Killawasi Lodge Colca Canyon

... Another early start 4am wake up call. We needed to leave early before it started getting hot, we had 3 hour climb ahead of us.

The landscape along the way was rocky and dry with lots of cactus plants. The view was wide with not trees obstructing. It was beautiful in a very different way to New Zealand.

It was pretty hard, however it doesn't come close to the Inca Trail, that defiantly is the hardest walk I have ever done.

Arriving to the ...

After a 6h bus ride I arrive to Cabanaconde, small town at the end of the paved road along the canyon. Quite touristy for the size, it is nontheless nice and typical. Ideally situated close to the canyon's edge, it is borded by terrace-type plantations; like did the incas.
This time, no time for a multiday trip. The plan is to go down and up the canyon in 1 day, a bit more than 1km deep.
they say ...

... desert mountains on one side and lush green trees on the other, we stopped here for a few minutes to take a breather before moving on. The day was hot, the sky had been clear but there were clouds in the distance. Although we had dropped down to 2,960 meters, we were still high up and when the weather changes it really changes, it can go from roasting hot to freezing cold in minutes, but for now it was all good.

We set off again, moving away from the trees and ...

... for Arequipa.

Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru but only a fraction of the size of Lima. It has some lovely colonial architecture and the center was good to wander round. Unfortunately I was ill for a couple of days (mix of a cold and the altitude) and was confined to my hostel bed. Peter managed to demonstrate much patience during the imposed inactivity. He then made up for the lack of activity later by signing us up to a trek in the Colca Canyon ...

... I was busting for the loo so went inside what appeared to be someones house, I paid a small boy (around 6 years old) 1 sol (20p) to use the toilet, it was dark, dirty and for a few locals, home. When I came out of the toilet I noticed a small girl on the floor, hiding under a table, she must have been less than 2 years old, she was dirty and gorgeous, it was so humbling, she stole my heart there and then. How different we all are, we are all human but we are not the same ...

... pleasant climb, at least the heart was not pounding out of my chest anymore from the altitude but the lack of air and hot sun made it a very slow climb. One of the guys in our group for the Inca Trail made it up in 1hour, i took 2 and half.......But made it into camp by 1pm and then we had the rest of the afternoon to relax - which consisted of sleeping until snack time and then dinner!

Day 3 was an earlier start as it ...

... ourselves and everybody is able to understand Sylvain's name right away (unlike in the US) and they never get my name right. "Court" sounds weird to them and they think it sounds like "gourd" - Hi my name is Gourd, they think I say so I decided to introduce myself from now on with a Spanish name - Sanchez and it worked - no problem and now everyone is calling me ...

... in certain areas of the country. We do of course keep an eye on these issues to make sure that our clients are kept safe. The areas of the Amazon where we send clients for a Rainforest experience are a long way from Bagua where this occurred, and so has not affected tourists or tourism in any way. Thankfully tourism is seen as having a positive effect, by feeding money into local economies".

The Peru ...

Dear Blog,

After an exciting morning of exploration, in the early afternoon, we headed to Huayocari Hacienda for an enjoyable private lunch. Huayocari Hacienda is a private residence that was built in the fifties by one of the most prestigious families in Cusco, landowners and art collectors. It had an impressive collection of Inca and colonial art and artifacts to view.

The ...

... 00 am I reach a small village nested at the foot of the Hualka Hualka volcano, where girls from a local school do the ritual dance every day at the same time. They are wearing traditional colourful clothes, and the music is played from a portable cd recorder by an old man.

I get off a bus and decide to reach Cruz del Cóndor on foot, and it takes me about 1 hour. The views are ...