Even though it was almost midnight when we finally arrived in Nazca there was still one of the guys at the bus station who tries to sell overpriced tours and Nazca lines flight tickets. We hadn´t booked a hostel so when he offered to show us to one that was in one of our guidebooks we took him up on it, he thought we´d then buy his tour - wrong !!! we let him sort out the hostel for us then told him we´d sort out our own tickets. We´re now playing these guys at their own game which is a smart move as his ticket price was US$80 but we paid US$50 at the airport :-) The morning was bright and mostly clear but a bit misty which delayed our take off for a few ... read more

What an up and down experience Machu Picchu turned out to be !!!!!! The Good. We had our best mountain journey yet from Cuzco to Hydroelectric. The first part to Urubamba was pretty spectacular, but was nothing compared with what came between Urubamba and Sta Theresa. The climb out of Urubamba was like an alpine pass - well made roads with hairpin bend after hairpin bend, and great views down the valley. After reaching the pass at just over 4300m the road descends just like going up until suddenly it's just a dirt track, but a fairly wide one. The really interesting bit started when we took the Sta Theresa turning off the main road, this is a single track dirt road cut into the side of a mountain with a vertical or almost vertical drop ... read more

The road from Arequipa to Cabanaconde climbs up to 4800m before descending about 1500m to Chivay, then it runs along the edge of the Canyon del Colca to Cabanaconde. It's a dusty, rough and bumpy journey on a bus with no leg room - not much fun, but as always the destination makes up for the journey. We are really lucky with our timing, it's the Fiesta Virgen del Carmen which lasts 4 days !!! so every night the local people dress in traditional costume, bands play, people dance, there are fireworks, street food - it's great :-) We came here expecting a great hike into the canyon, we weren't disappointed - it's spectacular, and very tough. Cabanaconde is ~3300m above sea level, the oasis at the bottom is ~2200m. Going down those 1100mm took 2.5 ... read more

What a journey !! Getting to Arequipa from Puno was quite an event !! Before we'd left Puno some of the other passengers seemed to think I was an employee of the bus company, after I helped an old lady get her bags onto the bus I then had to find her seat, an old man then expected the same service, followed by another guy who thought I was the conductor !! The 10am bus left at about 10h20 - which it later turned out was pretty close to the schedule by Peruvian standards, and for the first 1 or 2 km had the passenger door wide open. Things were then smooth until we got to Juliaca where it was bedlam. At the first stop we were already well behind schedule but sat for about 15 ... read more

Slept like a baby on the bus journey up to La Paz from Iquique. Woke up when it got light by which time we were high in the Andes again. These journeys through the mountains are something else, the roads twist and turn, the buses struggle up in low gears, passing lorries going the other way is an inch perfect operation and the views are spectacular, it´s a great experience. We arrived in La Paz in the early afternoon so saw the city from the road at the top of the canyon it´s built in. It´s a totally mental place to build a city - in the bottom of a steep sided canyon 3600m above sea level !!! It´s also a great city, friendly people and full of life. There are markets everywhere selling almost everything ... read more