The Condors

Up early to visit the Cruz del Condor, we were zombies. Last night we partied under the full moon. What a fun bunch of people, Solenne & Tomas, the two French folks, Rinat, the Israeli, Ralph (aka Julian) from the UK, me, Carlos & Pepe, our 2 guides. At the start of the trip we named ourselves Group Condor and flew high enough that night to earn the name. A mix of Pisco & sprite, beer and Bon Jovi, we danced into the wee hours. For some reason, it seems like I'm better received by people from other countries than those from the States. Hmm. While waiting for the bus, a local woman tried to sell me coca leaves. We started chatting and I gave her a pair of earrings. Only one of the holes in her ears is still open but she strutted about with the one earring anyway. Charmer. She had a great smile. It feels good to give things away. I liked those earrings but it just feels so nice to share.

Condors soar through the canyon in one specific spot 40 minutes from Cabanaconde. Vendors sell all sorts of alpaca goods & snacks. I borrowed a needle and thread from an vendor in a wheelchair and fixed the hem in my pants. The button had popped off that morning too, so I took to that as well. The guides laughed at me. Again. I don't think I'm the usual tourist. Hell, who am I kidding? I'm not really the usual, period. After the condors we went to hot springs, a wonderful relief on the body, and then headed to a buffet. They had deep fried bananas. Yums! After lunch we headed back to the bus into Arequipa and all said our goodbyes. Sad to see them all go, but I hope to stay in touch. It's so nice the contacts you have from a trip like this. You come together from wherever in the world. Celebrate. Laugh. Exchange. And then send each other off back into the world.