Wow Christmas and New Year abroad, a bit weird! Made us miss home.
Anyway where did I last write about?
So we arrived in Arequipa in good time, found the hostel. Whilst I was getting out the Taxi with my bag a whacked a guy in the head, it had to be someone with his head already bandaged up!
So we had a few days to see the town before Jess and Leon joined us and we head to Colca Canyon.
Arequipa is a nice city it had a beautiful square, with arched terraces all the way round except on the church side. It had an amazing market with fruit and veg stalls metres tall! The market also had Saltanes (pasty like things) for 25p which was great.
We also visited the frozen Inca child Juanita, who was sacrificed to the gods on a nearby volcano. A bit weird but good at the same time!
Finally Jess and Leon arrive and the next day we head to Colca Canyon. The journey there was OK, but we arrived in rain. So we found a hostel and planned an early rise to get to some viewing platforms to see Condors. The viewing platforms were rubbish and felt like a tourist trap to buy local crafts. So we headed down the road and found another platform which we saw a few Condors. After a small time there we went further down the road then down into the Canyon. We descended the 1200m taking us 4 hours on a winding path. We stopped to eat and it started to rain, so after a quick bite to eat we walk for another 3 hours we arrived at an Oasis with a pool. We pitch the tent, eat and pass out with exhaustion. The next morning we rise early to avoid walking out the canyon in the midday heat. the climb is steep and tough. On the way we got to see about 15 Condors, which was amazing seeing the population is only 50! 3 hours later we reach the top, take in the views, head to the bus and back to Arequipa.
After one more night in Arequipa we head to Cusco to go on the Inca Trail.
We spend a few days in Cusco before the Inca Trail. Cusco is a mixed bag of super touristy shops and restaurants and good local Peruvian places. Nice size to walk around.
We start the Inca trail on the 21st of December, to finish Christmas Eve. The trail takes us up over "Dead Womans Pass" at 4200m above sea level, and down to Macchu Picchu at 2600m. the trail winds it way through the valley and passed lots of Inca ruins. We find this easy after all the walking we have done. The tour company feed us well and look after all the folk who are suffering from the altitude. On the Final day we get up early to walk to Macchu Picchu, we make the Sun Gate but the cloud is low and we see nothing. So we head down for our 2 hour guide of the site. The guide brushes over what the site is about, missing some interesting spots we found later on. By 10 the tour was over lots of the group left the site but we stayed to get some pictures and take in the power of this calm and mystical place. It was so beautiful and worth every penny. As for the tour just a very expensive walk and tourism prices gone mad!
After spending some good time in Macchu Picchu and getting drenched for the third time that day we head down to Agua Calientes, to find the rest of the group drunk and eating pizza that is priced like your in London! So we head to the local market and get soup and a main for £1.75 and buy a bottle of beer to drink in the square. Finally its time to get the train back to Cusco to watch the fireworks at midnight to celebrate Christmas Eve.
We make it back to the Hostel to Find Jess, Leon, Pete and Jen drunk in the hostel kitchen waiting for us to arrive. We grab a drink then move to the roof terrace to watch the City come alight with a mass of fireworks that seemed to come from every street in the city.
The following day we celebrated Christmas but it was all a bit weird, the wine was sweet the oven was rubbish and another English guy in the hostel we invited to Christmas dinner invited a friend who was so irritating I felt like leaving. We eat dinner drink the shit wine and end the night playing a quiz on Jesses phone. The day ends feeling weird and very home sick!
Christmas tree!
This dog didn't want Carol's attention, I wonder why?
So we leave Cusco for Nazca, to see the lines in the desert, we need to take a night bus which is over priced. The food made me sick and it wasn't a comfortable ride. Arriving really early in Nazca we get to the hostel, tired feeling a bit sick, the daytime heat knocks us out and we crash in our room. Later that day we plan our trip to the lines the next morning and take an early night. The following morning we get up early and take the flight over the lines, the plane twist and turns so you get to see all the images (this makes Carol vomit)! The lines were amazing and really filled you with wonder as to why they made them.
Later that day we hit the road once more this time for Lima the Capital of Peru. It took two buses and most of the day but we arrive safe and get a Taxi to our hostel. We spend the next few days exploring the city but fell underwhelmed by it. Its big, dirty and smelly. You can't stay on the beach for the smell of shit and the area we are staying in is plastic so Americanised it looks like Miami!
New Year we spend in the Hostel as they said they would have a BBQ, music and fireworks. The BBQ wasn't big enough so we cooked our sausages on the hob, the music was one speaker put outside and the fireworks were non existent. So it wasn't the greatest New Year we have had but the Banana, chocolate and Marshmallows (cooked in the oven instead of the BBQ) was a great start to 2013!
Tomorrow we head to Easter Island and the Moai!
