sabado, 19 de junio Mid-morning we caught the bus to Huacachina, just a 2 hour ride on the bus followed by a quick taxi ride. You may have heard of Huacachina but probably not - its population is less than a single African mudhut. Home to the World's 'largest sand dunes' it nestles as an oasis around a central lake you could throw a small animal across. We were greeted with a slight eggy smell which Hayley presumed was me but which doesn't bother after the initial shock. It's quite hard to believe the scale of these dunes, the Sun sets at about three in this town. Not wishing to be like those guys in that Norweigan(?) town who have no sun for a month and end up hanging from the barn roof we tried to ... read more

sabado, 12 de junio The long day. 17km of trail and absolutely no access to watch England's first World Cup game. That's commitment to culture. And another 5am start. The first part of the day was another steep ascent in the cold of the unrisen sun. Yet again we split off, me opting for the enjoyment of a lazy dawdle whilst Hayley charged on. The honeymooners have all but vanished for us. Fair play for sticking with it. They eat alone such is the gap behind everybody else. Everybody briefly reunited for a quick lecture on the sun/moon shaped Runkuragay, a lookout over the ascent with spectacular views of the mountains that contributed to a very cold night. At the top of the hill it got even better, glacial mountains off in the distance, just like ... read more

martes, 8 de junio The reason we went back to Puno (for all the Sherlocks questioning why we would go back to a place deemed good enough for just an afternoon the first time) was that we wanted to catch the Inka Express bus to Cuzco. It's a guided tour via some of the more interesting Inca spots and helps break a 7-8 hour journey by adding in education. Well worth the fortune we shelled on it. The bus left early in the morning so we arrived at the bus station as the sun arose, only to find the bus wasn't there. Just us and 3 Chinese girls with Hello Kitty and Cookie Monster luggage did little to ease our fears that the bus might not show and we would miss out on Machu Picchu. Turned ... read more

jueves, 3 de junio Sad day. Time to leave Bolivia. Met some cool people, loved the locals, great scenery and the budget is well and truly back on track. Even with recent mishaps we'd definitely come back. Not this trip, time for Peru. Home of Machu Picchu. Home of a president re-elected despite destroying the economy so bad in the 80s the currency had to be changed to new soles. Home of bus robberies. Home of more winding roads overlooking cliffs. Home of drivers who don't sleep enough. Best of all, away from altitude. The crossover to the Peruvian border was supremely uneventful, apart from the lady crying with outstretched hand. Not that we thought we would but we have evidently not escaped the poverty. It's a nice way to enter a country on the bus ... read more

viernes, 28 de mayo Now for some culture. And history. Historical culture, if you will. The bus to 'the most important archaeological site in Bolivia' was super early as standard. From the volume of pickups it was soon obvious that the tour would be needed in 2 languages. 2 guides then right? Uh, no we are in Bolivia. The tour guide flooded the bus with sweat in anticipation of the day ahead. It could be a long one. Made worse by the fact the Argentines on the bus think it's okay to talk through the English bit because they don't understand it. The bus took us out through the crater into a city called El Alto. Literally the "tall" or "high". Kind of sums up the place. It was built as the sleeping hole for La ... read more