From Cusco we took a bus to Peru's capital city Lima. This was just a quick stop off for 2 nights before moving on for more trekking. Lima is a massive metropolis and we weren't there long enough to get to grips with the whole place. Instead we spent most of our time in the posh Miraflores district next to the Pacific Ocean. We went shopping, sipped pisco sours by the sea and cooked ourselves amazing meals after we found a supermarket with gorgeous fresh produce and plenty of European treats (proper cheese and ham!). We also took an afternoon trip into Central Lima where we visited the Cathedral, ate a picnic in the Plaza de Armas and saw lots of important-looking Government buildings. They also sold excellent watermelon on the streets of Lima so we ... read more

After our Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu both Barry and I were feeling fit and ready for another challenge. When visiting the Inca Museum in Cusco we came across an exhibition on Choquequirao, said to be a "sister city" of Machu Picchu. We also read that it was a tough trek to get there but well worth the effort as the site is as impressive as Machu Picchu but receives a small fraction of the number of visitors. This was enough to whet our appetites and so, a few agencies later, we had booked ourselves onto a 4 day trek to visit the ruins. We had decided to go with an agency (Cusqueñan Tours) that gave us a cheap price and we liked the idea of our bags and equipment all being carried for us and ... read more

As soon as we arrived in Cusco we started to research the best ways to trek to Machu Picchu. The famous "Inca Trail" was sold out but there were lots of other possibilities on offer giving a similar tough trek over a few days but mostly much cheaper and less crowded than the Inca Trail. We eventually decided to hike the "Salkantay Trail" and booked through the company Hiking Peru, which has an office on the Plaza de Armas. They gave us the cheapest quote and we could see no reason as to why we should pay more to go with another agency (of which there are many in Cusco). So, after some intense supermarket shopping, bag packing and last-minute panic we were ready to go. Below is an account of the four days of our ... read more

Lake Titicaca (shared between Bolivia and Peru) is the world's highest navigable lake, at 3,812 metres above sea level. It is also South America's largest lake, with a water volume of 893 cubic kilometres. In other words, this is one of the highlights of any trip to South America and we had great fun exploring. The Bolivian Side "At the Copa, Copacabana....". This is one tune that refused to leave my head for our stay at the lovely town of Copacabana, on the Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca. Whilst I can't imagine it lives up to its Brazilian counterpart, I was surprised at how enjoyable Copacabana was, especially as it is very much a tourist town and base for visits to the islands on Lake Titicaca (mainly Isla del Sol and less-so Isla de la Luna). ... read more

Bolivia is a country that is continually exceeding my expectations. After experiencing Bolivia´s stunning natrual scenery in Tupiza and Uyuni we moved on to explore some of the more cultural aspects of Bolivia by visiting two of its important colonial cities, Potosi and Sucre. Visiting these places took us a little further from the "gringo trail" we had encountered in Uyuni and gave more chance to engage with the locals (see my social comment at the end!). Potosi During the 16th century, Potosi was the biggest city in the Americas, and far bigger than London or Paris. This was mostly due to the large Cerro Rico towering over the city which is a rich source of minerals, in particular silver. The Spanish realised the potential for mining and Potosi grew as a result. I was worried ... read more