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So here in Southern Peru we've made it to day 100 already! We celebrated by doing a Peruvian cookery course followed by how to make (and drink) the perfect Pisco Sour cocktail. They like their food quite spicy here so our fragile British palates took a bit of punishment but the cooling Pisco Sours certainly took the edge off.
Since arriving in Arequipa, via the luxury of South American bus travel (think fully reclining seats, movies, wi-fi, 2 meals and a hostess), we have spent time seeing the beautiful town and have done a 3 day trek to the Colca Canyon (2nd deepest in world and twice as deep as Grand Canyon - apparently). Things started questionably with a 3am pickup from our hostel - being sensible and middle aged we had already had a good few hours sleep, the same could not be said for our guide who we picked up straight from the bar he had been in all night... still, a cheek full of coca leaves and he chatted for the next 3 days barely pausing for breath!
My Yorkshire heritage was mightily pleased as we were the only people on the tour - private tour at group prices - and we hit our highest point yet at over 4900m. The canyon itself was spectacular and we were lucky enough to see Condors soaring although the path itself was fairly steep with precipitous drops. Clearly our guide was unphased as he ragaled us with stories of dead trekkers at the precise locations they met their maker!
2 days of walking brought us bizarrely to an Oasis and an old hippy commune at the base of the canyon and the following morning we climbed over a vertical kilometre in 2 hrs 30 mins. Starting at 5am the jury is still out on whether I technically set a new record by getting sunburnt BEFORE sunrise....
Anyway, from here we head to Lake Titicaca and onto Bolivia for the wife's $%th birthday.
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