Lima to Quito

We drove away from Lima with only 6 people on the tour - it seemed very quiet compared to an average of about 20 people for the rest of the trip but a lot more room to sleep on the truck!

We headed to Huaraz where we went ice climbing. It was hard work especially since we were at 4,700m and suffering from altitude sickness. After climbing up a vertical wall with ice picks (in truth Steve climbed the wall … I climbed up half the wall!), we got to abseil down which was more fun!

Next we drove to Huanchaco to visit an ancient mud city (no mud wrestling much to the lads’ disappointment) and the moon temple of pre-Inca tribes. Both had been excavated to uncover many carvings and drawings on the walls, some still brightly painted.

Finally we got some R&R by staying by the beach for 2 days at Punta Sal. We went for a very pleasant horse ride along the shore and spent the rest of the time reading and soaking up the sun. We made friends with a dog who we named Geoffrey Stephens (I think you had to be there!), who followed us around the whole time.

Back on the move we crossed the border into Ecuador moving from desert landscape to jungle. Goodbye sun and hello rain unfortunately!

We first went to Cuenca, the home of the Panama hat, to visit a factory to see how they are made. We also went to a Chocolate Café which sold many different types of hot chocolate, chocolate cake and even chocolate Pizza!

We then started to head into more remote areas - first stop being Rio Verde near Banos. We went Canyoning which was excellent. This involved; abseiling down large waterfalls, sliding down small waterfalls, jumping, falling & somersaulting off rocks into the water and a zip line across the river. If that wasn’t exhilarating enough, Steve then decided to do a Bridge swing which was a bit like a bungee jump except on a less elastic rope. I decided I had reached the limit of my braveness for one day!!

Also while staying in Rio Verde we walked to a waterfall (nothing in comparison to Igassu but I love a good waterfall!) and visited Banos to go to the hot springs & see the active volcano (which erupted a little lava while we were watching).

Our final opportunity for high adrenaline activity was at Tena where we went white water rafting for the third and final time. Luckily we saved the best until last. It was still only a grade 4 (out of 5) but we rafted all day and had some really big waves. I didn’t fall out this time but between the rapids the instructors kept trying to catch you unawares and pull you out the raft - I only fell for this once!

We then took a boat further into the jungle and stayed in a lodge on stilts. We went on a walk through the jungle and nearly got washed away by the river as the tide was so strong! As expected, we didn’t see any animals because the vegetation is so dense but learnt a lot about the medicinal uses of flora and fauna. We did see a spider which was as big as a hand but thankfully it wasn’t close! We also visited an animal sanctuary, a ceramic and balsa wood factory, and a museum about local life. We got to try Chi che beer which was very potent!

On our way to Quito we stopped in Otovala to go to what is meant to be the biggest market in South America but it was a little disappointing.

Then we arrived at our final destination, Quito, the capital of Ecador. It is situated on the equator so we went to a museum where you get to see all sorts of experiments to do with the equator. As it is exactly on the equator line you can see water going straight down a plug hole but then 2 metres one way the water swirls clockwise and 2 metres the other way the water swirls anti-clockwise! We also tried balancing an egg on a nail (as it is meant to be easier on the equator as gravity is pulling straight down), a vertical sundial (as the sun shines straight down rather than at an angle) and testing our strength (as it is easier to overpower someone at the equator). Very school trippy but lots of fun!

We also visited Quito old town which is full of colonial buildings and very pretty. There seem to be some kind of festival going on but we never found out what they were celebrating.

And then it was home time. The whole trip has been amazing and I can’t believe the 4 months are already over and it is back to reality. I have been reliably informed that I will get asked a million times about my best bits so here we go…..

Best historical site - Machu Picchu

Best natural site - Igassu falls

Best town - Cusco

Best Country - Peru

Best high adrenaline activity - Canyoning

Scariest moment - Downhill biking in La Paz (really thought I might die!)

Best night out - Fancy dress for Jess and Nige’s birthday in Cusco (photos on facebook!)

Best meal - Steak in El Calafate

Funniest moment - 1st day on second trip when Donal ran out of the truck to go to the toilet and banged his head on the top of the door and then ran straight into a tree and cut all his leg

Funniest Quote - When being shown evidence of archeological findings from 400 billion years ago:
Nigel - "Do you believe in dinosaurs?"
Anna - "Of course I do, they’re not like fairies"

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