Peru has been such a pleasure to visit so far. Recently, we visited Arequipa, also known as the “White City.” The nickname stems from the fact the most of the city has been constructed from white bricks made of volcanic ash. Arequipa was a little crowded, but it had some great architecture and 3 volcanos along the perimeter of the city.       The next day we took a long ride through the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Preserve on our way to Chivay. On this ride we reached super high altitude of over 3500 meters. High altitudes are no joke. I defiantly felt short of breath and had to keep reminding myself to walk slowly. In the park, we saw lots of wild Llamas, Alpacas, and Vicuñas. Check out the local Shepard woman spinning her alpaca wool using a drop spindle!

     Chivay was just our stopping point to see the Colca Canyon, which is suppose to rival the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. The Colca Canyon was really amazing. I felt like a tiny ant surrounded by giant mountains. We did a short hike along the ridge and spotted many Condors soaring along the cliffs. We also got some great views of the deep canyon and the surrounding flora and fauna.  

During all of these long bus rides I have managed to knit quite a lot. I have one Jaywalker sock done minus the toe stitching. I did modify the pattern a little bit so that it would be easier to fit over my foot when putting on or removing the socks. I used the smallest sizing for the ankle ribbing, heel, gusset, and foot. However, I used the medium sizing when knitting the leg section. One sock down and one to go!  The next leg of our trip is hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 😬. I am excited and  nervous about the trek, but I am sure we will have a great time.

Keep checking back for more adventures!