Right ho, so we´ve left this blog a little while, mostly due to laziness it has to be said, but we´re now settled in our volunteering home in Trujillo, Northern Peru, and have free internet on tap. Ah, free internet, how much we take you for granted, if the computer screen didn´t give out electric shocks I would kiss it.

So, the last entry was from lovely Arequipa where we spent a week admiring the white stone architecture, looking around cloistered monastaries (see pic), drinking wine and eating olives. We also met up with a local Peruvian girl through the couch surfing website who introduced us to Ceviche (the local dish here made of raw fish in lemony sauce) and told us about a way we could trek in Colca Canyon without hiring a guide, nice!

Being the cheapskate travellers that we are, two days later we packed our bags with far too much stuff for a 3 day trek, and set off on the bumpy local 5hour bus towards Cabanaconde. Stumbling off, we found ourselves quite literally, in the middle of nowhere.With a scruffy hand-drawn map of the canyon in one hand, and a bottle of water in the other, we set off! After half and hour walking we came across a tour group coming the other way which prompted a quick check of the map and a swift 180 degree turn.

Finally we found ourselves looking down into the Canyon itself.Colca Canyon is formed from the Colca River and is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon at 4160m. The valley holds towns founded in Spanish Colonial times but the local people still maintain ancestral traditions and farm the Inca steeped terraces on the side of the canyon.

The first day of the trek is a steep 8km descent right to the very bottom of the valley. It´s pretty difficult terrain and by the time we were nearing the bridge our legs resembled jelly on sticks. The Canyon´s also famous for inhabiting the Andean Condor, the largest flying land bird in the World, and we were lucky enough to see three of them swooping past. Apparently, someone told Tim, the Condors commit suicide when they reach old age by flying into the sides of the canyon but you´d have to ask Attenbourgh about that one... They really are amazing creatures though, so big and graceful!

Crossing the bridge and paying the 35 soles fee (about 8 pounds) to enter the canyon, a little girl of 7 skipped up and asked if we wanted to stay in her house for 5 soles per person (1 pound) a night. Sure, we said and followed her along the other side of the river to a lovely looking cottage with a well kept garden. She showed us to our room, round the back, which turned out to be no more that a shack made of holey bamboo sticks and a bed on some stones and promptly introduced us to her mother who set about making us some delicious soup and pasta for dinner. It seemed like it was just the two of them living there and it was hard to see what they did all day apart from wait for backpackers to come down into the canyon. They seemed happy enough though and were dressed in traditional andean dress. After a beautiful sunset we retired to our lumpy bed around 8pm clutching the only candle we had between us.

Awoke to the sounds of nature and chickens scratching at the door and after a thick pancake (a favourite for breakfast in these here parts) we set off on day 2 towards the Oasis. Day 2 is quite a bit easier than the others as it´s mostly flat and takes you through the other Andean villages that scatter the sides of the canyon. Got through a good few letters in the animal alphabet game and Tim managed to get a million spikes in his hand after attempting to harvest a cactus fruit.Much screaming, swearing and waving of hands later we finally managed to hook one off with a stick and cut it open with a pen knife to reveal a soft, juicy reddish fruit.Take that Bear Grylls!

Arrived at the Oasis and grabbed a room in the hostel where the other tour groups were staying.Met an interesting array of people and chatted away until dinner of pasta and beef then set off to bed to get an early night.Day 3 of Colca Canyon starts at 4am to avoid the midday heat which would make it impossible to climb the almost vertical 7km uphill.

So, as the light began to appear the next morning we had already begun our climb.Wooden sticks in hand and bananas for breakfast we set off after the last tour group on the 4 hours unforgiving trek back up to the top of the canyon.My legs were hard as bullets by the time we reached the top, and we still managed to beat the sun.

Muchos celebration and photos at the top, seriously the hardest climb either of us have ever done, but no sooner had we walked the 3km back to town we had to jump straight on the last public bus that was headed back to Arequipa,2 minutes later and we would have missed it.

So there we were, flushed, aching, sweaty but happing, bumping our way back on the 5 hour journey through luscious green fields winding dirt track roads.A truly amazing adventure.