---

The journal left off in Rurrenabaque Bolivia, where I booked a flight on a twelve seater plane back to La Paz at the end of the jungle tour. The flight only took an hour but we struggled badly through lack of air. It was alright for some however, as I looked forward to the pilots and they had oxygen masks on. At least the guys in command weren't passing out! I was feeling pretty knocked around in flying back to altitude again and my back seized up, but help arrived in the form of a traveller on the plane who practices shiatsu massage and the adventures continue.

I subsequently caught a bus to Copacabana, dear reader , which is on Lake Titicaca and I stayed overnight. I met up again with my Irish mate, and also met two Irish girls on the boat to Isla del Sol that I had got to know in Rurrenabaque. So we became a crew of four and for a time I became an honorary Irishman. We did a wonderful walk on the island through magnificent scenery, and stayed at a homely hostel where we dined out on superb Lake Titicaca trout at an altitude of over 4000 metres.

It was time to move on and we headed west across the border to Peru. A ten hour bus trip landed us in Cusco which is a famous tourist party town and jump off point for treks to Machu Picchu. We had an excellent weekend clubbing and the whole experience was such a good laugh. Sometimes our dorm room was in a general state of hysterics with "the craic." Night became day and day became night in this party town, and it was a very enjoyable time amidst excellent company.

I then booked onto the Salkantay Trek which is a five day Inca trail. Our team comprised three Texans and myself, and as such I have to ponder the question as to whether I was still an honorary Irishman, y´all?! We had a great trek and climbed to a maximum altitude of 4600 metres on day two. "Salkantay, Salkantay" as our guide Dante would say. Salkantay mountain epitomises the monumental scale and beauty of nature. The sacred mountain soars above us at a majestic snow capped 6400 metres, and is considered a god by the Incas, having never having been summitted by man. Peru has the most mountains over 6000 metres in the world, and the trek had magnificent contrasts from mountain glaciers to jungle tracks to river walks. And to top it off, the final destination of our epic walk was the legendary Machu Picchu! We arrived at the foot of the world famous ruins, built on a mountain by the Incas over 800 years ago to be closer to god.

Day five was amazing and started with a 5:00am walk up to Machu Picchu for sunrise. We were then taken on a two hour guided tour of the ruins by the boss of our tour company Epitours. At the conclusion of the tour we were free to climb Huayna Picchu for majestic views over the ruins and the surrounding countryside. The trek was an amazing experience with a very professional guide, cook and horseman. I highly recommend this trek to all who love walking the great outdoors.

In summary, Peru is a beautiful country with so many famous sights to explore, ably supported by an established and professional tourism industry. There's also a charging nightlife on offer in Cusco where the party goes all night. As a matter of fact, basically all of you should be here now!

As I continue my travels, until next time it´s signing off for now

Tom

Note: Feel free to post comments on this site, or click on the subscribe button for notification of upcoming travel journals

---