Hello everyone! It has been quite some time since our last update; reason being: I (Justin) was put in charge of this one! I will do my best to recapture and portray the events we have experienced along the way.

June 9-11: We stayed with Lilly in Lima. She treated us right with her Peruvian hospitality. Papa Rellenas: stuffed potatoes that have been deep-fried, Ceviche (the best we have ever had), and Pisco Sours. Annie was able to catch up, relive the memories and make some new ones. We watched a soccer match between Peru and Uruguay. It was so amazing because the entire city shut down and the only noises you heard were the cheers coming from the streets when Peru scored. I went with Lilly´s boyfriend at half-time to get some food and there weren´t even any cars on the streets. Amazing!

After the soccer game, Annie and I had to say goodbye and take a taxi to the bus station to catch our night bus to Arequipa.

June 12-18: Our bus ride was 18 hours. The buses have to leave at night because they drive through the desert. Driving through the day would put us at risk for a breakdown due to the extreme temperatures. The landscape was amazing: sand dunes, cacti, and random villages that made us wonder how these people survived. In one small village, there were some houses, but it seemed to all be built around the local prison. I think it would be better to spend your life in a prison in Tijuana than in this place. There probably weren´t even any guards because the heat of the day would sort any escaped prisoners out. Haha.

We arrived in Arequipa without a hitch. Our main reason for going there was to visit the Colca Canyon and to climb El Misti. However, after talking with some locals we realized this place has some delicious spicy cuisine. They are famous for a stuffed pepper called the Rocoto Relleno. Holy crap did I ever have a tongueasm! If the fire from the pepper became to much to bear, you could cool the tongue with a glass of Chicha Morada (beer made from purple corn).

We decided to stay in the city for two days to recuperate and see the sites. Arequipa is an amazing city. When it was first visited during the times of the Inca Empire, it was deemed the `White City´ because the buildings were constructed from the white soil.

When the Spanish invaded, they left their mark by building massive stone churches and paving the streets in cobble stones. Though some of the Inca culture was lost during these times, they made some beautiful sites. The main cathedral was right across the street from the Plaza de Armas. Now, this plaza was stunning, but I just couln´t fully appreciate it because there was an army of Pigeons over 1,000 strong. For those of you who don´t know, I worked for a mindless creep in Boise, Idaho whom had a `historical building´ with five stories of what I now refer to as `The Coupe´. As Annie was sitting there enjoying her ice cream, I looked over at her and said, ``this is a freaking nightmare...´´ Anyways, enough about my phobia!

After some much needed rest, we left for the Colca Canyon. We decided to do a two day trip, which meant one day to get to the oasis at the bottom and one day to climb out. This canyon is the second deepest in the world, and over twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. If you have vertigo, this would not be a good place for you to be.

Our first stop was in the capital city of the province (can´t remember the name) for some breakfast. When our bellies were full, we climbed back into the van and headed to Condor Cross. This stop is on the rim of the canyon. We hiked for about 20 minutes along the rim to get away from the crowds and to do some bird watching. Bird watching is a term that doesn´t belong in my vocabulary, however, if it means watching Condors soar I can make an exception. We saw 11 condors and it was a magnificent sight.

Back into the van for an hour long journey to the trailhead. This region is arid without any shade to be had until the sun drops behind the canyon walls. It took us about 2.5 hours to reach our lunch stop at the bottom of the canyon. We had a delicious lunch and an hour break before hitting the trail again. At the bottom of the canyon, there are three small villages to visit. The people residing in these villages are known for their longevity. We saw one woman walking through a small plaza and our guide told us she was well over 100 years old. He revealed to us the secret for living past 100:

1. Drink Inca Cola, not Coca Cola

2. Exercise every day (the oldies in these villages still worked in the fields)

3. Eat organic (the villagers didn´t eat anything they couldn´t grow themselves)

4. Drink Chicha (corn beer)

We arrived at the oasis where we would spend the night right before the sun set. That place was amazing; we were surrounded by palm trees and waterfalls. The next morning we hit the trail at 5 in order to avoid the mid-day heat. Normally, it takes folks 3-4 hours to hike back up to the rim, but we made it in 1:45. I guess all of the hiking has really paid off. We had a quick breakfast and then headed back to Arequipa to prepare for our trip to El Misti.

We made all of the arrangements for the trip the next morning, bought our food, and packed our bags. At three in the morning, the locals decided it was a good time to start a festival with fireworks. This is not a good thing to wake up to, especially when it sounds like a gang war is going down right outside your window. We both sort of went back to sleep when Annie woke me up because she wasn´t feeling well. FOOD POISONING!!! Unfortunately, she would not be able to go on the trip, so I had to go alone. Tear...

El Misti (5,825 meters or 19,222 feet) is a dormant volcano which shadows the city of Arequipa. The locals fear this volcano because of its explosive history. Luckily for my group´s sake, it hasn´t blown its top for over 800 years. The climb takes two days; one day to reach the base camp at 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), and one day to summit and return to Arequipa.

The first day was just a lovely stroll through the desert in the mid-day sun. On the way up, we passed another group that was coming down, and I asked them if they were successful. They all responded with, ``no, it was too cold.´´ Three hours and we made it to base camp. We had a short dinner and then our guide informed us we would be waking up at 1 in the morning to start the ascent. We prepared our bags and then hit the hay.

When I woke up, I put on all of the clothes I brought because the guide informed me of the extreme cold we would encounter. My clothing consisted of:

Bottoms: Long underwear, rainwind pants rated to 60 mph, and my trekking pants over the top.

Top: Long underwear, t-shirt (for good measure), another insulating layer, fleece jacket, and my down coat.

We started hiking and the whole group kept joking about how we were going to be too hot. For the first three hours this was true, however, we reached a certain point and the wind decided to release its fury. The temperature dropped to around -20 and the wind blew at well over 40 mph. Moral was still high, but everyone was beginning to grow very cold and loopy from the altitude. At this point, it was 6 in the morning and the sun was just beginning to show its light. I just kept telling myself it would all be okay, but for love of God I just need one small beam of sun.

I´ve never been one to give up, but I reached a point where I considered turning around. At that moment we had to stop, sit on the cold rocks, and put on our crampons. I got mine on and then one of my fellow climbers asked me to help him because he couldn´t move his fingers. I looked at him, tried to muster up a smile through my frozen face, and said, ``dude, I can´t really move or feel mine either.¨

I sat there debating on whether or not I would be nice guy or make him wait for the guide. At this moment, I turned and looked out on the horizon and saw this massive shadow from the volcano blanketing the city. This sight gave me the will to help him because I was assured that I would soon be warm. ( I know this sounds so dramatic, but life is crazy when you are freezing and you can´t think straight from the altitude). We were all ready so we started the final push to the top. It took another hour to reach the crater of the volcano where the sun was waiting to warm our bones. After the crater, we had another 30 minutes to reach the summit.

We reached the top, gave eachother hugs, and took pictures. Our guides told us that over 80 percent of the people who attempt the climb turn back, but our entire group made it. We were all elated. After the pictures and a few minutes to take it all in, we started our descent. It took us 8 hours to climb 3,500 feet to the summit from base camp and only 1.5 hours to descend (after climbing down the ice field). Our guides took us to a gravel field where we were able to ski down to base camp. Once we arrived, we packed up the tents and headed back down to our vehicle for the return to Arequipa. Success!!!

June 19-23: We took another night bus to Cusco to meet my mom at the airport. In Cusco, they are having a ten day festival to celebrate the solstice. It has been such an amazing experience seeing all of the dancing in the streets.

We have visited Machu Picchu, some ruins near Ollantaytambo, and Pisac. Machu Picchu was so amazing. We woke up at 4 in the morning in order to walk up to the top. We were able to see the ruins at sunrise, which was such a magical experience. Clouds were covering Wayna Picchu (The large mountain behind the ruins), but as the sun began to burn off the fog, the ruins came to life. We walked through the ruins for four hours and then returned to Aguas Calientes.

The next day we took the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. There, we visited some ruins which dated back to the Pre-Inca times. It was a mountain fortress carved out of stone. The craftsmanship was amazing. The stone walls of the ruins still stand in perfect formation.

We returned to Cusco that night. The next morning we took a bus to Pisac. Annie and my mom were able to fullfil their craving for some shopping. The market was filled with various handi-crafts of artisans from around the region. Let´s just say we spent a little bit more money than we originally planned. Guess that is what happens when women go shopping together; they enable eachother....Hehehe.

Presently, we are in Cusco for another two days. Thank you all for continuing to follow us on our journey through South America. I know this was extremely long-winded, but much has happened since we last wrote an entry. I hope all of you are well. We will return to the States on June 27th. We look forward to hearing from all of you. Until next time...