Blogs from Máncora, Piura, Peru, South America

In the midst of the crisis that has been gripping Chile, I had been also meaning to catch up on writing about a few of our latest South American adventures…I was also going to go on a hilarious diatribe about the parking guys that hang around Santiago parking lots, and then want you to tip them when they help you back up, although mostly you just look in your backup camera and try not to run them over (I can see you!!! Now please move!!!). With the current climate around inequality, perhaps it’s inappropriate to make fun of these guys…they’re not exactly from high society and they’re just trying to scrub out a few bucks…I feel bad too and often I don’t have change since I mostly use a credit card here, so I end up ... read more

So the unthinkable happened in Baños... we were given news that would make us start thinking about the end of the trip. A deadline!!! We knew there would be an end, we don't have bottomless funds and we always knew we could not live this idealised life for ever. Of course not. However we like the idea of travelling as we do, at a much slower rate now, visiting all the places that spark an interest in us. Initially we had in mind a year but was open to going home early or staying longer. At the beginning of the trip, away from our routines and work we were always enjoying ourselves but doubted we would last a full year. Travelling is hard work at times (believe it or not) and to completely relax out of ... read more

The Galapagos Islands are one of the best places we have ever seen and we were on a high as we left by plane then bus on our way to Peru in search of new adventures. However, things don’t always go your way and on the bus near the border of Ecuador and Peru my bag was stolen. It had our computer and one of our cameras in it. When I realised what had happened I just wanted to be back home again. I knew of course that the feeling would pass, but over the ensuing days we made new plans to be back in Australia for Christmas. So we will miss a few places and catch more planes and less buses. When we got to Tumbes in Peru we didn’t like where we were and ... read more

Le due parole piu' temute dal viaggiatore che si ritrova a girovagare per il continente sudamericano sono senza ombra di dubbio "Gringo Trail", cioe' quel classico percorso che 9 turisti su 10 compiono seguendo i consigli di agenzie di viaggio o i suggerimenti dei loro predecessori, andando cosi' a creare un meccanismo perfettamente oliato di facili scarrozzamenti in autobus turistici climatizzati, comodi ostelli a misura di backpackers, prezzi sfacciatamente gonfiati e gente del posto trasformata in voraci avvoltoi pronti a spolpare il malcapitato viandante giunto da quelle parti, in luoghi che rimangono comunque tra i piu' belli ed interessanti di tutto il paese. Mi riferisco ovviamente al classico sentiero che da Lima scende verso Sud passando per Arequipa, Cuzco, Machu Picchu ed il lago Titicaca; non male in fin dei conti, ma il Peru' ha molto ... read more

Hola from Peru!!!! Finding a computer to actually write a post is starting to become more difficult. The hostels I have stayed in so far have no compuers or only one computer so it can be hard to find the time to write my blog. Found an internet cafe today to catch up on my blogs on an old style computer with sticky keyboard keys! As I am usually catching up on blogs, I tend to forget to write some stuff down so I have remembered a couple of previous bus journeys that I wanted to tell you about. On my way back to Quito in Ecuador, returning from the jungle, the bus stopped part way. On walked a guy in an army uniform, said something in Spanish and some people started to walk off. Not ... read more