http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/CassieandDave/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from CassieandDave en-us Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:37:50 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:37:50 +0000 The first thing you notice when arriving in La Paz is the scarily busy streets filled with many markets and the constant sound of car horns. The most interesting market is the witches market which is filled with different potions llama foetuses jaguar skins and other more things used for different spells and sacrifices. Aswell as looking around the city we managed to fit in some activities too. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Huayna-Potosi/blog-417862.html After spending a few days in Arequipa we got the bus to Colca Canyon one of the deepest canyons in the world. After the trouble we had with the guide for Machu Picchu we decided not to go as part of a tour and just left with 3 friends and a map. We stayed in Capaconde the night we arrived and woke up early to begin our walk into the canyon. On leaving the village we were followed by a stray dog http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-417762.html Before we arrived in Cuzco we knew we would be spending a long time there so we decided to get an apartment. As there was 8 of us it worked out a lot cheaper than staying in a hostel. Because we had the apartment we were able to cook a few decent meals which made a nice change. The boys even managed to get hold of a play station for the week. We tried a few traditional meals in town including alpa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-408227.html Our first stop in Peru was Mancora a seaside town similar to Montanita. After meeting up with some friends we went to a bbq beach party to mark our last beach stop before heading into the cold. On our way to Lima we decided to break up the journey by stopping in Hyanchaco. From here we were able to visit the ancient mud cities around Trujillo including one of Perursquos largest structures a py http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/blog-407081.html Our first stop in Equador was Quito despite being the capital the city felt really small. The main reason we stopped here was so I could climb Cotapaxi a snow capped volcano which is 5879m above sea level. Due to its high altitude only 50 of people make it to the top. As there was only me and one other guy in the group we only had one guide which meant if someone didnrsquot make it we would b http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/West/Montanita/blog-407069.html We spent a few days exploring Columbias capital Bogota. The city was packed with museums art galleries and restaurants as well as impressive buildings. One place we visited was the national police museum which had a large exhibition dedicated to Pablo Escobar including his blood stained jacket. Another highlight was the Salto del Kathedral a massive cathedral caved 160 meters inside a salt http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-394654.html After finishing The Lost City treck we decided it was time for some R R and headed for Parque National Tyrona on the carribean coast. Our time there mainly consisted of relaxing by the beach snorkelling on coral reefs cooking by the campfires and sleeping in hammocks. Before long we felt rejuvenated and hit Taganga a Caribbean diving town with a party atmosphere. Dave took the opportunity to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Salento/blog-394633.html We left Salvador and headed to Belem in the North of Brazil. From here we decided to take a 5 day boat trip up the Rio Amazonas but as with most things in Brazil it ended up taking 6 days. The view was amazing and it was great to travel up the Amazon. The boat arrived a day before we where due to leave so we went aboard and set up the hammocks hoping to avoid making the same mistake as we did i http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Santa-Marta/Ciudad-Perdida/blog-394467.html After entering Brazil again we went to Bonito a small town were we relaxed and went snorkeling in the river with hundreds of fish. As we where about to visit the Pantanal we decided to try out some of its inhabitants and had a dinner of Caiman wild bore and Capybara It was then time to see the animals in the wild so we went on a 4 day trip into the Pantanal the largest wetlands area in the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Salvador/blog-394364.html We flew into Sau Paulo Brazil and after a couple of days we soon settled in. It was a very busy city full of highrise buildings and takeaways blasting out dance music. The main highlight was bumping into Pele in a street market which was pretty exciting. We then headed to Foz Do Iguazu and the Iguazu Falls. As many of you know my love of waterfalls you can guess how happy i was......it was gorg http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/blog-394153.html