Hello from 3820m above sea level!

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Hi again,

Last time we blogged we were still in Rio. Matt was hoping to go hang gliding, but unfortunately wind conditions didn't allow him to. Instead we decided to go and check out the National History Museum which was really interesting. We also visited a Cathedral and Monestry before going to another permanent market full of fake merchandise! We then caught up with a few girls from our last tour for dinner.

The next morning we made a quick visit to Copacabana, where we went to the beach and bought a few pairs of Havaianas. With that, it was time to say goodbye to Rio and hello to Peru!

We arrived in Lima in the early hours of Thursday morning ready for our next tour to begin on Thursday night. By the time we got going after a sleep in, we went to a Historical Museum to 'bone up' on our knowledge of Peru which we have found very helpful in the first week of our tour. We also stumbled across an ancient pyramid ruin which was pretty cool! During our day we had some fun with the local transport (bus stops are a rarity, instead they just have one man hanging out the side of a bus yelling "hop on" in Spanish! Quite funny really!)

After our day exploring, we came back to the hotel for a meeting and dinner with our tour group.

Day 2 of our tour involved a 4hr bus drive to a small seaside town called Paracas. On our way we saw many houses being rebuilt after a massive earthquake/tsunami had ripped through the town in 2007. We were told that the government in Peru were horrible and were not interested in providing any support or financial aid to these people - too interested in keeping the money for themselves. After arriving we had a bit of R&R and a seafood dinner with the tour group. We also learnt a new card game called Monopoly Deal-Matt is now obsessed!

Day 3 we went on a fun speed boat ride to the Ballestas Islands where we saw sea lions, penguins, pellicans and thousands of birds - a small taste of some of the wildlife we will see on the Gallapagos Islands! After that we were back on the bus to visit a few more places. First we stopped off at a winery where we learnt how they make Pisco (the regions signature liquor-they talk about it everywhere!). We then continued to Huacachina which is an amazing natural oasis in the middle of the desert. There we had a what felt like a roller coaster ride on a Dune Buggy through the massive sand dunes of the surrounding desert. We stopped at a number of huge dunes to sand board on our tummies. One of the funnest activities we have done so far! We were then back on the bus again to travel to Nasca. By the time we had arrived in Nasca, it was time for an early dinner, a game of Monopoly Deal and bed!

Day 4 Matt went on a flight over the infamous Nasca lines. Despite the plane being a 4 seater, he survived! Some of the shapes were difficult to see, but he obtained good video footage of most of the major ones including the 'spider', the 'hummingbird' and the 'condor'. Some shapes measured over 100 metres in length. There are many theories as to the reasons why the ancient Nasca people created these lines, but they remain one of the world's great unsolved mysteries.

After returning from the flight a local guide took us to Chau Chilla Cemetry where we saw loads of ancient Peruvian mummies and graves. It is estimated that there could be up to 2500 bodies yet to be discovered. Kind of spooky but so interesting to hear all the history behind it. The guide also took us to a traditional pottery house where we saw how the Nasca's used to make their pottery. We learnt that everything they used was natural, which is so different to the pottery we know at home today. After that we chillaxed for a while, packed and went to have a traditional Peruvian 'Earth' meal where they cooked the meat and potatoes underground. So interesting and yummy! We then hopped on a very comfortable over-night bus to another town called Arequipa.

Day 5 we had a bit of quiet day. A bit of rest, some laundry, a yummy lunch and a visit to a museum where we saw a frozen mummy, Juanita. She is the best preserved Inca body ever found. She was found on top of a volcano 4700m above sea level. You can still see her fingernails and skin! Inca's would often sacrifice young people to the God's atop the highest mountains, killing and buring them there. It was considered an honour to be chosen for sacrifice.

Day 6 we met our new local guide and left Ariquipa with altitude tablets in hand ready for our bus trip where we reached 4900m above sea level. It was so cold! We saw snow on top of mountains and made snow balls on one of our stops. We also saw many llamas and alpacas. Excellent photo opportunities during the drive! We stayed in a town called Chivay which was situated at 3600m above sea level. That afternoon I explored the town with some of the tour group whilst Matt and others had a rest as they weren't feeling the best at altitude. We then both joined the tour group for a dinner where we saw a traditional Peruvian dance.

Yesterday we enjoyed a bus ride up through the Colca Canyon. What an amazing sight! It is the second deepest Canyon in the world. There we saw some Condors circling above - such massive birds! We could have seen more Condors at Condor Crossing; however unfortunately there was too much cloud cover. We took a positive out of it though, we were able to stand amongst the clouds! The whole visit provided us with some breathtaking photo opportunities.

When we arrived back to the hostel, we hired bikes and went for a ride down to some hot springs. What would have been an easy ride at home, was pretty challenging at high altitude! Sitting in the hot springs was a lovely relaxing experience after a tough ride and such cold weather at this altitude. We then had a yummy dinner and an early night ready for a 5am start this morning!

We are currently on our 7hr bus journey to a town called Puno. The highlight of our bus journey so far has been seeing an Alpaca spit on one of our tour mates! He was chasing the Alpaca in an attempt to feed it; however the Alpaca obviously wasn't interested!! So so funny!!

We are in the town of Puno for 1 day and are looking forward to seeing Lake Titicaca which is the worlds highest lake at 3800m above sea level!

Hope everyone is well and are looking forward to Santa's visit in a few days!

Will blog again before Christmas Day.

P & M xx

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Comments

[Marg]

Hello from North Fremantle
Hi Perri, Sorry I was sending a 'comment' to you when it just seemed to go feral. Anyhow I was talking about Angus being here yesterday, Wednesday. The other piece won't matter. I hope all is well. Love the blog. Love Marg x x