Chasanaski

It had to happen. We were running out of money. When Ana and I planned this trip we decided we were really going to do South America. Thus far, while we had seen new places such as Rio, Iguazu and the Colca Canyon, we had yet to venture past our relative comfort zones. So it was with a heavy heart that we decided to cut short our visit to Chile to just three days. The one thing in Chile I had wanted to do was hike in the Torres del Paine, but our original timetable only gave us enough time to fly down there and flights were set at murderous prices due to peak season. So we decided to save money by chilling with friends and family in Lima and then take in one sight properly ... read more

So we sadly said goodbye to Home Sweet Home and the beautiful city of Cusco. Our luggage was a little heavier after all our shopping, and Rachel and Delia also had ornate walking sticks that helped them through the Inca Trail. Mine (Ana's) reeked of vomit and Chas and I were too cheap to buy a prettily designed one (thank goodness Chas says) so I decided to leave it behind. A brief stopover in Lima with the wonderful Pedro and Emma to repack all the stuff we left there before heading to Cusco (a deeply horrible process that Chas and I put off until we came back from the jungle) ended back at Lima airport via taxi. It has always been a really cosy ride when we've caught taxis together! As James is the tallest it ... read more

Enforced vacation… health reasons you understand Our time in Cusco started off pleasantly. We had planned to have two days of r&r without much sightseeing before embarking on the Inca Trail, despite Cusco being the former capital of the Incan Empire (Qosco meaning bellybutton of the world) and jampacked with sites of extreme historical interest and beauty. This is because within two days we were going on the famous Inca Trail, the religious pilgrimage undertaken by the Inca and his family from Cusco to Machu Picchu, the lost Incan city. We arrived in Cusco after a very dramatic landing (I cannot remember ever bouncing so high on the tarmac when landing in a jet) to be picked up by Waykitrek (Wayki being the Quechua word for close friend), the hiking company with whom we had booked ... read more

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone! Lots of love from Ana and Chas! Sorry about the lack of blogs but we have been really busy (by lax Chasanaski standards anyway) and have not had enough time to go into all we have been doing. This month in Peru has had us explore the capital city, the coastal desert region, the Southern Andes and the deepest canyon in the world, the capital of the Incan empire and a lost city followed up by Christmas in the Amzon jungle with the most exposed camping we have ever done. Basically, there are lots of blogs coming out in a short period of time as we now have the time to do them. We know from our stats that this means that subsequent blogs often do not get read ... read more

Fear of Arrival This month in Argentina has been a truly welcome mix of homecoming and new experiences. When Ana and I started planning this trip, it was to be a combination of volunteer work, visiting exciting new places but also to visit old friends and family around the world for the first time as a married couple. So coming back to Argentina, where my family (Chas) lived for 6 years and where I left when I was 16 years old, after some of the best times of my life, was frightening in many ways. After the economic crisis in 2001 (food riots, 5 presidents in two weeks), it was uncertain what would be the same and what had changed, including my friends. Ana here: After moving around from hostel to hostel, it was with great ... read more