Our first impression of Chile was ´How ******* Much???´ San Pedro De Attacama was our first stop and is notoriously expensive - even the guidebooks recommend bringing anything you possibly can from elsewhere. Not sure four walls and a roof would really fit into our rucksacs though! After the fairly tough travelling in Bolivia we were both looking forwards to this more cosmpolitain, european-style country, starting with a few days of relaxing in this backpackers mecca. Initially we were extremely disappointed, not only with the cost of everything, but also with how quite the place was. After weeks at high altitude we were looking forwards to a few guilt-free drinks, without the adverse effects, and at just 2400m above sea level we figured we could have a little tipple here and there. Unfortunately real bars have ... read more

Cuzco just wasn't the same once Katherine had left and we decided it was finally time to move on, not to the Amazon as originally planned, but to Arequipa for a quick visit to Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. (Actually the second deepest, but that just doesn´t sound as good does it!!) When we'd originally planned this trip, overnight bus journeys had been something we'd hoped to avoid by flying, but with the extortionate costs of plane tickets the reality has turned out somewhat different. So we apprehensively took our first overnight bus from Cuzco to Arequipa and were pleasantly suprised. One of the first things you notice about South Americans is that they love noise. It is impossible to find a quiet hotel and even long distance overnight bus journeys are ... read more

We arrived in Cuzco four days before the Inca trail in order to acclimatise to the altitude, do a little sight seeing and buy as many things as possible to make the Inca Trail itself less painful! Cuzco is a lovely city, with some fantastic bars and restaurants, a cute central plaza and fascinating Inca history. Our time here went way too quickly, and not just because we were all dreading the Inca Trail!! We did manage to visit a number of drinking and dining establishments - drinking hot wine in Cuzco is a survival technique, because despite the warm days it gets extremely cold at night. We also managed to get a good day of shopping in, buying all the various assorted items that would make our lives slightly more comfortable on the Inca ... read more

The journey from Fiji to South America was absolutely gruelling; Fiji - Sydney - Auckland - Santiago - Lima - Quito! Three days, five flights, and weird knee death to contend with!! We finally arrived in Quito in a state of near stupor to meet with Katherine. Two days later we headed off to the Galapagos Islands, the main reason we´d come to Ecuador. A visit to the Galapagos Islands is supposed to be one of the best wildlife experiences possible. The wildlife there is so untouched by human influence that it is incredibly tame, add to that the fact that you see species of animals and birds not found anywhere else on the planet (including the infamous Blue Footed Booby) and you´re looking at a pretty amazing experience. We´re not really wildlife lovers, but ... read more

I don't think either myself or Paul ever expected to find ourselves travelling in Australia again, but when so many friends leave Nottingham and move over there you find yourself left with little choice! This trip was literally a flying visit, spending just 12 days in Australia before heading over to Fiji. Our first stop was Sydney to visit Helen and Rob, two close friends from Nottingham, for the weekend. Sydney is as amazing as I remembered and still top of my city list. Walking back down George Street and seeing Circular Quay again made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! We had a fun packed Saturday, which began with a well intentioned walk from Tamarama Beach to Bondi Beach but somehow turned into a drinking session starting at the Opera Bar, before moving ... read more