Pampa Cañahuas (Or when Qhapaq meets Melissainthemiddle)

Golden lines

golden lines

Previously in Melissa in the middle

The secret bounty hunter has traveled around the globe in search of dangerous fugitives with her faithful motorbike, a silver cross and her travel blog as a façade to hide the real reason of her travels. Hired to hunt the most dangerous South American guy she is prepared to return home believing him death, until she discovers in the DNA of an eyelash that her enemy is not only alive but he’s actually her blogger friend Qhapaq, launching his ultimate plot in his secret headquarters in the core of volcano Misti 4000 meters (13 123 ft.) above the sea. Is the former spy going to catch to Qhapaq? Is friendship going to be more important than the millionaire reward?

Previously in Qhapaq

Francis is the Machiavellian genius behind counterfeit companies as Poma, Zony, Mitsusushi, Coca Loka, et al. Losing the memory after an explosion he started again as a blogger in Qhapaq, unknowing his past until now when the smell of the gunpowder in the morning triggered his memories! Inspired by the movie Superman I he is going to sink the Peruvian coast into the sea after buying cheap lands that will be the new coast giving him a lot of happy cash :P In the core of the volcano a cold heart waits without knowing that a lady is crossing the desert to bring him to the justice. Will he succeed?

(All this happened three months ago)

PAMPA CAÑAHUAS

Walking in shadows
Majesty

Majesty

My blogger friend Melissa visited Arequipa and I was happy to met her. We tried to don’t turn the visit into a typical touristic trip, you know: “let’s take a scheduled car and from there let’s take the same photograph as showed in the postcard,” instead we walked places we both didn’t know. She chose Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Park, so we took a cheap bus with the intention to walk. I’m so sorry to say that although an enjoyable trip I didn’t search well and I exposed her to intense cold in a high altitude :-(  One always wins from the experience but I’d like to don’t have exposed her to such a harsh environment.

Elemental shapes in the highlands

elemental shapes in the highlands

Pampa Cañahuas is near Arequipa city at 4000 meters above the sea (more than 13 000 ft), more or less the altitude of the city I was born so my physiology is adapted to it, instead I suffer to walk in the coast. Melissa do it quite well, she just would need more clothes I think. In the beginning we walked under the shadows of lonely clouds and blue skies.

In middle of an infinite

in middle of an infinite

The mountain in the photograph above is called Chachani, it is a volcano and the name in Aymara language means “gallant”.

families ties

Family ties

We saw vicuñas. They are wild camelids; our ancestors domesticated alpacas and llamas but vicuñas have to remain wild in order to get their fine wool (one of the finest along our chinchilla, also a wild animal) It’s in the symbol of our national coat of arms and in the beginning of XX century it was forbidden to take without authorization to foreign countries.

The warming sun
clouds migrating the blue

Clouds migrating the blue

In the highlands under the shadows it’s cold, so it was a welcome change when we walked under the sun. I proposed to walk until a hill, and we walked but it was so far away! even worse it ended being two tall hills.

White line of alpacas

White alpacas in a black line

There are flocks of alpacas with eternal shepherds in the distance. Alpacas are domesticated and are the equivalent of sheeps.

White line of alpacas

White line of alpacas

The alpacas were so far away! if you couldn’t see it then above is the closest I could get with my zoom. Walking to there wasn’t an option as the shepherd dogs and the long distance were a barrier.

Starships in the countryside

Starships in the countryside

Fallen king in a green checkboard

fallen king in a green checkboard

Black eyes

black eyes

Do you see the hill in the photograph bellow? well, it took us almost three hours to get to the top :/

Vicuñas lost in the ichu

Vicuñas lost in the ichu

In the top of the world
a chair for one

a chair for one

We reached the top near five o’clock. Near the equator days don’t last so much so night was just one hour ahead. In the worry I’m afraid to haven’t paid to the Earth, I paid it days after in my house but I felt guilty. It’s simply to give her the first try of pure water or liquor in a way to say “thanks.” We saw the volcanos and returned using a little road to avoid accidents walking blind. As her safety was priority (being myself responsible for the wrong decisions) we walked to the highway and I didn’t take more photographs.

traveling to a safer world

traveling to a safer world

The photograph above to me was quite evocative, I thought in the happy ending of Blade Runner, the one used with fragments of other movies and the voice on off of Deckard.

Monumento

monumento

little bird standing in the shadows

Little bird standing in the shadows (it’s the little silhouette in the center above the shadow of the rock)

unlimited world for three stones

unlimited world for three stones

A cloud following her

a cloud following her

Trophy

trophy

End

And that was all. We saw a view few people see. I know it because there weren’t neither garbage nor drawings in the rocks as usually our national vandals/tourists love to drop. Annnnd this is the view ;-)

esplanade of the council of mountains

Esplanade of the Council of Mountains

(The funny thing is we hoped to see a lake XD)