Missed opportunity at El Misti volcano
I’ve always wanted to hike a volcano. There’s no source for this desire of mine that I know of — no suppressed trigger from my childhood, no daredevilish dream needing realizing, no genetic memory of mountaineering in my family tree….
Colca Canyon and Cabanaconde, Peru travel guide – The YEH, MEH, NAHs
The cañón mas grande, Colca Canyon, Peru, is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and much more difficult to reach. The bone-shaking, heart-skipping bus ride from Arequipa is worthwhile for anyone looking to put a little distance…
Haberdashery: Better than head-smashery
Back in Pre-Hispanic times, two ethnic groups in the Colca Canyon area of Peru deformed their babies’ skulls — the Collagua into a taller, tapered noggin, the Cabana into a mesa-shaped cranium. Was the Collagua’s headscaping a disturbed bid for…
In the sun, in the shade
Today, the remote village of Cabanaconde in Colca Canyon, Peru feels like a place that’s just rolled out of bed — mussed, shuffle-footed, and a little slow to react. The mood is the same as in that first part of…
I’m a sad person holding a fork
What is it about having future plans for travel adventure that makes all the difference in how I feel about today? There’s a drawing that shows up on my computer’s desktop, in rotation with others I’ve kept because they make…
Romney vs Big Bird, and our other distractions
It’s been a while since we’ve shared our travel stories. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Politics Todd and I both have been caught up in the Presidential brouhaha, watching both conventions and last…
Views to die for in Colca Canyon
Having carrion-craving birds circling in the hot updrafts above you can indicate that those expert hunters of the dead and dying consider you a likely next meal. The condors in Colca Canyon, Peru may have smelled my sweat, thick with…
Packing list for a Colca Canyon hike
Trekking into Colca Canyon, Peru, the world’s deepest canyon, is relatively easy because there are small villages a short day’s trek apart. At these villages, guesthouses are ready to provide hikers with hearty country meals, bottled water, beds, and the…
Hike Colca Canyon without a guide: Map and trail guide to Llahuar
The most compelling benefit of hiking Colca Canyon, Peru without a guide is that you can trek at your own pace. This means you can crick your neck watching circling Andean condors, stalk birds and beasts, and stop and smell…
Beasts, birds, and bugs of Colca Canyon, Peru
The Andean condors of Colca Canyon, Peru attract all the tourist paparazzi attention. Evade the camera flashes and flee down a trail, and there’s a captivating natural diversity in the sky, underfoot, and in the brush.
