Hi all!!

So I wake to find Scotland still with us and the Pound at a two year high! I hope you are all well! Mum and Dad, I hope you have a fantastic time in the Nederlands! I would of blogged last night but bloody Yanks hogging the computer!

Tuesday: Me and Sian had a lovely chilled day! We watched 12 years a slave in the hostel- good film! Then we sunbathed in the hammocks and I read, while Sian impressivley done her washing by hand in buckets in the garden! (Harriet paid to have hers done by the hostel yesterday and I still haven´t done any!) We got talking to an English girl who said she was going to do Misti tomorrow and was meeting everyone at 4pm to plan it- I had no excuse and so arranged to meet her then! We were also talking to a German guy, who later come and asked if we wanted to go to Zingaro´s with him tonight (he must have been reading the same as you Paul), we arranged to meet him at 6.30. We went out for lunch and Sian was happy to frequent a vege resturant with me :) so we had a healthy 3 courses and a smoothie for about 2 quid, which was lush!! We walked to the bus station for Sian to get her ticket to Cusco and I checked buses for Puno. Then I went and met Louise and the guide and paid for the Misti trip- it looked ok on paper, so I thought why the hell not! I went with her to get altitude sickness tablets and food and water supplies from the supermarket. It was gone 6.30 by the time we got back, but Sian had a left a note saying to meet them at Zingaro´s. So I impressed myself with my map reading skills to find the resturant. A Canadian couple were also with them! It was relatively expensive and so the 4 of them decided to order one guinea pig between. I had water, as I still wasn´t hungry. It was not for the faint-hearted to watch them bring out the flattened guinea pig with hands, feet and eyes. Between them they demolished the little bit of meat on it, including brain, eyes, etc.

Me and Sian headed back as were getting increasingly concerned about Harriet who should of been back about 5pm. It was like 8.30 by this time, but luckily when we got back she had just arrived at the hostel! She had a fantastic time in Colca Canyon, although has decided walking is not for her and so the mule carried her up the canyon. The German couple she was with have invited her to Germany apparently! We swapped stories while I unpacked my big rucksack into carrier bags, as I needed it for Misti. I packed the bits and I needed and realised I had no clothes for mountain climbing.

Wednesday: We got picked up about 8am, I had time for banana pancakes first, and taken to the agency where we were kitted out. I thought me and mum had done well to fit as much in my rucksack as we did, but it turns out it can carry a hell of a lot! So I ended up with a thermal sleeping bag, mattress, cooking equipment, thermal trousers and jacket, hat, gloves, 6 litres of water and snacks all in my poor little rucksack! We then got driven by Jeep to the bottom of Misti and set off.

Let´s just say I´m not as fit as I thought I was! Haha! We walked for about 6-7 hours, which would have been ok if I hadn´t been carrying my own body weight. Trying to climb boulders with the bag on my back was tough! Some of the terrain was more like ash/sand. We had a group of 9 and 4 guides. After a while I was the slowest one and I must admit part of me would rather not do something than come last! I had flashbacks of the annoying American woman in Colca (although I wasn´t that bad). As we got higher then it became increasingly tough to get enough oxygen. We made it to base camp at 4250m and set up our tents. I was sharing with 3 Germans, a guide and a Swiss guy. We enjoyed the rest and the guides cooked us tuna pasta. We had a great view over Arequipa and watched the sunset, which was beautiful! Then we weren´t late to bed as the plan was to leave at 2am. We had to sleep in all our layers, including thermals, because it was so cold. Bit strange sleeping on the floor, without a pillow! When I was laying down I could just feel my heart pounding as if I was exercising!

Thursday:

We woke at 1.30 to a snow storm! It was really windy and snowing heavily. There had not been any snow at the top of Misti for a few days, due to the warm weather, so we had not taken the ice climbing gear. We waited an hour and a half for it to calm, but I was already freezing and not feeling great, so I decided to stay at base camp and go back to sleep, especially after they advised the conditions would be tough for none experienced climbers. 6 of the group set off and just about made it to the top so they could see the crater. It was -25c at the top apparently and they so nearly turned back. I have total respect for all of them, as it was the most challenging thing I have done physically!

I slept well, but woke with terrible diarrhoea, which is never nice but even worse when you have to squat behind a rock! Thank god I had taken loo roll! I was embarassed leaving it and so found the biggest rock I could carry to put over it! Haha! The others got back to base about 10am and we walked down. It was considerably easier as I had drunk all my water, which had been heavy. The jeep picked us up and we dropped off all the gear at the agency.

I walked back to the hostel and had a much needed shower and repacked my big rucksack. Harriet come back from the shops and filled me in on her adventures white water rafting that morning! She had booked a trip through the hostel and said she really enjoyed it! She was only on the water for about an hour and the water was very tame, but I think she plans to do more elsewhere. We then went out for dinner and had chifa (their chinese style). On the way back we bumped into an American girl staying at our hostel who was going to see the Monastery, Harriet went with her while I come back to sort out some bits. Harriet said it was interesting but it is no wonder there are only 14 nuns left as they are kept in cells.

Harriet has decided she doesn´t want to do the Inca Trail as she doesn´t like walking. Therefore, I am going to have to get mine booked when we have some spare time. Instead, while I am there, Harriet is planning on going to a 'retreat' to have Ayahuasca under the supervision of a shaman for the same price. We had met a girl who had been and reckoned it has made her feel better. It is a hallucinogenic drug that apparently helps you relive your childhood traumas and understand yourself better. I have suggested Harriet research it better as if you google it then you get stories of backpackers having died from taking it and about how they use it to make money from tourists.

Anyway, sorry for the essay! We are getting the bus at 10.30 to Puno, which is about 6 hours I think. Puno is next to lake Titicaca and from here we plan to cross into Bolivia :)

Take care all! Speak soon xx