White Christmas in the Colca Canyon

I spent Christmas in the Colca Canyon, which is one of the world's deepest canyons in the world and home to the condors, the world's largest flying bird. The guide pointed out the Misti Canyon, vicuñas (South American deer), and other wildlife. During one of the stops we fed the llamas coca leaves. We also stopped at one of the highest passes, which was snow-covered, making it feel a little more like Christmas. We hiked for a few hours the first day and then headed for the hot springs. Christmas Eve dinner was in a restaurant with traditional Andean folk music and dancing. While not quite the same as Christmas in MN with family and friends, it was definitely a good celebration. The next day we did more hiking and visited the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, which provided spectacular views of the giant birds as well as the depth of the canyon. I returned to Arequipa on Christmas evening and met up in the Plaza with a few of the people I met on the tour.

Everyone in the group was very nice, but I was particularly impressed by a guy from Hungary. He was in a climbing accident when he was young and was in a wheel chair as a result. He has been traveling all through Central and South America alone. There isn't a city I have seen that is even remotely handicap friendly, so I give him a lot of credit.

The day after Christmas, I headed back to Bolivia to see the Salt Flats.