The beginning of ´Valle Del Fuego´

While having lunch with Pablo on Sunday, i asked him how his family got started in the tourist business with the restarant and hostel.

Here is a little history.

I guess Pablos father is orginally from Cabanaconde, but Pablo was born in Lima. His family lived there for many years. It wasnt until Pablo, the youngest of 5, went to Cabanaconde for a holiday. At that time, there was no running water, lights, or anything. And his family decided to stay there. His father worked as a veterinarian in Lima, and for a year, he didnt see his father. His mother started up her own restaurant to cook for the locals. It was around 1989, when a French tourist couple came to Cabanconde. They asked Pablo if he knew where they could get something to eat. He said ,´yes, follow me to my house´. His mother asked, ´what are these people doing here´, and Pablo told her ´they are hungry´. ´Ok, i will cook for them.´ Then after they ate, the Frenchies asked if there was a place they could sleep, and Pablo said ýes, and gave up his room for the night´. This was the start of their tourist idea.

Pablo and 2 other syblings went to University in Lima for a couple of years, and when he returned in 1990, they opened up the hostel and restaurant.

I asked where the name Valle Del Fuego came from and he said his older brother, Jamil, came up with the name. I guess in 1992, all the volcanos around the Colca Canyon, started smoking. No real eruption occured, but still, they were smoking. So his brother came up with the name meaning, the valley of the fire.

I thought this was very interesting. Now, the mother and father own the restaurant. Jamil and the second brother(2) own 2 different hostels down the street. Pablo owns and runs the hostel in the oasis, and Carolina helps with the restaurant and hostels. The other sister and the other brother (2) live in Arequipa. Not sure what they do. I havent met them.

So that is a little history of the place i have found to be apart of now.