Eventually I left Puno for the home of Machu Picchu, Cusco. When I arrived at my hostel I was thrown into a Playboy party - think the pictures say it all. Cusco is a beautiful city, which made a pleasant change after La Paz and Puno! Machu Picchu was ´discovered´there in 1911 by an American and now the entire city exists to serve the millions of tourists it receives. Avoiding the streets sellers can be a real pain. I was constantly hounded by boys telling me my trainers were too dirty and if I didn´t have them cleaned no club would [View Full Entry]

---

---

The Lonely Planet describes Lake Titicaca as 'the world's highest navigable lake' in the Peru section and then goes on to say 'Lake Titicaca is often wrongly described as the World's highest navigable lake' in the Bolivia section. Whatever the case may be they forgot to mention Copacabana (one of the Lake's towns) is Bolivia's answer to Brighton. Everyone flocks here for their holidays and hires as paddling swan to 'explore' the lake. After one night there I decided to catch a boat to Isla Del Sol (Island of the Sun), an island at the heart of the Incan culture. All [View Full Entry]

---

---

La Paz is the highest major city in the world, a fact that hits you as soon as you step off the plane. After 10 steps I was out of breath and felt as if I'd downed a couple of pints. Sadly the second feeling wore off pretty quickly, whereas the first still insists on making me feel was if I smoke 20 a day! Having travelled through the most developed regions in South America, Bolivia's relative poverty struck me when I landed. It's almost like a slice of Asia has landed in the middle of S.A, which is no [View Full Entry]

---

---

This place has it all! Rio is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, white-sandy beaches and rainforests! While we were there we saw Christ the Redeemer, got pummeled by Copacabana´s waves, looked bemusedly at the beach goers attire, hit the streets and favelas for parties and finally slept in the world´s craziest dorm! At the copa copacabana (copacabana)...........Her name was lola, she was a showgirl............At the copa (co!) copacabana (copacabana)...........dam you Barry Manilow! I sang that song way too many times on the beach and as shown by my knowledge of the lyrics it was prett [View Full Entry]

---

---

An incredibly beautiful old town with over 70 islands and stunning beaches - why then do so many travellers miss it out?! We had a great time there eating loads of Acai (Brazil´s super fruit), getting Capoeira and break dancing lessons from locals in a club and watching Mike do a shot of chili oil! Our guide to getting by with no Portuguese *Ordering chicken breasts in the supermarket (creator Mike) Steps 1. Start by bending you arms into chicken wings. 2. Then flap a few times. 3. Finish by grabbing your breasts. (Success rate 100%). *How to swap a big [View Full Entry]

---

---

To travel from the Iguazu Falls (Argentina) to Paraty (Brazil) in the quickest time, at the lowest cost and in the highest comfort. In Paraty we aim not to be robbed, to find a good place to stay and to meet other travellers. Hypothesis All will run smoothly and we´ll have a great time Method (none of this was booked!) Take a bus from Argentina to the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls Catch a taxi to the bus station. Get a bus to Sao Paulo Catch a connecting bus to Paraty Wander the streets at night for accommodation Materials (or [View Full Entry]

---

---

As natural wonders go the Iguazu Falls are breathtaking! I´m not going to try and describe them, I´ll let the pictures show you how stunning they are. As usual I took far too many, but who cares! The falls have an odd effect on people. Everyone there is smiling and laughing. We arrived groggy but left on a high and this happen on each of our three visits. The best thing we did there was take a speed boat into the plunge pool area of the falls. We boarded the boat last and the only remaining seats were two right at [View Full Entry]

---

---

After 35 hours of travelling and 3 flights my original travelling buddy, Mike, arrived looking worse for ware, but safely. His epic trip didn't end there though and 3 hours later we were on a flight to Salta. Salta is a relatively sleepy town in the north of Argentina know for its beautiful architecture and cobbled streets. Mike and I spent a day exploring the city, but to be honest I preferred our quad biking trip and he fell in love with Argentinian steak! In fact the only night we chose not to eat steak our meal was that bad we [View Full Entry]

---

---

Anyone who leaves to Buenos Aires without it finding a place in their heart couldn't have left their room! The city has absolutely everything and while it's massive it retains a warmth. To me BA is about food, nightlife and football. In that order. I probably ate half a cow in the week I was there and it cost me less than $10 a steak - brilliant! BA's infamous nightlife was something I didn't want to miss. I loved they way they take their evenings a lot slower. Back at home we rush a few drinks while getting ready, cram in [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello from my last continent! In my last blog I said crossing the international date line was cool, well it's not! That and some serious partying temporarily turned me into an incomniac! I'm cured now so you can breathe sigh of relief! On my flight from New Zealand I joined four other backpackers and we explored Santiago and Buenos Aires together. We arrived in Santiago complety exhausted, so we did what travellers do best and took a power nap. Then we were ready to venture round the city. The area we stayed in had no expatreates and very few people spoke [View Full Entry]

---

---