Day 9

Hello again. We have to explain about last night´s rushed blog. In the hotel you had to knock at the computer room door and the wee mannie connected you to reception for your alloted time. When we chapped at the door last night it was our guide Jorge who opened the door and although we tried to explain that we had to contact reception in order to pay, he said just go ahead. So we were a bit feart about getting caught out!

Thanks to all of you who have commented on our blog: Chris, Jenny, Lisa, the Midds (Julie, will you please show ma what to do?) And the rest of you, get commenting.

Correction from last night before David does today,s fabulous story. When I was writing last night about seeing a wolf, David kept saying that he didn´t remember seeing one, and of course I was insistent. But it was a fox!

David has some quotes from yesterday:

"How many more times will I have to get off this bus?"

At the Condor cross, designated by the Peruvians as the best place to view the birdies,"They´ve picked quite a good place to see them!" and so to today:

We left at 08:00 for Puno on lake Titicaca and the poor driver had to stop fairly soon because a channel had flooded and his codriver had to get out and lay stones to help the big Mercedes bus across. There was ice at the side of the road. It is winter!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a stop at Chivay where we photoed the Midgie motor (dustbin lorry) which played rockabye baby in the capital of the Colca canyon. Ten minutes previously we had come on to tarred road, albeit with holes. it was a relief after the stony rocky road to Dublin.

On the way to the high plateau we were told about "chuño" a freezed dried potato of the highlands, a delicacy. The potatoes are frozen in the rivers for 15 days, removed, peeled and left to freezedry on the ground. The process takes a month.

We got to our highest point of the holiday, 4,800 metres above sealevel where we saw the cairns giving offerings to the gods.

Lunch was at the Reserva Aguda Blanca, a packed lunch which was delicious.

We contiued through the high plateau filled with herds of llama, tails up, and alpaca, tails down.

This blog seems to be taking on the kaleidoscopic nature of the day: mountains, plateaux, rivers, birds, people. The pictures and us will explain more! Honest!

We had our first glimpse of the lake shortly before we arrived in Puno where there were celebrations in full flow for independence day. No more Spaniards! Wait till you see the pictures of the costumes!

Off to see the lake before bed and a tour of the floating islands tomorrow!

8:30 start!!