Day 3 – 21.11.12 – Quishuarani to Lares Hot Springs Once again the day started at 5.30am with a knock on the tent and a hot cup of coca tea thrust through the tent door. On exiting the tent I glanced behind me at the mountain we trekked up and over yesterday, it was covered in snow. Whilst we’d had some snow on the summit it wasn’t settling, from the looks of it over night the snow had come down quite hard – we found out later that day that a different trekking company had tried to hike the same summit and had been snowed off so were very lucky! Today was a totally different trek to yesterdays, still a sharp climb, over 600meters in 2 hours, but the weather was fantastic, the sky was clear ... read more

Saying goodbye to the Condors, we leave Chivay early next morning to drive to Cusco via Raqchi. Although not far as the crow flies, the road to Raqchi manly consists of a dirt track through the Peruvian country side so it’s a 9 hour drive of bumps and dust. One of the reasons for choosing to travel on the trip that I have, is the method of transport, whilst most people heading to Cusco and the Inca Trail chose to fly from Arequipa, travelling by truck means you get to experience the amazing scenery of Peru in all its glory. The sand and desert has been replaced by rolling green hills and deep valleys, always with the constant back drop of the imposing mountains and white tipped volcanos. The plains are littered with flocks of Llamas, ... read more

Arequipa – ‘The White City’ is called so because of the distinctive white volcanic rock that makes up the majority of its buildings around the Plaza de Armas (City Square). It’s a really attractive city surrounded by three volcanoes lying 3500 meters above sea level in southern Peru and as we bump along the cobbled streets I’m looking forward to making this place my home for the next couple of days. Some time off from camping and a chance to get some clothes cleaned – the joy of the simple things! Accommodation came in the form of a sprawling hostel (La Casa de Mi Abuela) ten minutes’ walk from the Plaza de Armas, behind high walls lay beautifully manicured gardens, a pool and huge colonial quarters to spread out in. Arriving early evening we headed out ... read more

Leaving Huaraz behind it was time to once again head back to the sea, as the truck winds its way along the mountain passes you can feel the air around you change, breathing returns to normal and the slightly heady sick feeling disappears, thankfully the altitude hasn’t affected me too much, and hopefully the more time I spend at it the easier it will be, some haven’t been so lucky, people have been floored by the change in altitude only recovering when returning back below. Driving into Liam in the early afternoon, it’s astonishing to see the diversity of the city, you pass by the slums of brightly coloured box houses, stacked precariously on the muddy hillsides across from gleaming shopping centres, cars held together with sticky tape and a prayer parked next to gleaming new ... read more

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and on Friday morning it was time to pack up the tents, say goodbye to the beach and hit the road for another long drive, my next destination was 610kms away in a town called Huanchaco. We drove mainly along sandy roads, through deserts and around giant rock formations; the roads are pretty dire in this part of the world so it was a bumpy ride. The journey was broken by a stop in the town of Lambayeque – This small Peruvian town is the gatekeeper of the Museo Tumbes Reales de Sipan, the museum showcases the artefacts found at the nearby Sipan archaeological site. The museum holds the gold, jewels and fabric unearthed from the tombs of the pre-Inca civilisation Lambayeques. The main display was ‘The ... read more