On Monday and Tuesday, the schools were closed due to the Swine Flu. So two volunteers and I thought it would be a great opportunity to travel to Cabanaconde and trek to the Oasis. So, early Monday (1 AM) we hopped on a bus that arrived to the quiet Colca Canyon city, Cabanaconde at 6 AM. We had a quiet breakfast of Coca Tea and Bread as we prepared ourselves to make the hike.
Though cold for the first couple of hours, the hike down was spectacular. The tranquility of the canyon was unbelieveable. Besides the tourists that were suffering from hiking the other way, there was no noise the entire time. Just the very strong sun, the scenery, and us.
The Oasis (our destination) is a small hostal in the middle of the canyon. There's several very authentic huts where we slept and a makshift pool full of river water. We spent the rest of the day here laying in the sun, reading, and eating fantastic meals prepared by the Peruvian hosts. At night, there was only candlelight. We played cards and gazed at the best display of stars I have ever seen.
The next day, after an early pancake breafast, we set out for a very steep but less difficult than expected hike up the mountain. It took about 3 hours. We then hopped on another bus to journey another 5 hours back to Arequipa.
This week was also my last week in Coporaque teaching English. On Friday, I returned to Coporaque to teach English greetings and say goodbye to the kids, the amazing teachers, the family that INTIWAWA always stays with when in Coporaque, and - ultimately - the village: my favorite place so far in Peru. I took another volunteer with me - the volunteer who has decided to continue with the English project I started. The hardest part was eating lunch with the family and remembering all of my stays there (my awkward first visit, my extended stay for the Congreso, and my several trips fighting with authorities to let me start an English project). Saying goodbye to them was extremely hard. All of the kids said: No te vayas, por favor (Please, don't go!). And the mother and father just thanked me for everything I did and asked me to always remember Coporaque.
Hopping on the bus back to Arequipa, I realized that it would not be hard to always remember Coporaque. I loved everything about that village - the pigs in the street, the dirt roads, the stone houses, the Alpaca steaks, the peacefulness, and even the instant coffee. I will forever miss Coporaque and the Colca Canyon.
How hard it is to say Goodbye.
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