Life after Lima

It has been a week since my last real entry- apologies! Here is a full update on the South American adventure...
Having dealt with almost 24 hours of travel delays, the girls finally arrived in Lima on the evening of the 14th with a surprising amount of energy. That night, Pedro welcomed them Peruvian style by making a batch of his famous Pisco Sours. Around eleven a large group of us hit the town and, as I have come to expect, had a fantastic time meeting and befriending the local people. Anyone who comes to Peru and puts forth the necessary effort will see that the people here are incredibly warm and inviting to foreigners. I hope very much that they would receive similar treatment if they ever were to venture state side.
Jess and Garreth, fellow Coloradoans and friends of Nina, arrived in Lima early the next morning. I did not know either of them prior to this trip, though it did not take long for the five of us to become a fully functional travel family. Garreth, like the rest of us, has inevitably fallen in love with South America and opted to travel with me for the duration of the journey. I am extremely pleased to have a buddy in Argentina and I have no doubt we will be great friends by the end of the trip.
On the morning of the 15th, following a hearty breakfast at a local cafe, I took the group to the cliffs of Miraflores to go paragliding. I had the pleasure of doing this two days earlier and knew the others would definitely not want to miss it. I photographed Garreth and the girls as they strapped in with instructors, launched off of the cliffs, and took advantage of coastal winds and a banana shaped parachute to float high above Miraflores. Needless to say, we all agreed that it was an unforgettable experience.
The next day we left Lima via bus for Huacachina, Peru, a tiny desert oasis town built around a lagoon (http://volker.umpfenbach.de/bilder/reisen/2006peru/high/Peru_2006_02_10_Huacachina.jpg).
The next morning we took a boat to the Islas Ballestas, known to locals as the poor man^s Gallapagos. In a brief one hour boat ride we were lucky enough to spot sea lions, dolphins, and penguins, among many others.
That afternoon we took the ride of a lifetime in a dune buggies driven by a local guide. I wish there were words to explain how exhillerating this experience was. Imagine the wildest roller coaster you have ever experienced, then give that roller coaster a heavy dose of steroids. The drivers make their living getting extreme and, as one would expect, they have gotten quite good at it.
We left Huacachina the next day (18th) at 1 PM for a 12 hour bus ride to Arequipa, our current location. Arequipas upscale design and colonial architecture give it a very European feel. This, combined with the looming presence of the enormous El Misti volcano, makes this city uniquely stunning. We spent the majority of the day yesterday exploring the 17th century Santa Catalina Monastery. SCM spans an entire city block and is guarded on all sides by a 15 foot stone wall. Wandering through its gardens and winding alleys, virtually unchanged over the past 400 years, you feel as though you have gone back in time.
The adventure team leaves tomorrow at 3AM for a trekking tour through the Colca Canyon (2nd deepest in the world), where we will see condors and relax in natural hot springs after a rigorous 7 hour descent. This is sure to be a wild experience, I will update you as soon as possible. As always, thanks for reading!

Responses to comments-
Tica- Thanks for your kind words, we are having a wonderful time indeed!

Ryan- Im officially in the mountains, and it is BEAUTIFUL. I have not seen any animals up here yet, but that is only because I am in a big city. Like I said in this entry, I will be seeing Condors on my hike into the canyon. Have you heard of them? They have a wingspan that can exceed 10 feet, which is pretty much you and I put together!
Also, there are definitely lots of rivers in the mountains here. I may be doing some white water rafting at some point, Ill keep you posted.

Hilda- Im glad you and my mom have been in contact with one another. You guys should definitely get together for dinner at some point!

Yen- Thanks for reading!!! Ill tell Nina to call you soon. Hope all is well in the Fort.

Dad and Mom- Love you, good to talk to you yesterday!