Our bus from Cusco was pretty uneventful and we arrived in Arequipa at sparrow farts in the morning and got dropped off at the main Plaza, to grab some much needed breakfast before finding our hostel. We didn’t think they would appreciate a 6:30 check in! Arequipa wasn’t in our original plans but, after a few recommendations from fellow travelers, we were keen to check out the popular Colca Canyon and see the beautiful Condor birds from the canyon walls. Before setting out on the trek we pottered around town for 2 days, regaining our energy and taking in the awesome scenery! The city is surrounded by a group of volcanoes, some dormant and some quite active. El Misti dominates the skyline with its symmetrical cone and little white snowcap. I was truly in awe, as ... read more

We had unfortunately left our Machu Picchu planning a bit late, so were running around like a couple of headless chickens the first day in Cusco. We had also idiotically decided to go to a major international tourist attraction, slap bang during the time that all the travel guides advise you NOT to go! That is, during mid high season and right around the time of Peru’s Independence Day – 28 July! Oh well... Machu Picchu only allows 2500 people a day and tickets have to be reserved online then paid at the Cusco municipal office within 6 hours. Tickets also book out at least 2 days prior. There is also no vehicular access to the town of Aguas Caliente, the tourist town below Machu Picchu, so you either have to book a train in, or ... read more

I was going to name this post ‘The day I had to dig deep and put my big girl panties on!’, but James didn’t think that was suitable for a post that also includes him! We did the popular Laguna 69 hike on the 4th day in Haurez, which meant that we were both pretty much acclimatized (or so we thought), and were ready for some leg stretching. It is hard to say or write Laguna 69 without inserting a winking emoticon but apparently the 69 had nothing to do with what you think – but more of a lets-just-give-it-a-number and we’ll name it later, kind of situation. We had an early pick up from our hostel and together with a bus full of other travelers, made the 3 hour trip up to the national park. ... read more

What a change from Buenos Aires! Weather is warm, people are friendly and smiling, and its sooo much more affordable! We can even treat ourselves to some dulce de leche ice cream :) Lima is situated right next to the coast, with weather very similar to Durban – muggy and warm! Nice to be in short sleeves, if only for 3 days before we head up north again to the Cordillera Blanca mountain range tonight (8 hour bus trip!). The suburb we’re in is right next to the coast, on a massive beach cliff. We’ve been a bit hesitant to walk to close to the edge, but it seems that they are either very trusting of these ‘sandy’ stone cliffs, or the building regulations are somewhat sketchy…either way, they make for great viewing of the Pacific ... read more

Were on our way! The last few days have been a little crazy with all the last minute tasks and ticking off everything on our never-ending To Do List – but, that list was finally completed late last night and we managed to get all our gear into our two trusty backpacks. Who would have thought that you could go pretty minimalistic if you weren’t too fashion conscious! James has only just realized that his wardrobe mainly consists of grey – oh, and one or two blue items! I’m sure he’ll be donning a colourfully nifty, Alpaca wool scarf in no time! Our first stop is Buenos Aires for a few days – just enough to find a lekker Tango spot and practise our Spanglish. After which we head up to Peru and start making our ... read more