Huacachina is definately more like a touristy holiday resort than a travelling destination, but all the same, it was a nice break! Huacachina is a small oasis surrounded by huge sandunes. I couldn't get over how compact this place was, you could walk around it within around 10 minutes. On the oasis there were little pedal boats that you could ride on, it reminded me of when I was a child. Speaking of children, we were surrounded by them, lots of Peruvian families holidaying with their children, splashing around in the tiny lake. What made this place so different from your [View Full Entry]

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Seeing as the Galapagos is immensely expensive due to rise in prices in order to deter too many tourists from visiting, we opted for the Ballestas Islands, apparently the next best thing and significantly cheaper! We took a boat ride out pretty early and toured these islands just off the coast of Paracus. They are part of the national reserve, so we couldn't actually go onto the islands, but we circled them for around an hour. I don't think I have ever seen so many birds in my life before! There were more blue footed boobies, pelicans, penguins, turkey vultures and [View Full Entry]

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We've been in Huaraz 5 days now and the last three have been jam packed with various treks. I can honestly say I have never been so exhausted in my life as I was last night, but it was totally worth it! On day one we did an acclimatization walk as the altitude here can make you terribly sick if you're not used to it. We did this at Lake Llacca. Suprisingly the altitude didn't mess with me at all. I've been fine the whole time thankfully as I wouldn't want sickness to have spoilt the amazing surroundings I was in. [View Full Entry]

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I spent my 20th birthday in a beachside town named Huanchaco, just 20 minutes outside of Trujillo. It was a strange feeling having a birthday with no friends or family around you. It didn't really feel like a birthday at all. I wonder how Christmas will feel? Huanchaco was pleasant enough there, but the sun just didn't want to show itself. The beach was more like a grey british seaside town! Nonetheless we saw some great sights in the area. We visited the ancient ruins of Chan Chan which are dated back around 2000 years to the Chimu people. The ruins [View Full Entry]

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So we spent 4 days in the beautiful, relaxed and super-bohemian beachside town of Mancora. It was our first stop in Peru after spending a gruelling entire day on a bus to cross the border. We arrived late at night and racked up to a not so great hostal called Hostel Sol y Mar. The guidebooks rate it as value for money and a good place to stay. I disagree. It sounded like we were right next to a nightclub with boom boom boom coming through the walls until 1am and drunkards playing ping pong outside of our door until the [View Full Entry]

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We’re now in Vilcabamba, a small village known as the ‘valley of longevity’ as people here seem to live much longer than anywhere else. It is easy to see why as it is a very laid back area, where most are just sitting around on doorsteps or in cafes watching the world go by. Just yesterday I was one of those people, sat outside the internet cafe on my netbook researching future places to stay and suddenly behind us a lonely traveller begins to play his guitar and sing at the top of his voice. I don’t know whether this is [View Full Entry]

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We're now in Cuenca, where the architecture is amazing! As far as the cities go, this is definately my favourite in Ecuador. It is so pretty, for a city anyway! You can really see the Spanish influence here. The buildings are so intricate and all have quant little balconies overlooking the fairly narrow streets. We've only got two nights here, so we havn't seen a great deal but today we took a trip to the nearby villages of Gualaceo and Chordeleg where we visited the infamous markets. The fruit market was like my dream come true. I sampled at least my [View Full Entry]

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I've just arrived in Cuenca after spending 4 nights in Puerto Lopez in a lovely hostel names 'Hosteria Mandala'. The drive from Manta airport to Puerto Lopez was a grim one. I had just left my dream home in Mindo, a lush green area to drive through what seemed like the badlands. We were surrounded by death and people who looked like they led hard lives. all the trees were bare and looked dead. There were turkey vultures everywhere and hardly a living soul in sight, apart from the odd village we passed through. At this point I was panicking that [View Full Entry]

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El-monte lodge is like a dream! It is so tranquil and beautiful. It really feels like home. I would be falling asleep with the sounds of a rushing stream and the many insects and birds living around me. It feels so natural, just like Sadhana. Not to mention the cabins, they’re incredible! So beautifully and skillfully designed and built. Tom and Mariella (the owners) really have outdone themselves. They built El-monte from the ground up and I really admire their achievement. This definitely is 5* backpacking. You could see up into the cloud forest mountains right outside my window [View Full Entry]

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So we finally made it to Quito late on Tuesday evening. The bed in L’auberge Inn was definitely a blessing after attempting to sleep upright in hard aeroplane chairs! For anyone going to Quito, I would recommend the L’auberge Inn as it is cheap and cheerful. It has a great vibe with many friendly travellers passing through! Plus there is internet and a great cafe that serves delicious fruit salads and fresh juice for breakfast, or pancakes with maple syrup if you’re not on a health kick! Our first day was spent soaking up the culture and size of Quito. To [View Full Entry]

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