Sunday, July 1, 2007

3 Mile High Restroom

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit the Colca Canyon. A 3 hour drive outside of Arequipa, the Colca Canyon is one of the deepest Canyons in the world. Half way to the Canyon, we stopped at the highest point on our trip. A lofty 3 miles above sea level, my hand-held GPS said I was just over 16,000 feet.



Despite the roaring in my head from a head ache, I was able to take a few pictures of the scenery. I climbed up to a stone hut and was able to determine that it was either an abandoned mining shaft or a restroom for altitude sick travelers. The give away ended up being the BYOP sign inside. Bring Your Own Paper...

Along the road to the Canyon were numerous people selling things and posing in "native" Peruvian garb. Just about everything from knit caps to table cloths is for sale. I asked about these two but unfortunately someone had already claimed them...

5 comments:

Kyle said...

Was that an altitude headache? 'Cause Misti is 19,000 feet which is quite a bit higher. Though I guess Mate de Coca is supposed to help. Good luck!

Linda said...

Wow, Dave, those are quite the shots...especially the one of the girl with the lamb and the scenery behind it! I don't think I would have survived at 16,000 feet. Altitude gives you a headache indeed. Your brain is screaming for oxygen or something like that... Do you guys carry emergency oxygen tanks with you or what?

Unknown said...

Dude, I'm so jealous.

Ed said...

Fabulous shots, and esp. the one of the GPS. Cool. The little girl with the lamb is also a great shot. I'm glad you're getting to see some of the surrounding area. No altitude here to speak of! Thanks for posting.

BW said...

Hey Dave - nice shots & nice comments. If this pilot thing doesn't work out, you may have a career as a writer! We'll miss you today at the Shira's picnic for the 4th.