Travelling north along the coast from Lima we stopped in a couple of beachside towns for some more history lessons and some beach chilling (including more surfing!) First stop was Huanchaco, a beach town close to the bigger city of Trujillo. Here the traditional rotara (reed boats) are used by the fisherman to paddle out beyond the waves to fish and then surf back in with their catch. I used a more traditional surfboard for my lesson, and can now add Peru to my list of surfing experience! Huanchaco was also the point from where we visited Chan Chan, the massive [View Full Entry]

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So...onwards to Peru´s capital city. We stayed pretty close to the Plaza de Armas in the centre of the city, but Lima is a massive place with almost 10 million inhabitants and many varied districts. Wandering round the main square, which includes the presidential palace, it was very reassuring to see a myriad of riot police equipped with shields and tear gas guns, and there was even a tank peering round the corner. Great. At the time, Peru was gearing up for the election run-off between Alan Garcia Perez (former president from 1985-90, his term characterised by hyperinflation, devaluation of t [View Full Entry]

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I was really looking forward to seeing for myself the Nasca lines, and I wasn´t disappointed. It is thought that these lines, geometric shapes and figures were made by the Paracas, Nazca and Wari peoples between 900 BC and 600 AD, yet it is still not really known why they were made, especially since they are so large they can only be seen properly from the air.Tons of theories abound, from the more logical ceremonial and astronomical angles, to the theory that they are landing sites for UFOs, or that they were made by a dotty German mathematician, Maria Reike, who [View Full Entry]

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On the way from Cusco to Arequipa we stopped in Chivay to visit the Colca Canyon. The canyon was originally thought to be the deepest in the world at 3191m, but its neighbour, Canon del Cotahuari was recently found to be a further 163 m deep. Interesting, eh? You can watch the condors catching the thermals here, and I was lucky enough to see a couple soaring high. Arequipa is called the "White City" due to the colour of the volcanic rock from which it is built. Three volcanoes overovershadow the city, El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. I thought Arequipa [View Full Entry]

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I am running low on time so I shall keep it short! The Inca Trail was probably one of the toughest things I have had to do. I think this was mainly due to coming down with Athualpa´s revenge on the first night and then having to ascend 1.2 km from 3000m to 4200m the following day! I couldnt comtemplate turning back and knowing that I had done the hardest part I knew I would be able to press on to the end even if it took me a week! Luckily I managed to do it in four days like everyone [View Full Entry]

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Cuzco was our base for the Inca Trail and we spent several days there before and after the trek. It is a beautiful place that was once the most important city of the Inca empire and consequently a major target for the invading Spanish. Wherever you see a church in Cusco you know it used to be the site of an Inca temple. A lot of the original Inca walls in the city still stand, a testament to the engineering needed to withstand the frequent earthquakes. Modern Cusco is really a tourist haven - international food, bars, hotels etc., but still [View Full Entry]

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Lake Titicaca is 3800 m above sea level and is so massive that looking out over it you think you are looking at an ocean. We stayed in Puno on the shores of the Lake, and from there visited the floating Uros reed islands where islanders still live as their ancestors did. We also did a homestay on Amantani Island and stayed with a lovely family complete with guinea pigs running amok in the kitchen (I didnt actually get to eat one there, but have since tried one, tastes like chicken!) The islanders played football against our guys and had the [View Full Entry]

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The madness that is La Paz greeted us as we drove in via El Alto at 4000 m above sea level. The glittering city below us was surrounded by the majestic Cordillera mountain range and Mt Illimani lording it over us all. Despite many warnings regarding our safety here, I only felt mildly hassled when out and about here. The markets are something else: I bought a CD for 16 Bolivianos which is approximately 1GBP. Somehow I dont think James Blunt will be receiving any royalties from this sale- I am sure that Bolivian vendor needs the money more than he [View Full Entry]

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From Potosi we made our way to Uyuni, quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Luckily the loperamide held out and I managed to make it to the Salt Flats relatively unscathed. On the way we saw a train graveyard: Uyuni used to be the major stop off for all trains carrying the minerals from Potosi to Antofagasta (now in Chile but used to be Bolivia´s major port before losing it in the Pacific War), and was the place to get your engine repaired. There are lots of British engineering relics around here too. It was very strange seeing rusting girders [View Full Entry]

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We only stayed in Salta for two nights and then made our way over the Bolivian border (via some Argentinian roadblocks by protesting national unionist members) to Tupiza, 3000 m above sea level. Not only was this a different country, it was a different world. Being in Chile and Argentina had fooled me, going to Bolivia was like stepping back in time but with funny anachronistic touches such as the fake English Premiership football shirts and trainers for sale in the various markets I have seen so far. I thought San Pedro de Atacama was dusty, but Bolivia takes the biscuit!! [View Full Entry]

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