Volcano, Condors and the White city

Today we set out to see Condors in the Colca canyon . Our guide told us we had a 57% chance of seeing these magnificent birds. The Andian condor is the largest flying bird in the world by combined measurement of weight and wingspan.As we climbed in altitude along the edge of one of the worlds deepest canyons, we could see on our left great clouds of smoke rising from an active volcano. Everywhere you turn in South America a volcano appears on the horizon but an active one sending up huge clouds of smoke COOL OR WHAT! No one else seemed interested.

We continued on up the canyon edge and through narrow tunnels, horn blaring to worn vehicles coming the other way of our presence in the single track tunnel.

Most of our group were let off to do a 40 minute walk along the canyon edge, however still limping from my earlier adventures at the home stay Eva and  I were dropped off at a higher point on the canyon edge joining others eagerly awaiting condors. It was 8.40 am. Our guide had predicted that if they came out to perform for us these majestic birds would arrive spot on 9am. Whilst we waited we took pictures of each other and the canyon below.

As 9am approached the sense of anticipation grew with each passing minute. Suddenly on the stroke of 9 am the shout announcing the first condor was heard. Far below us in the canyon a natural wonder of the avian world was effortlessly spiralling up on the morning thermals as the rising sun imparted its heat on the ground at the bottom of the canyon causing hot air to rise.

As if by magic the canyon suddenly seemed full of these stunningly beautiful birds awesome in their splendour. Their continued to rise up the canyon wall accompanied by the sound of a hundred camera clicks a second as we all tried on expensive cameras or mobile phones to catch a fleeting picture. 

Then Condors were amongst us, swooping and diving low over our heads in a breath taking display before rising up towards the sun. As quickly as they had arrived suddenly they were gone.

What a privilege to watch these giants of the airborne bird world. Like everyone else I shot off to review what my camera had captured of the last 30 minutes, but that was not really the point, being there to witness the elegant flight of the Condors was.

After a break we headed to Arequipa, the white city and the colonial capital of the region, which gets its  name from the white volcanic stones used to build many of its buildings. The city has three volcanoes

We visited the Santa Catalina Convent, an impressive building which is almost a city within a city. Originally 175 Nuns lived here  along with almost as many if not more servants. The Nuns  in 1580 were required to buy the houses they lived in. Later the Pope required them to live in shared dormitories. Today the Nuns are still at the convent although there are now only 26, the age of the youngest.