Here we go again - Peru this time

Yes I know ... I set off a month ago and not a word on this blog despite my promising to do so. Well, this travelling thing takes up a lot of time, you know!

I finally set off on this second part of my South American Ramble on 14th August. There was all the usual fiddling about making arrangements and lists etc. It was much easier this time as I had made a good list on returning last time and also I knew what I hadn't used last time. The only issues were really what the weather and my the activities involved would require. Its winter now ... so a sight chillier but on the other hand I am not walking in glacier parks. Also this time I am going to the Amazon and they say I must have wellies ... of course I had bought special cold weather wellies for Antartica but these were hardly appropriate for squelching through the jungle. Apparently they are also needed to protect against snakes!!! So Wellies I have tucked away in my backpack ... taking up far too much space!

Anyhow, despite having the time, it still takes the pressure of a take-off date to get things finally sorted. I got around to checking my camera too late. The flash pop up doesn’t work any more and when I had tracked down a helpful chap (not Canon who cannot answer me directly or sort me out for about 6 weeks) I was still told it woudn’t been mended in time.... So no flash photography ... not really an issue and I had thought/intended to bring my flash attachment but of course forgot.

I have taken more books this time and few more nice clothes. I still set off with too much - but I have had the luxury of being able to send things back with John and co. So now, I am almost streamlined ... except for these wellies!!!

This journey is rather different. I am spending 7 weeks in Peru ... 4 of them almost gone now.. and then another 4 in Ecuador. The first three weeks in Peru was a jolly family affair as John, my brother, his wife Susan and children Harry, Emma and Mark were all game for a South American adventure too. Quite rightly with so many of us we couldn't really take any chances on ad hoc travelling so we had a progamme arranged for us with hotels, bus tickets and guides all prearranged ... though we had made sure we had time to ourselves in between the pre-arranged activites. So it was a whistle stop tour of the key places in South Peru. I won't try and describe it all now but having touched down in Lima we set off for:

Paracas - relaxing by the sea, visiting islands inhabitted by pelicans, seals, penguins, sea lions and 'boobies' (birds not the other type!)

Ica - fascinating museum of precolumbian culture, and joyful afternoon sandbuggying!

Nasca - flying over the strange lines drawn in the desert. Look carefully at the picture.

Arequipa - lovely easy-going city with good restuarants and a beautiful convent founded in 1580 . which was a like a small town in itself with brightly painted courtyards and little 'homes' for the richer nuns. It now has a cafe where you can buy cakes named 'jealousy' or gluttony!

Gradually getting higher and higher we reached Chivay (3630 metres)on the altoplano from where we went on a trek down the Colca Canyon - the third deepest canyon in the world and twice as deep as the grand Canyon in US. Oh what a trek! It was spectacular but we were shattered by the time we got to the bottom after 5 hours and we were struggling for breath for the half hour climb up to the nearest village. Given that we had not long been at this height long we just couldn't get enough puff to go more than a few yards without having to stop. Anyhow, we did it and after a night in a local village, we took the climb back up at an easy pace playing word games most of the way up. The reward for finishing was a second visit to some wonderful hot springs where we dabbled happily for a while.

Then on to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca (highest navigable lake in the world) - visitied the floating islands and went aboard an old boat that is being restored. It was originally built in Birmingham in 1862 and shipped out in pieces and taken up in bits by mule over 6 years and then assembled. Was in service on the lake for about 100 years.

Then on to Cusco ... a lively, colourful place just lifting with everything touristy but still lovely. From there we went mountina biking, temple visiting, white water rafting (I ducked out of that one!) and then finally to Macchu Picchu ... sadly it poured with rain the day we got there and was still at it the next day ... so not the glorious experincee we hoped for but all the rest had been good andwe had had a happy time all in all.

So then it was time to part and at Lima airport they got picked up for the final night in town and I went straight onto another plane for Trujillo. I'll stop there for now ... but suffice it to say Trujillo smells of fish and is covered by a gloomy grey cloud ... not a place to stay long. More anon with pictures.