Just by the fact that there is new postcard on the site you know that we have arrived back safe and sound from the trip to Colca Canyon - though we did have an adventure or two whilst there. There were six of us on the trip, Susana and Juan from Spain and Andy and Rebecca from the UK, together with a local guide, Vlado. The trip was designed to show as much of the local area of interest as possible and this began with a bit of off roading to see some very strange natural rock formations in the reserve of Puruña. They have all come about through wind and sand erosion from across the plain. They possess special powers according to the locals, including fertility for women (Carol gave that particular rock a very wide berth) and virility for men - which of course all the boys had a go at (take a look at the photos). As we climbed ever higher to the highest point at 5000m (16,500ft) the effects of altitude came into play. At this height the air becomes very thin and the oxygen content is only about half what it is at sealevel - so basically each breath only gives you half a lung full of air, meaning that everything is twice as difficult. We needed to consume lots of sugar and water as the bllod very quickly gets depleted of sugar trying to feed the brain. From there we visited the Sumbay caves which house the cave paintings of the first people in Peru. They were pretty crude but clearly depict the animals from around the region - one of which became a stalker - there are hundreds of dogs everywhere you go all of which are very freindly, if a bit mangey. One took a particular liking to Rebecca and continued to give us a personal tour of the area! From here we headed for Chivay high up in the Andes. Chivay is the capital of the Colca region which had as many as 8000 people. A short stop for lunch was definately in order. From what we could see the entire town was involved in Alpaca farming. During the ride across the plains we had seen herds of Alpaca and Llama which are sheperded at a height of up to 4000m (13,500ft) - they are hardy animals. We even got the opportunity to try some Alpaca meat for luch which was very nice. The one animal they don't kill as it is a protected species is the vicuña and these run wild on the plains. As many as 300 villagers will go out to herd the animals and shave their coats before letting them go. Their fur is the most expensive you can get and a jumper would cost US$1000. On the onward journey Vlado tried to take our mind off the effects of the altitude by plaing a few tapes and Carols one strong memory for her birthday this year was the whole group singing along to Gary Glitter whilst crossing the Andes - very surreal! The hotel we stayed at in the village Cabanaconde, was really nice. A local man had trained as a civil engineer in Arequipa and what normally happens is that people leave the remote Andean towns and never return. But this guy decided he wanted to give something back to his home town and returned to build a very beautiful and rustic hotel - probably the nicest place we have stayed in so far. When we arrived they were lighting a huge Pizza oven in the centre of the main room, which was very cosy, but what we didn't realise was that this was for baking Carols birthday cake for later that night , a really nice surprise. A birthday cake is not something they have had requests for before so different people had to go off and find the bits and pieces to make it happen. Before a very nice dinner we had done some exploring around the hotel, which stood above the village. It seemed that we were surrounded by animals - donkeys, mules and bulls. One of the local guys told Carol that the bulls were young and not dangerous so she went over to pet them, climbing into the corral to get a closer look. The young bulls were pretty tame but unbeknown to her the daddy of them all was proceeding into the very same corral to protect his boys from the strange blond. You have never seen Carol move so quickly when faced with a snorting 800 kilo bull! The following day we wandered into the village itself for a brief look around before our trip into the canyon. All the women here wear traditional Peruvian dress and in trying to get a few photos of them one old women invited us all into her home to take a closer look. The house itelf was nothing more than a few corrugated rooms together, behind which there own animals were stabled. She took great pride in showing the boys how she had castrated their bull and she had even kept them as a souvenir. It was at this point we decided to make a quick exit. We arrived at the canyon late ion the morning. The Canyon is the deepest in the world at a depth of 3232m (11,000ft), making it three times as deep as the Grand Canyon in the USA. We took a route which was about 4000ft. The hike down was along very rocky paths with a sheer drop to the bottom. Thankfully, we had some mules to carry our stuff so we just had to get ourselves to the bottom, where a small camp site had been built, based around a pool of the natural spring from the mountain. The journey down gave us the opportunity to see some spectacular scenery at very close quarters. Once at the bottom at the end of the day we had a more personal tour with Patricio, President of the Colca Guide Association. He took us on a further 2 hour walk to see the waterfalls and vegetation used by the local people. By the time that we got back we were exhausted from the effects of the hike but moreso the effects of altitude. We pitched camp at the bottom of the valley next to the Colca river. We ate by candlelight that night and the wine flowed giving fuel to the boys who proceeded to make the following days journey a race to the top. We were given the opportunity of hiring donkeys and mules for the journey back up the mountain the following day and we jumped at the chance. In the alcohol fuelled haze, images of Hanibal crossing the Himilayas by elephant came to mind. Mules seemed an adequate substitute. Suggestions for making the mules more streamlined and efficient ranged from taping ears back, castration and completely shaving them like an Olympic swimmer- thankfully none of which were carried out - but it had us in stitches for a few hours whilst we went through the options. As it had been Carols birthday we were given the added benefit of the big 6 berth tent. Not quite sure what race of people they mean when they say 6 berth but we just managed to sleep comfortabley. The next day roll call was at 4am and in the pitch dark managed a small breakfast before ascending part way on foot before meeting our rides to the top. Having never ridden any form of horse before, what better way to learn than by taking one along rocky 3ft wide ledges clinging to the side of the Andes with a sheer 4000ft drop below. The mules didn't have reins so it was a case of holding on by the mane. Carols ride was a mule who was fairly friendly and started off up the mountain as soon as he could, leaving the rest to fend for themselves. Everyone else was mounted up and then came the time for Chris and his ride to partner up. He had been given the only female of the group and we think she must have been suffering from PMT on the day. Apparently the females are much more frisky compared to the males (what's new there then!) Just to get them into the same location they were throwing rocks at her and dragging her by a big rope - talk about stubborn as a mule! When finally mounted she decided to take her own trip up the mountain and promptly galloped off in a completly different direction to the rest of the group - towards a shear ledge down the mountain. We are still not sure whether she threw Chris off her back or whether Chris decided to cut his losses and take a flying jump mid gallop - but either way he has a future career on the horse racing circuit throwing races. He has a few bruises to show for the ride but nothing serious. The only thing to do was remount and grab the b**** by the mane all the way to keep her under control. One missed footing by the mule or a loss of balance by the rider would have seen us crashing down into the canyon 4000ft below. Knowing this, the mule took great delight in walking inches from the edge and stopping to peer over the edge to get some grass. However, after such a tumultuous start, their relationship up the Canyon proved a battle and by the time we had completed the 6 mile journey over the 292 turns, they were glad to part company. Mind you after three hours on the mules we were all walking like John Wayne by the time we reached the top and were glad to be back on terra firma again. It was only when we got back to the top that we were told the truth about a gravestone we saw halfway up the trail. It was the grave of someone who have taken our route and had gone tumbling into the canyon. Glad we didn't know that before! The next stop on the journey was to see the Condors at the look out point in the Canyon. We were so lucky, within 10 minutes we were being circled by 9 enormous condors (obviously Chris's mule had sent word that he was potential carrion!). These birds have a wing span of 3m (10ft) and beautiful white feathers on their backs and heads. Vlado told us it was very unusual to see so many Condors together and it was probable that the other people there had been waiting 2-3 hours for the same sight. To sooth the aching muscles we next visited the hot springs, which were actually swimming pools filled with water directly from the volcano itself. It was so warm it was like sitting in a hot bath and was a welcome relief. Lunch followed in Chivay again and this time Vlado had arranged a personal redition of Happy Birthday from a Peruvian band, for Carol. She still turns a nice shade of pink! From here it was back to Arequipa back over the highest point of the mountains at 16,500ft. From here we were very close to mount Mismi, the source of the Amazon. Having spent so much time earlier in the trip on the great Amazon river and in the Amazon region itself, it was amazing to trace it back to it's source. From here the snow melts to form the Carhuasanta river which joins with many others in Peru and heads north to form the mighty Amazon river. After a great three days we were glad to be back in Arequipa and to a very welcoming bed.