Pata Pampa

Pata Pampa

Monday I became more adventurous and took a bus at 9:30 AM up to the altiplano at 17,500+ feet to an area called Pata Pampa. There is a renowned view of 4 of the largest volcanoes Ampato, Sabancaya, el Misti, and Chachani west and south. Tourist busses stop here for the view and Local art venders all dressed in the embroidered skirt, blouse, vest, jacket and hat renowned in Colca Canyon spread their wares along a stone wall to sell. I wandered off to look for plants in an old crater near by and was rewarded with several interesting finds. The main plant much in evidence is the llareta. A solid green mass often multi humped and growing out of bare rock. All the guide books describe it as a moss but a little research turned up its true identity as an umbeliferae (relative to the carrot)They are composed of tightly packed 1/4" rosettes of leaved solid enough to stand on (if you don’t care about bruising the leaves) and sometimes used for firewood. Ground hugging cactuses were common and in brilliant bloom. Mat forming plants, not as lumpy as llareta were common but not blooming so identification was not possible but I did find a few minute flowers tucked against rocks, one possibly a Portulaceae, and the other a Gentianaceae. A couple of Compositeae were obvious. One I am sure is a celimisea with relatives in New Zealand, the other still to be determined. Walking was a matter of moving slowly and deliberately at least when going up hill. Down hill was no problem and in fact was deceptively easy. But given a slight incline up and I immediately was made aware of my breathing and heart rate. I intended to get a return bus at 2:30 PM but that buss and the 3:45, and the next couple of tourist busses were totally full. I waited in the shelter of a stone wall happily in a warm sun and gradually more and more of the venders (all women or girls) joined me between tourist groups. after 4:00 I was tucked under my space blanket with 2 teenagers One 3 months pregnant, pinching the blanket against the wind, her knee against mine. At 5:15 we heard a bus coming and stood in the road to stop it. The driver reluctantly let the youngest children, a couple of teenage siblings, and me aboard. The 3 women who stayed behind for the 7:00 bus insisted I go and I didn’t resist though I left them my blanket.