Being a tourist in Peru

The high Andes is the most spectacular place I have seen. Abundant wildlife and colourful local culture is set in scenery of high plains, alpine lakes, smouldering volcanoes and colossal  snow capped mountains.
Through northern Chile  and southern Peru the Pan American highway drops down and climbs up mile deep canyons, and snakes around shattered  and quarried peaks of mountain ranges. It was the toughest prolonged stretch of riding that I have encountered. I needed some reward for all this effort, so I decided to visit the tourist hotspots of southern Peru.
I climbed to the old Spanish city of Arequipa from where I joined a minibus tour to the Colca Canyon. Thus is the best place in the world  to see Andean Condors. Ten to fifteen  of the huge birds soared through the canyon, gliding really close to us. On the return journey we stopped off to see the herds of alpaca, llama  and vicunas roaming wild on the high grassy plateau.
On the following day I rode a long, hot climb from 8000 ft to around 15,000 ft. When I reached a summit I stopped for lunch and soon started to feel the cold. I rode on, my head hurt from the altitude. The temperature fell away as the sun rapidly sunk towards the jagged horizon. I wanted to reach a hostel in the next town but the repeated  climbs slowed me up. I stopped and stuck my thumb out, The first vehicle to approach was a pick-up truck, it lived up to its name.
The 20 mile lift meant the next day I could easily reach a town near Lake Titicaca. Taking a back road out to the lake I saw the locals getting ready for the festival  of Corpus Christi. The women were resplendent in traditional white, red, orange and gold customes topped off with a white bonnet decorated with a pair of red pom poms. I said " 'ola" to one group, some smiled, some replied, one threw a stick at me. So no photos there then!
When I reached the old Inca capital  of Cusco I booked a two day, one night trip to the ruins at Mahcu Pichu. There is no road there, so you have to walk the last six miles beside the railway line. I was in a friendly  group, in fact everyone going there was in a happy mood. We had a guided tour of the site by a Quechuan. It is interesting to  hear the local version of events surrounding its rediscovery.
My detour into the Andes has given me a new challenge. When I entered  Peru the immigration  officer asked "Quantas dias?" I was so surprised that I understood her that I blurted out "30 days please" without stopping to think. Now I need to cover 1400 miles in 14 days. If  I over stay my visa then I will get fined and banned from Peru. I think I had better learn the spainish for "Please don't ban me, I want to cone back".

Condors flew so close overhead you could hear the air rushing through their eigth foot wingspan.

I rode past many flocks of alpaca, llama and vicuanas

Too high, too cold, too late. I hitched a lift with these kind Peruvians.

Lake Titicaca  was serene and beautiful

Mist rose up just in time to make the picture of Machu Pichu marginally more interesting

Wooly tights, four skirts , blanket bag containing shopping, produce or baby, and a bowler hat. In the Andes, traditional wear is everywhere.