Finally after having a lot of trouble with crappy computers in hostels and internet cafes, i finally found one that was able to upload a new post on my blog:-)

Lima was much nicer than expected, we stayed in a area called miraflores which was the richest and most developed part of Lima. It was just by the shore of the pacific, were you could get surfing lessons for a small amount of money! We spent some time in a shopping/restaurant center called Larcomar, after drinking crappy coffee for 3 weeks in Argentina, Starbucks was the first place where we sat down in Larcomar!
One day we went to the city center, which was completely different from miraflores, it was like i had expected Lima to be, busy, chaotic, hot, no tourists and lots of mixed smell..
The map did not correspond to the street names and we got lost quite a few times, after seeing most of it and after walking around in a market with lots of meat and slaughtered animals hanging in the sun, we really did not want to have our lunch in that area, so we took a cab and went back to miraflores.
We also spent some hours by the beach in Lima, the waves were crushing really hard and the beach were made of small stones, so it was a bit difficult to go for a swim and even to get back on land, but it was fun and a really nice cool down from the heat in the city!

Arequipa
After 3 days in Lima we took the night bus to arequipa, we had the VIP seats in the best bus company, so we actually slept okay:-)
But when we got there to ca 2300 m, we felt a bit sick with headache and nausea, so we had to take it easy the first day, the worst thing was that they had cut the water supply for the whole city the while day! We badly wanted to take a shower, but it just had to wait...
Arequipa was a big city with a small nice city center with lots of nice restaurants, cafes and travel agencies on every corner! One day we went to an old monastery that had been made to a museum, it was big and like a small town surrounded by brick walls. The sun was shining and it was really Nice to walk around to see the small room and backyards where the nuns had lived their lives.
Later that day we went to another museum, where we learned more about the Incas.
For dinner that night we tasted alpaca, which was quite delicious:-)
Then it was time to see the great Colca Canyon, the world deepest canyon! We started at 3am with bus, stopped at a condor (huge vultures) lookout after 5 hours and had breakfast! Then after driving a but further we got to the place where we started to hike down, it was at around 3000 m, and we had to breath more heavily even when walking on a straight road.
We walked zigzag down the steep canyon with an amazing view over the mountains and the small villages on the other side. It took us like 3 hours to get all the way down, where we got to a small settlement with lots of different fruit trees and small fresh water streams. There we had lunch before walking further within the canyon. Along the road we met a lot of local people still living from what the nature had to offer. Just as it got dark we finally arrived at a place deepest down in the canyon, it was called the Oasis and was a camp site with swimming pool and small huts with bamboo walls and mud floor. We got served dinner and cocoa tea before getting to sleep pretty exhausted after a whole day of walking in high altitude. The morning after we got up at 4.45 in the morning, still in bed we spotted a small scorpion in our bed! It was pretty tiny, but obviously pissed off! It took a few seconds before we realized what it was, I pushed it off the bed with my clothes, and suddenly we were not sleepy anymore! Then a after a chocolate bar for breakfast we started walking straight up the canyon, it was hard work, but we could still appreciate the amazing view and really enjoy the hike! We arrived at the top after a little more than 2 hours, pretty satisfied with our self since the average time was 3 hours, hehe:)
Then it was time for some real breakfast in a small town. In the place we ate, we found a small backyard where they had guinea pigs, meat drying in the sun, a small fruit tree, a very old dog and an even older and very sweet woman whom we tried to have a conversation with in exchange for taking a picture!
On the bus ride back to Arequipa we stopped at some hot springs to soften our sore muscles and have some lunch. To get back to Arequipa we had to pass an altitude of 4900 at most, there we got off the bus for 5 min, which was enough to give øystein a terrible headache and make me nauseous and dizzy! But we got well as soon we were back on 3000 m again. Back in Arequipa we had to hurry and pack on hour stuff to get on the night bus to Cusco!
In Cusco we checked in to a hostel, ate breakfast and were pretty relaxed until I checked my e-mail and realized that we had to catch a flight in a couple of hours!! We had booked a trip to the jungle, but had thought it was the day after! After a couple of taxi drives to travel agencies and to the airport, we were suddenly on our way to Puerto Maldonado! The south Peruvian lowland jungle with rivers contributing to the Amazons. The hot humid air hit us as a wall out of the airplane, and after some practical stops and a 1,5 hour boat ride on the river we were on a lodge in the middle of the jungle:-)
The same day we went to "The Monkey Island" to meet some sweet and funny monkeys that have been rescued and given a new home there.
After a good traditional dinner buffet, we went on a boat ride by the riverbank underneath the stars looking for alligators and caimans (small crocodiles). It was just lovely to drift on the river in the warm night with only the sounds of the jungle, the fact that we actually catched a glimpse of a caiman was just a plus.
The next day started at 5 am, we took the boat up the river and went in to the jungle together with a German and a Canadian couple we had met the day before. The guide showed us different plants and insects and told stories about them and their importance for the local people! On of the highlights were when we got to trick a big tarantella out if its hiding whole in the ground:-) a couple of the times we also paddled in a small boat looking for caimans and anacondas. We saw caimans, turtles, fishes, fresh water crabs, piranas, huge butterflies, frogs, spiders, a sloth (dovendyr?), vultures, jaguar paw prints and lots of exotics plants and insects! Both Øystein and I were having a great time! Back on the lodge after lunch, we just relaxed for a while and walked around in the botanic garden to try some fruits and herbs and learn about their use among the locals. We also had some time to relax in the hammocks by the river and see the sun going down above the rain forest. The last night we had some drinks in the bar with the other two couples.
4 am the next morning we got up, we had to leave early since we needed police escort to the airport, it was a strike in town, and obviously strikes can be pretty violent in this country!

Back in Cusco!
So, Monday we got back to Cusco, tired and sleep deprived, we just chilled out the rest of that day.
Yesterday we spent the morning reading in the sun on the terrace in our hostel before doing some practical stuff and eating dinner in town.

Today we went horsebackridng in the hills around the city, it was very relaxing!

Tomorrow we start on the Inca Trail to Machu picchu, it will be alltogether 5 days. So, maybe in a week or so i will be able to give you some update about how it was!

Hasta Luega!