The heat had now gained momentum, and it was baking as we approached Paraguay ( 35 degrees ). The drive from Salta to the border was long, so we stopped tro camp at a secluded site overnight, next to a service station. We pitched up, had dinner played cards and chilled out. As we were playing cards, a girl in our group ran over to us screaming, there was a snake in her tent! It was a baby Viper, so our driver exterminated it. Snakes!!! We arrived at the border which seemed humble enough, and again the scenery began to change [View Full Entry]

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A long journey from Potosi and across the border, which was a much smoother crossing than Peru to Bolivia, and we were in Argentina. Immediately the roads are better, only 5% of the roads in Bolivia are tarmaced. We also started to come down in altitude, the first time in a few weeks. As the drive to Salta ( our destination ) was so long, we camped overnight at a secluded campsite, where we were under the stars, and treated to another spectacular lightning storm, even on a clear night!!! We packed up, the next morning at 8am and set off [View Full Entry]

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It was another long 8 hour drive to Uyuni from Potosi. As we approached the town coming down from the mountains, we were treated to a spectacular sunset, surrounded by huge bolts of fork lightning, nature in its true glory, and a spectacular photo moment, although I couldn't catch some lightning! We got the hotel, which was very pleasant compared to the hotel in Potosi, and were delighted to find it had a really cool Pizza restaurant joined to it. The establishment was owned and run by an American, who was also Chef, so we had an amazing Pizza for dinner, [View Full Entry]

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From my last entry we were actually delayed leaving La Paz. We boarded our bus and packed up at 8am, only to hear that there was a protest from locals in a town called Ureros, which was 4 hours away, and the main road to our next desination of Potosi. They had closed the road because of this protest, which are apparently quite common. So we spent an extra day in La Paz, which was fine by me, so me and a couple of lads found an English bar and had a great breakfast and an English cuppa, and we watched [View Full Entry]

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There are excursions on offer for today. One is to mountain bike down the worlds most dangerous road, at a descent of some 1,500 meters, and which lasts all day. The other excursion and the one I choose, is to do a tour of the City. We drive around all the sights by bus, and its an amazing bustling place. The tour lasts 3 hours, part of which we go to Moon Valley, so called as it looks like the surface of the moon! In the afternoon I hit the shops with a friend, and spend hours walking around. An authentic [View Full Entry]

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We checked out of the hotel in Puno, and drove 2 hours to the Peru / Bolivia border. My first border crossing, got our passports checked and stamped, and walked across the bridge from Peru to Bolivia. Another hour or so drive, and another excursion, this time to Bolivias' most ancient ruin, the site of Tiwanaku. The Tiwanaku's date back earlier than the Incans, and there were some interesting monuments on display. We had lunch, then drove through another huge storm, and made our way to La Paz, capital of Bolivia, and the highest Capital City in the world. Again you [View Full Entry]

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Up early ( as always on this trip! ), and goodbyes to our families, we set off by boat again, another painfully slow 3 hour journey to our next destination, the floating Islands of Uros. A bewildering sight, these man made Islands, made completely of reeds growing out of the Lake, and home to families. Everything is built by reed, the homes, even reed boats. They even eat the reeds, which has no taste whatsoever!!! After a briefing once we got there on how they live, we were given a short ride on an amazing reed boat, which me and made [View Full Entry]

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Picked up from the hotel at 7am, we were cycled to the harbour by the local bike taxis ( great fun! ). There we stopped at the market, to buy presents for the families we would be staying with that night. Presents consisted of basics, Rice, Pasta, Candles, even Suncream and Toothpaste. We then set off by boat, across Lake Titicaca, 3,800 meters above sea level. Its so high, the clouds and the sky constantly feel just above your head, as if you really are at the top of the world. Our destination is the Island of Taquile, a 3 hour [View Full Entry]

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We left the hotel in Cusco at 8am, and made a 6 hour drive to the town of Puno, which is located on the edge of Lake Titicaca. We stopped on the way for a small excursion to yet another Incan ruin ( starting to get ruined out by now! ), but it was nonetheless interesting, a site the Incas used as a cemetry for their Kings. Our guide informed us that Puno was a bit rough and ready, and compared to Cusco, it was the most pleasant of places, but not too threatening. We had a meeting in the hotel [View Full Entry]

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After the last 4 days out in the wild of the Inca trail, it was nice to be back in Cusco. Refreshed and clean, I was up early to cover parts of the town and take the photos that needed to be taken, including the famous 12 sided stone. The rest of the day was just spent relaxing and wandering around the city. I also booked an excursion to do horse riding the next day. In the evening we went for a group meal in a restaurant called Fallen Angel. Really decent place, could have been somewhere in London, and very [View Full Entry]

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