Into the Peruvian Andes

This is Peru, the outskirts of Arequipo;

This is Peru about 20 kms from Arequipo, while I was getting lost trying to find the way to Bolivia.  Peruvian cities are indescribable, indescribably bad.  The towns are not much better, but a lot safer. 

I eventually got back on the right road to get out of this crazy country.  It started to climb and did not stop till I reached 4500 meters, I guess that is about 15,000 feet give or take.  I did not notice any effects from the altitude whatsoever. (yet :-).

The road goes through a national park, one of the last refuges of the vicuna, a type of wild Lama.  They are easy to spot as there is no vegetation higher than 6 inches up here, and it is cold!  I was wearing all my cold weather gear.
  
The scenery here is just incredible, I would still be taking pictures but the sun was going down and I needed to find a place to stay in a strange city, always an adventure in Peru,  but I did get a shot of  this this lawn ornament made from 100% natural materials

Hopefully tomorrow I will do better, as I don´t have so far to go.  Peru is the first country I have visited in South America that is almost as empty as Canada, in the desert and up here in altiplano.

There were lots of ruins to be seen in the distance, I don´t know how old they are, as the people still build the same way using stones.  There are plenty to be had.








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