We´ve been in Peru for just under two weeks now and we´re having a fabulous time. We´ve spent the last two days (semi-) chilling in the beautiful city of Cuzco, certainly a city that is set up for the tourist trade but not in such an ostentatious way. The Plaza de Armas is a wonderful centre-piece and the small streets off it are lovely. Our hotel is quiet and comfortable and only one block away from the centre and you can get up onto the roof and view Cuzco (as well as Blue and Yellow Tanagers and the ubiquitous Rufous-collared Sparrows).
We´ve seen plenty of footy shirts on the locals, but all have been Peruvian, except one - yes, he was wearing a Blackburn Rovers shirt!
On reflection, Lima was a bit of a dissapointment, there is certainly a lot of poverty there but as with all big cities, it draws many poorer people in from the country in search of better things - well for me there are MUCH better things in other parts of Peru (though not perhaps Juliaca!). Arequipa was lovely in the centre and the area where we stayed (apart from the incessant yapping of the dogs). Chivay and the Colca canyon was spectacular and not to be missed. Puno was an interesting place, very friendly but definitely a bit of a backwater - Lake Titicaca was fantastic.
And now in the main tourist centre of Cuzco we must say that this is a part of the world that one should try to travel to. We´re so glad that we have.
And now into the Amazon! We travel down the Manu Road tomorrow, dropping from 3400 m altitude to 500 m. I´m nervous that I´ll have new-bird overload and Bernies ápprehensive of the thought of all the frogs! Well we´ll have seven days to get used to it. So far we´ve seen 151 species of which 136 have been new. We´re not doing too bad for hummingbirds (12 species so far) and the more obvious birds such as wildfowl and waders (except the DSP). Lets hope the weather holds fine for us!
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