We awoke at 5am after a really good nights sleep (we were both knackered) and quickly got ready. We were happily surprised to find the shower had pressure this morning. Also we found that breakfast was being served which normally it wouldn't be. There was also the added bonus of crepes and eggs to supplement our bread and jam. We didn't have time to finish it all before our 6.30am bus, so made some sandwiches for the way.

We walked down to the square to find a big queue of people waiting for the bus. There were locals going to sell their wares and tourists making there way on. There were only a few buses a day out here so they all tended to be busy.

When the bus came everyone scrambled to get there stuff in the luggage hold and get on board. There seemed like way too many people but somehow we all got on board, although it was a squash. The bus then slowly made its way up the into the hills.

After an hour journey we arrived at Cruz el Condor, which would be our first stop and viewing point for the condors. It was the first time we had gone out with our packs on and we felt like proper backpackers. After avoiding paying the tourist tax we made our way down to the viewing point. It was breeding season and we had been warned that there might not be many condors out.

We sat for an hour in the hot sunshine looking out into the canyon only seeing a few small birds. However we then spotted our first condor in the distance. It wasn't a great view and we didn't manage to get a picture. We then waited for another 30 minutes but then the condors came out. I think we saw four different birds and one even flew directly over our heads. We were happy we got to see what we came for and got some good pictures too.

It was now after 9am and the tourist crowds were big. We headed back to the road and waited for our bus which should arrive at 9.30am. We now had to decide what to do. We could go to Arequipa taking the tourist bus from Chivay, or Puno taking the local buses having to connect at a random spot. We had spoken to a couple of Germans and an Irish girl staying in Arequipa and they said we wouldn't miss much by not visiting. So we decided to try and get straight out to Copacabana and lake Titicaca. Shivani was also feeling adventurous so we decided to take the local bus.

The bus came at around 9.45am, we managed to board and get the last couple of seats. It was a slow and bumpy journey to Chivay, which we reached at 11.30am. The bus now filled up with people heading to Arequipa who had reserved seats. The bus was full so I had to stand but a guy kindly gave Shivani his seat. I didn't mind as I thought we only had a short ride to our connecting bus. We didn't know where this was but there was another couple trying to do the same thing so we decided to follow them and also asked some locals with my best Spanish to let us know when we should change.

I was wrong about the short ride however as the bus climbed up out of the canyon and the proceeded out into the dessert. I kept looking out the window looking for a town where we could stop and change buses but there was only one road and no towns. We drove for two hours through a very baron landscape until we finally came to a junction and a small truck stop.

We were told this was our stop so got down and crossed the road to take our next bus. We were lucky as one came straight down the road, we were able to get on and there were even seats available.

We boarded, paid and headed to Puno. We were glad everything worked out and this bus was more comfortable than the other so we were able to recline our seats and rest. We continued on through the dessert and calculated that we had about 3-4 hours to go. We passed some nice scenery, with the lake at Cruzeiro Alto particularly looking stunning. We passed away the time by playing some games on the iPad. The bus also made a stop so we were able to use the toilets and buy some snacks.

At around 5.30pm we reached the town of Juliaca where the bus stopped at the terminal. This was one of the big towns but it was horrible, run down and dirty. We were glad to make it out of there quickly and head to Puno.

We arrived into Puno at 6.30pm. The town itself wasn't very nice and we hoped to get out to Copacabana. Arriving at the bus station we found that the border closed at 6.30pm and the next buses would leave at 7.30am the next morning.

A tout then helped us buy a ticket and we then faffed around with Jerry and Avaline, who we had met on the bus, in the terminal to decide on a hotel. The tout lady even helped us with this and came with us in the boot of the taxi to the hotel.

This place was ok and was right next to the main square and tourist street. We were quite hungary so dumped our bags and went for dinner with Jerry and Avaline. We had a nice dinner with the Canadian couple on the tourist street which was much nicer than the rest of Puno.

After dinner we decided to head back to the hotel as we were tired and had another early start. It was Saturday night and it was quite busy on the streets but we were too tired to party.

We got back and Shivani gave herself some much needed grooming as we had a decent bathroom. We then went to bed at about 10.30pm setting our alarm for six.