Arequipa

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Arrived in Arequipa after sort of sleeping on the bus. But it is 6am so still tired. Get taxis straight to Point hostel and back to bed, can´t even move in time for the football at 9am. Get up again for lunch and go to a local place for the set lunch. Always a surprise in these places... Then walk into town and find a bar for the next footy game.
I leave the boys to go see the ice mummy, a sacrificed girl that was found preserved in ice at the top of the local volcano. The ice preserved her but while the volcano is erupting the ice melts so some people went on a trek and found her and 3 others lower down less preserved. Pretty yuk really. Back to meet the boys for dinner then out on the town. Most places shut so hung out in one open bar/club with long island ice teas.
Sleep in the next day and only get up to go see the convent that is as big as a town and then to book a colca canyon trip. Back in time for 2 for 1 pizza night and a game of poker. In bed early as being picked up at 8.30.

Travel for an hour or so into the desert and stop for coffee with all the other bus trips. Then continue to the town of Chivay for set buffet lunch. We check into the hotel then travel to the other side of town for a 2 hour hike around the original village which was destroyed by the Spanish in order to create a town in the valley with a plaza de armas and a church. Straight to the hot springs which are boiling and well needed! Back to the hotel and told there is a folk dancing dinner arranged (not included in the price) so most of us sneak off the the local Irish bar for dinner and happy hour. Never manage to find the boys that have done the trip solo without a tour so in bed by 11. (The solo trip ended up taking longer and costing more...)
Up at 5 to start the 2 hour drive to the Cruz del Condor, we arrive at the canyon peak and all wait silently for the condors. Only one ever arrives and is miles into the canyon so very hard to take photos. After an hour the excitement has gone as we have all seen more condors than this while driving down main roads in Argentina and Chile. So back to the town for lunch where again some of us sneak off for a cheaper non-arranged meal. Then the 4 hour trip back to Arequipa. Get back just in time to pick up my bus ticket and get a taxi to the bus station, off again!!

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Photos

Dinner entertainment
From the Peruvian niknak