Drive to Colca Canyon

We did a lot of driving today! After picking up all sorts of coca products (leaves, cookies, candies), we headed up into the Andes. After a couple of hours driving, we stopped to have some coca-muna tea. I found that the coca tasted and smelt a bit like spinach, and the muna - used to open up your airways - tastes like mint. The combination was pretty good, actually. The next part of the road was rough and rutted as we traveled through an animal sanctuary where we were able to see vicunas, alpacas, and llamas.

Our next stop was the highest we would be in Peru - Patapamba, at 15,750 ft above sea level! We walked around for a bit, but were careful not to do too much because of the thin air. Our guide for this part of the trip showed up how to roll the coca leaves around a piece of special rock and then lightly chew on the bundle. At first it didn't have much taste at all, but after a minute it started giving off a bitter and gross flavour (I didn't chew it very long after that). After being up there for about 15 minutes, I had a bit of a headache, but it wasn't too bad. K ended up getting pretty sick from the altitude, poor guy.

We descended into the Colca Canyon and at the first view point were greeted by the always present women and children selling handicrafts and a chance for a picture with a local.

After lunch, we were given the opportunity to go for a short hike above the village we were staying in, but I decided to wander around a bit by myself and just take it easy - being above 12,000 ft makes me a bit lazy!