Kitcat

So my journey home was predictably long, I was one of the first 10 in the queue to checkin in Lima and yet KLM still couldn't give me a window seat. When i saw I was sitting next to a nun I thanked god, how bad can she be!? But alas she needed the toliet every hour and it was a bit of a pain being woken up so she could go. We had to land in Curacao after 3 hrs of flying because of bad weather in Bonaire and waited there for 2 hours before we could land in Bonaire and then fly on to Amsterdam. Our 2 hour delay meant that I missed my connecting flight and they couldn't get me on another flight to London that night so booked me in for 6.30am ... read more

While I wait for my international flight at Lima airport I thought i would share a few thoughts on my trip. The People The Peruvians I have really liked, they have been nice, welcoming people and it felt like coming home after being in Bolivia and Chile. The most practice I got with my Spanish was with the taxi drivers who seem to love to chat away including this morning at 5.30am on the way to Arequipa airport the guy was giving me a real test of my Spanish at that time the morning. Its all great fun and I have learned quite a few words and phrases and it will be a shame not to keep it up and learn more Spanish. The Ecuadorians seem very nice and friendly, Bolivians well I cant really comment ... read more

Oh my god, it feels great to finally have a shower and a rest and not have to rush around. We have reached the Northern Chilean town of Arica which is just near the border of Peru and I think a great place to stop for rest. There is a big difference between Bolivia and Chile and its nice to be in civilisation for a while. This internet connection seems super fast! The overnight bus ride to get here was so much better than we have experienced, I slept like a baby and was woken up with a cup of tea. Also, I have been in the front seat of a few buses and it almost feels like you are in an Imax theatre with the desert landscapes sweeping past you.. its amazing stuff. Things are ... read more

My camera got snatched out of my hand in a taxi in La Paz and I was only there for an hour! I was kind of expecting it to happen at some point but getting the paperwork from these guys is a pain especially as we are on our way to a tour that lasts 3 days and drops off in Chile. Just spoke to a very scary policeman and he said he might have it ready for me in a bit. I´ve got Terrell still with me as a bodyguard and i think i will stick with him till the end of the trip now so he can take photos. We decided due to me only having 5 days of my trip left to leave La Paz almost as soon as we got there and ... read more

I got the night bus to Puno with an American I met on the Lares Trek, we arrived in at 5.30am totally knackered from lack of sleep on the Pony Express(the bus company) we still managed to book a 2 day tour for 8am that morning to go to Lake Titicaca. It was lovely taking a boat and we managed to sleep on there so it was a bit of a lifesaver. We stayed with a local family for one night and it was very interesting. We ate the food they ate which consisted of potato soup, rice and potatoes and bread - carb overload. But boy did we need it as they forgot to mention when we booked that we had a 2 hr hike to the top of the island to 4100m. It wasnt ... read more

Mules, trucks and trains... I hope you have some time cos here is my account of the Lares Trek... On the 1st day we drove through some amazing scenery to get to our starting point and lunch was prepared for us which was pretty impressive for camping. I felt a small pang of regret as bus left us and all our camping equipment and duffle bags were loaded onto horses but with walking stick in hand we set off on our incredible journey across the Andes. Our group was 13 and we had an entourage of 10 including 2 guides, horsemen, porters and cooks who rushed ahead of us to beat us to set up the night camp. I set off at a slow and steady pace as they say "slow and steady wins the race" ... read more