Holy Crap!

(Arequipa, Peru)
(Bus ride from Nazca to Arequipa)

The title of this post refers, in triplicate, to the week following the previous post. The religious processions continued throughout the week in Ayacucho, and were unlike anything we´d ever see at home. Appatently every Peruvian vacations during Easter week, making it nearly impossible for us to book a room for our onward travel. Luckily, after many desperate telephone calls, we booked a room and were prepared for departure on the overnight bus to Ica.

Remember when Dave was getting better, and then Natalie was getting better, and things were looking up? That was before Natalie had to request that the overnight bus pull over so Dave could remedy his intestinal problem to the viewing pleasure of the entire right side of the bus. Fortunately it was only eight more hours until our next stop...

Upon arriving in Ica (translates to ¨worst place in Peru¨), that hostel with the one room available in Ica claimed that we had not made a reservation and there were no rooms left. By the grace of our cab driver, we found a room (and a bathroom) ten hostel/hotels later. A day and a half spend in said bathroom ensued for Dave.

After complete recovery, we left Ica in the literal and figurative dust for a night in Nazca, and then Arequipa. Despite the exhausting bus rides and intestinal recalcitrance, the scenery in Peru has left us in a perpetual state of amazement. The vastness of the landscapes, the towering Andes, and the deepest canyons in the world are just a few of the visual highlight. These can be seen above in the latest round of pictures. Today we´re in Copacabana, Bolivia, on Lake Titicaca, for another highlight on what seems to be a never ending reel of ¨holy crap¨ inducing sight. Our South America adventure is past the halfway point, and the light quickly advances.