This blog is a bit detailed, so if you find it boring, just take a look at the pics instead! Having tried our hands at ice climbing, we were eager to do more in the Peruvian Andes around Huaraz. We wanted to do a 4 day hike through the Cordillera Blanca and over the Santa Cruz pass (4900m). Our new friends Matt and Rebecca were set to climb the impressive Mount Pisco (5750m) which happened to be on our route. So we combined the two and set off on a 5 day high altitude adventure. Day 1 We set off early [View Full Entry]

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We had both been looking forward to doing some more trekking for a while. We were also dying to try ice climbing ever since we missed the chance while we were in Patagonia. So we made our way to Huaraz, the mountaineering capital of Peru (some would say of South America). Huaraz is a functional little town in the heart of the Peruvian Andes. It sits at 3091m in the Cordillera Blanca range which contains 50 peaks over 5700m! Huascaran, Peru´s highest mountain at 6768m is just down the road….. The area around Huaraz has a dramatic and heartbreaking history. It [View Full Entry]

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written by Miss Wendy O I lie. Paracas actually but for poor travellers. It's all the same I'm sure - penguins, sea lions, pelicans and trigger happy Japanese. We had a whistle stop tour of the Islas Ballestas and Peninsula de Paracas to check out the abundant wildlife sanctuary on the Peruvian coast. Once again, I spent most of the boat trip around the Islas focused on the horizon while Stuart got trigger happy. We then took a trip around the desert peninsula and got to stand on the red sand beach which the locals are well proud of - WOW!!! [View Full Entry]

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written by Miss Wendy O Take me to the oasis dahling .... Nestled amoungst giant sand dunes and next to a cute lagoon, Haucachina is sand-boarding paradise. Stuart and I hung out at the oasis for a couple of days, had a wicked time on the dunes and checked out the local vineyards hiccccuppp.... Now you might not think Peru is widely known for it's fine wines and champagne ... and rightly so. The wine was rank but after a few glasses and a shot of Pisco who cares! Anyone thinking of going to Haucachina, don't stay at Hostal Rocha. The [View Full Entry]

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written by Miss Wendy O Astronomical calendars, ritual walkways, giant running tracks, extraterrestrial landing sites or a shamans´dreams brought on by hallucinogenic drugs .... Who knows, but impressive all the same. Stuart and I took a short flight to check out these gigantic elaborate designs etched into the desert surface from the air. It is theorized that these lines were made by the Paracas and Nazca cultures from 900BC to 600AD. While I spent the majority of the 30min ride staring at the horizon praying I wouldn't vomit while the pilot tipped the aircraft from side to side to point out [View Full Entry]

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written by Miss Wendy O Our last stop in Bolivia was Sucre, the cultural capital. At the time we were there the locals were campaigning for the capital title to be returned to Sucre from La Paz so we got caught up in the action. Sucre is a much more chilled, cleaner and friendlier city with heaps more character than skanky La Paz. After brushing up on our Bolivian history at the Casa de la Libertad museum we jumped on the hip dino truck and headed out to the cement quarry to check out the dino tracks - sweet! After what [View Full Entry]

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After our adventures on the Island of the Sun, we took a four hour bus to La Paz. La Paz, sitting in a 5km wide canyon, is a visually stunning city. It sprawls up the steep sides of the canyon in a maze of busy, noisy, dirty and polluted roads. Like a huge angry stain, the city spreads out over the lip of the canyon and on to the surrounding plains. We were a bit freaked out by the drive into La Paz, as we made our way through the slums at the top of the canyon we were greeted by [View Full Entry]

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written by Miss Wendy O Goodbye warm climate, And who is stealing my oxygen!!! After a cancelled bus, hanging out at a bus stations for several hours, a 7hr stinky bus to Puno then another 4hr bus ride across the border to Copacabana in Bolivia, we finally had a shower and de-shelled. At 3,800m above sea level, Copacabana altitude certainly made us all walk slow. It rests on the south tip of Lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake. Lake Titicaca is absolutely stunning. The morning sunrise gradually glistens in the massive lake, highlighting the tips of the surrounding mountains just [View Full Entry]

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We flew into Lima airport late at night and, through planning and a wee bit of luck, met my mum Sheena as she had just arrived from Malawi to spend a couple of weeks with us. It was great to see her and catch up on all her African news. We didn´t stick around Lima too long but got a cheap flight to Cuzco to start our Incan adventure. The first thing that hits you when you arrive in Cuzco is the altitude - at 3,326m , you can really feel the impact. We were to spend the next few days [View Full Entry]

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written by Miss Wendy O On route to Peru we had a quick stop over in Santiago. We were pleasantly surprised by the city and found it very cosmopolitan and vibrant. We stayed in our best hostel yet called Residential Londres in Barrio Paris-Londres. The area was like a mini Paris with small cobbled streets and old massive buildings and funky cafes. We spent the day walking around the city and took a Funicular up to Cerro San Cristobal, then went out and got loose in Barrio BellaVista. We found a fab Thai restaurant (to have a break from the steaks!) [View Full Entry]

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