RJT

Apparently Friday 31 July saw a rare blue moon in our skies. Was this the reason for the rare chain of events that followed for me that weekend? It was a long weekend, so of course I had taken the opportunity to get out of town. I had booked a weekend in Tasmania, specifically at Cradle Mountain Lodge, about a 2-hour drive from Launceston and handily located at the entrance to the Cradle Mountain National Park. The weather conditions there are famously unpredictable, and I was a bit worried about snow and whether or not I would be able to get there. I had emailed the lodge in advance to ask if I needed chains, and they responded that the lodge is at 820m so there isn't a lot of snow, and if it did snow ... read more

Our trek had come to an end, and tired, happy and undoubtedly a little bit smelly, we made our way in the van to Ollantaytambo. Here we boarded the train for Aguas Calientes, the small town at the foot of the imposing mountains hiding and sheltering Macchu Picchu. We were all very excited, and it wasn’t just the prospect of a hot shower. We were finally going to see one of the most iconic and recognisable sights in South America We met for dinner in a local restaurant but hiking had made us tired so it wasn’t a late night. This was a good thing, as yet again, it was an early start, we had places to be and we were aiming for the 6.00am bus up the hill. There were many surprises in store for ... read more

After the charms of La Paz it took me a little while to warm up to Cusco, but after a day or so of wandering through the town, past the hordes of tourists and up the hill to the quieter narrow cobbled laneways I began to see what all the fuss was about. The second largest city in Peru, the old town is set around the large picturesque Plaza de Armas, a beautiful big square where it is easy to sit in the sunshine and people watch. On one side is the Cathedral, quite an imposing building from the outside but inside includes two small chapels either side of a beautiful Cathedral. It is really quite stunning with beautiful paintings and ornate carvings. On the other side of the square is the equally impressive Iglesia de ... read more

One of the most well-known attractions in Bolivia is the infamous “Death Road”, also known as the World’s Most Dangerous Road, so called because of the alarming number of road fatalities. For a fee, tourists can experience this for themselves and mountain bike down this perilous route. Since we were here, it seemed like a good idea to join in on this madness and experience it ourselves. I am not a mountain biker at all, and although I used to be a road cyclist, going downhill was never my favourite. I was one of those weird people who preferred the uphill climbs, so I was a little apprehensive about going down the “Death Road” to say the least. I had done some online research and decided to go with Gravity Bolivia, as although they were more ... read more

With time and money almost anything is possible. I don't know anyone who has limitless supplies of both, so then it's all about choices. The last time I came to South America five years ago I ran out of both time and money, and I couldn't visit some of the places that I had been dreaming about. But five years later I'm back and this time my choices will get me there. First up is the Atacama Desert - the driest desert in the world, with scenery that is truly spectacular. It was a very long journey to get here, with two flights and one bus, however thanks to the magic of the international date line, after leaving Sydney on Saturday morning I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama on Saturday evening just in time for ... read more