After enjoying two dubbed Steven Segal films (from Steven Segal vol.1 DVD collection) on our bus ride, we arrived in Lima to be greeted by Jane at the hostel. Our hostel was based in Miraflores, the rich area of the city by the coast. We took a walk down to the bay (the sea smell & pier reminded us of Brighton) and had dinner in a shopping mall based on the cliff edge. As we were all tired we finished the evening with a cinema trip, watching Solitary Man. Unfortunately I would not recommend it. Walking tour We joined a free walking tour which was based in the centre of the city. The architecture and feel in the centre is very different to the area we're staying. We learnt about the history of the city & ... read more

With the protests pushing back our plans we headed onto Nazca a few days later than expected. We knew we needed to organise our trip to the lines the same day we arrived so had enough time for sandboarding too. We arrived with a Canadian couple so after breakfast we headed together to the airport. After trying to bargain the price we settled on a flight and watched a video discussing the mysteries of the lines. Our plane was a small 6 seater and we were swung side to side so everyone could see the lines properly. Our flight focused on roughly 10 of the more famous lines eg the monkey, the dog, astronaut. They were incredible and was worth the cost of the flight... Even if afterwards I was feeling a bit queasy. We found ... read more

We arrived back in Cusco from the Inca trail saturday night exhausted and ready for bed. Jane's birthday was the same day Lucille & I start Spanish lessons & volunteering so we made Sunday the bigger birthday celebration. We met friends from the Inca trail at The Real McCoy's an English pub that served Sunday roasts, crumble and custard. It may not have compared to our mother's versions but it was very good! In the evening we met up with Aussy Mark and went for drinks and enjoyed some dancing at a local discotheque.    The Spanish classes were great, as Lucile had already participated in a week's school we had individual tutors after the first day. They were really good and we learnt a lot. One day my lesson went to a local food Market ... read more

Knowing we would be hiking the inca trail few days after arriving in Cusco we spent our time relaxed and preparing. We visited markets, enjoying the meals there for less than £1 and walked around the beautiful city. We had our briefing on the trek, which made us all nervous as they discussed hours of walking uphill, cold weather conditions and carrying large sleeping equipment. The first day didn't start well when our alarm failed to go off (at 5am) and our guide is at our door wondering why we weren't ready! Secondly we quickly learnt that 3 Aussy guys and us were the only people daft enough not to pay for an additional porter. It wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the weighty sleeping bag and mattress we needed to carry with ... read more

(Apologies this entry has the wrong location as travelblog website wouldn't let me choose the correct one.) We arrived in Copacabana via bus and boat ride from La Paz. It is a quaint town on the shore of Lake Titicaca; we tried the speciality of freshly caught trout from the lake and it was delicious. Isla de Sol The legend is Isla de Sol is where the Inca civilisation was born. We decided to take a boat trip over and see the ruins which was a maze of corridors and lanes. Lucille was unwell with a chesty cough so stayed with girls we befriended to take the boat south while Jane, Amanda & I walked the 9km to the other end of the island. Initially the high altitude made the steep uphills harder but we soon ... read more

Entering La Paz was an impressive view; the city is based within mountains and is vast. I fell in love with the hustle and bustle of the city. There were no normal buses but hundreds of Volkswagen-like vans (seated for around 15 people) constantly driving around. Our hostel was on the doorstep of the Witches & Black Market so we spent a day strolling and shopping. Cholite Wrestling Jane's friend recommended cholite wrestling; cholite is the name of the ladies involved. It was great fun! The acting was horrendous and some of them were clearly tired and didn't even try reacting to the "hit". But we joined in with the locals, shouting and booing at the baddies, laughing at the goodies defeating them against all odds. Several times characters were thrown over the barrier into our ... read more

Bolivia is definitely the biggest culture change, which we particularly noticed on our bus journey to La Paz for our flight to Rurrenabaque. We learnt the coaches do not have toilets and rest stops didn't either. Poor Jane was stared at as she tried to couch behind a wall, clearly we're an attraction. Although there was a 5 hour bus delay due to barricades we made it to La Paz the next day for our flight. The plane was a little 18 seater, you could see the two pilots (I'm sure I learnt how to fly one now!) and it was too small to stand in. It was an experience as we flew alongside mountain tops and landed on a strip surrounded by the jungle.     We were unable to get onto a jungle tour straight ... read more

After 2 months of sharing noisy dorm rooms, having cold showers and being constantly busy we decided we needed to have a rest and a bit of a treat. So in Turpiza we booked into a hotel with a swimming pool and a private spacious 4 bedroom. It was even better by being only £5 each a night (which is £5 less than most hostels we've been in before - think I'm going to like Bolivia pricing!) Due to the pool we spent a few days relaxing by the edge with our books and enjoying the sunshine. We made the most of being able to afford to dine out and visited different local markets. Typically we couldn't rest for too long and booked ourselves onto a triathlon day tour. This is where we spent the day ... read more

After 28 hours and 4 buses (it was suppose to be 22hrs, 2 buses but one broke down and just before the 3rd one did we swapped again) we finally arrived in San Pedro de Atacama. On the bus we realised we'd taken the company used by miners and not tourists i.e. We were the only females with 24 Chilean men. They were very sweet and as we went by they pointed out the hand in the desert and where the Chilean miners had been trapped. In San Pedro de Atacama we strolled through their Market and organised our next few days. In the evening Lucille & Amanda were able to join a stargazing tour (only 2spaces left, me & Jane decided will try do it in Bolivia). After finding a nearby football pitch Jane and ... read more

After a 2 hour flight delay we were pleased to arrive in warm Santiago! The hostel is fully booked for the weekend and we were greeted by a BBQ and larger-than-single size beds. Climbing: With a day spare, Lucille & I were pleased to find out there was a climbing centre in easy reach by the metro. Missing our usual weekly climbs I was eager to go and try out new walls. Jane joined us and we showed her the ropes (pun intended); she has now become a fan too. We will have to keep looking out for centres when in cities and hopefully try an outdoor climb too. Lollapalooza: We planned our trip so we could be in the city for the music festival Lollapalooza celebrating the 25th anniversary. Getting our tickets became 3.5hour nightmare. ... read more