Ever since throwing a lot of money at a very silly but fun bicycle, I've been in the knowing of those mysterious Nazca lines. So it always was shortlisted as a destination. Having spoken to other travellers around as well, we also knew that like many other small peruvian cities, there would not be many other reasons to actually stay very long in the city of Nazca! No surprises there. So, after stretching the Huacachina stay untill Thursday morning, and knowing we already had bus tickets from Nazca to Cusco for Friday night, it would leave us with little over 24 hours in town to do our thing(s)! So after arriving at 1pm at the hostel (Brabant), and having a chat with our host about tours, we set out for some lunch and some more info, ... read more

Huacachina was one of those places in Peru which is not top of the tourist list, but the closer you get to it, the more people end up talking about it, and eventually you end up spending FAR much more time there then you'd ever have thought! Simple reason. From Lima south most seems a desert. Most cities have a Plaza de Armas, some churches and maybe, if they're big or old enough a cathedral and some colonial buildings. The rest is a rag-tag of unfinished and unattractive buildings, not made any more atractive by the average peruvian's inability to find garbage bins! So in most cases you tend to move onwards, and fast too. Ica, the place were we jumped of the bus (from Pisco) wasn't much better looking. The short taxi ride to Huacachina ... read more

I think one of the main reasons why we were looking forward to Lima was being back at sea level again, and thus, hopefully, feeling a bit warmer! Alas, we'd been warned that there would be too much fog. And so the story would be. Also, the suggestion was made to stay in Miraflores, the "ritzier" tourist part of Lima, in the Inka Hostal. I think neither we would recommend to anyone, unless you like concrete, shopping malls, and have industrial strength ear plugs. But anyways, it's still the nation's capital, and there were things to be seen. So we made a management summary, and made sure we did it all ASAP! So day one we got organised, and morning day 2 we got picked up for a half day city tour, yes, another one. Not ... read more

It had to be done. Ever since the Dragoman truck experience, which had 2 postcards with roasted guinnea pig on it, we knew that it had to be ordered and consumed in Peru!! The saying is, a picture says more than a 1000 words, so we´ll let the photos do the talking, comic book style !! One main reason why I waited till AFTER the Machu Picchu trek, was that I simply didn´t want to risk severe food poisoning BEFORE the trek. Wasn´t too bad in the end, and didn´t taste too bad either, a bit like a grilled rabbit...... but not sure if my niece will appreciate the look on my face next time I meet her pets... ... read more

when the inca trail is booked out months in advance and comprises mostly a beautiful stone pathway, largely uphill for 3 days, the best thing to do is choose a trekking option that involves spectacular mountain and jungle scenery and a slightly less harsh route for the feet. this is how we chose the salkantay to machu picchu trek. 5 days, 4 nights and trusty steeds that would carry 8kgs of our gear. nice one. day 1: pretty darn cold, straight through hot to freezing .... awake before the sparrows and the rooster has even thought of crowing and endure cold shower before putting on every item of warm clothing i own. for a general idea, this comprises a thermal singlet, thermal long sleeve, thicker thermal long sleeve, fleece, rainproof jacket, 2 pairs of socks - ... read more