Big bird is here!
Trip Start
Mar 25, 2007
1
54
72
Trip End
Feb 16, 2008
Arequipa,
Peru
Monday, November 12, 2007
Hamish and Bryce both had dodgy tummy´s and as luck would have it we also had a tv in our room (with english channels and everything!) so we didn´t get up to much for the first day, but we did manage to find a really good tour agency, who arranged our trip to Colca Canyon, including some downhill mountain biking for the boys from 4200m above sea level down to Chivay in the valley at 3600masl, and our next night bus to Cusco. We had a lazy afternoon in front of the telly, then the next day we set out on our adventure into Colca Canyon. Luckily the boys were feeling better, and we threw them out of the bus at the highest pass for their downhill adventure....they both enjoyed it, with a few spills each, and apparently it was hard work even going downhill at that altitude...bring on La Paz I say!!
On the way we saw Llamas, alpacas and their little cousin the Vicumba, which the locals round up once a year and shear for their beautiful soft wool...obviously this being the tourist trail there were plenty of stops to have a look at the locals produce, and I got a very cheap pair of warm gloves for the rest of the night buses to come.
We arrived in Chivay, and headed off to the hot pools to soak away the long day of sitting on the bus doing nothing...it was a nice clean pool, not like others we have visited, but again it wasn´t quite hot enough....still better than nothing and a nice way to finish the day. That night we went to a tourist restaurant and saw lots of typical local dances, and of course got dragged up to dance....its been confirmed again that we have no rhythm!
The next morning it was up early to head to Cruz Del Condor, or Condor Cross, where the big birds fly out of the canyon on the thermals in the morning. Unfortunately our driver was late and then we had some other tourist sights to stop at on the way there so arrived quite late, behind a big horde of other tourists...but the condors were doing thier thing and we snapped heaps of photos! That afternoon we just headed back to Arequipa, where we sat n the square and watched the world go by while we were waiting for our night bus. the tour agency we booked through (Wasi Inca Travel) offered for us to go to thier hostel to have a shower but we decided we could wait till cusco!
