Peru at pace!

---

Hello all!

We have just finished our truck tour of Peru which was incredible but very hectic. We left from La Paz which was a brilliant city, full of strange people and things like the witches market selling potions, talismans and even dead lama foetuses which people bury in their house foundations to bring them luck!

The tour party consisted of fourteen of us, and despite the odd difficult character we all got on pretty well considering we had never met beofre and we spent 3 weeks in one bright yellow truck called Jock! From La Paz we set out for the ruins Tawanaku. Unfortunately we were to meet our first adventure two hours down the road where locals had set up a road block to protest about the pollution of Lake Titicaca. After waiting several hours and in desperate need of a wee having to bare my bottom to the cold and several bored truck drivers it became apparent they werent going to let through a big yellow truck full of tourists. So, we took a detour. Unfortunately this meant we never got to the pre inca ruins and had to board a very tiny bpat with 20 of us jammed in it in order to cross over to the peruvian side of the lake. However the drive around the lake was spectacular so we werent too dissappointed! We arrived in Puno as it was nearing dark and prepared for the following day where we were ging over to the islands of Lake Titicaca to spend the night with a local family.

We visited the Uros islands first - a group of islands made of reeds piled on top of floating reed beds. After a ride in a viking like reed boat we made the long chug to Amantani island where we were greeted with local music and dance (very energetic for people at extreme altitude) and presented to our famalies. Unfortunately Richards name was read out as Rachael so that caused some amuzing confusion when he stepped forward!

The houses were very basic but comfortable and the food was much better than I was expecting! In the evening we had a football match against the locals before being dressed in local costume and being made to dance the night away doing traditional Peruvian moves! We returned to Puno the following day and had a night before the truck moved on!

Our next stop was Cuzco ´the navel of the world´ according to the incas and as such has acres of inca trail leading to it from all over the country. We were to spend the next 4 days on some of this inca trail but ending up at Macchu Pichu instead. The inca trail has to be the hardest physical thing I think I have ever done but I was so proud of myself. THe first day wasnt too hard, and beautifully scenic but the second day was hours of continual uphill! it was a long hard slog. I shouldnt make out that the camping was too intrepid though... we had a team of porters who carried 5 kg of baggage for us as well as cooked all our food and put up our tents every night. Ahhhhhhh..... On the last day (the climb to Macchu pichu) WE all got up at 3.30am in the morning to queue at the gate to get ono the trail infront of all the other hikers. I can safely say no one else was mad enough to get up that early.... When the gates opened at 5am 4 of our gang sprinted off in front but I was determined to be the next after them. After not being particularly fast for the first three days in turned out I had been saving myself and I managed to run the ascent, over rocks up stone steps, Rich and I got to Macch Pichu in 55 mins. The view from the sungate before we dropped down the hill was spectacular. There was this complete city sat in the middle of three mountains. Disappointingly despite my efforts to be the 6th hiker onto Macchu pichu, the bus loads from the hotel were already there - I couldnt believe it! After indignantly making loud comments about having WALKED ALL THE WAY behind some fat American tourists, we settled down to watch the sunrise over the mountains.

After a tour around the city we caught the bus back to Agnes calientes and then dripped around for 6 hours waiting for the train to take us back to Cusco - I dont think I have ever been so tired! No one could keep their eyes open!

I really enjoyed the 2 days in Cusco that folowed, it is such a beautiful city - cathedrals and baroque churches flank the central cobbled square which bustles with restaurants and shops... and tourists! The highlight of the restaurants came on the last night when we went out as a group to a restaurant called fallen angel which had bath tubs full of goldfish as tables and beds for seats and flying paper-mache pigs for decor! I have certainly never been anywhere like it - and the steaks were pretty good to boot!

From Cusco we had a long drive to Chivay and from there we visited the colca canyon - deepest canyon on earth. Probably more impressive were the massive condors swooping around the top of the canyon, they are really massive birds. Unfortunately we had a hilariously awful guide who didnt tell us anything about the Canyon or the condors but he did manage to lead us down a very well marked path! Needless to say his tip envelope wasn{t bulging after that....

Our next stop was Arequippa where we visited the ice maiden Juanita, a Mummy found frozen on the top of a volcano, left there as a virgin sacrifice to the gods. After that we had a guided tour around a convent and had some heavenly chocolate cake made by the nuns. Yum.

From Arequippa we hit the coast and spent a night having a barbeque and party at Puerto Inca. The party was fancy dress, the catch was we had to dress each other. The costume chosen for me was a suitcase! I had to squeeze myself into it with the help of some head and arm holes cut out for me! The photos are quite funny!

THe last stop was Nazca where we took a flight over the famous Nazca lines which were very strange, massive drawings on the side of hills and across the altiplano and no one can explain why they are there. Freaky.

Our tour finished in Lima and we spent a few days there before flying to Quito where we are now. We have just returned from 3 days in the jungle which was quite scary. Wlaking back to the cabins one night we saw a massive Tarantula on the boardwalk! It was soooo hairy. We also managed to see Caymens, Monkeys very poisonous snakes (which Rich spotted on our night trek through the jungle) and lots of ants mosquitos and the biggest cockroaches Ive seen in my life. All this and the cabins we slept in had no walls, they were all around us.

WE are now going to work our way down Equador before we fly off to the Galapagos islands for our last week - I am so excited I cant wait!

Home in 2 weeks! Love to you all

Sarah xxx

---