Alpaca - at the thought of her I have already a smile on my face. This animal is wonderful, soft, friendly and makes funny "faces". Also there are great clothes of Alpaca and… her meat.
The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. Alpacas are similar to llamas, and are often confused with them. They are also closely related to the vicuña, which is believed to be the alpaca's wild ancestor, and to the guanaco. Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, western Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 16 as classified in the United States (Source: Wikipedia).
An average, less active tourist can meet an alpaca in almost every town on the west side of Andes. Women dressed in costumes, are happy to pose with little and large alpacas. For us, people from the "west" it`s unethical. However, for "local people" ofter it is the only one opportunity to get money. Unfortunately, today's world takes on more and more unobvous forms - for us tourists / travelers. For the local communities in the Andes, the world is particularly around nature and it is very simple, much simpler than we think.
Alpaca`s wool is not only very soft and does not bite, but also occurs naturally in many shades from white through brown to black. And it`s not sensitizing at all. People in the mountains have learned to use natural dyes to dye wool. It is amazing that they are used them till today. They give amazing colors - vivid and made of nature!
I recommend you stock up on real woolen things. There is a huge choice on every market - you should only look for those made of 100% alpaca wool or the most delicate baby alpaca. Also I recommend looking for a manufactory - because you can not always trust sellers at marketplaces.
