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Published: June 12th 2008
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Steve: Our next stop was Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru. It is also next near to Colca Canyon, which is apparently the deepest canyon in the world and also the home of the Andean Condor. Arequipa is a really nice city and more similar to Cuzco than Lima with a really nice Centre and plenty of nice bars and restaurants. We splashed out on the hotel as it is our last stop which we proably shouldn´t but it wasn´t that expensive really and it was very comfortable with large rooms.
The first morning we spent looking around the city and in the afternoon we visited the Monastry where they housed 'Juanita the Ice Mummy´. I thought it was going to be a bit goulish - like the bones in the monastry in Lima but it was really interesting and well done. Juanita was an Inca sacrafice to the Gods and was founf at the very top of one of the local mountains, she was preserved in ice. In fact she was so well preserved that she still had skin and all her internal organs in tact. She is kept in a special glass freezer and it was amazing
Cruz del Sur
Our main mode of transport, pretty comfy and wierd to see. Unfortunately no photos allowed so we missed out there. There was also loads of different artifacts on show - all almost in pritine condition as they were so well preserved by the ice. It was pretty amazing.
We also booked a trip to see the Condors in Colca Canyon through uor hotel but were not told much about it other than it lasted 2 days. We had not realised that the Canyon was about 100 miles away. The next morning we got picked up at 6.30 am, we were the first to be collected and after about an hour of driving round the city to pick other people up I think we both just wanted to get off and go back to our hotel. Sadly we couldn't as we still had a 5 hour journey ahead of us. Our guide was also really annoying and had verbal diarhorrea and talked through a microphone at us the whole way. We were so glad when we finally arrived. I think part of the problem was that we had done so much in Peru already and were a bit tired of sight seeing we also already knew pretty
much everything she told us but nevermind. We also stopped about 5 times to look at Llamas which we have seen loads of. It was a bit like stopping to look at sheep in Wales!
Still we had a really nice hotel when we got there and a visit to the local hot which was great as it was really warm without being too hot and they brought you beer and Pisco Sours whilst you relaxed. Not a bad end to the day! It was pretty cold in the valley at night because althoug its a valley you are still at 3600 metres above sea level. So getting out of the outside pool was a bit hurried! Later at the hotel the staff brought us hot water bottles hwich was a nice touch and defiantely did the job.
The second day of the trip sarted at 5! So we could get up to Cruz del Condor to see the Condors. This is a look out point over the canyon where they are known to nest. Again the tour guide talked useless facts for the whole of the two and a half our trip (did she not have an
edit function in her head) and we were glad to arrive. The canyon was packed with people trying to see these big birds and they didn't disappoint they were huge, gliding around the cliff face but it was hard to get a proper look with all the people. When our group was told we had to go for a guided walk, me and Kate opted out and stayed at the viewpoint glad to get a bit of peace. ll the other groups disappeard to and it was a totally different experience. Sadly the condors disappeared also! But the area was really beautiful and was great to spend some quiet time there. Luckily just before we were to be picked up one of the adult condors re-appeared and started gliding about just metres from our heads. It was incredible you could hear the wind swooshing over him as he glided past. He was also massive, his wingspan is about 3.5 metres!
We were picked up and subjected to another two and half hours talk back to village for lunch. After lunch it was a quicker 3 and a half hours back to Arequipa and at last she turned her microphone
off. We were glad to get back to our plush hotel and relax. The condors and the canyon were amazing but it was definatley a case of one tour too many. Bring on Fiji and chilling out in the Sun!!!!
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SLK
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Alpaca, Beef and Ostrich? i think i may have to fly there just to have that meal. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. And i have never even tasted alpaca!!