• Sunday 17 January 2010
    Highlights: Ballestas Islands (penguins & sea lions)

    After a hot night in which I slept above the covers with barely anything on, we got up early to visit the Ballestas Islands home of penguins and sea lions. This 3 hour boat trip was enjoyable especially when a sea lion swam very close to the boat.

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  • Saturday 16 January 2010
    Highlights: Extreme driving in a Buggy motor, Sand boarding, Pisco Sour & Wine distillery

    Today we headed off to a desert oasis of sorts to go sand boarding after a 4 hour bus ride. Now to get to the sand boarding we had to go on a buggy vehicle and drive through the desert. This alone was worth the price of the day tour; spin outs, mini jumps and just pure speed was the call of the day. Gareth lost his hat very early on and Andrew came close himself. The looks on our faces says it all about the rides.

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  • Friday 15 January 2010
    Highlights: 1,500 year old mummies, Viewing Nazca lines from small plane, bumpy flight

    The night bus got us in around 7 am, this is the last overnight trip of the South American GAP tour however we have two overnight flights in the next 5 days first to Los Angeles and then to New Zealand so a few nights ahead with a bed. These trips can take a lot out of you but they save time doing overnight travel.

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  • Thursday 14 January 2010
    Highlights: Exploring Arequipa, Overnight bus to Nazca

    Today was a free day to explore Arequipa. Getting up early I walked into the main square by myself, it’s been a while since I’ve tried to get my steps up. I was a very warm morning but I managed to find an ATM and hopefully withdraw money for the last time.

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  • Wednesday 13 January 2010
    Highlights: Hiking the Colca Canyon, Condors, BBQ dinner

    After 12 hours of rest I found I felt a lot better but I still couldn’t really eat breakfast. I was determined not to let that get in the way of visiting the Colca Canyon today. The Canyon itself is the deepest in the world. Getting there was interesting enough with rough roads and one long tunnel without any lights or support structures.

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