With only one day in Arequipa, I made the most of the compact centre and explored the "white city" in a matter of hours including the lookout across the river, a couple of intriguing museums full of Amazonian wildlife (among other items) and admired the stunning backdrop of Volcan Misti looming in the distance. Avoiding being lured into a tour by 3 very seductive women (I literally ran out of the office, things got a little hot under the collar), the mood cooled down after a shared lunch with a Peruvian fisherman and cerveza (beer) flavoured ice cream (interesting but I could definitely taste the beer). It was time for the ride to Chivay, a small town 4 hours away, located in the Colca Canyon.

The second worst, bus ride of my life (or maybe the worst) was surely over - full to the brim, too many crying babies to handle and an hour late. The classic race to the terminal bathroom was on, (there is no toilet in the buses). My young legs got me over the line and I had never been so happy to see the toilet in my life. I hit up a local boy for a cool hostel and we walked a couple of kms to a place hidden away in the small town where I was desperate for a shower, recovery and sleep.

The grim rain over the next day made it a perfect opportunity to trip to the local hot springs, way less touristy and known than others in South America, and when I rocked up to enjoy a huge spring to myself, it was only logical to relax for longer than anticipated. The fumes and heat together contributed to my wooziness and that was a sure sign it was time to leave. I was walking back to Chivay along the canyon river after a brief stop at some ruins, and was stoked on the mad view along the way.
To say that the beers were flowing that night is a definite understatement. When you meet friends from back home in a tiny, tiny town there is sure party times and excitement to be had. Adam, Blake and Mikayla were in town as well and after finally catching each other we guzzled a few bevos down and enjoyed the sweet vibes in a peña (live music bar). A few celebratory drinks later and of course it was time to dance. I fully pretended to know what I was doing and allowed the woman that offered me her hand to lead the local groove. Blake went a step further and was dressed by the women in some local gear, before joining a weird conga line which travelled out the door to and around the club to an extremely catchy tune. All in all, there were tons of laughs and dancing. The excitement of seeing friends from home after a few months made it even better. Special stuff.

730am the next morning I was fair wounded and on a bus to the Cruz del Condor - a part of the canyon notorious for spotting an Andean Condor. And it's based on pure luck too, as there is only a local population of 80 or so in the area. The cute, little villages in the canyon made the journey quite pleasant, each with their own plaza, church and small shops almost identical to each other. Not to mention the views of the canyon down below, even though I was well used to the style of mountain road in South America by now, I was still feeling slightly dizzy looking at the cliff drop beneath. They say the early mornings are best for condors, and as a result there were many tourists leaving by the time I arrived (it was 10am). I decided to stick it out for a while and hung with some Peruanos and chatted to pass the time. Almost an hour later I noticed some sort of bird coming toward us, gliding through the canyon in the air currents. Sure enough it was a huge condor! We all stood up to get as close as possible! These creatures are amazing, so huge, yet they gracefully soar along the canyon ridge, with views of the spectacular, huge drop and river running down below, just at the perfect speed to snap a couple of quick pics. They are such a special and enchanting sight, and we were lucky enough to see 4 that day! An image I will remember or a long while.

Flagging down a bus back to Chivay some 4 hours later I was crammed into the back seat with a small family and began the long trip for the tourist Mecca of Cusco later that night. Due for an early morning arrival.