Hello!!

Ok, so I became VERY lame the last few days of travelling. I was SO tired it was quite unbelievable!!!

Yes, I'm home now! I've uploaded photos to: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/philippa.reed there are a few albums to check out if you're interested, and some dumb photos of me for you to have a giggle at.

Anyway, after leaving Meghan in Copacabana I got a bus across the border into Peru and to Puno! Not the most exciting place in the world...had 15mins here before my next bus to Arequipa!

Arequipa was beautiful, somewhat annoyed I didnt spend more time here but c'est la vie. I arrived at 10pm at night and had met two french people on the bus who I shared a taxi with to a hostel. We wandered around Arequipa the next day - to the four miradors (sadly so much cloud you'd be lucky to see even the edge of the city let alone the volcanoes!), also to the monastry - beautiful mini city which fits in a block of Arequipa.

The next day was a STUPIDLY early start - 3am to get a bus to the Colca Canyon where we were to go trekking for 2 days!! We saw the big condors - about 10m away from us, quite incredible when you think just how big the canyon is! It's the DEEPEST in the WORLD.... oh yeah! and I hiked out of the damn thing! :)

Beautiful hike - although was bitten by five spiders in the night - we stayed in a reed/palm tree hut... if it was windy it would have been VERY draughty!! A stop in some briliantly hot hot springs - perfect after a long hike - THREE HOURS OF CONSTANT UPHILL.... it sounds terrible but actually it wasnt so bad...

Next an overnight extravagant bus ride to Lima... I arrived in Lima and was greeted by an INCREDIBLE carnival festival!! See photos. I was sitting in jeans and a t-shirt BOILING, and these guys were jumping around like crazy fools in big costumes!!!

Last few days I was exhausted and just needed to stop and sleep!!!!

The main point of this was to point you in the direction of the photos! They explain everything far better than my garbled words. Had an awesome time :) My spanish improved a little.... it would have gotten much better had I done a course - next time, next time.

p-o

xxx