Happy New Year to one and all!!! Our next point of embarkation was Puno and it was from here that we would enter Bolivia and head straight for its captial, La Paz. We got what we expected to be a harmless bus ride but we were a little off the mark. We were all told to get off the bus when we reached a narrow part of Lake Titicaca and like sheep we were herded to a little boat that had certainly seen better days and ferried across to the other side of the drink. About half way across the lake [View Full Entry]

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We left for Puno on a tour bus and stopped at a number of small towns along the way. Andahuaylillas, Rumicolca, Pucara and Raqchi were Incan and pre-Incan towns famous for their architecture and history We arrived in Puno with a temporary travel companion called Peter, a Dutch art historian living in Paris and very much a self-professed European. He was a nice lad and he set us up in another nice hostel where we were to stay for 2 nights and attempt to recuperate from the previous week´s activities. The sweet old couple who ran the hostel booked our trip [View Full Entry]

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Having been set up for our onward voyage in Cusco, we hopped on the Peru rail backpacker train for our next adventure - the infamous Machu Picchu. It was yet another early start to Aguas Calientes, the little town which was our drop point off for the ancient Incan site. Somewhat overpriced, there´s no avoiding this town for anyone who wants to experience Machu Picchu We checked into our hostel and had a quick look around to see what was on offer. Unfortunately for us there wasn´t much so we resorted to dining with a parrot in a local restaurant. This [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Cusco bright and early after another delicious night bus. The hostel turned out to be great and although it was a little bit of a walk outside the centre we had all our creature comforts which makes for a rather pleasant stay, especially when you´re looking to recharge your batteries, as we were Cusco was the heart of the old Incan empire and this colonial city´s foundations are the ruins of so many ancient buildings. This place has so much history and I made sure to drag Vicki around with me to all of the main attractions The [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in yet another colonial town on our south bound journey through Peru, this one being Arequipa. Having spent a long time on a bus we were delighted to find a hostel with a tv where we recharged our batteries for a few hours before heading out to explore the town The following morning we headed off on a bus to the famous Colca Canyon. We had a guided tour of the region and stopped for our first taste of coca tea. As you may expect, this is the plant which, when mixed with chemicals produces that world famous drug [View Full Entry]

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After we crossed Ecaudor's border we stopped in a little town just inside Peru called Piura. The men left the women with the bags and went looking for accommodation around the town. After some exploring we finally found a decent spot but Neil and I are sure that the clerk thought we were bennies when the two of us went in and asked if they had a double room. He immediately smirked and said no. After we mentioned going back to the girls he had a sudden change of heart and said "Oh wait, actually I have two double rooms!" That [View Full Entry]

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Riobamba was the starting point for our descent south into Peru. The town is famous for the spectacular train ride to Sibambe, stopping in Alausi before making its way down to the world famous Nariz del Diablo or "Devil´s Nose" We didn´t do a whole lot in Riobamba except wait for a few hours for the train tickets to go on sale. We stayed here one night and set off early the following morning Neil and I rented some cushions and sat on the roof, which is the done thing for this trip. Vicki and Laura were cold and tired so [View Full Entry]

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After Cotopaxi, the 6 of us went to a famous little town in Ecuador called Baños. This is Spanish for "Baths" and is so called because it has a number of public and private thermal baths. It is one of Ecuadors most popular tourist destinations for both Ecuadorians as well as genuine "out of towners" The night we arrived we went for an initial inspection of what the town had to offer and then we headed out for a cracking steak dinner. As with most decent restaurants that we have been to all over Central and South America, we were kept [View Full Entry]

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We had not initially planned to go to Ecuador, pretty much because we knew nothing about it but now that we´ve been there and done that, we´re delighted we did! We flew into the country´s capital, Quito from Honduras and were keen to begin experiencing what South America had to offer. Quito´s setting is fantastic and we couldn´t have picked a better hostel to view it from. We were situated in a huge building on the edge of a hill in the "Old Town" and the terrace restaurant and bar looked out onto all the major sights in Quito. Every morning [View Full Entry]

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After a 2 hour journey in the back of a jeep we arrived at probably one of the nicest places we´ve been to so far. Our accommodation was officially called a hostel but as Vicki said, it felt more like we were invited into this family´s home for a few days. Called the Secret Garden Cotopaxi, it is owned by an Aussie guy and his Ecuadorian wife. They also own the hostel we stayed in in Quito and the advertisements for Cotopaxi were such a draw that we decided to give it a crack and in no way were we disappointed. [View Full Entry]

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