Mahara and Claire

So I (Claire) drew the Argentina straw. After leaving Bolivia and some epic bus rides we missioned it through Salta to Cafayate.....wine country. We quickly found a group of likeminded people, plus a couple doing exactly our trip but opposite, (including moving to NZ). Our trip to the nearby canon expanded from 6 to 15 people, and our guide was great. I must add that it was more free climbing than walking, but the river crossings and condor sitings were great. But it was even better relaxing after a hot day in the sun with lovely wine. Then there was infamous Cordoba. Well we got there and there was beer, brushetta and the break up. So we decided that the next day we should do something a bit more fun and went horse riding and had ... read more

We arranged before leaving La Paz to be volunteers at La Senda Verde, and the death road mountain bike company left us there after our ride. La Senda Verde is an animal santuary for animals rescued from the illegal pet trade. So this includes monkeys (6 different kinds, photos on facebook), turtles, tortises, Macaws, Toucans, Amazonian birds, a bear, a fox, a mountain cat and a Magar, crazy animals called Coati´s and a pack of lovely dogs. Oh yea, and the Boa Constricta, forgot about him. wwwsendaverde.com For the following two weeks these animals became our constant wards. With over 200 mouths to feed and 3 feedings a day, plus a considerable amount of poop to deal with, our days were full. Along with that, we would come up with activities for the animals, particularly the ... read more

Bolivia we are here! So we left Puno on the bus and took the relatively short journey around Lake Titicaca to Copacabana, Bolivia (although to Claire the journey was tourturously long as they locked the bathroom door on the bus and she really needed to pee). Now, just to clarify, this place in Bolivia is the original ´Copacabana´. The more famous relative in Rio, Brazil is actually named after this place in Bolivia. Apparently some priest built a church in Rio named after this area and then the beach in Brazil took the name because.....well I kinda tuned out to what the guide was saying after that. Anyway, we are here in Copacabana and we made it in time for the annual Fiesta de la Virgen de Candelaria. It is a pretty amazing fiesta (party) where ... read more

Beunos dias all, My last post was before we had even left and it's been pretty flat stick since then. Lot's of planes, early starts and crappy airport food. But finally we have arrived in Cuzco to start acclimatizing for the Inca Trail. Claire has already given a run down on some of the things that happened so just a quick take from me. - Santiago, Chile - we didnt get much time to look around so don't have much of a take. Did manage to meet a Belgian girl whose boy friend is a guide for Mount Blanc. So I have booked myself in and am looking forward to doing that in the future. - Bogota, Colombia - was amazing! I had an awesome night out with a bunch of Kiwi girls, and Irish, Spanish, ... read more

So the count down is on...we fly out tomorrow and have just been busy finishing our packing and doing some last minute trips around Rotorua to the bank etc...well I have anyway, Claire had things organised a wee while ago. She even had time to get her eyebrows done! As we were packing we even had some of the local cats want to join us (see pic). Despite all this preparation I'm still awaiting the awkward moment in some foreign country when I realise that I've forgotten something. Oh well, as they say, so long as you have your passport, credit card and tickets (even these arent that important these days) you are good to go. Anyway, enough for now. I'd say this is a good start, posting before we even leave, but only time will ... read more