We jumped on a bus in Ica for the 2 hour journey south to our next destination, Nazca. The town of Nazca is surrounded by dry arid flats which from the ground seem pretty uninteresting, the excitement only occurs once you take to the air. Stretched across 500 sq km of the plains are the spectacular Nazca lines, these lines form a remarkable network consisting of over 800 lines, 300 figures and approximately 70 animal and plant drawings. These lines were mostly made by removing the top layer of stones, which have been darkened by the intense sun revealing lighter stones below. There are a whole host of theories as to why these lines in the desert were created approximately 2000 years ago, especially as they can only be appreciated from the air. A German mathematician ... read more

It was an early start for the route out of Lima. Our bus was scheduled to depart at 8:30 and we were told to be at the terminal for 8. We’d pre-booked a cab to take us the station so we didn’t have to worry about flagging one down with all out gear, so off we went. There’s no central bus station in Lima, all the different companies each have they’re own terminal scattered throughout the city, and when we were dropped off we noticed that this terminal looked ‘different’ to the one we’d bought our tickets at. We just figured that we were looking at it from behind. Wrong! This particular company had two terminals! We dashed back outside, but our taxi had already left, luckily there was another one waiting so after a short ... read more

This will hopefully be the first entry of many as the 12 month tour starts tomorrow. How could I leave without writing from my own country, without turning my own land red on my map of ‘blogged’ countries? So… what do I write about? How it all Started In February 2006 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Although crushingly devastating at the time, I had an amazing support network of friends, family and work colleagues who ensured I kept it together and completed all the necessary treatments in good spirits. Although not the greatest news for any 26 year old, I now find it difficult to say it was a bad thing. My wife and I are closer than we’ve ever been, and it certainly makes you think of what you’re doing with your life and ... read more

The train journey from Datong was surprisingly empty, Faye and I had an entire compartment to ourselves so we slept soundly to our next destination. The only problem was that the train we were on didn’t stop there. We were told in Datong that we would have to leave the train at Taiyuan and then go to the bus station to catch the first bus in the morning to Pingyao. The bus station was a short cab ride away from the train station and we shared it with a couple we met in Datong (Jennifer & Steve) who had the same itinerary as us. We caught the bus to Pingyao (2 hours) and were dropped off just outside the city walls. We later found out that you can easily get a train from Taiyuan to Pingyao ... read more

If there is one image of China that was in my mind before I came to this country, it was that of the great wall… pictures of which adorn the covers of ‘100 things you must see before you die’ (and other such books), not to mention the numerous documentaries and ‘Wish You Were Here’ TV programs we’ve all seen growing up. This wall has a lot to live up to! The wall has scattered remains running all the way from Liaoning Province (east of Beijing) to Jiayuguan in the Gobi Desert. The main touristed part is called Badaling, this is where all the postcard perfect pictures are taken (they must be taken before it opens), this part of the wall is fully restored and the view of it meandering over the hilltops is said to ... read more