Cañon de Colca

Alright, this Internet connection is glacial, but here goes.

The paperwork to let us cross the border with the vehicles, which was supposed to meet us in Cusco, then in Puno, then in Puno yesterday, finally did materialize, but with a $100 price tag. After one or another of the delays, my little convoy decided to cut its losses and look for the source of the Amazon. The original "so you don't get fired" two-week trip had been delayed by more than a week, and we had every reason to suspect it would be delayed further.

So we stopped short of Lake Titicaca and headed West towards Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, the deepest in the world. The point was to redefine the adventure to something that was in our power (and timeframe) to achieve and that we could feel satisfied about. We decided to discover the source of the Amazon River, which we'd read was only a few days West, near the Colca Canyon.

And so here we are, the final four members from what started as a eight-team convoy, just back from watching condors soar over the deepest canyon in the world. Unfortunately two of us must leave in a couple hours in order to catch their flight home, but my final companion and I will set out shortly after to at least catch a glimpse of what we came for.

Now we're ready to claim victory. We overcame 4800m passes, persistent head winds, terrible roads, and numerous flat tires, often driving 12 hours a day, to get here. I've logged over 1000 miles since we left Huancayo. And yet, through all the frustration, we've really enjoyed ourselves. I've been greatful to have really great companions throughout the trip who were able to appreciate the beautiful places our vehicles have chosen to break down, the personability of the cops we've encountered, and our luck in finding impromptu camping spots. Unlike perhaps the majority of teams, I don't think any of us four feels defeated by our experiences.

Tomorrow, we final two will drive eight hours to Arequipa to drop off our bikes. After exploring that town together, I intend to continue on my own up the coast, visiting ruins and perhaps taking diving lessons.

I'm sorry I still have no more pictures for you all, as the Internet connection here in the Colca valley is glacial. In Arequipa I should finally have the leisure and bandwidth to upload some more.