We woke this morning at 4:30 am to begin hiking up and out of the Colca Canyon by 5:00 am. Just 3 days ago, we were picked up at 3:00 am at our hostel to begin our Colca Canyon trek. This early morning routine is nothing out of the norm for a traveler. There are oh so many reasons that one could get a less than restful night's sleep; let me count the ways...
Well, of course as already described there are the hikes, tours and other excursions that require a ridiculously early wake-up. The early start can be to tackle the long drive ahead, to beat the bad weather awaiting at the top of the mountain or volcano or as was the case today-- to beat the blistering afternoon heat.
Sometimes you don't get any sleep at all because you stay at a 'party hostel' where sleep is just not an option. For us, we learned this the hard way at Luna's Castle in Panama City, Panama. No big deal, we only had a flight to catch the next morning at 7:00 am. Now, we only stay at 'party hostels', when we indeed want to party. It's a simple concept-- but it took us a little while to learn.
Sometimes you stay in a hostel that is just so disgusting, that getting a little shut-eye is nearly impossible-- as you lay still praying you do not move in your sleep and expose yourself to more of the bed than you have to. We experienced this joy at Casa Argentina in Xela, Guatemala. A few dollars saved on a hostel, often directly equates to a few hours of sleep lost. Now we splurge a bit, an extra peso, soles or cordoba can go a long way around here!
Then there are the overnight bus journeys that somehow always leave us exhausted and grimy. My personal favorite is when you are told you have a 'direct bus' and end up getting dropped off in the middle of the night/early morning at some random bus station, waiting in the cold for a connecting bus. Our latest bus trip from Cusco to Arequipa had this fate-- it was awesome visiting the fine town Juliaca at 4:00 am!
And lastly, there are those nights where the 'all nighter' is self inflicted: crazy nights out and/or an unyielding addiction to the rare opportunity for free cable TV (in English) and internet at a generous hostel. I will admit I sometimes fall victim to these type of all nighters... it happens to the best of us!
The moral of the sleep story is, that no matter what the mode of sleep deprivation-- you somehow end up with a smile on your face the next day and enthusiasm for the upcoming adventure. The travel experience is just that incredible that no matter what comes your way and no matter how little sleep you have had... it's all good and just part of the experience. I must say Beth and I have gotten pretty damn good at functioning at a high level under the influence of very little (and sometimes no) sleep. We are proud of our progress.
And that is why I write this blog now with a smile on my face at 9:30 pm after waking up at 4:30 am to hike out of a canyon-- a canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon in fact!
Speaking of the Colca Canyon trek... it was AMAZING! It was the perfect mix of quality trekking and time to relax in beautiful places along the way. We got to visit and spend time in some of the small canyon villages, spend a day laying poolside in the sunny, green and palm tree filled canyon 'oasis', eat fresh fruit our guide picked for us along the trail and also enjoy hot springs on our way back towards Arequipa. The Canyon was gorgeous, our group of fellow trekkers amazing and the weather was perfect. An awesome adventure from beginning to end.
We are spending tonight (at a quiet hostel) in Arequipa and are catching the bus tomorrow morning to head to Puno on Lake Titicaca. I am incredibly excited to explore both the Peru and Bolivia sides of this ridiculously named lake...Lake Titicaca here we come!
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