Ro is Sick of Peru

Oh wait I mean she is sick in Peru. Yes it is true, the Deital Department of Health and Hiking has once more blighted us. We have made our way to the APPARENTLY breathtaking Colca canyon. Yesterday we arrived in Chivay after ascending on the old bussy-wuss to a monumental 4700m (Chivay itself is only 3700, though. Still high enough for me to get a spot of head pain.)

Upon arrival we caught a cab to the hot springs just out of town. Well, not hot springs but hot pools. They weren't quite hot enough for my liking but they were pretty good, surrounded by cliffs. One thing that really tickled my fancy was the woman coming around with a menu in a plastic sleeve. So you could order drinks and food to ingest whilst luxuriating in the thermal baths! Hel-lo! That sort of thing is not usually my bag, but the fact that I could actually afford it made it more my bag. So I went craaazy and got a Cuba Libre. Ro went insaaane and got a Sangria. Ugh. Nightmare. The woman came and bought them to us with a little bendy straw in each and it was quite a thrill.

Since we were already firmly ensconsced in the lap of luxury we decided to go hogwild and get a half-hour massage too! Talk about hedonism! Ro was massaged by a nice friendly looking Peruvian woman in a comfortably-fitting t-shirts and cotton trousers. I was massaged by a sweaty gentleman who appeared to be an amateur boxer, attired in a gorgeous shiny singlet that stretched invitingly over his magnificent gut and a pair of red budgie-smugglers that might have been a decent fit for Harry Potter. But he was very professional. And the entire exercise, baths and rum and all included, worked out to about $20 each, which is really not so bad.

But thennn we woke up nice and early today, all ready to hike our way along the fine old canyon, when Ro woke up sick! We blame the lettuce. Sheesh guys, are you just trying to punish me for buying a walking pole or something? Or perhaps this additional blight is because I accidentally said ¨shite¨ when I bumped into some holy table in the delightful convent in Arequipa the other day. (A woman with red hair gave me a filthy look, but why? At least I had the decency to Gaelicise it.) Eeeeeeentonces (that is Spanish for ¨So.¨ A little touch of culture for you) we might just catch an ol' autobus to the canyon instead.

Oh by the way. Ro and Greg both kindly informed me that the reason no one comments much is because it is a labyrinthine and near-impossible process so I ´spose you are all forgiven.

Where's the love y'all? I don't know.
Caro