Due to the fact that we are either too active, too lazy or perhaps just actively lazy (!) we are slightly behind in the documenting of our adventures. Therefore in this entry I am going to attempt to cover a lot of distance and time but, you´ll be pleased to hear, in as few words as possible!
La Paz sits at roughly 4500m above sea level and is the highest capital city in the world. It also has the highest major airport in the world where the departing planes don´t so much take off as just glide down to their intended destinations. The city sits in a vast basin with its various edifices sprawling up and out on each side to a distant concrete sky line. We stayed in El Presidente which is, you guessed it, the highest five star hotel in the world. One night of decadence was all we allowed ourselves though before we moved on to less salubrious, and more affordable surroundings. La Paz has a concentrated and slightly intense atmosphere yet we felt relatively safe wondering through the streets which teem with vendors of everything imaginable from fresh fruit juices to not so fresh llama foetus´s!
On then to Lake Titicaca. The highest altitude large body of water on the planet, it is divided roughly 40% - 60% between Bolivia and Peru. It is also vast, stunningly beautiful and for the most part free from pollution. One day we hiked 8km across the sacred Island of the Sun in the Bolivian side. The trip will be remembered by Yas and I with differing emotions but I need not elaborate as a picture can convey so much more! A day or so later we crossed the Peruvian border with some minor difficulties caused, depending how cynical one is feeling, by either lazy or corrupt Bolivian customs officials, and found ourselves in the town of Puno on the lake´s north western shore. Here we took a tour of the Uros floating islands. They are entirely man made from the Tratora reeds that abound on the lake, and need to be perpetually reconstructed owing to the fact that the reeds have a tendency to rot every now and then. We were shown around one of the islands by its incumbent President, an extremely hospitable gentleman named Jose. After establishing our marital status (or lack of it) he offered to unite Yasmin and I in a traditional yet legally binding Quechua ceremony. After weighing up the complexities of our domestic situation, we accepted.... only kidding Mum! I think he was just after an excuse for a fiesta!
With a few days to spare before we needed to be in Cuzco for the much trampled Inca Trail, we decided to visit Arequipa. A colonial jewel, it is also one of the most modern cities in Peru, and the second largest after Lima. The central Plaza de Armas has been described as the most beautiful of its kind in South America. A bold claim indeed but it can´t be too far off. A colossal white stone cathedral dominates one side whilst in the centre is an attractive fountain surrounded by giant palm trees and immaculate flower beds. On each of the three remaining sides there are long columns of grand archways housing cafes, restaurants and artisan shops. The Spanish Conquistadors destroyed much of the historical beauty of Peru and its surrounding continent. However in the case of Arequipa their own architectural legacy almost makes up for it.
We spent five happy days immersed in it all, as well as enjoying some of the more modern attractions including a cinema and shopping centre. Here it was that Yasmin invoked her feminine birth right to purchase clothing for no practical reason other than the pathological need to shop, whilst I took it back to my youth and played ´´Chase HQ´´ in a small arcade - good times!
After a few days of relaxation including a fantastic meal of Ceviche (a traditional Peruano dish of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and chili which some of you will no doubt be subjected to upon our return) on my birthday, we booked a very challenging two day, high altitude trek into the enormity of the Colca Canyon. Bigger than the Grand Canyon but not as steep sided (apparently!?) it is, I think, the second biggest canyon in the world. We descended early in the morning which took roughly three hours. And eventually we hiked out which took, well, longer. Again I don´t need to say too much about the ascent and in fact, I don´t really want to.
One unquestioned highlight of the entire trip so far though was on our journey back from the canyon - when we finally emerged! The Mirador Cruz del Condor is a lookout point over the Colca Canyon which is situated above a nesting area of one of the most incredible creatures on the planet. The Condor stands almost 1m tall and has a wingspan of up to 3m (roughly a Ford Focus)! We waited patiently but with mild skepticism for them to show themselves until suddenly one, and then another appeared. Before long they were everywhere and we were treated to a majestic aerobatic display for nearly an hour, though we would quite happily have stood in awe for far, far longer.
So there you have it.... Three weeks, a couple of thousands miles and as little verbiage as possible....sort of!
TC.
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