And so, the end of the first leg has arrived, far too quickly. It was quite sad saying goodbyes to the Paquitos group (yes, we named ourselves after that whiny, singing Mexican kid from the bus), but I'm looking forward to catching up with at least some of them in the UK in October.
Peru is a great country, and one that I would definitely recommend visiting. From the desolate deserts along the coastline, to the dizzying heights (literally!) of the altiplano, to the lush jungle of the Amazon, it is all worth seeing. The highlight is (of course) the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu - definitely deserving of a place in the new 7 Wonders of the World.
Other Peru memories that I haven't written down:
- The UK group discovering "Stabio St" on their very first day in town
- The statue of a lady with a little llama for a crown (apparently the word for 'flames' and 'llama' are similar / the same in Spanish, and the Italian sculptor chose the wrong one)
- My room mate Darryl's allergic reaction to cerviche in Paraccas, along with subsequent midnight visit from the doctor and a needle in the arse- we didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the trip!
- Adam's amazingly contagious version of Spanish - end most words with an 'o', and an 'el' before every second word, and when in doubt, cover with 'esesesesess'
- The dogs on Nasca - three out of four had the most ridiculous underbite I'd ever seen, and they all seemed to be hanging up on the one dog with a normal face
- The mystery of Jhon's booty call ring tone - there's no way his fiancée could have followed us all the way around the country, could she?
- Omar's amazing turtleneck sweater in the Colca Valley, as well as his ability to start every second sentence with 'my friends'
- Karl's 'Tales from Hull' storytelling session in Ariqueipa - my favourite was the horse being kept under the stairs, although his story about going to hospital with his gran's knickers on his head runs a close second.
- Daryl's 'heatstroke' episode in the Colca Valley - although if you're going to go to bed with thermals under 5 blankets, you have to expect these things
- Synchronised swimming at the hot springs - if you ever want to clear a pool in record time, this is the way to do it
- Home security - most people build walls around their property. Some have spikes on their walls, some have broken bottles cemented on top of their walls, and then some... Grow cacti on top of their walls. I suppose they all do the same job in the end...
- Seeing a rickshaw with a back window in the shape of the batman logo - apparently the Batmobile is a more modest affair down here
- Adam and Karl's insistence on adding a fried egg to every meal possible
- Fireworks in Arequipa for Danielle's 30th birthday. Totally arranged by us, and nothing at all to do with the anniversary of the city's founding...
And so now, on to Ecuador and the Galapagos!