From Uyuni we had some very unpleasant bus experiences as we bounced our way south and a little sideways and then south again to the border with Argentina. As Caitlin counted the hours to the next bathroom and the number of Bolivian buses left I mourned the Bolivian vineyards we were not able to visit, but then tried some Bolivian wine and decided it wasn´t much of a loss. From the border we jumped on another bus. An Argentinian bus. And Caitlin smiled. And then she went to the bathroom. And then we wound our way through crazy coloured valleys, past the Quebrada de Humahuaca and countless cute little villages to the city of San Salvador de Jujuy. And we were back. Thus there was icecream. Ahhh dulce de leche. Unfortunately the hostel with a pool ... read more

We arrived in Potosí on Good Friday after a relatively short bus ride to be confronted by a rather large hill. Wandering up it we managed to find our way to our chosen accomodation (Hostal La Casona, stay there, the showers are choice!) just in time to avoid the afternoon rain shower. First stop: La Plata for a beer. We tried the local Pilsner. Caitlin was convinced they´d thrown in some mine dust to make it authentic. A little disappointed we headed to La Casona (not affiliated with the hostel) and some how ended up with a rather large jug of Caipirinha :) And some tasty felafel. And then we headed back to our hostel for a good night´s sleep. Or so we thought. A group of 5 descended onto our dorm just as we´d lay ... read more

So, having been tricked by fate and the swarky ladies at the bus station, we were now holding two very expensive tickets on the last bus out of Cochabamba, eagerly awaiting departure. And waiting. And waiting. Finally we set off. Only stop for a meal break 25 minutes down the road. Then everyone piled back on, complete with chicken, gravy and god knows what else, as we bumped our way along. Caitlin and I were sooo lucky. We had the middle seats in the back row. Our seats weren´t even level. My ass was numb before we left the bus station. Caitlin was lucky. Her seat neighbour was a 13 year old who had a wee crush. He spent the night staring, giggling and cuddling up to my curly haired friend. Oh how we love bus ... read more

From Copacabana we headed for La Paz. As we wound our way away from the lake... well actually we didn´t as it appears to be everywhere. Eventually we arrived at the lakeshore again only to be herded off our bus onto a small ferry whilst the bus bobbed across on a barge... only in Bolivia. Once in La Paz we were mesmerized by the size of the place, and the smell of the markets as our hungry bellies rumbled. It had been many an hour since our lunch in Copacabana. Unfortunately all of our hostel choices were full and so we trundled about eagerly searching for a place until one was found, complete with resident pigeons and a pair of wellies on the windowsill. And so our tummies dragged us out into the night where we ... read more

Sleep did not come easy on the night of March 27th. Getting out of bed in the cold and the dark was even harder as our heads spun and tummies cramped. Alas, we are hardy folk and so set off into the night to start our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. Arriving in the village of Mollepata we had a light breakfast and met our crew. Us (of course), Matt & Anna (South of London), Darren (Wales), Ivana (Buenos Aires), George (Hungary), Mandee (Invercargill, but we´ll say Perth) and our ever-chirpy guide Enrique. Day one was tough as we battled with the lurgee but the scenery was spectacular as we wound our way round mountains, looking down on villages way below us and up towards snow capped mountains in the distance. Camp 1 was at ... read more