Hi Folks,

Here we are again... This time live from Mancora, a beautiful beach city in northern Peru. We decided to go here and have some days in the sun, relaxing and enjoy some sun before going to Quito. And here we are... With a lot of stories to tell you guys. We´ll start from where we left you last time...

Puno and Lake Titikaka

Majka definetly did not like this city! Not that Mette was particularly thrilled about it either... We arrived to Puno at 4 in the morning. We thought we would save a night at a hostel if we took the night bus... Bur arriving in Puno at 4 in the morning... Not the best idea ever! Around 10 guys were standing at the bu terminal ready to offer us the best deal on a hostel, so stressful! We took one of them and came to a creapy hostel with no windows. Well, it´s just aplace to sleep and so we did. The guy who brought us there as freak and came to our room at 9 in the morning telling us to buy his trip to Lake Titikaka and that we should stay at his hostel. Tired as we were, we had him go away so we could think things through. Got out of th hostel and into the city, so small and really nothing to do. Majka started having stomach cramps and it got really cold at night... We wanted to take a 2 day trip to Lake Titikaka but only went for one day in the end. We were very lucky with the weather. Beautiful sunshine sailing out on the lake. First stop was the Uros Islands. These are the islands made of straw-hay (siv in danish) where we were welcomed by the people who lived there telling us their stories about the islands. We saw their houses and saw some dancing and singing. Just take a look at the pictures - their clothing are very colorful and they were really nice! Off to Taquile Island with a stunning view over the lake. Lunch on top of a hill with the breathtaking views of the landscape. Mette got to do some dancing with the locals while Majka was taking pictures. The wind was getting a bit harder than when we were getting out there so the trip back was a bit rumpy... The next day we left the city... There was absolutely nothing to do there...

Ariquipa and the Colca Canyon

The bus ride to Arequipa was nice and short - only 5 hours and through the beautiful and diverse landscape of Peru. Arequipa was a nice city to arrive to - it actually looked white while driving into it (Arequipa is called "the White City"). We got there around noon and the taxis were very organized - no cheating or particular competing for customers. It was so good to get to a city that actually felt like a city. The weahter was great when we arrived there and we picked a nice hostel quicky so we could get out and see some of the city. We really liked it, even though you can´t really get rid of the locals trying to get you to go to their restaurant and sell stupid stuff to you. We don´t know if you have noticed yet, but in every city we have been to, there has been a Plaza de Armas - and of course there was one in Arequipa. But this one was the most beautiful we had seen so far. Loads of palm trees, a beautiful white cathedral and a really nice atmosphere. And the night life was really great on that Saturday so we went out to some bars ending up at a swedish bar - not that there was anything particularly swedish about it, well it had the swedish flag. But live music and a good crowd always makes you happy. The last drinks were in a Peruvian disco with small waterfalls and loads of salsa music with people shaking their hips to the latin rythms.

Taking some time off to find a good trip to the Colca Canyon the next day and just enjoying the city... Meeting up with a danish couple we met in Cusco and having the best dinner on the trip so far. And then off to the Colca Canyon in a bus with no air con bumping it´s way around the mountains and more spectacular views of the landscape. On this trip we reached the highest point so far - 4800 meters above sea level, cold, windy with a harsh landscape. Fortunately we didn´t experience any difficulties with the altitude. A fellow traveller from UK got really sick though... Arriving to Chivay where we were to stay the night was good. The town wasn´t much to speak of though - smaller than Puno and even less to do here. But included in the trip was a trip to a hotspring close to Chivay. Laying there in hot water surrounded by mountains, watching the sun set.... Another Kodak moment for our memories! We met some cool guys there - Craigh (Scotland) and Steward (UK - the guy that got the altitude problem) so we had a good time there and also when we went out for dinner at a local restaurant entertaining us with folklore. This time Craigh was the one dancing the local dance while we were taking pictures and clapping, feeling fortunate that it wasn´t us up there. Next morning up at 5 to go see the condors... Way to early as always, but we are kind of getting used to it by now (no fun though). We stopped at a few markets on the way - seeing some different clothing and dances than we were used to from Cusco. Arriving to the Canyon at 8 in the morning... We were not the only ones anxious to see the huge condors flying through the sky. But the Canyon was spectacular in it self. 1100 meter down from where we were standing and you could see all the way down! It took about an hour before we actually got to see condors... We got a bit in patient, but when the first condor was flying above us, that time was forgotten. It was amazing to see birds that huge! Up to 3 meter! They didn´t look pretty but it was spectacular to watch them. So we got what we came for - the beauti of the canyon and the condors!

The last day in Arequipa was sightseeing day - so we went on a sightseeing bus tour. It was great! We got to see some great views over Arequipa and some nice hidden spots of the city - absolutely worth it! Off to Lima in the night...

Lima

We took the night bus to Lima - a ride taking about 15 hours. This time we took the Cruz del Sur buses, which are kind of luxury busses. We felt like flying first class, we were able to put the seats down, we got dinner and a blanket. A really good bus ride compared to the other rides we´ve had. We had booked the hostel in advance due to some good advice from Pernille (whom we met in Cusco and Arequipa) - the Loki hostel. Great location in the middle of Miraflores (a more safe part of Lima), great rooms with soap and a towel!!! Lima was a bit "closed" during the days we were there due to the APEC (Asian Pacific Ecomomic Convention). So a lot of safety was put into Lima and also the part where we lived. Maybe Lima as a bit out of the ordinary due to this convention... Very quite compared to a huge city packed with 9 million people. We enjoyed some good walks to the beach and the luxury of shopping malls with all that your heart can desire.

The first full day in Lima was to be spend in the historical ciy centre. We arrived by taxi to Plaza de Armas... And it was closed... All kinds of security staff was there - police, all kinds of military. It was all due to the APEC - and we arrived just when some of the politicians where to leave to presidental residence at Plaza de Armas. So we watched a very quite Plaza de Armas. We couldn´t walk freely around Lima, but we enjoyed the sights we saw. Most people don´t really like Lima, but we loved it! The buildings and architecture were beautiful.

We had made dinner plans with a doctor Majka had met when she was in Peru the last time. Doctor Jose and his wife were so kind to invite us out to this fancy restaurant by the ocean and a chat about diffences and similarities of our systems. It was such a nice evening! After the dinner they drove us around Lima to show us the different parts of Lima (it is a very un safe city to walk around in, so we were glad to be in a car!). Back at the hostel there were a lot of people... And quite a few danish people! We met a guy called Nicholai, who travels around the world on his bike! Maybe you have read his colums in Metro Express... He was such a great guy and all the other danes we met were great! Three of them (Lisbeth, Kasper and Christian) are travelling around South America doing a project for school children in Denmark - sounds great! We all went out to a bierhause in Lima and had a great time all night! The next day we had to get up kind of early... Around 9 am... We were flying off to Piura to get to Mancora. On the way to the airport the roads were very well protected to police and military... Due to the APEC and maybe the arrival of George Bush - yep, we were in Lima on the same time as George W. Bush - crazy! Maybe the safest time ever to go to Lima!!!

Flying for a little over an hour... Getting stuck in Piura for a little over an hour... 4 hours later... Mancora!!!! And here we are.... Nothing much to tell from here... Teaming up with Lisbeth, Kasper and Christian and Jacob (bartender here and from Vesterbro)... Just relaxing and enjoying the sun! Now we are looking so much forward to go to the Galapagos Islands!!! Leaving for Quito tomorrow - 15 hours by bus! Keep your fingers crossed for us - we are crossing the boarder to Equador!

Dear family, friends and colleagues.... Thanks for all the mails and messages! We enjoy them very much - keep them coming! Even though we are a bit busy with all our adventure, we are thinking about you and we miss you.

Till next time - take care, have fun, enjoy all the christmas stuff coming up during the next couple of weeks and have a snaps for us!!!

Masser af knus fra Mette og Majka