Starts with a BANG

(Luke´s version) Some people say the Colca Canyon is the world´s 2nd deepest canyon- we even saw a shirt that argues it should be one of the new 7 wonders of the world. We were quite impressed by the majestic canyon, but in all reality it is much more like a giant Andean mountain gorge. We spent 5 hours descending the steep switch-back trail to arrive over 4,000 feet below where we started (the town of Cabanaconde). We saw a Condor on our hike (a giant vulture) and were completely exhausted by the time we reached the bottom. The beauty was well worth the effort!



Going all that way down, we expected to be in complete isolation. To our suprise we found a construction crew at the bottom, working on the new road that was being built into the canyon. We didn´t care. We set up our tent next to the river, and took a nap on the rocks. BANG! (the sound of the dynamite breaking the mountainside.) construction? why here? We were able to drown out the construction by locating ourselves close enough to the rushing river, and camping 2 nights at the bottom of the canyon, swimming, hiking, and having a campfire! But the time came when we had to make the 4 AM wake up to beat the heat...up up up 4,000 feet.





We were very thankful to return to a wonderful family in the town of Huanuco who invited us back to stay with them and their church for New Year´s Eve. We spent the night singing English and Spanish songs in front of the church, praying, and eating the traditional Paneton (an italian sweet cake with raisins and candied fruit) and hot chocolate. What a blessing it has been to not just see scenery, but meet genuinely loving people. I enjoyed many soccer games with the teenagers, and kat constantly had 7 little girls hanging off her arms at all times.



From there we went to Lima where we stretched our legs by riding some poorly made bicycles around town, and on the Oceanfront boardwalk. From there we came to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, and now we continue into Chile tomorrow. By the end of this month we will be with an old family friend, Susana, (from Paraguay) in Montevideo Uruguay, and then past Iguazu Falls to Paraguay to visit my family there. What adventures lay ahead! Thanks always for your thoughts and prayers.