The Road Less Traveled

I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference – Robert Frost

Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason – Jerry Seinfeld

When we set out on our trip to the Valle de Los Volcanes, we figured one of these two quotes was going to prove true. The Valle de Los Volcanes is a rural area in the State of Arequipa that is only a few hundred miles from the city we live in. While not too far as the crow flies, it is a 10-12 hour bus journey to the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately we could not find much information about the area despite looking though guidebooks, the internet and visiting I-Peru the (national tourist office). Jeff even tried calling the Mayor's office in Andagua, the Valle's only town, but nobody ever called back.

We heard about the Valle de Los Volcanes through a Peruvian tour guide we met back in December. Unfortunately, all he could really tell us was that it was charming, beautiful and had very few tourists. Neither our tour guide friend nor anyone else we spoke to could tell us if there was a functioning hotel in the area; we read about a hotel called Casa Blanca but it was rumored to have closed. We were a bit nervous about arriving in Andagua at 2:00am with no idea where we were going to sleep but everyone was still very excited about the trip.

Despite our cautious enthusiasm, things did not start out well. About fifteen minutes out of Arequipa city we realized that we had forgotten some medicine Jeff needed, half of Emma's clothing and our camera (all of the photos in this post are from the web). Things got worse as the bus continued to fill up with folks packing the aisle.The overcrowded bus was hot, slow and very uncomfortable. The guy standing next to Aileen's seat kept falling asleep and slumping on top of her and Jeff had the pleasure of sharing the ride with a guy having sweaty DTs. Fortunately the kids had the window seats and were able to get some rest. It was nearly impossible for the adults to sleep and due to the extra weight, the bus was 2 hours late arriving in Andagua. We stumbled off the bus and into the cold around 4am; a very nice woman we met on the bus took us to a hotel called Casa Grande (not Casa Blanca as we had heard). After about 10 nervous minutes of banging on the door, someone finally let us in.

The lobby of Hotel Casa Grande at 4am

Day 1

We slept until ten in the morning and wandered down to the hotel's interesting and somewhat dilapidated courtyard. The caretaker told us that the Casa Grande is oldest building in Andagua and owned by a wealthy family who used to control the entire valley. They moved from the area over a generation ago and didn't bother installing a decent bathroom before leaving. No bother, we still loved the charming old place.

We were very excited when we stepped out the front door and into the plaza.  The natural beauty of the valley was immediately apparent - with beautiful high-desert scenery surrounded by snow-covered mountains. The town of Andagua is very quaint and well maintained; someone even took the time to trim about 100 bushes in the town square into various shapes. We quickly found a (the) restaurant and arranged to have our morning and afternoon meals there.  Everyone was very welcoming and seemed genuinely glad we were visiting.  News travels fast in a small town and by the time we finished our breakfast, Maria - a local guide, was waiting to show us around.

Mt. Corpuna

The Andagua town square

Once we got our pack ready, Maria, her son Fernando and their two dogs took us on a hike to the Mirador de Antaymarca which sits on top of an old volcanic cinder cone. The most interesting part of the trip was looking down upon the ruins of the pre-Columbian town of Antaymarca which had been destroyed by volcanic eruption. We could see the remains of old structures that were protected by a hill while the rest of the town was clearly wiped out by the lava flow surrounding it.

Mirador

Ruins of Antaymarca

On the way back to town we saw an ancient burial cave (complete with bones). We also tried shanky - a very sour but delicious cactus fruit that we ate incessantly during our trip. After another meal and a walk around town, we went back to the hotel to get some sleep.  On the way into the hotel Jeff smashed is head on the very low threshold, much to the amusement of the town folk watching from the plaza. He did this about 4 times before the rest of the family (and random strangers) started warning him every time he even got close to the hotel entrance.

Day 2

The next day Maria and her entourage met us at the hotel around 9:00am and we hiked to the 120ft high Izanquillay Falls (or Shankayla Falls depending on who you ask).  The falls are formed where the Río Andagua runs through a narrow lava canyon. Attention ice climbers - the falls freeze up around May and probably create some cool mixed routes.  From the falls we went to climb a volcanic cinder cone. The Valle is carpeted with lava flows from which rise some 80 cinder cones ranging from 300-700 feet high. The cones are aligned along a major fissure, with each cone apparently formed from a single eruption. There are two big cinder cones near town called "the twins" and we decided to climb the larger one.  Since there were no trails, our ankles got attacked by small cacti on the way up - but the view was worth the pain. Luckily we had a Leatherman with pliers to pull out the thorns.

The twins from above Andagua

When we got back to Andagua we wandered around a bit before eating. We met some ridiculous policemen who were clearly from out of town and also managed to find a relatively new hotel (Hostal Trebol). The owners showed us around and though it seemed comfortable and had private bathrooms, we still liked the Casa Grande better.

During dinner, folks asked us why we had missed mass the previous evening (the rain, we told them). They encouraged us to join the Good Friday mass and said we should not miss the procession. Around 7pm or so we heard a commotion in the plaza. Emma and Jeff went out to investigate and saw one half of the town watching the other half of town act out the scene of Jesus carrying the cross to his crucifixion. At the end of the performance, the Romans stripped down a poor guy to a loin cloth and tied him to the cross - it looked freezing and really uncomfortable. Though a bit hokey, the procession was a touching demonstration of community and faith in this economically poor part of the world. Unlike what you might expect in small town America, Andaguans were very happy to have outsiders (even Jews) celebrating Easter with them. Try that in rural Oklahoma. After the procession we joined everyone in the church and felt guilty sneaking away before mass actually began.  However, we were really tired after the full day's hike and did not want to wear out our welcome by falling asleep during services.

Andagua's Catholic church

Day 3

Maria, Fernando and the dogs again met us at 9:00am. We hiked to an impressive pre-Columbian stone bridge built over a narrow canyon called something in Quechua that we were not able to figure out (pahareta, paqareta, paccareta, or perhaps pajareta). We crossed the bridge and hiked to the ruins of old village that shared its name with the canyon.  The little town once consisted of a temple on a hill surrounded by small houses. Maria's Dad lived just below the ruins and he let the kids ride his mule while the adults marveled at the beautiful scenery. We found pottery shards and all sorts of interesting things that you might see at an archeological dig. Normally when you go hiking in the wilderness, all you see is nature. In Andagua we could enjoy a mix of amazing mountain scenery, working farms, cultural artifacts and very warm people - all in the same place!

 Unfortunately, we could not find any photos or information about this part of the Valle on the internet (probably because we have the name wrong). Instead, here are some random photos of the Valle that provide pretty good examples of the areas we hiked through.

We got back to the hotel in time to clean up and get some lunch before the afternoon bus. Everyone in town seemed awfully sorry to see us go, especially Cenizo, one of the hotel's dogs we befriended. The bus ride home was uneventful (but tiring) and we were back in our house around 2:30am. This is our first long bus trip that did not involve at least one major delay or other transportation-related challenge. Perhaps our luck is changing!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our little adventure. The Valle de Los Volcanes is a spectacular place and we feel very lucky to have visited this part of Peru. The natural beauty rivals the more popular spots around Arequipa but the remoteness and lack of tourists make it a really special place. Robert Frost was right, at least this time.

Adios Andagua

Hats

Everyone has settled back into their routine. Emma and Hannah are going to school, participating in their after school activities, going to parties, visiting the orthodontist, etc. The adults are working, volunteering and dealing with everyday life (cooking, cleaning, getting older, buying new glasses, etc.). We are very settled in our life here and do not have as much to blog about as everything seems well....normal. This is the perfect time to blog about hats.

Yes, hats. We really love Peruvian cultural and its fascinating combination of Spanish, African, Amazonian and Andean traditions. The food, music, customs and of course the hats are all interesting and wonderful. Hats are a big thing in the Andes. Some have important social meanings (i.e., marital status, class, etc.), some are fashion statements, and others are just practical. I cannot tell you much more about hats in Peru, but here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Some of the hats you find in the Andes have been worn for a thousand years and others are from modern times.

The chullo has been worn since pre-columbian times and is a bit hit with the tourists

The bowler has been popular with Andean women since the 1920s

The cristina is pretty modern too and is supposed to be worn every Monday at school

 Here are some hats that are common in the Arequipa area.

Very traditional hats that are common in rural communities

Traditional costumes from the Carnaval parade

Dressed up for a visit to the big city

These are the hats we saw in the Lake Titicaca area.

This type of hat is only found on the heads of married women in the community of Llachon

Other hats in Llachon are just to keep the sun off

Woman from the reed islands of Uros

Only single women wear this type of hat.

More cool hats

Every region in Andes has different types of hats.

Young girl outside of Cusco

My favorite hats can be found in the Cajamarca region and I am bummed that I did not buy one when the opportunity presented itself.

 

I hope you enjoyed the hats as much as we do. Next week is a short one due to Easter and we are planning a trip way off the beaten track; we are also planning a Peruvian Passover Sedar. All this and more will be part of our next blog so stay tuned for some more more rip-roaring tales of high adventure and comedy.

Jeff