Departure at 3:30, a minibus is supposed to pick me up in front of a nearby hotel (my hostel was too lame).
Right on time I show up at the prearranged spot, of course no one is there. I start to worry, given my experience in Nazca. 4 o’clock and still no one…meanwhile the town is deserted, not even a cat by chance….
Suddenly a minibus passes in front of me without stopping, I decide to run after it and it stops right in front of my hostel. I arrive breathless just a moment before the guide rings the bell. Precise organization dare I say……
Off we go, I was last and sit in the last seat on the right of the back row.
Next to me 2 French couples, nice as a tree trunk.
The minibus climbs a winding but wonderful road…. Here are the real Andes!
The sunrise in the mountains is something magical, we stop at the top of a pass, over 5 Mila meters above sea level, the view is incredible. All around numerous volcanoes, rocks that with the first light of dawn light up and cast shadows that make the landscape almost lunar. I turn around and see the other passengers gathered, they are all sick! Headaches, shortness of breath, vomiting, dizziness-the altitude is taking effect! The guide reassures him that we will stop shortly to drink some coca tea, which should relieve in symptoms. I, on the other hand, feel great, it must be the benefits of going around alpine passes often, being skinny hanging, who knows?
We stop at a kind of farm where a 3-day-old alpaca is on display. The coca tea is no big deal–and chewing the leaves turns out not to be pleasant either. The other passengers don’t seem to be complaining anymore, though…we continue on, through roads rutted by earthquake tremors and very deep valleys. We arrive at an observation point, where we see in all its glory the canyon, the deepest in the world. But the stars here are the condors. They soar elegantly above our heads, almost as if they want to be photographed. They are majestic and huge.
The guide has taken a liking to me by now; he is always with me chatting and joking. The advantages of speaking their language!