section of the valley and set up camp. We could already see the snowcapped peaks looming further up the canyon. This is also the point when we started really questioning the tour. As we set up camp the guide realized he was a tent and a few sleeping bags short. Luckily Viviana and I had brought our own sleeping bags as backups, knowing how cold it can get at 16000 feet. Of course these ´minor´ omitions were just adding to our dissatisfaction, as the tour had already been delayed a day for an altitude sick couple from Holland that never came, and the group was also nearly twice the size we were promised. Luckily our woes and my complaining came to an abrupt stop the following day when we hit Union Pass, the highest point on the hike with undoubtedly one of the most amazing views of my life. We stopped for lunch and about 82 pictures of the scenery and then continued down into the canyon to set up camp in another 
valley that looked like it was straight out of a screensaver. At this point we could really feel the altitude and it was amazing to see how well the coca leaves worked to fight the symptoms. We had bought a bag for about 15 cents on the way up and after macerating (dont chew!) for 5 minutes the high mountain headache quickly subsided. The last day we descended to find that instead of camping by the beautiful trout-filled river we had been following, instead we would be camping in some guys backyard/farm in a town nearby. The ammenities in the yard included a nice view of the village, about 200 piles of horse shit, and even a delightful spectacle of 4 men castrating a horse no more than 20 feet from our tent at 6 AM. An hour or so of bargaining for some of our money back proved highly unsuccessful, and we finished off the tour with a dip in some local hotsprings to wash away our indignation. Despite the bad experience with the tour, the mountain range was thoroughly impressive and left us in high spirits as we headed back down to sea level on our way to Lima.Originally we had planned to shoot through Lima, stopping for just one night before heading into the canyon country. We dropped off our stuff and set off to see the downtown area. The city quickly surpassed our admittedly low expectations and the government buildings surrounding the main plaza were in contention for the most impressive we`ve seen yet. After the plaza we did a little experiment to see if Viviana would get a better price on a pair of pants at the market than I would, seeing that she looks rather Peruvian and I stand out like a Hanson brother at a
Daddy Yankee concert. Although I was able to procure a similar price (a couple of Soles more), I had to haggle for 20 minutes and she received the better deal without a word. Donning my new pair of pants we caught the city bus back to the hostel and started to plan our exit. As Viviana plugged in for a final facebook check before we hit the road she saw a message from a mutual friend, Olga, that lives in Lima, whom we had already contacted twice before to plan our visit, and whom we had completely forgotten about. When traveling for an extended period it is rare that you really get to know people well, and an opportunity to see a familiar face (and sleep for free) is always welcome. We quickly changed our plans and decided to spend a few days partying and seeing the city with our personal guide. I started the fiesta off by setting her stove on fire and melting the nice glass cover piece, fortunately realizing before the apartment caught. After ordering a costly replacement we toured the citys parks, restaraunts, and markets. In the bohemian neighborhood of Barranco we had the pleasure of tasting skewered cow heart, which was actually quite delicious. In the upscale neighborhood of Miraflores we sampled a number of different varieties of pisco, the local firewater made from distilled grapes. In the beachfront neighborhood of Chorrillos we watched huge hoardes of pelicans begging at the fish market. It took us a while to adapt to the late nights in Lima, but by the final night we had it. A beer-and-pisco filled prefunk at Olgas friends house carried us until 2AM at which point we went to the local bar and downed a bottle of Aguardiente in an homage to Olgas Colombian heritage. After semi-succesfully shaking off our hangovers the next day with a tour of the Incan city of Pachacamac we hopped on the 16 hour overnight bus for Arequipa to prepare for some more hiking.Arequipa is yet another beautiful colonial city, and this time it was the jumping off point for Colca Canyon, a massive slice in the earth that is said to be twice as deep as the grand canyon (although my GPS says differently). Before we began our 3000 ft. tumble into the canyon we decided to head out bright and early to catch a
sight of the incredible `potential` Andean Condor. The `potential` Andean Condor is a breathtaking sight, and as you watch the small black dot cirle around miles away in the sky you can`t help but wonder, `Is that a condor, or just some crap stuck on my sunglasses?` After the lifechanging condor experience we started the 7 hour hike down the canyon and over to the Oasis, a haven of spring-fed swimming pools and cheap camping at the bottom of the barren canyon. As I limped past a few small indigenous villages before reaching the Oasis I started to notice that none of the other people I saw were carrying tents, sleeping bags, towels, extra clothes, or any of the other items that made up my 40lb backpack. It seems that after hiking down the 3000 ft, you also have to hike back up, and most people were smart enough to use mules for that labor. Fortunately we are on an extended vacation, and so we decided to take a day relaxing by the pool, catching trout from the river, drinking pisco, and then sleeping it all off before making the grueling ascent the following day. After a bumpy ride back to town we caught another overnighter to Cuzco to check out some neatly arranged piles of rocks we`ve been hearing so much about.
Now we find ourselves in the cradle of Incan history, surrounded by some of the most impressive ruins on the planet. We are ready to explore and nothing can stop us... oh except the $61 one hour train ride to Macchu Piccu... oh yeah and the $45 entry fee... and of course the $75 historical sites pass... hmmm... So now we are searching for an alternative route to the worlds most talked about ruins. We think we have a makeshift plan now that involves a little late night travel, but I`ll save that for next time.
