Too early

Our stay in the oasis in the Cañon del Colca last night was a short one; because this morning we got up at 2am, in order to complete the three-hour hike out of the canyon before sunrise. It was steep, it was dark, and it was cold. But it was a good slog we put in; and it meant that we were able to get to Cruz Del Condor, just in time to see the condors fly.

This morning, we began our three-day hike into the Colca Canyon (Cañon del Colca). Our group of six — myself, Chris, Sarah, Dan, Jean-Claude, and Marie, plus our guide Roy — left Arequipa in the wee hours of the morning by bus; and then it was downhill, all the way to lunch.

Myself, Chris, Leila and Christina caught a night bus last night, from San Pedro de Atacama to Iquique, which is a coastal "beach resort" city, further north and on the coast. It was two buses, actually; since we changed after one hour, at the mining town of Calama. Buses in Chile certainly are nice, compared with Bolivia: nice, comfy semi-cama (i.e. semi-bed) seats; movies (with headphones!); air-conditioning; and smooth roads all the way. In some ways — although definitely not in all ways — it's good to be back in civilisation.

Following our cold final night in Bolivia last night, our Salar de Uyuni tour group awoke to an even colder morning, at about 5:30am this morning. We took off in time to arrive at the geysers of Sol de Manaña, watching the hot thermal water spew out of them and into the sunrise. Check out the photos and video.

The second day of our salt flats tour, began very early this morning, with a wake-up at the Hotel de Sal at 5am, and a freezing-cold start to the day's 4x4 driving, at 6am. We drove for about two hours, hoping that our feet wouldn't completely freeze in our boots before the sun rose (which it did, thank G-d, during the drive); and then the first sight of the day was the famous Ollagüe volcano. Although you can't see that much of the volcano — since it sits on the Bolivia-Chile border, and since most of it is on the Chilean side — you can still see the smoke rising out of its active cone, from which lava apparently spews quite regularly.

Before leaving for Tipón, this morning I met Jesus at the Plaza de Armas, in the middle of Cusco. I didn't realise until now, but in my 6 weeks or so in Cusco so far, I've actually never been in the plaza on Sunday morning before (or anywhere else on Sunday morning, for that matter, apart from in bed). This explains how I managed to be here so long without realising that every Sunday morning, there's a big parade in the plaza. Anyway, this morning I finally saw the military parade, the student parade, and the massive cathedral service that graces central Cusco once every week.

There are three ways up to Machu Picchu (that I know of): the 3-day Inca Trail hike; the shuttle bus from Aguas Calientes; and the walking path that more-or-less follows the road up, from Aguas Calientes. We chose the latter option. Started at about 5:30am (up at 4am), and the quicker among us (myself included) were at the top by 6:15am. They estimate that it takes about an hour. Boy, it feels good when you get to the top, all hot and sweaty, and you see the sun rise over South America's most famous landmark.

I got the night bus from Tulum to Palenque, and I arrived at the Palenque bus terminal at about 5am this morning. One thing that I've learnt in my travels already, is that long-haul night buses are a double-edged sword. Sure, you're saving a day's worth of actual holidaying. Sure, you're saving a night's boarding costs. But sadly, you have to arrive at your destination, and then sit in the bus terminal, and wait for the sun to rise and for the world to wake up. This is not so cool.