Lake T and Colca Canyon

Alright friends, I guess it´s my turn to update this thing. Emily here, alive and well. After we survived the bridge incident we indeed made it safe to Puno at 3:15 am where we woke up at 6am to see the one and only Lake Titicaca!! Yes, we all remember learning about this lake in the third grade and giggling over its name- well folks we got to see it in person.

The lake itself was enormous. As we departed from the dock it look more like an ocean then a lake. Beyond the horizon one could barely make out Bolivia and the snowy mountains in the distance. Our first stop was the floating islands, where the native Uros colony lived amongst the floating reeds. In small tents they habitated in a colony of 8 families where they greeted us with songs and smiles. The children were adorable and malled Mandy when she brought out some Coca candy. After taking a ride on a raft built of reeds we were off to a trout lunch on another island on the lake, Tranquille. Here we were entertained with dancing and to my surprise I was picked out of the crowd by a 4 year old and pulled to the pavilion to join the festivities. I have to admit, I bust out a few signature moves, haha, jk. After lunch we walked up and over the other side of the island checking out some spectacular views. Overall Lake T was better than we expected and worth the near death experience :).

Onto Colca Canyon..... that night we headed toward Chavay. After 2 days of no showers we were once again up at the crack of dawn 6am. Michelle, the newest member of the polar bear club, took a glacier water shower as I (in 17 degree weather) ran around in my long underwear up and down the stairs, outside the front of the hostal, frantically looking for the woman to turn on our hot water. I finally found her as we were all happy to take out room temperature showers.

Colca Canyon was like a scene straight out of the movie, ¨The Rescuers Down Under¨. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and 4th deepest in the world! As the condors flew overhead we watched in awe as our guide explained to us the importance of this sacred bird in the Inca´s beliefs. After a few more panoramic views we were off and running once again, this time on our way to Arequipa.... adios until next time.