Sam Rach

Dwarfed by it´s two large neighbours little Uruguay is less visited than the surrounding countries in South America. There are no main tourist attractions so it is quite understandable but we really enjoyed our 10 days or so in the country. For a start there was a really laid back atmosphere, maybe because of it´s proximity to Brazil - everyone was extremely friendly, cars actually stopped for your at pedestrian crossings to let you cross the road instead of speeding up and using you as target practice. There are lots of street side cafes and restaurants and everyone is genuinely interested in where you are from and talking to you (in very good English) about your country. The little town of Colonia del Sacramento can be easily reached from Buenos Aires for a day trip, it´s ... read more

So we are back in Chile & it seems as though the high season has started early here in Patagonia. There were four buses running the border crossing whereas only one was scheduled - it was how I imagine a "saga holiday" to be like, everyone was taking ages to sit down and get organised, and they seemed to be constantly going to the toilet. When we eventually arrived across the border you notice straight away how much greener everything is this side of the Southern Andes - which also means that it is a lot wetter, so we were pleased that we had splashed out on waterproof trousers in anticipation of our next trek. We have come back to Chile to trek in the Torres Del Paine National Park labelled as the most stunning and ... read more

We stepped off the bus in Bariloche not quite prepared for the 13 windy degrees that greeted us. We left a lovely 30 degrees in Mendoza and I´ve realised that my practically see through jeans (as a result of wearing them almost every day for 15 months) are not really up to the job of keeping me warm any longer! Sam was lucky enough to have already traded his in back in Bolivia when they had involuntarily become a pair of shorts, might be time for me to do the same. Apart from being a bit chilly, and even that is a welcome change - Bariloche is absolutely beautiful. It immediately reminds of the south island of New Zealand - snow capped mountains surrounding lakes which ever direction you look in. We were really lucky to ... read more

We´ve just had the most incredible four days in the southwest corner of Bolivia on the Chilean border - mostly known for the Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) but it also has lakes and mountains the most incredible colours that you´ll ever see. The four days were spent being driven around to various sights by our Spanish guide and cook, neither of them spoke a word of English but between us and the American couple we were with we managed ok, and anything we weren´t sure about, we just made up! We stayed in the villages with families but in purpose built rooms which were basic but comfortable enough for a night. Even though it was sunny during the day the nights were freezing because of the high altitude but the stars were amazing. When I ... read more

Our last stop in Peru was Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca - it´s one of those places that has never really sounded real so it was weird to actually be there. We visited the floating islands, which were really tranquil, despite the hoards of tourists that go out there on boats. Lake Titicaca is South America´s largest lake and used to be an inland sea. The Uros people fled to the lake to escape the Incas and made the floating islands out of the totora reeds, they also use the reeds to make their houses, to burn them to make fire to cook, to eat (they don´t taste of much) and to make gifts to sell to the tourists. Tourism is now vital to their income & even though it is a well oiled ... read more