On My Own

Well, I took my first bus on my own, and it went off almost without a hitch. When I got on I overheard some people talking about going to Puno, but I was headed to Arequipa. I asked the driver 4 different ways if this was the right bus to Arequipa, and he confirmed that it was. I rode the bus almost all the way to Puno, and was assuming that I would have to do something about my ticket when I got to Puno, but suddenly there were people talking about Arequipa just outside the door. I rushed down with my day bag and they wanted to hustle me over to another bus. I had to stop them to get my bag from down below. I got on the other bus without a hitch, and was in Arequipa before I knew it (10 hours in all).
Once in Arequipa I checked into the Los Andes Bed and Breakfast and promptly went out for dinner. There had been no bathroom on the bus so eating and drinking all day didn´t really work out. When I woke the following day I went out and booked a bus to Nazca for Thursday, booked my tour to the Colca Canyon, and saw myself to some of the local sights. I went to the Santa Catalina Monestary, and to the museum which houses Juanita the Ice Maiden. Perhaps you remember when they discovered her in 1995.
I went to bed very early last night because I was to be picked up at my hostel at 2.30 this morning to go to the Colca Canyon. Five hours of sleep will never be enough for me! During our tour to the Canyon we stopped by several small villages all with beautiful vistas of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and volcanos. At one point it was even snowing where I was. I bet it isn´t snowing in Maine yet! We arrived at the Mirador to watch for the famous condors, and sat for an hour and a half without seeing a-one! Just as I got up to walk away some people saw one in the distance. I snapped a few shots, but was rather disappointed in their size, though in their defense they were far away. We got back in the bus and headed in the direction of Arequipa once more. When we pulled off for a new vista there was a sudden rush of activity and a condor swooped low over our small crowd. We were able to snap some better pictures, though mine are lacking because I wasn´t as ready at that point as I had been for the past hour and a half. On our return trip we spotted some small herds of vicuñas and some alpacas as well. I saw all I hoped to see, and now I need to get ready for the next leg of my journey...to Nazca! and beyond.