Pan de Vida

When we first started talking about exploring Peru, a friend connected us with Carlos, who runs a multiple non-profit organizations in Arequipa. After a couple conversations, he invited us to come visit. To understand what he does and why, one needs to hear his story. Born in Peru, Carlos was abandoned at a very young age, then adopted by a Dutch couple. He grew up in the Netherlands, and when he became an adult, returned to Peru with a heart for the children there in difficult situations. He raised money to build a children's home, which opened in 2014 and is currently home to some 20 children under 16, most of which are very young. Some are eligible for and awaiting adoption, others have lived there for many years. Carlos also started a feeding project for children who may not have access to sufficient meals at home. Over the last twenty years, this has grown from one location to forty, now in many locations throughout Peru! Please take the time to watch this video introducing three of his projects. You'll also get a bird's eye view of the area where we stayed, the city of Arequipa and a look at the local market, a bright and busy place.

After Carlos got to know us, he invited us to help out with the children a bit by walking the big kids home from school, or taking the little ones to the park. 

A few times we got to play with the big kids after they completed their homework. Journey showed them the church clap dance and they all tried it.

To celebrate Arequipa Day, we walked with all of the children to the mall for ice cream. Afterwards we returned for a traditional meal together back at the Casa. 

Along our walk I saw swallows dipping over the fields with volcanos in the distance. So charming.

We had the honor of being invited to attend and celebrate the quincenera of one of the girls. In latin culture, the 15th birthday is when a girl becomes a woman, so it's a very important birthday and one that is celebrated with a beautiful dress, food, guests and lots of traditions. I gifted my photography skills for the party and made portraits of her before the party began. Isn't she lovely?

You could just see how incredibly proud Carlos is of her. Having lived at the house for many years, she is now the oldest and has taken on a mothering role with the younger children. I was very impressed with how well she takes care of them and anticipates their needs. She is a very sweet, young woman with a kind heart and a beautiful smile.

Everyone lined up to give her hugs!

I took photos of her with each of her guests. Here she is with the women who work in the house taking care of all of the children. It's not an easy task, but a tremendously important one. 

Before we left, I took portraits of the rest of the children for Carlos. Such precious little ones each with their own big personalities.

After spending three weeks here with Carlos, his family and the children, I can't even begin to express the impact he is having on vulnerable children of Peru. The feeding program is making a huge difference in the lives of the families participating. If they can't be with their birth or adoptive parents, the children's home is the next best scenario for children who are in a very difficult situation. Having been separated from their parents, they find here a loving home, one with rules and responsibilities, they attend school and come home to a house full of brothers and sisters to play with and caretakers who feed them, help with homework and take very good care of them.

We're so thankful for the opportunity to meet Carlos and his family and spend time with the children. They are doing amazing things. If you would like to support them thru prayer or donations, connect thru their website here. 

The 2nd Deepest Canyon in the World {Colca Canyon}

A canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon is a already a big attraction, but there's another draw. This is maybe one of the only places in the world where yo can get eye to eye with the largest flying bird in the world, the Andean Condor, a bird with a 10-12ft wingspan! If you look closely in the photo above, there's a condor flying in the left side level with the people who've gathered. More on that later.

We visited the canyon three times. We first stopped around sunset on our way to our hotel. It was a lovely way to experience this place. All the tour buses had left for the day, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The light was really magical and the birds very active. Journey even spotted an Andean Tinamou skittering thru the vegetation and a viscacha on the rocks. And I spotted a condor!

Colca Canyon is nearly 14,000ft deep, compare that to the Grand Canyon at 6,000ft! This one is much narrower than the Grand Canyon though, so much so, it's hard to actually see the river at the bottom.

Mourning Sierra Finch (left)   Hooded Siskin (right)   Viscacha (below)

Time to head to our hotel in Cabanaconde. 

That night at dinner, the owner told us it's important to arrive early at the Canyon to see the condors. They roost there at night and by late morning, they leave for the day in search of food. But he also said not to miss the view from Mirador de Achachihua. So we decided to go there first thing in the morning.

You park at a bullfighting ring and hike the rest of the way along a path bordering farm land and pastures. At one point we came across a cow that seemed a bit defensive, but we were able to make a wide path and get beyond it.

The view really was amazing. We had it all to ourselves, almost. Stationed about 10 yards from the viewpoint was a ticket agent checking to make sure people had paid for access. We didn't realize this was a restricted area. The ticket included access to the main canyon site we were headed to anyway, so we purchased it from her. *No one ever asked for our ticket at the main site. 

On the trail back, we passed some sheep following their master.

We spent longer here than we anticipated, and now I wasn't sure there'd be any condors left at the main viewpoint. It was a totally different experience this time. We arrived to see a couple hundred people, vendors and even people in condor costumes! Of course I had to get a photo with one. Condors are big, but not human-sized!

It turns out we were not too late, and saw a few condors still flying near the visitor areas. This is when I took the first photo above. We walked down to it and the birds flew over our heads!

The typical overnight tour involves challenging downhill trek to Oasis, the little village in the valley pictured here. The next morning's hike is a strenuous one, climbing back up to the starting point. 

Glaciers can be seen pouring down the far side of the canyon.

There are multiple hiking options here. We hiked along the canyon's edge to multiple viewpoints and our friend picked us up at a designated spot at the end.

See my family on the trail on the right in this photo.

A few minutes down the road is another viewpoint. We stopped to admire the steppes and the farmland. A farmer was plowing his fields with cows below.