring the canyon on our own.

That night we spent in simple cabins, in the small town of Juan of Chuccho, where we also were served a quite good dinner. If we had asked for it, the main course could have been a fried, freshly-caught-and-killed, guinea pig. We were appalled by the idea, and we were grateful that none of our co-travelers felt like eating it either. Instead, we all got a chance to taste “frozen” potatoes—another Peruvian specialty, tasting a bit like dried soaked prunes—and we learned that Peruvians cultivate several thousand different species and subspecies of potatoes! Before that evening I had thought that Ireland, Poland, and Russia were potato kingdoms, now I know that this title should go to Peru.

Our Adventure with the Unreliable Travel Agency, Friendly Police, and Super-Helpful iPeru

Despite knowing better, we decided to go on a three-day backpacking trip in Colca Canyon with a travel agency. At that time, it seemed like the most time-efficient option (and time was our limiting resource).

After visiting several travel agencies, we decided to entrust our lives and money to Andina Travel Services, mostly thanks to positive recommendations the agency had received from Magda and Przemek. Sadly, though, our experience with Andina Travel Services was pretty bad and we even ended up reporting them to the police!

First, the agency lied to us about the size of the group with which we were to backpack in Colca Canyon. They told us that we would only go there with two or three other people. However, next morning when the bus came to pick us up, there were more than 20 people onboard! All of these people were as surprised to see a full bus as we were, and had also been assured that they would hike with only a few other people. Based on that, I have to conclude that lying is a standard technique that Andina Travel Services uses to get more people to sign up for their trips.

Second, the driver provided by Andina Travel Services was super-dangerous and almost killed us. He completely failed to adapt his speed to the road conditions, and kept on driving more than 30 miles an hour, on a curvy dirt road, near a 2,000 feet cliff, with only 10-15 feet visibility caused by a thick fog … (see the photo and movie below). His dangerous driving also almost led to pushing another truck off the cliff …

Third, one of the reasons we picked Andina over other travel agencies was because they had promised we would spend two nights at the bottom of pristine Colca Canyon. However, once we started hiking, they tried to change that plan and convince us that “it’s better” to spend the second night in one of the villages at the top of the canyon. I was extremely unhappy about that, as that second night was Christmas Eve, and I was really looking forward to spending it in the oasis at the bottom of the canyon. Probably spending it in the typical Peruvian village wouldn’t have been too bad either, but it was not what we had signed up for. Luckily, after I voiced my concerns and dissatisfaction, I managed to convince our guide to let Anil and me separate from the rest of the group and follow the original itinerary. Still, arguing during holidays is not fun!

Fourth, Andina Travel Services tried to extort about $100 from us (it might not sound like much money to you, but in Peru it’s quite a lot). This money we paid the agency to buy bus tickets to Cuzco for us, as we didn’t have time to buy them ourselves. Andina was supposed to buy the tickets during the time that we were backpacking in Colca Canyon and hand them over to us upon our return to Arequipa three days later. But when we got back to the city, not only did nobody wait for us with the tickets, but also their office was closed. The following day their office remained closed and nobody was answering the phone.

We had grown quite frustrated with that, as it was the second day of Christmas, 26th of December, and we knew that on that day it would be close to impossible to get new bus tickets. In fact, this was also one of the reasons why, in the first place, we had outsourced the ticket buying to the travel agency. We knew that many buses would not run during the Christmas time, and the remaining ones would likely be overbooked. And we really needed to get to Cuzco as soon as possible to have enough time to acclimatize to the high altitude before the Inca Trek (Cuzco is located at 3,200 meters, almost 1,000 meters higher than Arequipa).

Because of that we decided to ask for help from the tourist police, which was conveniently located across from our hotel. Interestingly, nobody there spoke English! So I was forced to resort to my not-so-fluent Spanish to explain the situation to a friendly policeman. I’m super-proud to report that I somehow managed to convey a message to him. He was quite sympathetic and somewhat ashamed about the situation.
The policeman also tried—without success—calling Andina Travel Services. Finally, he decided to outsource us and our problem to iPeru—a government-run, comprehensive tourist information center. The nice lady working there spoke fluent English, which made further communication much simpler. She also took her job very seriously, was confident she would be able to help us, and informed us that her agency had the power to shut down Andina!

It must have been true, as immediately after she called Andina and left a voice message with them, they called back and promised to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Initially, the owner of Andina lied and claimed that they had left the tickets for us at our hotel (which we knew not to be true). However, after the lady from iPeru took a firm position with her, the owner admitted to not having bought the tickets, and offered to go to the bus station to buy them. Again, that was not an easy task because of Christmas but, luckily, she somehow managed.

An hour later, when the owner of Andina Travel Services arrived at the iPeru office, the lady at iPeru made her apologize to us! That’s how seriously the government of Peru cares about tourists’ happiness and satisfaction. So the lesson learned here is: travel only with reputable travel agencies, and if in doubt, consult iPeru before making your choice.

Cameloids of South America: Llamas, Alpacas, Vicunas, Guanacos

Before our trip to Peru I knew very little about alpacas and llamas. They were these cute-looking animals living in South America farmed for their wool. I’m pretty sure I was not even able to tell the difference between the two (except for knowing that sweaters made from alpaca’s wool are more expensive than the ones made from llama’s).

In Peru, I finally got to see a llama and an alpaca side by side, and now I know that they are quite different. It’s not possible to tell them apart solely by judging their color, as they both can be white, cream, brown, or even grey or black. However, the Llama is much larger than the Alpaca, and it has also a longer, more slender neck. Of the two, the Alpaca usually has more consistent coloring (which, I guess, is the reason why its fiber is considered to be of better quality). Both are domesticated species, but only llamas have been used as pack and meat animals, whereas alpacas were bred specifically for their fiber.

I was surprised to learn that the Llama and the Alpaca are close relatives of camels, but now that I look again at the pictures of these animals I can see the resemblance. Take a look at the photos posted below, and see if you can too.

As you can see, the Peruvians are well aware of the tourists’ interest in those animals, and are happy to pose with them for the pictures. Of course, they expect you to pay for these photos¬—a concept I’m not comfortable with.

In Peru, it’s also possible to see the Guanaco and the Vicuña, two other cameloids closely related to the Llama and the Alpaca. We didn’t see any guanacos during our trip¬—likely because they’re rare and endangered—but we saw vicuñas. The latter used to be endangered too, but thanks to conservation efforts aren’t anymore.

Vicuñas live at an altitude of 3,200 to 4,800 meters, on the grassy plains of the Andes, where they feed. On our way to and from Colca Canyon we passed several groups of vicuñas and I was hoping we would stop next to one of those groups but, sadly, we didn’t. I took a few photos through our bus window, but they just didn’t come out well at all. It’s a pity, as the Vicuña is the national animal of Peru--represented on the Peruvian coat of arms—and I’d have loved to have a photo of it, taken by me, in Peru. Maybe next time.


Llamas in Machu Picchu, posing for tourists.


An alpaca.