More buses back to Arequipa

From Iain: July 18-19 - We made our way back to Arequipa over two days.  Before leaving Cabanaconde, we went to the lookout again hoping to see condors.  We managed to spot a couple, but they were quite far off and so I couldn't get any photos.  I took a nice picture of a local senorita in her festival dress with the girls, however.

The festival had been going on in Cabanaconde for the whole five days we'd been on our Canon del Colca trip.  Every day, bands of thirty or so local men with drums and brass instruments and large hats would roam around the main square and narrow streets of the town, playing the same few tunes over and over and demanding chicha (a fermented corn drink) from obliging households.  The festival culminated in a bullfight attended by what seemed the whole town.  We watched the preliminary stages from a hill overlooking the bullring, but moved on before things turned too unpleasant.  Lest anyone forget, later on when we walked back to town past the bullring we had to step over a large pool of blood draining from a dead bull lying sprawled on the ground with its belly sliced open,  Of course the girls found this fascinating, although they did wonder why the bulls were tortured to death like this (why indeed?).
After taking a public bus from Cabanaconde to Chivay, we stayed at Hostal Estrella de David again and went out to the hot springs once more.

Chivay's La Calera Hot Springs

We took another public bus from Chivay to Arequipa and stayed with Virginia at her comfortable house again.  Next destination - Lake Titicaca.