Second biggest hole in el Mundo

---

The journey over from Puno to Arequipa was simply stunning, with the road rising to way over 4,000m and passing lakes and volcanic, snow-capped mountains one of which is known as "El Misti". There were thousands of Alpacas and Llamas roaming around and we were lucky enough to see some herds of wild Vicunas, like a cross between a camel and a deer but sadly now an endangered species.

In what felt in the middle of nowhere is Arequipa, a sprawling city nestled inbetween mountains. Arequipa was just a stop off en-route to Colca Canyon but definitely worth a visit for the beautiful monastery built from white Volcanic stone and the sunset over the city is really something to see.

At 3,181m deep, the Colca Canyon is the 2nd largest canyon in the world and the road over to Chivay, the first town at the start of the canyon, literally clung to the side of the mountains. It didn´t really feel like a place where buses belonged. Our timing was impeccable as we arrived on the eve of Chivay´s 187th birthday and the whole town were out in the plaza to celebrate with brass bands, dancers, processions, bonfires and muchas cervesas (oh and Pisco...thanks to our new friend from a neighbouring town). A good night was had by all and to recover, we treated ourselves to a day at the thermal springs.

The following day, fully refreshed from our chillaxing thermal bath, we trekked 24km through the valley to a town called Lari, passing through Coporaque and Ichupampa. A real success with breathtaking scenery. In order to get the bus back to Chivay, we still had to get to another town called Maca - not a great success as the light was fading fast, our legs were tired and it was difficult to find paths but we eventually made it to Maca for a well earned brew and 2 hour wait in the deserted town for a bus.

Bad news, Illness struck again and a few days in bed made were made no cheerier when England did their usual "losing on penalties" in the Euros. Once recovered, we were off to Cabanaconde in the heart of the canyon AND the Condors! WOW, they are amazing creatures and the views down into the canyon were just awe inspiring. Unfortunately, the bug we thought we´d got rid of still had a hold and we had to resort to antibiotics but the good news is that the weight's dropping off us; Big Nick has added extra holes to his belt and Mrs P looks like twiggy (40 years ago hopefully!! - Mrs P). Our time here came to an end quicker than we´d liked as the permit needed for the canyon only lasts for 10 days and so off to the capital of Peru, Lima, to hunt for Paddington´s Aunt Lucy.

Lima is a huge sprawling city with some impressive old buildings and plazas. We stayed in an area called Miraflores, a pretty but touristy area full of restaurants and bars. We did manage to take in a footy game (part 9 of the SA Futbol Tour) Allianz Lima 2 Cesar Vallejo 0. The estadio was decent and the atmosphere was so so, unfortunately, we met the local hyenas and later found out that the area is one of the dodgiest in Lima. Ah well, lessons learned and off to the beach and the Pacific Ocean. ps. we never did find Aunt Lucy, I think she must be in England for the Olympics..I believe her nephew is in the marmalade sandwich eating competition!

---