1pm cuzco, Peru.
Mistakes might be more frequent, the keybord is worn until most letters are only part visible, but at least its daytime and not dark!
The troops are a bit wery, shanti is in bed while i have just got up to catch up on various things such as the blog. Cusco is waiting outside so its not ideal to be sleeping but the actiovity has been busy plus low sleep hours.
we finished our last day at Bellevista with a 5 am start and off to visit some high country, driving and walking to 3,500 ft on the back of a volcano. Not blowing its lid, dammit. The drive was up a back road climbing through an absolutely pristine rain forest, with a fast stream at its base. We were driving initially in dark and stopped to listen to a large cock of thre rock lek, which was making enough noise to be heard from inside the vehicle. They were on the other side of the gully and totally unapproachable, but the eerie sound carried well like an amphitheatre and we enjoyed hearing it it in the pre dawn of the nmorning. The drive continued, we bumped and ground up this remote road seeing wonderful lush forest with not a hint of human activity until the valley became less steep and there was room for the occasional roadside dwelling and farmlet. One was a trout farm with a collection of cement ponds, others were small dairy farms meaning a handful of cows who seemed to mainly graze the roadside. Higher up ther was an artichoke farm!
The terrain opened up for us as we cloimbed, with beautiful steep sided, forest cloaked ridges, and icreasig views of the ash covered peak in front of us. The whole region is ash soils and pumices but here they were deep and obvious beds im the road cuttings. The area has built up over time with successive eruptios of dark and light ash, eruptive bands often metres thick, and with larva flows. The erosion of this has created the distinctive terrain now visible. The last eruption was 1999 amd a decent one, i will find an example of a photo of it from Quito but it was a massive sight from the city and dropped significant ash on it.
We didnt stop enough for me
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Its a cold wet morning here. Snow in Central but the day brightened considerably looking at your latest photographs. The bird colours are almost unreal. Even though you dearly love the NZ varieties they pale somewhat when compared to their tropical cousins!! Hope you catch up a bit of sleep otherwise on your return you will be a couple of wrecks. Families here scattered for Queen's Birthday weekend but all well. Ruth and I glad to be home by the fire and expecting a visit later from A & C. Much love from all. N & R
ReplyDeleteLove the bird shots. Could look at them repeatedly. Exquisite. You must be a rabid hummingbird enthusiast now. Such a pleasure to see after a grey weekend in the South. Had an indoor weekend in Galloway, fun watching the two wee girls enjoy each other. Also great eve with Eadie aunts and consorts involving fireworks, BBQ prawns, mulled wine, brazier, hot rocks in pocket, petanque and cheese. Flag tearing around much if you are buggered. If you need rest a wander out to have a coffee in a local place can be enough for the day! Great to hear about your travels again. Much love to you both. xxxx
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