Holas

Buenas noches todo! Things here are going good as I hope they are in the states. I tried posting some pictures but my blog is being funny and so you´ll have to wait till next time.

Today was fun and interesting for sure. I was going to meet some friends this morning in La Plaza de Armas-were planning a trip into the jungle. Anyhoo I´m at standing on the corner waiting for my combi and it doesn´t come. There are a bunch of other people there too and some give up at just hop in a taxi. I wait. Nothing. So pretty soon this girl asks me if I´m going to S. Social and if I wanted to share a taxi with her (don´t ask me why there, cause thats the hospital my dad works at, but it was close to the Plaza and I could walk) so we hopped in a taxi. Turns out she forgot her money so we went back to her house and guess what, were from the same neighborhood, small world. Turns out also that shes 19 too and studies law at the same uni with my friend Siu and so that was cool but yeah, I finally made it down to the Plaza to learn that the reason our combi didn´t come is because they are having a strike (haha we would have been waiting forever). How I wish I would have had my camera to take a picture to show you guys because the place was nutts-hundreds of combis were parked end to end, four lanes across, filling up all of the plaza and some of the surrounding streets. It was crazy. The planning went good and so hopefully I´ll be traveling to Iquitos soon and get to go into the jungle. More on that later though.

Other than that, last week I went to Colca Canyon (which is the second deepest canyon in the world, the first deepest is here too but I haven´t been yet). It was awesome. The first night we went to Las Caleras which are natural hotspring-lets just say it was love at first sight. Jaja I´ve now decided I´m going to build a house next to some hotsprings someday. There were so amazing relaxing..sigh...I could have stayed there all night.
After that we went back to town (Chivay), ate pollo a la brasa (chicken) and then later went out to the discoteca (I say the disco cause there was only one we could find with people-really small town), danced and then came home early because our adventure to El Cruz del Condor was going to start at four the next morning.
Day two, woke up to a knock at the door (gah so early), got on a bus and arrived about two hours later at El Cruz del Condor which is the best place to see the canyon and more importantly the giant condors that fly there. We got there and were about the only ones. Bought a chullo (peruvian hat, the colorful ones with the cool ear flappy things) cause it was freezing and then sat down to relax, the condors weren´t due till 7:30 or 8:00. It started to get hot and so I took a nap in the sun, took some fun pictures with the chicas (I went with my friend and his fam for his abuelitas 75 bday) and we waited somemore. Then the people started to arrive. I mean buses of people. This place was packed, it was insane. Waited some more but still no birds. His mom said they weren´t going to come out because it was ´ferriado´which is a holiday where no one goes to school or works, jaja, but it turns out they were only sleeping in and about just as we were going to give up at ten something out they came (well two but still). And they were amazing. Giant, graceful, beautiful. It was very cool and I would have to say worth the wait. I have pictures of all of this but like I said, it´s not working and so I´ll save them for later. After that we hopped back on the bus and a lady from Spain asked me if I had a bolígrafo-thanks to Mrs. Churchley my Spanish teacher I knew what that was cause they don´t use that word here (they use lapicero). Jaja accents from Spain are great, if you haven´t heard them you should, they´re pretty cool. Reminds me how many words here are different and how I had to learn that, sometimes the hard way. We hung out in Chivay a bit longer, took a walk to the river and attempted to fish with a net but the river was really dry, hunted down some icecream and then took off for home. Really quick trip but it was fun nonetheless.
Relaxing weekend, went to Siu´s bday party on Sunday. Felt kinda of sick and really blah and so I did a lot of sleeping too, better now though. Headed to the beach on Wednesday with Siu and some other exchangers. Siu is from Camana, a beach town, and it´s fesitval is this week and is suppossed to be insane so I´m excited. I´ll let you all know how it goes!

Hope everyone is having a great week! Love and miss you all! --Court