Condors and More!

The next morning we left the hotel at 6:30. Which was a bit inconvenient since they didn't open their breakfast room until 6:30. But they were nice enough to open it 15 minutes early for us, so we could get some coffee and treats.

But we were able to get up to the Mirador Cruz de Condor at about 8:00 AM. We didn't stop at all on the way up, knowing that the condors are active only early. We were surprised to see a couple of buses stopped with the tourists pouring out to take a look at something that would certainly be there on their way back down the mountain.

But it paid off for us. The Mirador was almost empty when we got there

and the condors were flying quite close very frequently:

I have a 20x zoom camera, but it is really just a point and shoot. I snapped a lot of photos, but I also took a lot of time just watching.

It was a fantastic place.

It was a big chilly, and the crowds started to get bigger as we were watching:

Here is another sign telling us that from the depths of the canyon to the top of the mountain was 3,200 meters, or about 10,500 feet. That is deep.

It was not only condors that enjoyed the canyon. Here is a hummingbird taking a break.

it is hard to see in this photo, but there are three condors (two immature, and one adult) clinging to the rocks:

It is a beautiful place:














Doreen could have used warmer clothes.

These terraces were about 2,000 years old. People have been farming here for a very long time.

They had irrigation canals that brought water down from the glaciers to the fields that were about that old:
Here I am, enjoying a mirador.

You can see a car going through this tunnel:














and you don't really get a feel for how deep and steep this is, but it is deep and steep.

The little town of Mara has a nice white church

and a fellow who will let you take a photo with his falcon for a few soles.

The town of Yanque also has a nice church

with some spectacular statues.

This was not an unusual sight:

And here is Werkind and his daughter Karla. We enjoyed their company!

Finally, for Brother Matthew, a photo of a huge cement plant just outside of Arequipa.

A great trip. I can't say enough about it.