Blogpost 8 - Lake Titicaca in Bolivia to Arequipa in Peru

Sorry about delay in this post but we finally had a nice place to be to write it. So here goes

We caught a ferry from Isla del Sol back to Copacabana that made a slow boat to China look like a speed boat. Then onto a bus to the Bolivian/Peru boarder. Thankfully the crossing went without a hitch which was not what we had expected. Then on around the edge of lake Titicaca to Puno where we successfully brought our ticket forward from a 10pm departure to 5.30, thanks to the most helpful person in the information office who spoke good English.

After the bumpiest bus ride you could ever imagine, despite the road being sealed, and a stop to check for people being smuggled, we arrived in Arequipa at 1.30 am. Thankfully out hostel had 24 hr check in but this was it’s only redeeming feature! This hostel and the ongoing unknown parts of our trip put me into a state of anxiety which is something I have never experienced before. After two days, an ice cream at McDonalds and dinner at Burger King, I came right and Gaye wasn’t too upset with my meal choices!

Other than the hostel we have enjoyed Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru with its colonial history and architecture. We have really enjoyed the free walking tours available in these cities. They are really informative and quite entertaining.

Today we visited the Monastery de San Catalina opened in 1579 where the second daughter of wealthy families entered at the age of 12 to become nuns. This was reserved for the wealthy as they had to pay significant sums, first for their tutelage, and entry into the order. Initially the nuns lived secluded lives. Later with the decree from Rome, the nuns began living communally but they could never leave the monastery. It is a small town within the city and the architecture is quite beautiful.

On the previous two days we went on a hike into the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world (double the depth of Grand Canyon). On Day 1 after a very early start and a long bust ride we reached a sight where we saw Condors soaring on the updrafts on the canyon walls. These birds have a wingspan of about 3m so are truely impressive.

Then onto the site where the walk started. The sun was high it the sky by then and it was bl……. hot for the 1000m decent to the canyon floor. After a relaxing lunch in a small village we walked another 3 hours, also in the sun with a reward at the end that we could have a swim at the Oasis where we stayed the night.

The next morning it was up at 4.30 to commence our steep climb out of the Canyon before the sun rose high enough to shine on our side of the canyon.

We are probably twice the age of the other 6 people on our trek. The guide approached us at the beginning asking us whether we were used to hiking which we replied that we had about 50 years experience but it didn’t feel like it that morning. It was a real grunt but we made it in the standard 3 hours just in time for breakfast at the top feeling very pleased with ourselves but as dusty as hell. Our other tour group members and the locals at the top were most impressed.

The area we passed through on the return trip to Arequipa is very dry and barren with very primitive small villages dotted along the route. It’s hard to believe the people could survive is such an environment. The area is dotted with large volcanoes some of which are still active. The volcano lookout point we stopped at was at about 5,500m. That’s 18,000 feet.

We moved to a new Hostel/Apartment on our return to the city - quiet, clean with a lovely host and parents who did our washing for us.

Tomorrow we fly to Cusco - have thankfully finished out long haul bus trips.