Me llaman el desaparecido... Peruana Ilegal.

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Of all of the countries I have been to on this trip and perhaps ever, Peru is the one I will probably most reccomend to people as a travel destination. It basically has everything you would want. First of all, it is a stunningly beautiful country with diverse natural landscapes. Secondly, the people are truly lovely: hospitable and generous and friendly and welcoming. Thirdly, the cultural aspects beg to be investigated and both ancient peoples (those of Machu Picchu) and modern peoples (the Andean inhabitants) have fascinating cultural beliefs and are more than willing to share them with you. Add in reasonable prices for a good infastructure of accomodation and restaurants and amenities and Peru is a paradise for backpackers on a tight budget all the way up to tourists in pursuit of luxury.

I entered Peru via Lake Titicaca and the city of Puno. Heading off on a tour of the floating islands I was disappointed again in Lake Titicaca and the way that traditions are spoiled by heaps of people coming to see what they find to be novel. I felt guilty visiting the indigenous people living on islands made of reeds and watching them cater to the crowds who all traipse around their islands taking photos throwing up the reeds and laughing. My constant craving for authenticity was not satisfied, to say the least. So I left. Spent a number of hours in the bus station being annoyed with lots of other people ranging from annoyed to enraged waiting for our late bus to Arequipa, Peru which eventually arrived just fine.

So I came in to Areqiupa late at night or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it, after spending my long bus ride with an adorable Peruvian baby on my lap. I found my parents' hotel room and was welcomed to a little urban oasis without a bunk bed in sight. Other benefits of this nice hotel included a well-tended garden, fluffy towels and a breakfast that wasn't exclusively stale bread. Everything was great and Arequipa was a beautiful city. We ended up spending a few days there and heading out on a two day tour to the Colca Canyon, which was formed by tectonic plate movement and is deeper than the Grand Canyon. There we saw swooping condors, the Andean sacred bird, and battled altitude sickness while climbing up past 4,000 m. at some points. It was a beautiful excursion from a beautiful city of Areqiupa.

With political turmoil going on in Cusco and its outskirts that included blockades of the highway between there and Arequipa Mum and Daddy and I flew to Cusco on my birthday, the 24th. For me, being there on that day was important because it is the festival of Inti Raymi, the festival to the sun and the city of Cusco's day. We headed up to Sacsayhuaman (yes, if you say it like Bloody Mary of South Pacific saying "sexy woman" you will be close...) the sacred Inca ruins on the edge of the city of Cusco and climbed to the cheap seats with thousands of locals to watch the reenactment of the ancient ritual for the sun. It was quite the spectacle with costumed dancers and actors but perhaps more entertaining was the crowd. Everyone was sitting out watching in the direct sun all packed together with food vendors selling all manner of goodies and weaving through the crowds regularly. The food vendors competed with the visor vendors and the "complete history of Inti Raymi" booklet vendors. Everyone pushed and crowded and squeezed and peered and cramped themselves into tight spaces trying to see what was going on far below us on the main field. People saved stones and drink bottles and whenever anyone stood up they would get pelted with these objects mercilessly until they sat again. I thoroughly enjoyed people-watching and mixing into the crowd of locals despite the chaos.

The next stage of my trip would be the Salkantay trail so I spent a couple of days researching that and then finally settled with a company that would take me off trekking towards Machu Picchu. Another big adventure and far less creature comfort than the beginning of my time in Peru.

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