After 6 months we finally made it to Machu Picchu, and it didnt dissapoint... [View Full Entry]

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More pics of this amazing country... [View Full Entry]

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After La Paz we spent a few days chilling out in the beautiful city of Sucre (officially the capital of Bolivia). From Sucre, we visited dinoland on the exquisitly cheesy dinobus. Dinoland contains loads of dinosaur footprints preserevd in the rocks. Lifesize models had been created based on the footprints, of the dinosaurs that once roamed this part of the earth, one of which a bit like a diplodocus was up to 36m in length. When we were away from ´Jurassic park´ we were mostly drinking barcardi and playing Perudo (some odd betting game with dice, greatly enhanced by the presence [View Full Entry]

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I knew we were going to have a good time in La Paz, the Hostal we had chosen had an attached micro-brewery, the beers from which were served in a rooftop bar with spectacular views over the city. The beers were amazing, probably the best we have had all trip, there really was no need to leave the hostal! When we did leave the hostal we just wandered the streets taking in the bizzare sights that La Paz has to offer such as the Llama foetuses for sale in the witches market, the protests that seem to occur on a daily [View Full Entry]

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We got together with two fellow brits, Kev and Claire, and a frenchman, Fabian, who we had met on the Colca canyon trek to tackle Bolivia. We all wanted to travel a similar route in Bolivia so it seemed to make sense. The border crossing from Peru into Bolivia was suprisingly smooth. Our first stop in Bolivia was Copacabana set aside the mystical waters of lake Titicaca. The trout here was spectacular, simply grilled and served with chips and salad. Eating one of these with a local beer on the shores of Titicaca is the way that life should be lived. [View Full Entry]

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After another delightful overnight bus trip we were in Arequipa. We liked it here, a really nice town with old buildings made from the famous white stone. From Arequipa we took a 3-day trekking tour of the Colca Canyon, believe it or not this canyon is twice as deep as the grand canyon. On the way to start the trek we stopped at a spectacular view point to observe the Andean Condors. These giant birds, upto 3 meters in wingspan would soar literally a few meters overhead - incredible. The first day we trekked 1000m down into the base of the [View Full Entry]

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Some bas***d robbed me on the overnight bus from Huaraz to Trujillo. It wasn´t until we got to our hotel that I realised our camera, my phone and wallet had been stolen. Its typical as it was the first time I have managed to get a decent nights kip on a bus! To make matters worse it was Hannahs birthday. I dont think spending the day trying to communicate with the Peruvian police to get a report was quite what she had in mind. In the end it took approximatley 6 officers and the whole day to get our half-page report. [View Full Entry]

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Whilst in Huaraz everyone kept banging on about the Santa Cruz trek, apparently one of the best treks in the world. It didn´t sound like much fun; 50km using only human power, 3 nights camping, no toilets, freezing temperatures and a climb up to 4750m. We opted for the ´when in Rome´ approach and signed ourselves up for it. What we got was probably one of the most memorable experiances and the most spectacular scenery of our trip so far. It was hard work at times, the climb up to the punta union pass (@ 4750m, higher than Mt. Blanc and [View Full Entry]

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Crazy Taxi In a previous blog I commented on the ´abstract´ driving style of the Cambodians. After our visit to Lima, I realise this is nothing... Take the 8 million inhabitants, a complete lack of road rules and introduce them to the motor car. What you have is chaos. Driving is clearly a contact sport here, you only have to look at a local taxi to realise this; cracked windscreens, missing bumpers, smashed lights, scrapes, dents even missing doors! The driving approach is as follows: the horn is an effective means to alert someone to your presence, but far more effective [View Full Entry]

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After experiencing the Winter (including snow!) in New Zealand it was time to seek out some sunshine in sunny California! We left Auckland and after flying over the date line arrived in San Jose before we had taken off much to my confusion! We were staying with my brother Rob, his wife Jen and my nephew Daniel for a week and really looking forward to some home comforts. It was so nice to be in a house for a while and we took the opportunity to relax in the mornings, in the afternoons and in the evenings too! San Jose has [View Full Entry]

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