Monday 25th April:
We wake to frost on the ground and a temperature of 0 deg, and yet it doesn't feel that cold due to the low humidity. Another beautiful drive, this time to Condor Cross, to watch the condors gliding around on the morning thermals. We are not alone, but there's room for several hundred tourists comfortably.
We spend an hour clicking away, Lorna with her twatpad, me with the big Canon and my trusty 400mm, and a few on the Panasonic that can be posted on FB. Counting condor images later and it comes to well over 300, and some beauties from the Canon, shot at 1/1250 & 1/1600 handheld.
Viktor stops at several view points for us, as well as Maca, a tourist trap if ever there was one. For one sol you can have your picture take holding a cute, fluffy baby alpaca, just like Lorna did. Otherwise the same old stuff is sold at every stall by ladies in their traditional costumes. The real star of the show is the canyon though.
Viktor offers to take me on a two hour walk, but I prefer to explore on my own. I find the hot springs, each one around 37 deg, and there is a good line of folk making their way there as I return from the road bridge. Lorna is not feeling up to strolling round and stays and takes some sun.
This is a strange hotel, they haven't quite got it. I asked for a glass of Cava, sorry sir we don't have any, we asked for vanilla ice-cream, sorry we don't have any, and this morning we asked for some white bread to make toast, sorry but we don't have any. This evening I order a starter but Lorna doesn't, they bring my starter and Lorna's main course together; they try so hard to please but haven't quite got it.
This hotel and spa is in one of the most stunning locations it is possible to imagine, but being so far off the beaten track the supply line must be torturous and as the man said, it might be a week before we have any vanilla ice-cream.
Viktor it turns out has had back problems, in fact a career as a professional footballer in Lima was cut terribly short eleven years ago aged just 22 when he fell awkwardly and crushed a couple of vertebrae and had to have them fused. He says he has constant headaches even now and recently had to work with a group of tourists during a four day migraine, unimaginable! It also transpires he has had heart surgery as a child, you would never guess.
A very early night, reading on the bed by 8.30pm, asleep by 9pm for a good ten hours.
We wake to frost on the ground and a temperature of 0 deg, and yet it doesn't feel that cold due to the low humidity. Another beautiful drive, this time to Condor Cross, to watch the condors gliding around on the morning thermals. We are not alone, but there's room for several hundred tourists comfortably.
We spend an hour clicking away, Lorna with her twatpad, me with the big Canon and my trusty 400mm, and a few on the Panasonic that can be posted on FB. Counting condor images later and it comes to well over 300, and some beauties from the Canon, shot at 1/1250 & 1/1600 handheld.
Viktor stops at several view points for us, as well as Maca, a tourist trap if ever there was one. For one sol you can have your picture take holding a cute, fluffy baby alpaca, just like Lorna did. Otherwise the same old stuff is sold at every stall by ladies in their traditional costumes. The real star of the show is the canyon though.
Viktor offers to take me on a two hour walk, but I prefer to explore on my own. I find the hot springs, each one around 37 deg, and there is a good line of folk making their way there as I return from the road bridge. Lorna is not feeling up to strolling round and stays and takes some sun.
This is a strange hotel, they haven't quite got it. I asked for a glass of Cava, sorry sir we don't have any, we asked for vanilla ice-cream, sorry we don't have any, and this morning we asked for some white bread to make toast, sorry but we don't have any. This evening I order a starter but Lorna doesn't, they bring my starter and Lorna's main course together; they try so hard to please but haven't quite got it.
This hotel and spa is in one of the most stunning locations it is possible to imagine, but being so far off the beaten track the supply line must be torturous and as the man said, it might be a week before we have any vanilla ice-cream.
Viktor it turns out has had back problems, in fact a career as a professional footballer in Lima was cut terribly short eleven years ago aged just 22 when he fell awkwardly and crushed a couple of vertebrae and had to have them fused. He says he has constant headaches even now and recently had to work with a group of tourists during a four day migraine, unimaginable! It also transpires he has had heart surgery as a child, you would never guess.
A very early night, reading on the bed by 8.30pm, asleep by 9pm for a good ten hours.
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