On the road...

Colca Canyon

daneo — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 07:31:00 GMT

Well on the move again to see the Colca Canyon and some condors...we are now getting up to some serious altitude...over 5000m...the air is thin and it is bloody cold!!!!! We get to visit some local markets aqnd a beautiful canyon...and we see 3 condors....not quick enough on the camera though....

Arequipa

daneo — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 07:04:00 GMT

A days travels from Nazca to Puerto Inca for a chill out day then a another day on the truck to Arequipa. Probably one of the prettiest cities in Peru with the highlights being:

- The Monasterio Santa Catalina - This is a beautiful, massive convent where the richest spanish families sent there children to become nuns in supreme style. The nuns had to keep to the strictist rules including only being able to bathe 4 times a year...hmmmm.

- Junatia - the Ice Princess - a frozen body of a young girl (still kept in a clear glass freezer) that was surificed to the gods on top of one of the highest peaks of the surrounding mountains (6000m+)over 500 years ago...a little weird. An explorer about 50 years ago managed to find the intact body at the girl as it was frozen solid....

Nasca

daneo — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:38:00 GMT

The Nasca Lines are massive shapes in the sand spread over 500km. They were created by the Incas but there was no definitive reason why they are created. Some of them are hundreds of metres high in the shape of martians, eagles, whales and other geometric shapes. They look cool from the air though...

Also in Mazca there is an ancient Inca cemetry of the Chuchilla people. There are mass graves of people and they are buried in the foetal position....because there is no humidity there is little decay and a lot of the hair on the bodies is still intact!

Huacachina - Sandboarding and Buggies

daneo — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:23:00 GMT

Huacachina was bloodly fantastic! We managed to take a ride on these supped up V8 sand dune buggies...the tour operator advised against it as there has been previously some deaths on the buggies... The ride on one of these is like the best rollercoaster you have ever been on and you were shaking by the end of it! The sandboarding off the 100m approx sand dunes was fantasic and we all had competitions on who could go furthest on the boards.

I think this is where I stuffed my camera and a burnt a whole in my shorts (not the back from the excitment) from the friction on the board. What an absolute great buzz!

I will see if I can get one of the videos up!

Paracas

daneo — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:57:00 GMT

Well it was time to leave Lima and off to Paracas NP. We went off for a boat cruise where we saw a Candlelabra that was carved in the sand hundreds of years ago and then off to some islands to see Pelicans, Sea Lions and a large population of Pervian Boobies (first sighting of boobies on the trip and only day 3!!! ) Not to mention a whole lot of bird shit...quite an export for Peru....

Lima

daneo — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:17:00 GMT

Nothing much exciting today...the tour company booked me in one hotel had to meet up in another about 30 mins away...grrrr... Brief loook around Lima but most of the day spent waiting for my bag to turn up!!

Sydney to Lima

daneo — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:10:00 GMT

Well on got on the plane after a massive wait in the queue...bloody Qantas...and the flight was delayed by 30 mins as they couldn´t find a passenger...was getting a bit nervous about the connection in Buenos Aires as I only had 90 mins for the connection to Lima. I settled in the 13 hour flight. When I arrived in Buenos Aires I had 50 mins for the connection and check out closed with 40 to go so it was a mad dash...I made it but I had forgotten the sleeping mat and I took on board so I would get it stolen from my backpack...bugger!

When I made it to Lima I was waiting for my baggage but mine didn´t appear...bugger again so then it was off to the hotel with my daypack and waiting for it to turn up the next day...