After our day in Saigon we departed by bus with stops in the Mekong river delta along the way for Trudy to make rice paper, me to sample the snake wine and the kids enjoyed coconut candy and popped rice. The next day was spent mostly on the water near the border then after crossing into Cambodia we cruised for several hours to Phnom Penh. [View Full Entry]

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We had a good flight here arriving at about 10pm and everyone felt pretty good. The next day we did some walking through the market and to the War Reminants Museum. Pretty graphic photos and history from "The American War", a real eye opener for the kids to see the cruelty of that war. We were definetly tired because we got back to our hotel room and fell asleep and missed going out for supper. [View Full Entry]

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We wish we were posting this from Taiwan but I guess being featured in a Taiwanese magazine is the next best thing. After our trip to Peru and Bolivia we were contacted by an editor in Taiwan who saw our blog and liked our pictures. So we sent Sandy lots of pictures and some were used in a short article on travel in Bolivia, specifically Copacabana and Isla del Sol. Thanks for the opportunity to be stars in Taiwan Sandy! [View Full Entry]

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Back in Lima for a final dose of diesel exhaust fumes. Spent an enjoyable few hours at the Museo de la Nacion catching up on pre Incan Peruvian history, took in MI3 at a theatre and ate one more massive roasted chicken meal. They have perfected the roasted tender chicken here in Peru... one whole roasted chicken fresh off the spit, one large plate of salad, one massive pile of french fries, and one big bottle of Inca Cola for as little as $8-10 Can. incl a beer and tip. The following morning no one had any enthusiasm for the ruins [View Full Entry]

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Our Inca trail trek included the backpacker train back to Cusco. We jumped off at Ollantaytambo since we hadnt yet seen the Incan ruins or much of the town. The town dates back to the 14th century and most of the roads and walkways are original Incan stonework. In the end I was the only one who went to the ruins, everyone else was too tired. The Ollantaytambo ruins are included in whats called a Boleto Touristico, a ticket which permits entry to a wide variety of sites in and around Cusco. Unfortunetly we had left ours in Cusco so I [View Full Entry]

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We are back in Cusco after hiking the Inca trail, it was amazing. Made an overnight stop in Ollantaytambo on the way back. [View Full Entry]

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Today we did another taxi tour. This one was kindly arranged by Mery at our hotel. In order we visited Tipon, Pikillacta, Rumicolca, Moray, Salinas, Chinchero and everything in between. We had more room in this taxi, or at least I did in front, Trudy and the kids were a bit squeezed in the back. No clutch or brake pad burning smells, leaking fuel and dust through the floor boards this time. The WOW factor was in full effect! [View Full Entry]

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We got talking cost with our taxi driver up to Sacsayhauman yesterday and decided to hire him to take us to Pisac today. So we met Carlos at 8am and all jammed into his little Daewoo for the up/down journey to the Incan fortress and tourist market at Pisac. Wonderful scenery to the faint smell of burning clutch going up and brake pads down. We also stopped at other ruins, Tambo Mchay on the way there and Qenko n the way back. [View Full Entry]

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Our first full day in Cusco. In the morning we checked in with our Inca trail trekking company PeruTreks did our banking, turned down beggers, art, postcards, guides, finger puppets. To say one is hounded here is an understatement, in comparison to the rest of Peru anyway. Makes for a fun game to see them ahead positioning for the proposal and to dive across the road through traffic and thwart them. In the afternoon we went by Cusco rapid transit (taxi) to the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman. Formally an Incan fortress 80% of what ws there was taken for building materials [View Full Entry]

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Well its hard to admit being the seasoned travellers that we consider we are but we got robbed! At the bus station in Puno while waiting for our bus to Cusco some cleaver fingered thief stole one of our day bags. The five of us had turned toward a couple travellers from Montreal who began talking to us and the rest is history. We let our guard down, hadn´t done our pre bus station security review and paid the price for it, some souvineers from Bolivia, a bottle of liquer and some batteries. Should have had most of it packed away [View Full Entry]

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