Si and Luce on tour

For some weird reason, the buses from Uyuni to Tupiza all leave at 6am. At that time in the morning it is freakin' freezing, and our bus was as basic as they come (no heating). We were the only tourists on the bus (we were travelling with Mike - a chap we met on our salt flats tour), and everyone else looked on pitifully as they loaded their bags, laden with blankets (at least 4 each). It was a very long seven hour journey through mountains on only dirt tracks, but by the time we reached Tupiza, the feeling in our toes had started to return! Tupiza is Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance kid territory. The breathtaking scenery is straight from the Wild West, and could best be appreciated on horseback. Lucy talked the boys ... read more

Buenos Aires We flew into a ghostly quiet BA (slightly dodgy flight with a "reject" landing…) - the streets were empty due to a massive football game at the nearby Boca stadium. It's a fantastic place, one of our favourite cities - full of beautiful architecture and friendly people. We walked to all of the main touristy sights including a famous cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta) full of decorative mausoleums of the former rich and famous residents. Many have the coffins on display which was a bit eerie, but most people just come to see the final resting place of Eva Peron (Evita). Having spent years watching strictly come dancing, I couldn’t wait to see a real Tango. We went to a small venue and were lucky to get a table at the front, although unlucky ... read more

We were really looking forward to visiting Easter Island, and have to say that our week there did not disappoint. We stayed at a great guesthouse called Te’ora, which had a fantastic location - a prime time spot for watching the sunsets with a Pisco Sour in hand (the national beverage - yummy!) The accommodation has a mascot, a lovely dog called Michigan who takes on the job of body guard to all the guests. He often followed us out on walks into Hanga Roa, making sure we got home safely. The village is actually very relaxed, and at the most Michigan's duties involved chasing off the occasional stray dog or horse… The weather was perfect - although the sun was so hot it often felt like it was melting our skin off! Finding shade was ... read more

One of the best day-walks in NZ is the Tongariro crossing. It takes around seven hours and involved a rather early start (and a random bus journey to the beginning of the track on a 1970s bus, fully equipped with the driver’s puppy under the seats). The weather is very changeable and started off a little wet, getting slightly colder and wetter as we reached the highest point, before finally turning into a glorious day. The crossing is in an active volcano area and takes in several craters - mixed with the eclectic weather, the steam rising from the vents and the yellow rocks coloured by the sulphur it made for some of the strangest lunar-like landscapes we have ever seen. There’s an abundance of geo-thermal spas and springs in the north island, but one of ... read more

Fantastic Sydney! We have had a brilliant time here. The weather has been perfect and we’ve been busy seeing the sights, walking for miles around the opera house and harbour, across the bridge (the official bridge climb was fairly expensive and as Australia is crippling our budget we decided to take the advice of fellow travellers and go for the free option, walking across it instead : ) Have to admit that we have eaten far too many ice-creams whilst generally chilling around Darling Harbour. As luck would have it our time here coincided with the Sydney festival so we’ve been to see a great concert in the park and a classic Bruce Lee film (Enter the Dragon) in an open-air cinema at the waterfront. Bondi beach was great, but rammed so we took the coastal ... read more