Monday, June 26, 2017


Side by side. We were two and then one more and then another. It was so much fun being in a group again! A very eclectic group...a couple with 2 small kids in a bus, a french couple who just retiree in a motorhome, a young couple on a van. Choripan and vodka, cake and pisco, hair dressing, pelota paleta, veggie soup. Lazy 4 days on the beach at Paracas. The beach just for us, the pink flamingos, the kite surfers, the beautiful bay and long walks on the beach. Very interesting with so many characters and one common love: travel, moving, exploring. Easy to get along, easy to get closer, easy to say goodbye, easy to promise to meet again.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

June 2017
Nazca:

Truly out of this world. We took a four seater plane for a mystery fly. Flying just over the "lines" we could see so many huge drawings- some 100 m long- on the rocks and on the sand. Perfect, geometrical figures. Difficult to explain but only can be seen from the air. The experience took us to a robust discussion about who, when, why; about beliefs, science, logic and religion. I am such a rational girl, there is no much beliefs on me; I just realised how much I have lost of the naivety and romanticism of my younger years. No more god or fantasies. These days I am just about thoughts, experiences, realities, today.


The ocean again!!!! After almost 2 months without seeing it (too long!), my body is back on the water. The sea, the waves, my life. We slept in a hidden treasure, an "almost" private beach tucked away from the road. The drive between Nazca and Arequipa was on a true ocean road! With some mystic aura :). On one side the sand dunes with enormous rocks just placed on the edge- such rare formations!, on the other side the big ocean with furious waves. How much we love these roads??? Too much! hahaha

Arequipa

After so many basic- almost ugly- towns we arrived in Arequipa. As magnificent and exquisite the historical centre was - all in white volcanic stones, sillar - as chaotic the driving. I couldn't believe the amount of taxis everywhere... it was dense, not only we couldn't park near or far from the city; it took us like 2 hours to be able even to leave the city!

We enjoyed the nice shops, the big piazza and the visit to the monastery. Eerie, sad...to hear that young girls were forced to spend 4 years here, almost in total isolation. The monastery is a city, with the beautiful gardens, the little stone houses, the church....but it was difficult to go from corridor to corridor and image the kind of life those girls did have. We managed to buy some beautiful and oh so soft baby alpaca jumpers for the kids!

And so, we were glad to leave the city and going back to nature!!! I don't know if I already wrote about this. I have become such a nature junky. I can't tolerate to be away from some peaceful mountain, to hear a river down a canyon, to be taken by the ocean, to stay still on a lake, to appreciate the variety of greens of a campsite. I feel alive, I can breath, I can hear my heart being very happy.


We drove to the Colca area, with thermal bath; small and cute little towns; valleys, terraces.... and hopefully 3 days of trekking.


First there were the beautiful surprise of sightseeing the condors. We were up very early, 7:00 am as they said the condors fly with the sun. We were not disappointed. One and half hour later we had a "show". Such magnificent birds, barely moving their wings. More like gliders going across the sky. We were very close, able to admire the colours and the size of them!

Gruelling. Intense. Crazy. Extreme. Demanding. BUT so wonderful! This is how I can describe our trekking in the Canyon. Day 1: from Cabanaconde to San Juan de Chucho- 8.3km, downhill 1.100 m, 4 hours. Knees destroyed! The landscape so beautiful, and the sheer pleasure of finally arriving at the river with a wobbling old bridge. We slept in a Posada from 7:30 pm , waking up at 7:30 am! Still sore we embarked on day 2: from San Juan de Chucho to Oasis de Sangalle- 5 km, up and down the whole way. The oasis, perfectly apt name- five guest houses in a green patch along the river enclave in the bottom of the canyon. A pity that the sun doesn't last at all given the huge depth of the canyon... it meant that we couldn't enjoy the swimming pool! But we rest and rest the whole afternoon and as soon as dinner was over we were back in bed; this time at 8:00 pm. Up at 7:00 am for our last day, day 3: egg pancake and 6 Km all uphill, stone steps, 5 hours. The last hour did hurt a lot! Stopping every hour for a drink and small snack. The joy of arriving at the top! A huge sense of achievement. We felt so strong, and young, and beautiful. We couldn't' believe what we have accomplished. I am writing this piece seating on our home, the sun just coming to my body. I am still shaking and I am starving!!!.....An afternoon in the thermal bath at La Calera seems to be all our body needs....yeahhh

Making slowly our way back to Arequipa we spent the night just on a lake, relaxing. We are amazed that our bodies have recovered so quickly, no pain whatsoever...only a sense of tiredness that is not helped by the fact that we are still 4,700 meters above sea level