Our first Argentina stop took some getting to, starting in Potosi (Bolivia) we took a 5 hour bus back to Uyuni where we picked up the 9.5 hour overnight train to the border at Villazon. After a much easier than expected border crossing we realised US dollars were of no use to Argentinian taxi drivers and had to walk to the bus terminal where we picked up a 5 hour bus to Jujuy and then a 1.5 hour connection to Salta, finally arriving about 30 hours after we had set out. First impressions of Argentina were in marked contrast to Bolivia, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Bolivia is a fascinating country - the way of life we have seen would be best described as being "from another time", but it´s scenery has been the country´s best feature - and that would be best described as being "from another planet". This continued on our bus journey from Uyuni, which was bound for yet another of Bolivia´s "World´s highest" - this time "town" in the form of Potosi. The journey was spectacular with one sections scenery looking like a combination of Star Wars and Roadrunner - here we briefly stopped whilst the locals drank water from the stream and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Bolivia makes many claims to have "the World´s highest...." for example; internet cafe, hostel, fat woman in a bowler hat, but its Salar de Uyuni, or salt flats, can lay claim to being not only the highest but also the largest in the World. Covering some 4,000 square miles the flats were once part of a prehistoric lake which has dried to leave an estimated 10 billion tonnes of salt making me wonder why Bolivia isn´t more famous for its white stuff, well the salty kind anyway. We booked our 3 day salt flat tour the morning after we arrived with [View Full Entry]

---

---

We have seen some diversity on this trip - but the place we found ourselves in after our 64km descent from La Paz was like a different world, not a nearby town. We had dropped from half the height of Everest - where the landscape was jagged and bleak with warm days and wintery nights - to a mere 1,000 feet where the subtropical climate allowed orange groves, banana, coca and coffee plantations to turn the landscape green and lush. We had planned to take a trek out of Coroico further down into the valley, but when we realised our hotel [View Full Entry]

---

---

Heading from Copacabana to La Paz involved a 4 hour bus journey including one point where we all had to get off and take a boat across a small stretch of Lake Titicaca whilst the bus went in a different boat which looked dubiously like it may not make it. The scenery along the way was dramatic though we are beginning to get spoilt by towering snowcapped mountains, bright blue skies and shimmering lakes (honestly this travel lark is tough!) As we neared La Paz the density of houses increased and we realised we were passing through El Alto (supposedly the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Country number 10 was one we were both looking forward to - hoping it would have the same charm as Peru without all the "bloody Inca Trailers" and touristy add-ons - so after an early start we boarded a bus whose maiden journey had probably been in about 1978 and headed off to Bolivia. The border crossing was typically unorganised and bizarre - Peruvian officials wearing 'Anti Droga' uniforms "stormed" our bus and searched every bag on board, no doubt hoping to keep all Peru's precious drugs within their own country and not shared with Bolivia. We then got our passports [View Full Entry]

---

---

The sheer number of ruins in and around Cusco is immense and we had booked ourselves on a Sacred Valley tour the day after returning from Machu Picchu, taking in Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. The day started well with gorgeous weather and our first stop, Pisac, gave us a chance to visit the Sunday market selling the usual array of handicrafts before heading up the nearby moutain housing the ruins. Despite the walk being fairly steep in places wheezing old ladies and families dragging tiny bawling children had decided it made the perfect Sunday outing forcing our group to do a [View Full Entry]

---

---

Firstly I realise that this is a break in the tradition of alternating who writes each blog - but please forgive me as I have something to "shout from the rooftops!!" - At approximately 1.45pm on the 22nd of May Carla agreed to marry me. The full story goes (for those interested) that I woke up on our final day in Cusco and had the urge to do something about a proposal (maybe it was the beautiful surroundings - although I blame the coca tea!) so I excused myself after breakfast in the hostel saying I was going to "buy a [View Full Entry]

---

---

You can always sense you're nearing a world famous "must see sight" by the appearance of Japanese and Korean woman in massive sun visors. These woman never stand still and talk continuously, whilst their husbands (who never talk) take photos of them awkwardly posing in front of Angor Wat/Uluru/Sydney Opera House or in this instance Lima airports unforgettable and majestic gate number 16. Our flight to Cusco was our third with LAN who kept up their high standards of rudeness and misinformation flying us firstly back toward Newzealand before a sharp U-turn allowed us enough altitude to clear [View Full Entry]

---

---

I have to admit that I found the start of the South American adventure pretty tough. Staff at each hostel we stayed at, other travellers, strangers on buses and guide books all told a mixture of, sometimes conflicting, warnings; "be careful with your bags", "I know someone who was mugged and stabbed", "always carry your passport with you or you can get fined", "leave your valuables at the hostel", "never leave your valuables at the hostel". All that and a dose of jetlag left me paranoid and walking down the street after dark had me nervous...despite the fact that we have [View Full Entry]

---

---