Peru here we come!

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my new Peru travel blog!

Chris and I are already counting the days/hours till the flight to Lima (YAAAYY). I REALLY need a vacation (yes, dear colleagues, you are great, but every now and then I like to have a break from you too you know )

I intend to regularly update the blog as we go, so you know what we are up to and where. There will also be some photos so you don't forget our happy faces either

On that note: here's a sneak preview of what's to come. I found this pic on the internet. It's title was ''If-you-ever-had-a-guineapig-and-wondered-what-it-would-look-like-if-you-drove-over-it-and-deep-fried-it"... How applicable

Yes. In Peru a guinea pig is not a pet. It's FOOOOD

- Tjasa, dear: I'm VERY sorry I have exposed you to such trauma by showing it here!!

*** no animals were hurt during the making if this blog ***

- Mel, especially for you: I will take my own/real pickie of one of these as soon as I can, I promise

On that same note.... Here's The LLAMA song - THE most played song at my work (closely followed by one about little kuikentjes [chickens] but that's a totaly different story).
You either love it or hate it. Actually... Quite many of my colleagues developed that latter feeling for it after having heard it 100+ times

It is MOST applicable to this trip!
For the ones who don't know it: it's one of the milestones, a-must-know-in-your-cultural-education

(to open the file click on the arrow in the middle)

For the fans:

- You can find the lyrics here

- An mp3 file here. Yes, I have it as ringtone on my mobile, how lame! (?how llama?):

But back to the trip... The plan is to visit (among others):

• Lima
  
• Arequipa - city built of volcanic stone, at the foot of El Misti volcano
  
• Colca Canyon - twice as deep as the Great Canyon, was considered deepest in the world, also world's best place to spot a flying condor (which we are hoping to see!)
  
• Lake Titicaca - world's highest navigable lake - with floating islands made of reed on which the Uros Indians live. We're also planning on staying for the night at an indigenous family's house on one of the normal islands (where they don't even have electricity yet)
  
• the Sacred Valley - with Cuzco, Urubamba, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and other places scattered with Inca ruins
  
• Machu Picchu - the lost city of the Incas and the highlight of this trip

Most of the trip will take place high in the Andes. We will be at 3,500m above sea level most of the time, and at times even at 5,000. That's no picnic... I've stocked up on anti-altitude-sickness drugs and am hoping for the best...

Here's a map of the planned route:

More to come from when we're actually THERE