On the road between Camana and Cotahuasi

Saturday 6 th September : 

Travelling on a Saturday if at all possible is to be avoided in Peru,  numerous Peruvians travel on a weekend and all the buses are full.
  On our arrival in Nasca from Ica we learnt that it was very difficult to get to Cotahuasi unless you go to Arequipa and come back on a non stop bus ! So we asked for a bus  to Arequipa but they were completely full until Sunday evening but the Peruvians being very helpful told us that we could get to nearer to Cotahuasi by catching another bus and getting off in Camana before getting yet another bus to Pama de Majes a crossroad in  the middle of nowhere , these intersections are always called 'Cruz ',  ,

This incident slowed us up a while : 

 Popeye in Peru !

So, after having had a good night's sleep in Costal Maria , which is basic but clean with 'bano privado ' ( 40 sols) , no internet ( other hostals offered us internet for ( 70 sols) but needing sleep and not internet we took the cheaper otion.  We left Camana on an early local bus arriving at the Cruz ; ' Pama de Majes '  in the middle of nowhere.

This is just before getting off the bus at Cruez

 which just means intersection in order for us to get another bus to Alpa and then onto Chuambama and hopefully to Cotahuasi.
Here are the photos of the trip :

Next to last look at the Pacific before Cotahuasi Canyon and  the mountains

 And , the very last look !







We passed through totally barren landscapes of sand and dust but look here :

Where there is water there is life !

Rio Grande

A rare bridge over the river

We shared a taxi with 2 locals from Cruz to Alpao and then went on with the same taxi to Chuquibamba the last village before the gravel road and  Cotahuasi!