My next destination in Peru is the small town of Huaraz. After leaving Arequippa and deciding to head straight to Lima past the area around Ica and Pisco which was devasted by a recent earthquake I finally arrived at sea level after many months at altitude. I had been waiting for this day for many months as the altitude had taken it out of my body and I finally wanted to be able to walk around normally and feel like I wasn´t having an asthma attack. The morning was very grey and rainy as we passed through the area where the [View Full Entry]

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After staying only one extra day than planned in Cusco and managing to fit all my clothes back into my back I left Loki Hostel for the bus station. Earlier in the day I had brought my very cheap ticket to my next destination, Arequippa. On arriving at the bus station, accidently a bit late, I was told by a lady at the office that I had not paid for my ticket and that I would have to do so......obviously I was a little unhappy with this and told her that and also that I had already paid earlier today. As [View Full Entry]

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When arriving in Cusco and after spending months seeing a lot of poverty I decided that I wanted to do some kind of volunteer work and with kids. Through my spanish school they set me up with an organisation in Cusco that helps undernourished kids. My job was to play with the kids, take care of them and also to help them eat.....the last one I found the most important after a few visits there. I am not sure who runs this day care centre but there was only one Peruvian lady for each group of kids, sometimes that was up [View Full Entry]

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I am not really sure where to start with Cusco as I stayed there for over a month and the whole experience was great. So maybe a little history to start with.....Cusco was once the foremost city of the Inca Empire and is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the whole of the Americas. It is also the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent......so it holds a lot of titles. Legend has it that in the 12th century, the first Inca Manco Capac, was charged by the ancestral sun god Inti to find the qosq'o (navel of the earth). When [View Full Entry]

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So by now I bet half of you are saying....What more Inca ruins?.....well I get where you are coming from because the whole ruins thing was starting to loose momentum for me as well. Before that was to happen though I wanted to see as much as I could and that included towns and sites that are located in the area called the Sacred Valley - otherwise known as the Valle Sagrado of the Rio Urubamba. The area includeds many Inca sites along with frenzied markets and high-altitude Andean Villages. Firstly I returned to the town of Ollanytaytambo to visit the [View Full Entry]

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After getting back to Cusco in one piece from my Machu Picchu mission and finding myself a job at a hostel I managed to have a rather large week getting to know all the night spots in town. I then decided that if I was to stay here for a month with the aim of not spending money I needed to make sure that I had things to do during the day which then gave me an excuse not to go out at night. Along with the money issues I also thought that my body might also appreciate it and I [View Full Entry]

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After our trek to Machu Picchu we did manage to get tickets and caught the train that night towards Cusco. We stopped at a small town called Ollantaytambo where we were transferred onto a bus. Here my friend Nicky was intending on staying the night and then having a look around the area the following day. She had asked me if I wanted to come along, my problem was that I had absolutely no money on me or no access to money, Nicky was nice enough to say that she would lend me some. As usual and especially because I was [View Full Entry]

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After getting to sleep later than I had wanted to I was dreading the knock on the door to tell us to get up and start another walk up a hill that involved stairs. So everytime I rolled over and realised that I was not required to get out of bed yet I was a happy girl. At some point in the morning I did hear people starting to talk downstairs and realised that soon I would get that knock....funnily enough it never came! I could still hear people talking downstairs and thought that the guide must of forgotten my door [View Full Entry]

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So I had finally made it out of Bolivia and into my next country Peru....the home of the Incas. My first stop was straight to Cusco, which is the home of the Incas, and where you leave to get to Machu Picchu - the Lost Inca City. I spent the first few days trying to recover from a hectic month in Bolivia and then decided that I would get to Machu Picchu on a four day trek which included one day mountain biking, 2 days hiking in the jungle and then the final day at Machu Picchu. My other options included [View Full Entry]

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After a great 5 weeks in this amazing country it is time for me to get the hell out particularly when I have stayed 10 days over my visa.....the immigration man doesn´t seem too fussed about this so why should I be!! I really don´t want to be leaving as I love Bolivia, it´s people and its amazing scenery and country side and if it wasn´t for my visa I am sure I would stay longer....even though I hate the cold weather. The experiences that I have had here have made me feel like I am in another country and make [View Full Entry]

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