Arequipa and Colca Canyon and Arequipa again

So arrived in Arequipa early in the morning. Arrived at our really nice accomodation (best of the trip so far, apart from shite internet) and dumped our gear. Immediately set off for a tour of a Francescan Nunnery. This might sound like a bit of a gay thing to do but it was actually really good. The nuns themselves had moved to a new part of the Nunnery so we didnt actually see any nuns up close (only through far off windows) but the facility had been in operation for hundreds of years so it was interesting to see and hear about how the operation had changed over time. The buildings were really beautiful and we had a good rooftop view of the surrounding mountains and volcanos. Doubt anyone really wants to read about a nunnery so i´ll leave it at that. After the tour we headed back for a nap. Corry had come down with a really gross chest infection and was coughing up all manner of vile pollution so he slept the whole afternoon. I also slept in so missed the group lunch. Went and found lunch myself then headed to the Juanita exhibition which was superb. Juanita is the mummy corpse of a 12 year old girl that some exlorers found not that long ago atop a volcano that was previously covered in ice. She was a sacrifice made by the Incans to the volcano god, she was extremely well preserved, as were a large number of items also found with her that were given as offerings to the god. The whole exhibition (including seeing Juanita herself in a special frozen tank) was really interesting and a good insight into Incan culture. After that I headed back to the hostel to relax until our Colca Canyon briefing. Our guide for the trip gave us a ran through, including that we would be starting early both days. On the basis of that information we all decided to cook our own meals at the hostel, food in Peru is incredibly cheap so had some sweet as pasta and avocado etc for about 2.50 NZ each. I then headed out with one of the girls on the trip for a couple of beers with some peruvian guys she had met. They were bizarre and rather dodgy individuals. The first guy tried to sell me cocaine (politely refused) then the second guy shouted in my ear, spraying me with saliva, for the next 30 minutes. Was glad to escape after a couple of beers. Next morning, Corry was in an absolute state and hating life. We left Arequipa early and started to head up into the highlands, at our highest point we were 4900m above sea level. Incredible landscapes everywhere, very barren, but absolutely stunning mountains. We all tried coca leaves for the altitude but they tasted terrible so that little experiment didnt last long. Stopped at a cafe for some coca tea which was much better. We finally arrived in Chivay, had a quick lunch of alpaca and rice, and set off walking for the local hotpools which are fed by a nearby volcano. They were awesome and definitely well needed, couple of pisco sours in the pool didnt go amiss either. Spent a couple of hours there then headed back to the hostel to prepare for our homestay evening with a local Quechua family. On arrival, me and Corry volunteered to slaughter the two guinea pigs. Corry didnt actually get to slit one of their throats, but I certainly did, right through its neck bone. Was a rather interesting and bizarre experience. Few of the girls werent all that impressed but I figured it was going to die anyway and I gave it a pretty quick death. Me and Corry then skinned it and gutted the two pigs which was somewhat of an amusing exercise at times. Wont go into too much details but it involved drenching it in hot water to peel the skin and hair off, then slitting it open down its belly and ripping out its innards. We then watched the family cook it, along with preparing alpaca meat, potatos, and a mash of local grains, milk and cheese. We all sat round an open fire and ate what was a really delicious dinner in actual fact (despite how it sounds) and it all went down really well. Time for a few group photos etc, and photos with their pet llama, before heading off. Had to get up at 530am the next day to set of for the Colca Canyon and the flight of the Andean Condors. Was a really bumpy and long ride in our van to the Canyon, again some incredible scenery and some really quaint little Peruvian towns. Was good to get to the Canyon though, it was pretty breathtaking scenery there, its the deepest canyon in the world (4500m or something like that at deepest point), more so than the Grand Canyon or any other. We hung around waiting for some condors to fly but didnt have much luck until we set off for our hike along part of the Canyon. As soon as we left we got some amazing views of the Andean Condors flying and gliding, really close up to us; they are rather majestic and beautiful creatures. After the hike, where we got to appreciate some more magnificent views, we set off again back down the same bumpy road to Chivay. Stopped for some more alpaca for lunch and got some photos of local families in traditional dress with their pet alpacas and llamas. We then set off again for Arequipa, most of us slept a good portion of the ride back and were all glad to get back to the hostel after a pretty exhausting but memorable trip. Corry´s chest infection had got even worse on the trip and he wasnt the most joyful character to be around. He slept again while I made the wee fella dinner, he then ungratefully mowed it down and left me to wash up. Great mate. Went out for a beer with a few of the girls from our trip but was pretty over it so headed back for a reasonably early night. Arequipa was scorching hot the next day and I spent most of the morning reading on the roof while Master Corry slept in and also visited the pharmacy. Most of the tour, including Corry who was starting to enjoy life again after getting some antibiotics, visited the Juanita exhibition so I went for a walk around the town by myself. Its a very beautiful but crazy city, more dangerous driving, beggars, and markets selling a random collection of junk (although a few gems in amongst the rubbish) mixed in with beautiful buildings, cobbled streets, sunny blue sky, and a beautiful backdrop. Despite this, I have to say Arequipa has been my favourite city so far (think Corry is agreed on that) and have been really lucky to spend a bit of time here. Backtracking a bit, went out for lunch with some of the tour, 3.50 NZ for a 3 course lunch with a glass of juice (excellent grub and superb value for money) then found a bar doing happy hour at 1pm in the day so had a mojito and a pisco sour. Went and had a walk around the markets again and bought a couple of t-shirts for cheap as chips prices then headed back to the hostel to unwind and prepare for an overnight bus to Cusco. Just found out one of the girls, Emma from England, fractured her leg whilst exploring the city today which is an absolute bugger and tragedy considering we have the Inca Trail and Machu Pichu in a couple of days time. Seriously bad luck. As I say, off to Cusco tonight on the overnight bus, got the day in Cusco tomorrow then an early start the next day on the Inca Trail for 3 or 4 days until we arrive at Machu Pich- Yeah Baby! First time the blog has been up to date so far, will update again when we are back in Cusco after the hike. Chur