Day 13 – 18/08/09
NAZCA

We had free time until 2pm, so we just chilled out by the pool and relaxed in the sun. We had an opportunity to fly over the NASCA lines but turned it down happily because I think it is a load of baloney!!! 9000 years ago they said man made these lines in the ground; some of them look like a monkey, sparrow, spaceman and a humming bird!!!! They are still clear to this day; I think it is a tourist trap!! Well that’s me, you probably have your own views.

Chauchila Cemetery open graves

We took a trip to the Chauchila cemetery which holds 12 graves dug up by archeologists which have human remains. We thought our guide for the tour was deaf because she was shouting all the time and we were in the desert so it was very quiet!!!

Cool hair - it was plated and all!!

Nearly got in a fit of laughter! We had more free time after this which we loved because the trip is jam packed with things to do and you don’t get much free time, but that’s what we are here for I suppose.
We were all getting ready for a 10 hour over night bus to Arequipa(Peru) I have never done this so I didn’t know what to expect. It was exactly like a plane we had food, movie and drinks but when the person in front but there seat back there was no getting out!


Day 14 – 19/08/09
AREQUIPA

Didn’t sleep much on the over night bus, the driver was all over the place, but we all made it to Arequipa in one piece! We went for an orientation walk around the ‘White City’- most of the buildings are made from local volcanic rock – sillar. It has a beautiful square surrounded by double arched buildings that have hidden markets inside! So much alpaca and llama woolen hats, jumpers, scarves and more!! I gave in a got a pair of gloves; I’ll wait til Cusco to buy the hat and jumper! But Rob found a super alpaca wool hat – I think he should have gotten it – check out photo!!

Suits ya!!!!

It was a free day for us so we just wandered around the city, went to the museum of Juanita (the ice mummy found in the Andes, she was only about 12 or 13yrs old – some say she was a sacrifice, really interesting history and beliefs over here with loads of rituals and sacrifices, but I don’t want to bore you with it too much but it is what makes the place so facinating), then went for a few drinkies on a roof top terrace that over looks the main plaza.

The views were spectacular!! Snow capped mountains, clear blue sky, the sun setting and a few Pisco Sours….ahh perfect!
Rob, Danielle, Sian and Abbey in an Irish bar!!!

Day 15 – 20/08/09
CHIVAY

Up at 6am to make our way to Chivay and the Colca Canyon. We met our tour guide Daniel. This guy was packed full of knowledge he explained things so well, plus he looked like Maradona as well, have a look below!!!

"Maradona" - Daniel the tour guide
So many to choose from!! So many pretty colours!! How cute?!

The drive had some amazing sites of the Andes. Daniel explained to us how we were going to be at 4900 meters high, which had the highest toilets in the world!! When getting outside he told us not to run just be relaxed and take it easy because you can lose your breath very easy. The air was so thin; we had to take slow deep breaths to get enough oxygen in. From here we headed to Chivay Village to our hotel (3300m) which we had to travel on a dirt road for 7km. Checked in and headed down for lunch which was Alpaca!!!!! This is like a sheep with a long neck or a small camel. Tasted like very tough beef. After lunch we went for a hike up one of the mountains, this was quite hard with the altitude because we were at 3300meters so we all got out of breath very easy. Every so often on the hike there were locals playing instruments and kids putting on plays, remember we are in the middle of nowhere here so it was very strange seeing people just pop out putting on shows. mmmm... Lunch!

When we made it back we relaxed on the hammock which was needed!

Chilled out!

After that we headed off to the Hot Springs - as Chivay is surrounded by at least 3 volcanoes – heated from the 85°C natural springs of the volcano the 3 pools are controlled to be 36°C - 39°C. We ran between the pools out in the freezing air!!
At dinner we went to a local restaurant which had dancers and a band playing all the local songs.

Local dancers...yes both wearing skirts!

After dinner it is common to make a ceremonial sacrifice to Mother Earth, in this case 2 people are asked up on stage to partake, of course they had to ask me (Rob) to be the symbolic sacrifice so I had to kneel down and blow on 3 coca leaves and raise them up to ‘heaven’ (higher life, middle life and lower life) a few times and then eat them!!! This tasted like cattle feed, but thank god I didn’t have to dance because the next couple had to!!!!

Rob´s offering!
Day 16 – 21/08/09
COLCA CANYON

A seriously early start, we were woken at 4.50am!! Eeek! We took another dirt track to the Colca Canyon, stopping for some coca tea (little fact: the coca leaves are used to prevent altitude sickness, chewed or brewed in tea it’s a light stimulant (containing half a percent of cocaine) that gives you energy and slightly numbs your throat to help you breath deeper…if you chew enough leaves it will give you a bit of a kick!! But they taste like dry grass or coincidently leaves!! Not very tasty)
We then took a short hike to a view point over looking the canyon and waited to see some condors. After an hour of watching them in the distance, the temperature rose and they flew higher which meant we got the see then right over head!! Well I (Danielle) certainly did, I over heard a little French girl calling to her mom saying that she had a better view… so up I went getting there before her mom!!! Ha ha!! The condors were pretty massive with up to a 3m wing span, quite impressive! After that we got back on the bus and made our way over the seriously bumpy road… not fun! We stopped at the highest point to make a wish and build little stone towers…. it’s what you do there - so I had fun building a few (to both families – there is a little stone tower up there with a wish for you!!)
Back at the hotel in Arequipa, I was suffering with an altitude headache, that or my head was knocked about from the bus journey, so we rested till dinner.
Got a few early starts ahead of us, up at 5am again tomo followed by all the early mornings of the Lares Trek, (the alternative Inca Trail)


Day 17 – 22/08/09
CUSCO

Happy Birthday Ken!
We left the hotel at 5 and flew out of Arequipa to Cusco arriving by half 7am!! Alex gave us an orientation tour of his home town! The town is beautiful! The birth place of the Incas, known as the ‘Navel of the Earth’. All the streets are narrow and generally up hill and lined with original Inca ruins and Spanish colonial buildings.
After a hearty breakfast in ‘Jacks’ we headed off to the local market… this was an experience!! The local people sell all kinds off food, corn, pulses, fruit, veg and of course meat… all out in the open with plenty of flies and cross contamination!! The most interesting area was the meat section selling pretty much any part of the animals including tongue, stomach, gallbladder, and head!! Check out the photos! As this country, especially the areas or the Incas, is full of rituals we got to see some one the typical offerings that they would use. Llama fetus used in August as a gift to mother earth, this is to prevent the dry season taking their animals or children. They kill the llama and the fetus, the blood and fetus is an offering to the lower life or soil/earth; the llama meat is for the middle life or physical life; and the spirit of the llama is offered to the higher life.
Rob and I then splashed out in the tourist market where we got all our warm hats and scarves for the Lares Trek. Rob also got a traditional festival face mask (a balaclava with a mustache!!)
After our briefing with our trekking guide we went up to the top of a restaurant to get a full view of the city…