Slept on the bus overnight. Woke up with the sun streaming in my face. We're now at about 2000 metres.
It's pretty obvious where there's some irrigation happening.
We arrive in Arequipa, Peru's second-largest city. It's also the home town of our guide, Paola.
All cities in Peru (and Latin America generally) are built around a central plaza which has the main church on one side, and the government buildings on another.
Arequipa is our first venture at altitude. It's only at 2300 metres, but enough to have us not carry our bags up stairs just yet.
This is one of the nicer central plazas I saw — plenty of greenery.
and I was really hanging out for greenery after Paracas and Nazca.
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Well, it's only a month before Xmas, so Santa is busy.
Next day, we're on the bus to Colca Canyon.
In the distance; grazing (?) over the altiplano.
Pickings are pretty slim.
As we drive, we get higher and higher. No trees would grow here, even if it did rain.
Oh, what joy to get gastro and altitude sickness at the same time. They had to stop the bus so I could throw up; while that was happening, one of the guides stepped on my glasses and crushed them; and then my fingernails went blue and they had to put me on oxygen. It was a good day.
...sweeping majestically across the plains.
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And gaily decorated ones at that.
These babies only aspire to be gaily decorated.
Lords and masters of all they survey.
Everyone stops here to breathe the thinnest air thye'll breathe on the trip.
This was the high point of the trip: literally. The bus stopped at this slight rise which was 4800 metres above sea level.
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About to drop down into the town of Yanque, where we will stay the night. And considering my condition, about time we lost some height.
Roll on thicker air!
Jean's taking these pictures now; I'm in my sick bed at Yanque. Unfortunately for my ego, the photography gets better at this point.
Everyone except me, as I was in my sick bed back at Yanque. The gang is Matt, Wozza, Jo, Scott, Sherryn, Jelena and Jean in front.
Beautiful isn't it? At 3000m this is the deepest canyon in the world.
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Looks like Sherryn's being marked for death by the condor trainer.
This stick isn't big enough for the two of us.
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OK, I'm back in the saddle camera-wise now. You'll notice and immediate dimunition in photo quality. What follows are some shots around the hotel at Yanque
Just sitting on the ledge outside our hotel window.
Cool little huts in the mountains.
Cool little huts in a circle.
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Jean is the one in the T-shirt.
This is a delightful area and the photos don't do it justice.
Wlaking to lunch. Carving marks on mountains is popular in Peru.
Topiary is popular in central plazas; there was some in Nazca as well.
Leaving Yanque on the way back to Arequipa.
I'm feeling much better now; thanks for asking. Antibiotics can be handy things.
This time we didn't stop.
At 4800 metres there's not many signs of life. It show you how thin the atmosphere really is.
