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Because of the lack of time and money, we decided to take the PeruRail train to Machu Picchu. The train took off from Poroy station by Cuzco at around 730am. It takes about 4 and a half hours to get to Machu Picchu Pueblo, or previously known as Aguas Calientes. The views from the train are breathtaking. Mountains hidden by mountains and terraces full with crops for fruits and vegetables. Along the way you also get to see some Inca ruins on both sides of the train. It really is an unforgettable experience that every person should do sometime in their life. Around noon we reached Aguas Calientes, a tiny touristy town 20 minutes away from Machu Picchu. We ate some awesome Peruvian Mexican food and got everything settled for the hike up to the Machu ... read more

We got into Arequipa late afternoon and immediately went for some food. Funny thing was that we ended up having some Peruvian Chinese food which was actually pretty good. The next day we walked around Arequipa and got to know the sites. We went to the Plaza de Armas which is beautiful at night and went to the Inka museum where Juanita The Ice Princess rests. She was a young girl who was sacrificed on the summit of a mountain next to a volcano and got frozen to the ground as time passed by. It is funny how she sits currently in the museum at below zero temperatures so that her body can be preserved in the awesome condition she is in today, makes you think about life. At the end of the day we catched ... read more

After an unexpected short overnight bus, we made it to Iquique. We got to the hostel at 5am where the awesome owner let us sleep in one of the couches until it was a reasonable time for them to let us into our room, 8am. This hostel is awesome. It´s name is Backpackers Hostel and part of the Hostelling International chain. It is literally 30 seconds away from the beach. Lucy and I spent our two full days at the beach with new friends from the hostel eating, talking and laughing. For those of you looking for a good chill beach in South America, Iquique is the place to go. ... read more

After a short break after the altiplanic lakes we headed to the Death Valley for a half an hour trek. From there you have an amazing view of the valley and the Atacama Desert. Then we headed to the Moon Valley where we visited the sites of the Three Marys, the Slat Mine, the Amphitheater and finally watched the sun set. It was beautiful. As soon as the sun hit the horizon it turned the desert into a beautiful painting filled with vibrant pink, red and orange colors. ... read more

Because Dana had suggested it, Lucy and I boarded a bus today headed to the Elqui Valley where they make Chile´s natinal drink, Pisco. It is also claimed by Peru as their national drink but we all know Chilean is better... Anyways, during a two and a half hour bus ride we saw spectacular views of the valley. On both sides, dry mountains stand with nothing but rocks, sand and cactus. Then, in the middle of the valley floor there are endless fields of vines. The green colored contrasted so much with the dusty sand of the mountains that sometimes it seemed from a dream. We stopped at the little town of Pisco Elqui to admire the town and the Mistral Pisqueria but it was too expensive so we just wondered around. ... read more