arequipa.......very touristy, very pretty city with a beautiful city square. bit of a change from the previous dry, dusty peruvian cities. after sandboarding decided i was up for a bit more of a challenge so embarked on a 3-day trek in the colca canyon with sara and anna ( a couple of english girls who i met volunteering in huancayo).
and man was it a challenge..............first day wasn´t too bad, 4 hours down the canyon. although we did all have very weak knees by the end of the day. stayed in a little village at the base of the canyon (complete with hotsprings! very relaxing soaking in the springs, looking up at the brilliant stars). got 6am wake up call at our hut on the second day and we we´re off to trek for 2 hours about half way up the canyon and then down again into the oasis. my god, those 2 hours up were so hard! but was worth it when we got to the oasis and had a swim in the hot (or not so hot..actually quite cold) springs. next morning we got a 3am wake up call. then we walked for 3 hours in the dark, straight up the canyon! was just about ready to collapse by the time we got to the top. still can´t quite believe i made it. it´s like a bad dream now! had a well deseverved breakfast and then caught the bus (packed to way beyond maximum capacity of course! true south american transport style) to the condor viewing area. and despite the hoards and hoards of other tourists, it was quite amazing. these birds are just huge! and they flew literally right above us! afterwards, well exhuasted we caught the local bus, a bumpy 6 hour ride back to arequipa and after a few beers (and the first real gin and tonic i´ve had in south america..soo goood) we slept very soundly!
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