Colca Canyon

we get up at 0230 to be ready for the bus that is supposed to pick us up at 3, but actually turns up at 340 that could have been an extra hour in bed. We are boarded on a little minibus for the 3 hour drive to the canyon. We stop in a little village and we are all evacuatd for breakfast and bundled into a little restaurant serving ham cheese and bread and jam.I enjoy my coffee as its so cold its the only thing i have to warm me up, and go outside standing in the middle of the road to have my cigarette because its in the sunshine. We are bck in the bus before we know it and off to the first viewing point. The canyon is huge and behind is the Andes, with their snow capped peaks they seem to be visible every where we go at the moment. We have 50 minutes here and stand and watch as the condors fly over head. There are six in total an they really put on a show swooping in and out of the canyon, its as if they are doing it just for the massive amount of tourists there are here. The condors vary massively in size, but there is definitely one daddy bird that is huge. The next stop is another viewing point where the valley meets the canyon and you can clearly see the inca influence here. There is the opportunity to buy cactus ice cream, so Mark an i share a tub , its more like ice than ice cream, but quite refreshing, and cleans our pallette in time for lunch. The hot springs is our next stop and are set in a valley next to the river , the only down side is we have to cross this rickety wooden bridge to get there. The brige only permits two at a time an when im half way across Mark starts to cross sening the bridge jumping in so many directions im sure ill en u in the revine below. There are several hot spring pols with varying temperatures but when i get out of the outside one its absolutely freezing. Inside the pool is set at about 35 degrees and is like being in a big bath. Lunch is in an all you can eat buffett style restaurant, but its the perfect way to try the local cuisine , although i give the pink pork a miss, especially with having an overnight bus tonight. The food is really good and as we leave the restaurant , in the distance we can see the volcano blowing large plumes of smoke out of its massive structure.
The altitude is really affecting me again an the final point is the highest, but as we are only here for 5 mins i choose to remain seated on the bus and get myself comfy for the 3 hour journey back. I sleep intermitently on the way back and im pretty glad to stretch my legs when we leave the bus in Aerequia, but once agin Mark leads the way and we have headed in the wrong direction for twenty minutes. As we walk back, we decide t book our tickets for tonights bus to ensure we get a cama seat. Im relieved when we re all confirmed with a cama seat which will ensure a good nights sleep, but Olivia laughs that it took 3 women so much effort just to confirm the tickets and comments about their incapability Back at the hostel we say our goodbyes and the 4 of us leave to catch the 8 oclock bus. We arrive at the station erly as there is always something that needs doing, like buying your ticket for the station tax etc , and as we attend the desk of the bus company there is a confusion as the women in the travel agency have made a mistake and booked us on tomorrow nights bus. Everybody in the station has sold out of cama seats so we have to opt for having the last few individual seats on a different bus to ensure we get to Cusco in the morning. The woman tells us we will have to go to there office in Cusco for a refund on our original tickets. We board the bus and i am sat next to a guy with the biggest puffa jacket on ive ever seeen and he sits diagonally in his chair hanging over most of mine. This is going to be a long journey. I am woken in the eraly hours by the weirdo next to me stroking my leg. With a hard slap on his hand and telling him in broken Spanish NOTOUCH i honestly thought hed got the message , but apparently not as when i was woken an hour later he was doing it again. I stay awake for the rest of the journey and after the past few days i will be wiring my eyes open just to stay awake.もっと詳しく