This log is current to February 16, 2008

The Gypsy Wagon Expedition has returned from Peru, in South America.

NEW: Peru Photo Gallery

Expedition Summary:

We flew into Lima, then to Arequipa, the nation’s second largest city. Our road trip to the world’s deepest canyon reached an altitude of 16,000 feet.

In the canyon we filmed the world’s largest flying bird, the Condor. They soar in the canyon, looking for dead animals.

Then we went to Cuzco, elevation 11,200 feet, and took a train to Machu Picchu, the amazing mountaintop Inca Empire city that is one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World.

For days, Machu Picchu had not been visible, due to heavy rain and low clouds. The Inca Gods must have been smiling on us. Shortly after we arrived the fog lifted long enough to capture the most amazing images of all our travels.

Since there is no way photos can capture the majesty of this place, we will also describe the experience of being there in logs and new “question and answer” entries.

Then we took a bus to Puno, on the shores of 12,580 foot high Lake Titicaca, where we explored the floating reed islands.

The islands are a bit commercialized, but do represent a unique history and lifestyle. As the islands sink, reeds are cut from shallow sections of the lake and piled on top. The islanders are experts at staying above water, and at selling souvenirs.

We flew back to Lima and took a seven hour bus trip to Nazca. Scientists say the last time it rained in that area was during the last Ice Age.

We boarded a chartered plane to fly over the mysterious images of animals, birds and people that somehow appeared in the desert some 2,000 years ago. A striking about this accomplishment is this: it can only be seen what the lines represent when they are viewed from the air.

The Inca Lines were the basis of the book “Chariots of the Gods.”

The town of Nazca itself is rather bleak, but the locals remain enthusiastic about the unique lines in their desert, especially since they draw scientists and tourists from around the world.

Becky took this photo from 1,000 feet above the desert, as the four-seat plane banked in excess of 60 degrees.

We will be posting scores of additional photos and video in coming days.

AREQUIPA TO COLCA:
We flew from Lima to 8,000 foot Arequipa and checked into hotel La Casa me Abuela ($50). Nice place, excellent security, could be closer to Plaza de Armas. (We have reviewed all our Peru hotels online at Trip Advisor).

Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru, and a good place to spend a few days adapting to the altitude. The plaza is particularly attractive and is surrounded by shops and restaurants. It’s near a famous monastery that is well worth the visit.

This being the rainy season, we saw little sun and experienced frequent rain showers. Still, Arequipa should be on your Peru destination list (assuming you don’t sacrifice Machu Picchu.

Traveling with friends Art and Bonnie from Fishtail, Montana, we chartered a small bus and driver and took off for Colca Canyon, the world’s deepest.

Our five hour journey began with a climb from Arequipa onto the Altiplano, eventually reaching a high point of 16,000 feet -- our highest ever on land, much higher than any mountaintop to be found in the lower 48 United States. We were concerned about how difficult it would be to breathe.

Photo: Don, Becky, Bonnie and Art (who is used to being high, but only as a Boeing 747 captain).

Art and Don whipped out a trumpet to prove it was possible to play at that altitude (it was, video coming soon). It wasn’t difficult walking around, providing we moved slowly. We found it fascinating to be so high, and still see tall mountains nearby.

Don carries his GPS everywhere, and whipped it out to verify the altitude. Sure enough: 16,014 feet (4,881 meters).

From there, the gravel road dropped quickly into the canyon, depositing us at 11,800 foot Chivay, and relieving Bonnie’s sinus pain.

At its deepest, the canyon has a depth of 11,000 feet, twice that of the Grand Canyon in the United States.

You wouldn’t want to have a medical problem here. The road back is the only way out. The altitudes are too high for some rescue helicopters (if you even had a way to contact one).

Small villages are scattered about, and except for people who accommodate the steady but small stream of hearty tourists, many locals live much as their families have for hundreds of years.

Our primary goal here was to see the huge Andean Condor, the largest flying bird in the world. In the rainy season, spotting them can be difficult, since they live on the canyon walls and can only fly when the sun heats the air, and it begins to rise.

These huge birds literally dive off their perches into the rising air and ride the thermals up and out of the canyon.

The first Condor picture, taken with a 10x lens, shows an adult just after takeoff. The 500 foot waterfall is actually much further away than it seems in this picture.

We were lucky. The Condors were flying. While some people see one or two, we saw at least two dozen adults and juveniles. (We’re posting higher resolution and larger photos in the galleries section of this website).

Condors eat carrion and soar for long periods (seldom flapping their wings) in search of dead animals -- some of which have died from natural causes, some in falls from cliffs that can exceed a thousand feet.

There are few Condors anywhere else in the world. The state of California has been working to save the few still living in the wild there. Here, they seem to thrive -- although they move further and further from noisy tourists, some of whom scream with delight as a Condor glides into view.

Perched on a rock outcropping, this is a juvenile. As an adult, its feathers will change from brown and black to white and black.

Adult condors have a wingspan in excess of eleven feet, and yet they maneuver with the ability of fighter jet and are fascinating to watch.

The morning we were there, they flew for about an hour. Then, with rain threatening, they gathered on a cliff to await more thermals.

In all our travels, watching these huge birds in their native habitat, the world’s deepest canyon, was one of our greatest thrills. We are fortunate to have done so before the physically challenging trip here became too difficult.

Of course there is more to see in Colca Canyon that birds that look like 747s when they’re flying toward you. The canyon itself is a challenge. The roads, what roads there are, are primitive, and cross major fault lines. Significant earthquakes are not unknown here.

In this picture you see a bus coming through one of the tunnels. Nearby is a place were the earth dropped a dozen feet in the last earthquake. Again, this is not a trip one takes without recognition of the hazards.

One is the weather. Shortly before we arrived, rainwater gushed from the mountainside and washed out a section of the road. By the time we came along, we had no problem crossing, but there were several other challenging places. Getting caught on the wrong side could result in a very long wait for assistance.

While this trip is difficult, perhaps that’s a good thing. It limits access to people who are particularly interested in, and for the most part sympathetic to, the magnificent topography and the creatures who thrive here and only here.

On the drive to the canyon, one sees pink flamingos and Lamas and Alpacas in the wild, creatures as curious about us as we are of them.

Here on the high Altiplano -- the most extensive area of high plateau on earth, outside of Tibet -- we felt in touch with nature, with the truly important things in life. You get a sense of of nature here that is not possible to glean from books or movies. You come to realize that all life here exists on the margins.

The Andes mountain range is the longest (5,000 miles) and second highest mountain range in the world. A hundred million years ago it began to grow from the ocean, and and is still growing.

It is dotted with volcanoes, some still smoking. Standing between Arequipa and Colca Canyon, Misti is a 19,000 foot volcano. It was topped in clouds as we passed by.

Visiting here also puts one in touch with people whose lives are vastly different from our own.

On the road between Arequipa and Colca Canyon, at an altitude of about 14,000 feet, we stopped to see some Llamas. They were within a stone fence, and tended by two boys.

Here, far from villages or buildings of any kind, the boys seemed surprised by our visit. They didn’t have to say a world to let us know how tough life is on the Altiplano.

Back in Arequipa we prepared to depart for Cuzco. We knew some volcanos were near the town, but hadn’t seen them, due to the constant rain and low clouds.

The morning we departed, the skies cleared, and as we reached the airport at 4:20 a.m., there is was, the other side of Misti (see above).

We weren’t supposed to take pictures at the airport, but on our way to the LAN-Peru jet we slipped out a camera and got this shot.

After takeoff, we saw other volcanoes, some of them emitting smoke as a reminder that they are not through reshaping South America.

After a stop in Juliaca, near Lake Titicaca, we flew through rain before landing at Cuzco (spelled here Cuzco rather than Cusco out of respect for the Inca heritage). This city of 550,000 people lies in a valley at 11,000 feet.

Photo: this is the famous Plaza de Armas, the epicenter of the Inca culture. When Don was here 22 years ago, angry farmers were marching in protest of the America program destroying the Coca crop. Coca leaves are used to make cocaine, although in Peru they are used to make tea, which reduces headaches and other high altitude problems suffered by visitors from lower altitudes.

Today, there are no protests of Americans, although the entire area was shut down by a major transportation strike protest shortly after we left. by people concerned about construction near historical and religious sites.

Cuzco is a fascinating city, and the greater police presence and general cleanliness is reassuring to visitors from around the world. Here, they tour museums, churches and Inca ruins. But mostly they marvel that much work of the Incas in the 15th and 16th century remains intact.

Huge stones, some of them weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds, were cut by the Incas and placed in walls that are as tight and straight today as when they were created. Imagine piecing together walls like this, without the benefit of metal or modern tools of any kind.

Over the centuries, many structures fell during earthquakes, or were destroyed by the elements. Not the Inca stones. This stone, because of its many cuts, is one of the most famous. It was only a few steps from our hotel, Rumi Pinku, which means stone doorway.

Some of the temples stand on hills above the town. When the Spaniards came to South America in the 16th century, they killed as many Incas, and destroyed as much of their culture, as possible. But they were never able to completely dismantle stones such as these. (Photo: Becky nudges an Inca stone into place).

Cuzco is an amazing place, but our primary reason for going there was Machu Picchu, the incredible mountaintop Inca citadel that is now one of the seven marvels of the modern world. Read about it in the next log.

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