After all the warnings of gringos being kidnapped or falsely accused of drug smuggling I have to say Colombia was almost a bit of a let-down. Apart from the style of salsa being different and maybe having a few more mountains, on first impressions, I can't say it struck me as being all that different from Ecuador. The scenery in southern Colombia as we crossed the border and made our way towards Pasto was certainly breathtaking and the caminetta decided to liven things up a bit by taking every turn (and there were a great number of these) at breakneck speed. No wonder caminettas can make the journey to Cali in three hours less than the buses! The only annoying thing about the public transport system in Colombia is, unlike Ecuador where the buses (generally) leave ... read more

Well I´m back in mi linda Cuenca after almost a year. I was woken this morning (rather annoyingly) by peals of bells at quarter to seven - I would be greatly indebted to any Catholics out there who could inform me just what is so special about 6.45am on a Thursday morning...and 7.05.....and 7.23.....in fact the bells continued at frequent intervals until eight so I just gave up on trying to readjust my body clock after two days of straight travelling (I officially hate airports after having had an eleven hour delay in Madrid) and decided to have breakfast. Now who can find fault with a giant bowl of fruit salad, yoghurt and museli in the morning for less than $3?! Well, in tue English style I can and I will say that the tea here ... read more

Well me, Soph and Louisa reached Cuenca after three days straight travelling exhausted, dirty and dishevelled. We'd had an absolutely amazing time in Peru and Bolivia but were glad to be home (yes, Cuenca is now our home!) We got in to the bus terminal at about midnight so just got a taxi straight to Robbie's apartment (he had been nice enough to say we could all stay with him to save Soph having to return to her family!) and pretty much just collapsed. We managed to stay up for a while (personally I think it was still the effects of all those coca leaves!) for zhumir and pilsener (which we had been missing like crazy) as some of the guys had come round to see us. We went to say goodbye to our family the ... read more

Islas Flotantes We arrived in Puno on the overnight bus from Cusco and found a hostal. We were here to visit the Islas Flotantes, the floating islands of the Uros people, on Lake Titicaca. When people said 'floating islands' I was picturing some sort of complicated set of large rafts tied together. Even when they said 'made of reed' I was still picturing the sturdy raft-style thing covered in reeds. So it was a slight shock to realise that the islands are truly and honestly just made of reeds packed together in bundles and squashed down onto each other until they form a (almost!) secure place to walk. The Uros people originally built the strange floating islands of Lake Titicaca in order to escape the aggressive Inca and Aymara tribes and several hundred people still ... read more

Well, we left Cusco behind and headed to Ollantaytambo - our stepping stone to Machu Picchu! This involved a four hour coach ride followed by a two hour taxi ride with the six of us (me, Lou, Jack and our bags) crammed in. At least it saved the four hour train journey to Machu Picchu! Lou and I headed off to the ruins at Ollantaytambo (told you I'd be making to most of my damn, over-priced ticket!) while Jack stayed at the hostal. Headed up the terraces to explore the Inca fortress - I'm definitley going to be very fit when I finally get home! Spent a while at the fortress and probably an equal amount of time at the market below helping hopeless English men who a) have no idea what things cost here (a ... read more