Huaraz, Peru

Huaraz is a beautiful place for trekking and mountain climbing, exploring glaciers and camping amongst the stunning mountainside. Not ideal if you're trying to recover from a knee injury.

As the anti-inflammatories begun to wore off, I soon realised I'd need to spend a bit of time resting my knee. I couldn't be going out on 4 or more day treks as I'd initially planned, so I was limited to picking a few one day tours that would put little strain on my knee.

Sunday I spent at Chavín de Huántar, an archaeological site from the pre-Incan Chavín culture of around 900BC containing ruins and other artefacts. Then on Monday I went out to see the Pastoruri glacier. Located in the southern part of the Cordillera Blanca, it sits on a peak of around 5,250 metres above sea level. The rest of the time I spent relaxing in a family's home which they use as a hostel, watching TV shows or walking around the city centre and cafe hopping.

So, my time in Huaraz was relatively quiet considering the activities on offer. But I had to sit this one out and rest up for my next big experience - the Galápagos Islands, in 12 days.

The Inca Trail - Machu Picchu, Peru

It’s been a couple days since I completed the Inca Trail, yet I’m still recovering. It was a challenging yet completely fulfilling experience, one of the best of my life - and well worth the considerable cost. Luckily, my knee held up (with the help of many anti inflammatories) and I was able to experience this amazing opportunity to it’s fullest.

Day 1: Cusco to Wayllabamba (12km)

I woke early on Friday morning and was picked up from the hostel around 5:30am, where I met Andy and Logan, two Americans who were in my group. We were picked up and headed to Ollantaytambo for breakfast, where we got to know the rest of the group and I wisely invested in a pair of walking poles to help reduce the burden on my knees.

Following breakfast, we headed to Kilometre 82. We showed our passports, took the obligatory team photos, and begun the Inca Trail, crossing the Vilcanota River.

About to begin the Inca Trail

One thing I noticed was how supremely competent our porters were. Called “chaski” in Quechua (the native language of the Incas), they were each carrying backpacks of about 25kg (before recent regulations were introduced, they were known to carry upwards of 60kg), wearing cheap clothes and shoes, and were still comfortably overtaking each one of us on the trail. They would rush ahead to the next camp site to have the tents prepared and food cooked. The best part was when we finally arrived at camp, they would stop what they were doing, and applaud us for arriving. It felt a little patronising, considering we had it much easier than them and still took much longer to make it to camp.

We settled into our camp for the night and Andy, Logan and I took a walk around the village in the evening and found an old lady selling Chicha. We sat around in the dark enjoying the local brew and appreciating the amazing day we’d just had.

The group at the end of Day 1

Day 2: Wayllabamba to Pacamayo (12km)

We were woken up at 5am and treated to “tent service” - where Ernesto (our second guide) and some of the chaskis came to each tent offering coffee, tea or hot chocolate. It was a nice touch that definitely made getting out of our sleeping bags a lot easier.

Day 2 was supposed to be the hardest. Whilst only trekking for half a day, the majority of it was on a steep incline. I was still having some pain in my knee, and we had the option of hiring a porter to reduce the burden on our backs. I considered it for a while, but the Scottish in me must’ve been particularly strong that day, as I decided to save myself 100 soles (about $40) and carry my gear on my own. I also didn’t want to diminish any sense of achievement I’d have at the end of the trek.

We made the ascent up to Dead Woman’s Pass (4,200m above sea level), where we stopped for a decent rest and took some photos of the unbelievable scenery (this was fast becoming the norm). 

After reaching Dead Woman's Pass

The hike uphill was helped with the aid of chewing coca leaves which I bought from the San Pedro market in Cusco. Chewing coca leaves is a common practice around Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador - it acts as an appetite suppressant, helps with altitude sickness, provides energy and improves digestion. It also mildly numbs your cheek which feels kind of strange at first.

Still at Dead Woman's Pass, I noticed a few llama’s in the distance and walked over to get what I hoped would be some nice photos, only to be spat on by the llama when I got anywhere near close enough to take a photo.

After cleaning myself up, we walked down about 900 steps to our camp at 3,600m above sea level. I was pretty knackered by this point, so I stripped down and had a cold shower in the nearby toilets. I use the terms “shower” and “toilets” loosely - the toilets were a hole in the ground, and the showers a hose in the wall. The water was ice cold, the kind that takes your breath away when you stand under it. However, it felt extremely refreshing and got rid of the dirt and sweat that had built up over the past 2 days.

After lunch, the rest of the day was spent relaxing and appreciating what we’d achieved so far - supposedly the hardest day was over. I wrote in my journal then had some dinner, and an early bed as we were to be up at 5am again the next day

Relaxing in the tent at the end of Day 2

Day 3: Pacamayo to Wiñay Wayna (15km)

I didn’t sleep so well on the second night, the thin mattresses and t-shirt pillow stopping me from getting any decent rest. Getting up in the cold and walking down to the toilets didn’t sound too appealing when you were wrapped up in your sleeping bag, so when I woke up at 3:45am I held it in and waited for tent service to arrive.

The trail on day 3 took us again through some stunning scenery, and beautiful inca ruins. The last stage of the day's trekking was all downhill, some 3,000 steps and more. The problem was not only the amount of steep downhill walking - it was also the rough, uneven terrain which meant you spent a lot of the time looking at your feet to make sure you didn’t take a tumble.

After about 1 hour from the second pass we arrived at Sayacmarca by way of a superbly designed stone staircase. The name Sayacmarca means "inaccessible town" and describes the position of the ruins perfectly, protected on three sides by sheer cliffs. No one knows the exact purpose of these ruins.  

We had to backtrack a little to rejoin the trail as it passes Conchamarca, a small Inca dwelling situated in the shadows of Sayacmarca, which was probably a tambo (Incan structure built for administrative and military purposes) for weary travellers on their way to Machu Picchu. From then on the path descends into magnificent cloud-forest full of orchids, hanging mosses, tree ferns and flowers, passing through an impressive Inca tunnel, carved into the rock, on the way.  

Wiñay Wayna was the last official campsite before Machu Picchu. The name in Quechua means 'forever young' and is named after a variety of pink orchid which grows there. The ruins comprise magnificent agricultural terraces set in an impressive location. There are also many buildings of good quality stonework and a sequence of 10 baths, suggesting that the site was probably a religious centre associated with the worship of water. Ritual cleansing may have taken place here for pilgrims on the final leg of the trail to Machu Picchu.

This was our last night with the chaskis, and also one of the group members' (Penny) birthday. They really pulled out all the stops here and surprised her with a delicious cake, with her name written on it. Failing a well calculated air drop, I still don't know how they managed to do this. We enjoyed our last dinner together, and afterwards the chaskis were called in to be thanked and given tips for their exceptional service. Again it was an early bed as the next morning we were to be up at 3:30am to begin the final portion of the Inca Trail - the trek to the Sun Gate to enter Machu Picchu.

The last supper, and Penny's birthday.

Day 4: Wiñay Wayna to Machu Picchu (5km)

After waking, had a light breakfast and set off on the trail again to get to Machu Picchu before sunrise. This was the only time during the whole trail that we saw any rain, and by a stroke of good fortune it was while we were all waiting undercover at one of the control points.

The trail contours around a mountainside and drops into a cloud forest before coming to an almost vertical flight of 50 steps leading up to the final pass at Intipunku (Sun Gate). Suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu is spread out before you in all its glory, and whilst it was pretty foggy at that point, it couldn't cloud our sense of achievement at completing the Inca Trail.

We walked down to Machu Picchu and stopped at the classic viewpoint for a team photo, then it was a quick stop to refuel - for a steep price - around 13 Soles for a coffee and Milky Way bar.

With the group at Machu Picchu

We re-entered the ruins with our superb guide David for a complete tour of the major sectors, and were given an in depth insight into the discovery and history of Machu Picchu.

After the guided tour, Tomasz (a keen trekker and traveller from Poland) and I headed off for some more hiking, this time to the outhouse and Inka Bridge. After exhausting our legs and cameras, we took the bus back to Aguas Calientes. I checked into my hostel and had the first hot shower I’d had in 5 days. Bliss. Then we met up with the group at the restaurant across the road for some celebration and goodbye drinks.

Our guide David and I at the celebration drinks

Aguas Calientes is a notoriously touristic town where everyone knows they can get away which charging ridiculously high prices for tourists (thousands arrive every day year round). So my lunch and drinks amounted to 100 Soles.

I went back to the room and laid down on the bed. It’s funny how during the trek you keep powering through the trail, as you have an end goal in sight. As soon as it’s over and I had a chance to stop, my body begun shutting down and I was sapped of all my energy. My whole body ached, my knee froze up and I came out with 4 or 5 ulcers (probably also caused from chewing all the coca…).

But the experience wasn’t quite over yet. I’d booked the night in Aguas Calientes, and also another day’s entrance to Machu Picchu and entry to hike up Huayna Picchu, a nearby mountainwhich gives an incredible vantage point overlooking Machu Picchu.

Atop Huayna Picchu

It was nice to be able to stroll around the ruins somewhat refreshed, put the camera away and soak up the atmosphere. I chose a spot to sit down and listen to some music, and on my 6 month anniversary from leaving home was able to reflect on the trip so far, and what was left in store.

Then I began the trek to Huayna Picchu. I had the option of just seeing Huayna Picchu, or trekking the entire circuit of the mountain, which was quoted at a 4 hour round trip. If you’ve been keeping up to date with my blog, you’ll know which option I took. Even though I was exhausted, I pushed my body up to the top of the mountain, then around the rest of the circuit. I ate the few muesli bars I had packed with me, which made no difference to my energy levels, then began to run down the stairs.

On the way back up to the exit point, it felt like each corner turned presented an ever increasing set of stairs. I was beyond the point of exhaustion at this stage and frequently keeled over trying to catch my breath. It felt like I’d never get a rest.

Temple of The the Moon, along the Huayna Picchu mountain circuit

Nevertheless I eventually made it back, and made a beeline for the bus back to Aguas Calientes. I was too exhausted and hungry to care about the exorbitant prices and proceeded to eat 3 meals at 3 different restaurants. 

I took the train and bus back to Cusco and collapsed on my bed - knowing that I wouldn’t really be able to truly appreciate what I’d accomplished until my body recovers.

Paracas, Huacachina & Nazca - Peru

I'm combining these 3 cities into one blog entry, as they are pretty small and I visited them all within the space of about 5 days as I continue to make my way back towards Cusco.

Back at sea level, Paracas reminded me of the Bahamas. A small beach town (my hostel literally backed on to the shore), it was a good contrast from what I experienced in Lima. A nice place to unwind for two nights.

On my only full day there, I visited the Ballestas Islands. While we never actually stepped off the boat, it was a pretty cool little trip. We saw some sea lions, penguins and a ridiculous amount of seagulls. In the afternoon we drove around the National Park and whilst not jaw-dropping, again it provided some beautiful landscapes. I was forced into practicing some more of my Spanish as the tour guide didn't speak a word of English.

Playa Roja (Red Beach), Paracas National Park

Next it was on to Huacachina, which is basically a collection of resorts and restaurants around a blue-green laguna, surrounded by huge sand dunes. An antique image of the town is featured on Peru´s 50 Soles bill.

My gung-ho attitude to activities got me in a bit of trouble again. When booking a sandboarding tour of the surrounding dunes, I said to the travel agent "Sure, I've been snowboarding before!". I've literally done it once, and spent most of the time picking myself up. So, I was given a snowboard and boots, and up we went to the top of the dunes.

I made it down the first dune fine so when we approached the next one (it was massive), I was filled with a false sense of confidence. No surprises what happened next. I was flying down the dune and about half way down, began to wobble a bit. Not having a clue on how to fall properly, I proceeded to flip multiple times over my head, twisting out my knee in the process. Everyone else was watching (I was the only one game/dumb enough to be snowboarding), so naturally I dusted myself off, got up and went down the remainder of the slope.

The next day I was barely able to walk, and begun to fear if I would be able to complete the Inca Trail Trail trek, which started in 5 days (at time of injury). I'm still not sure if I'll make it, but I'm doing everything I can to be recovered in time. Including ice packs, anti inflammatory gel, anti inflammatory tablets, a knee brace, etc...

Today, with my knee feeling quite a bit better, I took the short bus to Nazca to see the famous Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. It is believed the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture between 500 BC and 500 AD, and the hundreds of individual figures range in complexity from simple lines to hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks, orcas, and lizards. Unfortunately my camera isn't expensive enough to get a good enough photo, so I've had to blow my one up a bit to get a fair idea of what it looks like outside the small 6 seater plane.

Colibrí (Hummingbird), flying over the Naca Lines

The pilots were quite relaxed throughout the 40 minute flight and would often unexpectedly take a sharp turn or dip to give you a better view. Fortunately, the lady next me didn't throw up, although she did hold the sick bag for almost the entire flight and was sweating profusely. So I kept my distance.

So It's been a tricky couple of days, but I'll be crossing my fingers and toes on the overnight bus that my knee heals in time for Friday!

Lima, Peru

I don't know if it's just good luck, but again my preconceptions about Lima were proved wrong in just a couple of days.

I didn't go in expecting to have a bad time, or see a dull city. But other travellers I met had told me just that - "you don't need to spend more than 1 day in Lima!".

Looking back, I was extremely lucky to have been offered a place to stay by a man named Nino from Couchsurfing. He is honestly one of the most kind and generous people I've ever met, and it's comforting to know there are people like this out there. Each morning, Nino would have breakfast laid out for us before he went to work, and he even slept on the floor of his apartment while I slept in his room!

When I arrived, he'd left a key to his house with the security guard. I went inside his apartment and met a guy from the USA called Hunter (check out his blog at www.hunterstanford.com), who'd arrived just before me. Nino came back at around 1pm and took us to a local Cevicheria where we had the freshest (the fish were caught that morning) Ceviche I've ever tasted in my life. Not only that, the whole meal including a starter and a drink came to 20 Soles (under AUD$10).

Ceviche at the local Cevicheria

Hunter and I spent the next couple of days walking around Lima, and made a couple more trips back to that Cevicheria. We had a night out on the town on Wednesday (which is another story in itself), went for a run around the local park, cooked a couple of our own meals, and had some great conversations with Nino at the nearby Columbian café.

It feels like I've crammed a week of activities into the last 3 days. But not only that it feels like I've also developed months worth of friendships with these 2 people I only just met. People that blow me away with their kindness and generosity for others who, only a couple of days ago, were complete strangers.

Cusco, Peru

After sticking out a few days of miserable weather, the sun returned to Cusco and I was able to enjoy the city for what it is - a small yet charming place that at times feels almost like a time warp, such is the abundance of history evident within the city.

Cusco was the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th into the 16th century until the Spanish conquest in 1536. In 1983 Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and it has since become a major tourist destination, receiving nearly 2 million visitors a year. 

Arriving early on Monday evening, Tyler and I went out for dinner at the Shaman Raw Vegan restaurant. Being a staunch carnivore myself, I was a bit skeptical about eating just quinoa and vegetables for dinner. But I must say it was absolutely delicious and while I’m nowhere near giving up meat, it’s definitely opened my appetite to an entire new selection of food. It was so good that during my stay in Cusco I ended up hunting down a few other vegan and organic restaurants (it wasn’t hard, there are loads).

On Monday night I went out for dinner at Cafe Morena and just happened to bump into Rich and Christina (we were at the homestay in Puno together), so we shared dinner and talked for a couple of hours, ending with talk of a possible meeting in their hometown of Philadelphia someday.

Wednesday I did the free walking city tour, which was kind of disappointing, but they did take us to a nice lunch spot for Ceviche. In the afternoon I joined up with another city tour, this time much better and led by a knowledgable Cusqueña who took us to the stunning Santo Domingo Cathedral, and many ancient Inca archaelogical ruins - Sacsayhuamán (when the locals pronounce it, it literally sounds like they are saying “sexy woman”), Qenko, Puka, Qorikancha and Tambomachay.

The impressive Sacsayhuamán

Thursday I ended up spending the morning at Starbucks talking to the security guard - finding out about his life and what it’s like to live and work in Cusco. In the afternoon I visited the Arte Museum, which was kind of disappointing, but I wanted to get the most out of my Tourist Ticket, which costs 130 soles and lasts for 10 days, and includes entry to a range of tourist sites.

In the afternoon I took a walk through the San Pedro. Whilst sipping on my fresh juice, I noticed a sign marked “innards” in the back corner of the market. Kind of knowing what I was in for, I took a walk down the Innards aisle, but was a bit shocked to see them selling this (warning: innards!):

Innards at the San Pedro market

 On Friday, after a gym session I went for an “Inca Massage”. In Cusco, you learn quickly that anything that tourists may be interested in gets instantly enhanced by prefixing it with the word “Inca”. When in reality it makes no difference. Anyhow, I enjoyed my Inca Massage which was strangely similar to every other massage I’ve had, then headed to Paddy’s Pub to watch the Manchester United game.

In the evening I met up with some friends from Couchsurfing and we ate dinner at, surprise, a vegan restaurant - called Green Point.

The weekend was filled with more tours using my tourist ticket. On Saturday it was to Maras/Moray and Sunday I finished off the ruins by taking the Sacred Valley tour. During which I met some girls from Texas, and we spent my last night in Cusco sampling the city's street meat offerings and then hitting a couple of bars and clubs.

I’ll be back here in about 2 weeks to begin one of the biggest milestones of my trip, the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu. My 6 month anniversary will incidentally fall during this time, and while I had no intention of planning it that way, it will be quite a fitting moment to celebrate the date.

Puno, Peru

Although I stayed in Puno for 3 nights, I didn’t really find any time to explore the city, bar a brief walk into the main square to get some cash out late Sunday evening.

The main reason for visiting Puno was to see Lake Titicaca, from the Peruvian side. With it was also an opportunity to stay with a local family on one of the nearby islands, which sounded like an interesting experience. It turned out to be just that, but partially for the wrong reasons.

I arrived in Puno on Friday night and after spending much of the day on the bus, went straight to bed. I was picked up early on Saturday morning and taken to the harbour with a bunch of other tourists, all of whom I’d be spending my time with on the islands tour.

Our first stop was Uros, a floating island made completely out of reeds. Although impressive, you couldn’t help but ask “Why?”. The islands are only a couple of meters thick, and have to be reinforced with cut reeds every day. The islands themselves last for 30 years, until a new island is built and the inhabitants are forced to move, their old home breaking apart and sinking.

A hut on the floating island of Uros

In saying that, it was an impressive sight and made all the more impressive when we saw one little hut equipped with electricity and cable TV.

After Uros it was a slow boat to Amantani, where we would be staying the night. We relaxed in the square and were treated to a song and dance by the locals - who soon after proceeded to get wasted drunk. In the evening we took a hike to a few lookout points some 4,100m above sea level to witness a beautifully cold sunset.

We spent the night with 3 others at a local family’s house, who were super kind and extremely welcoming to us. Unfortunately there’s not much in the way of food on the island so our meals consisted of potatoes and … more potatoes. Although with over 3,000 different types of potatoes to be found in Peru, they don’t really have a choice. After dinner we donned some local clothes and were taken to a live music show and … I wish I could see we tried to learn the traditional dance, but with so many gringos in the audience I’m ashamed to say it eventually resorted to a conga line.

On Sunday morning we were taken to the last island of the tour - Taquile. A bit smaller and with less to see, it was still a nice place to walk around and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, this is when the day started to take a turn for the worse. Bad conditions in the water meant our little boat couldn’t handle the ride back. We spent a couple of hours waiting on news from the coastguard, but the conditions weren’t improving.

Our guide informed us that there was the option of getting a speedboat to pick us up from Taquile and take us to Puno, and that it was only an hour or so away. A few more hours of waiting and we had begun to lose hope, thinking we’d have to spend the night on an island again.

The sun disappeared behind the island and as such the temperature dropped significantly. We huddled together and waited at the harbour for any kind of direction from our guide, who seemed to have about as much of a clue as we did. I’ll spare you the boring minute-by-minute details, but by around 8PM (4 hours after we were supposed to arrive back in Puno), the speedboat came to pick us up. Amidst the stampede of people all desperate to get on the boat, surprisingly none of us fell in the water and we made it back safely.

It wasn’t quite the tranquil experience I had of Lake Titicaca from Bolivia, but it was interesting to spend the night with a family and see how they survive with very little.

So after the runaround on the island Sunday night, the train ride from Puno to Cusco came at the right time. I’d done some research before arriving in Puno and heard about the Andean Explorer. A stunning train ride crossing the Andes and highlands of Peru, following the route of Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo.

The scenery was spectacular. Making our way through numerous tiny villages nested in between mountain ranges, you would often see little kids rushing out of their homes, or interrupting their football games to come out and wave at us. I could've hung out the window with my camera for the entire journey, but at some point I had to put my feet up and enjoy the moment.

It was a truly first class experience as we were treated to 3 meals, pisco sours and live performances from traditional Peruvian bands. Not quite suitable for a travellers budget, but on trips like this you have to spoil yourself every now and then!

Arequipa, Peru

It felt kind of strange walking down Mercaderes and seeing Starbucks, KFC, and Pizza hut lining the streets. I opted for dinner at a local cafe instead, recommended by the Indian guy in my room who came out for a walk. It was a long day spent on buses, so after dinner I called it a night.

The next morning I joined the free walking tour, which took us all over the city centre - to restaurants, museums, cathedrals, and even chocolate factories. I had lunch at La Benita and experienced a true Peruvian lunch - a huge, heavy, starchy meal that left me struggling to finish. Something rare for me and food.

Arequipa is a beautiful, European-like (note: never been to Europe) city. It doesn’t feel very South American and is certainly a huge contrast to what I experienced in Bolivia. So it was a great city to spend some time in, and celebrate my 5 month anniversary of leaving home. Luckily it happened to fall on a Saturday night.

I’d made friends with Eddy, a high roller from Manhattan and he brought along two girls from France for dinner and some drinks. A few drinks turned into a few more drinks, and before we knew it we were at a VIP table, taking selfies with expensive drinks (hey, we were well drunk by this stage) and partying at the multi-story nightclub Forum. It was the perfect way to dust out the cobwebs and celebrate 5 months on the road, with some really fun people who had become good friends in less than 48 hours of us meeting.

With the little sleep I had on Saturday night, I mustered up the energy to visit the Santa Catalina Monastery with Eddy. It’s a huge, beautifully coloured place built in the 17th century that now only houses about 20 nuns. It actually feels like it’s own little city within Arequipa. After walking around there for a while I had no more energy, so went back to the hostel for a nap before dinner.

On Monday I tried something different - a Peruvian cooking class. Located conveniently across the road from the hostel, we whipped up some local foods - Causa for entrée and Lomo Saltado for mains. The cost of the course was worth it because the chef had me, an otherwise terrible cook, making roses out of tomatoes like this:

It had been more than a couple of days in Arequipa before I’d actually done any serious sightseeing, so Tuesday was set aside for a 2 day trek of the Colca Canyon.

With a depth of 3,270 m, the Colca Canyon is one of the deepest in the world, more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States. It’s a colourful Andean valley with pre-Inca roots, and towns founded in Spanish colonial times, still inhabited by people of the Collagua and the Cabana cultures. The local people maintain their ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces.

We had to wake up at 2AM on Tuesday morning to be ready for the bus. We hadn’t even begun any hiking and it was already hard. On the way we stopped for breakfast and a viewpoint for spotting Condors, which there were many. Then it was time to start the trek. A total of about 6 hours trekking to the bottom of the canyon, where we were to stay the night. By the time we arrived we were all exhausted, so we had a quick meal then went to bed.

Then, at 4AM it was time to get up again. Still aching, we began a 3 hour uphill trek back out of the canyon. Just like Death Road, I pushed myself to exhaustion to see how fast I could make it up, and ended up clocking in at around 1 hour 45 minutes. Then our guide crushed my sense of achievement by telling me he once did it in 55 minutes.

Our group after the hard trek out of the Colca Canyon

We demolished a breakfast, and soon after, lunch - then took the long drive back to the hostel, most of us falling asleep on the way. 

So, the rest of my time here in Arequipa was spent recovering from the past 2 days in the Colca Canyon. This morning I visited Mummy Juanita at the Museo Santuarios, the well-preserved body of a frozen Inca girl from the 15th century, regarded as one of the world’s top 10 discoveries. And tomorrow I’ll take the bus back down to Puno. Yes, I'm going back down from the way I came, but the intention was always to head back to Puno to take the train - a supposedly beautifully scenic journey through the Andes - to Cusco.

Copacabana, Bolivia

Well, I didn’t quite rest as much as I had planned. But what a stunning place.

I arrived early Tuesday afternoon and headed to a place I was recommended by some friends whilst touring Salar de Uyuni - Hostel La Cúpula. I took a gamble on them having a cancellation as they are usually booked out, and met an English guy at reception trying to do the same. Luckily I was able to get a room, and it was probably one of the best they had. A single suite, with another room with a hammock, with this view:

I was initially going to spend one night here and one night on Isla del Sol, but after seeing how beautiful this place was, I opted to stay there for 2 nights and instead spent all of Wednesday at Isla del Sol.

The next morning at the boat harbour, I bumped into Matt (the English guy I met at the Hostel reception), so we hopped on the same boat to Isla del Sol.

Travel seems to have a funny way of leading your path into the same people. Matt and I were keen on hiking the length of the island from North to South, and I just happened to bump into Mike before begun the hike. I met Mike at my hostel in La Paz, and he was travelling with a few girls who didn’t fancy it. So Matt, Mike and I set off.

Knowing that we had to be at the boat harbour on the south of the island by 3:30pm to get back to Copacabana, we were told we had barely enough time to complete the trek. It was fairly difficult on it’s own, with plenty of uphill struggles scattered along the way. The scenery was out of this world though. You quickly forget that you’re looking at a lake, it’s so huge you just naturally assume it’s the ocean. But you’re 3,800m above the sea level. The water looks unlike anything I’ve seen - it’s incredibly smooth and a such a rich shade of blue you think it’s been edited. On top of that, in the distance you have an incredible backdrop of snow capped mountains. The pictures below barely do it justice.

We ended up smashing the trek, exhausted but making it with an hour or so to spare. Our bodies were aching from the waist down, and we were covered it in dust. But the sense of achievement made the beers afterwards all the more sweeter.

Bolivia hasn't been the easiest country to travel through. There have been many difficulties (some legitimate, some "first world problems") faced since arriving in Santa Cruz - the cold, the altitude, the language, the always unpredictable bus and plane rides, the bad coffee, the shitty hostels. But it's also part of Bolivia's beauty. If you can put up with all of this, and you should, you're treated to an incredibly interesting, cultural, and naturally beautiful country. And I'm glad I did. 

La Paz, Bolivia

After having that well deserved hot shower, I headed into the city to replace the pants that I split in the Salt Flats.

I’d booked my first night in La Paz at the Wild Rover Hostel with Will and Klaus, knowing that one night on the booze would be enough for me. Renowned as a party hostel, I got what was expected - full of Brits and Australians, everyone getting wasted and wanting to visit the infamous cocaine bar, Route 36. I don’t do drugs, but went along for the experience anyway.

The next day I moved hostels and met up with Grace from Couchsurfing. We took the cable car (recently introduced to La Paz in 2014) up to El Alto, a neighbourhood perched high upon the outskirts of La Paz which has a beautiful view of the city.

El Alto. A poor neighbourhood, but with a fantastic view of La Paz.

In La Paz I was lucky enough to make friends with a couple of locals, which for me always makes the experience of a city much more genuine and enjoyable. Seneiya took me out on Sunday to try the Sopa de Mani (a traditional Bolivian soup), and in the afternoon I met up with Brayan to go on a mini food tour of the streets of La Paz. Having someone from the city was the only way I was going to try any of the sketchy looking street foods.

Most people visiting La Paz make sure not to miss one thing - Death Road. It’s a 62 kilometre downhill ride, starting at 4,700m above sea level linking La Paz to Coroico. As the name suggests, it’s an incredibly dangerous road and although the numbers have dropped significantly in recent years, a 2006 estimate stated that 200 to 300 travellers died every year.

I don't think Death Road is the kind of experience you want to hunt around for the cheapest price, so I went with a company which came highly recommended - Gravity. Before beginning the downhill portion of the ride, our guide gave us the choice of attempting a 30 minute uphill ride or taking the bus. Of course all the guys in the group said yes, not having any clue how hard it really is to ride uphill at 3,500m above sea level.

Playing competitive sport for my whole life, naturally I wanted to win, so I gunned it up the first hill... And was completely exhausted. I've never been so desperate for oxygen in my life, it felt like I was drowning. I spent the next 20 minutes gasping for air, trying to recover and yet still climb the remaining hills. Eventually I made it to the end where I devoured a sandwich and Powerade in seconds. 

As the ride went on I became more comfortable with the bike and the conditions, so by the end of it I was flying around the corners. It felt safe enough, although in the back of my mind I always felt I was one unlucky accident away from a disaster.

Our bus, carefully making it's way around Death Road

With some energy left in the tank, I spotted another activity which would get my heart going - Urban Rush. It's a 50m descent from the 17th floor of Hotel Presidente, and it was so good I did it twice.

By Thursday my body had almost given up on me, and compounded with the effects of altitude, I spent all day in bed.

On Friday I took a day tour to Chacaltaya and Valle de la Luna. A minibus picked us up in the morning (late as they had to change a tyre), and proceeded to take us on a very dangerous looking road (not unlike Death Road) and stopped 200m short of the summit. Although it was only a 200m walk to the summit, at 5,421m above sea level you were pretty much limited to a slow walk to avoid passing out. The view at the top however was stunning and well worth the effort.

At the summit of Chacaltaya. Huayna Potosí in the background.

I woke up on Sunday short of sleep and nursing a slight hangover (thanks to a cool party at Seneiya’s friend’s house). But there were a few more things I wanted to check out in La Paz, so I met up with Brayan to check out the El Alto markets - one of the world’s biggest markets where you can find literally everything. From brand new cars to strange pets, clothes, food and electronics. In the evening we went to see the Cholitas wrestling - a cheesy touristic event where the traditional Bolivian women have it out inside a boxing ring. Still, it was good for a laugh.

In between all of this, much of my time was spent people watching in front of the San Francisco church over a fresh juice from the Mercado Lanza. The markets are a fantastic place to visit for fresh snacks and produce at incredibly cheap prices, and it's actually one of the reasons why franchises such as McDonalds have failed to have an impact in Bolivia.

For my last day in La Paz I had planned a tour to see the ancient Inca ruins of Tiwanaku. Although like I’ve said before, things in Bolivia don’t always go to plan and for some reason the tour bus never showed up. But considering the amount things I’ve squeezed into the past week or so, a day’s rest is not a bad thing. Tomorrow I’ll finally leave this exciting, yet exhausting city for Copacabana and a much needed change of pace.

Warning! The gallery below contains an image of dead llamas - supposedly good luck for the sellers at the Witches Markets.

Uyuni, Bolivia

Bolivia keeps on throwing more curveballs, yet I’m becoming more and more attracted to it.

Thinking we were taking the easy way out by flying to La Paz, it ended up being the most nervous two flights of my life. I don’t know if it was because we were flying over huge mountain ranges, or the fact that they were such short flights - but they had some of the most violent turbulence I’ve ever experienced. It appeared to be the norm for the airline staff and locals flying, although Will and I exchanged a few pale looks and nervous laughs as the plane threw us around during takeoff for each flight.

But we made it in one piece. We met up with Klaus at the airport and, walking past a couple of tourists hooked up to oxygen masks (we were now at 3,650m above sea level), we grabbed our bags and took a taxi to the hostel.

Having only one day in La Paz before heading to Uyuni, we took the opportunity to go on a walking city tour. Although probably too quick, it was a good introduction to what La Paz has to offer. We visited the infamous San Pedro Prison (made famous by the book “Marching Powder”, which seems to be the book of choice for all tourists visiting South America), the Witches Market (where every stall you walk past has a couple of dead baby llama’s hanging up for “good luck”), and a couple of historical churches and plazas.

It was then time to catch our overnight bus to Uyuni, and begin our tour of the famous Salar de Uyuni. Spanning 10,582 square kilometres, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. It is located in in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes and is at an elevation of 3,656 metres above sea level.

Having never taken a bus in Bolivia before (but hearing plenty about it), we opted for the Cama (most comfortable) option. It was all well and good until around midnight where we were swapped into a far worse bus for no apparent reason. Not only that, we proceeded to take an off-road route, constantly being thrown up out of our seats for the following 6 hours. Needless to say I got very little, if any sleep that night.

Pulling in to Uyuni at around 6AM, we immediately felt the cold and were reluctant to get off the bus. We tried to stay on for as long as we could, but for fear of losing our bags we soon hopped off. The -4˚C swept straight through all four layers of clothes. Losing feeling in our fingers and toes, we walked around the city in hope of finding a place to drop our bags and warm up. Of course at this time of the morning, nothing was open and so we resorted to playing with the stray dogs to keep the cold at bay.

At 7:30 we were able to check in with the Red Planet Tours agency and headed off for breakfast. Then at 11AM we begun our 3 day tour of Salar de Uyuni.

Being stuck in a car for days on end with the same people can be great fun or a horrible experience. Luckily, we had a great group of solo travellers and we all got along really well. After loading up the 4X4, we begun day 1 which included visiting an old train graveyard, a salt miner’s workshop, and the famous salt flat itself. We were then treated to lunch at a salt hotel.

The Salar is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness. The large area, clear skies, and the flatness of the surface make it an ideal object for taking notoriously touristic photos like this:

We spent the night at a salt hostel in the small village of Atulcha. Even though we had about 4 layers of clothes and 4 blankets each, it was still unbelievably freezing. Somehow, I managed to have a decent nights sleep. The worst fear before falling asleep was having to wake up during the night to use the toilet!

Day 2 was long. Getting up at 6AM, we spent the whole day visiting various volcanoes, lagoons, huge rock formations and animals (llamas and flamingos to name a few). Although exhausting, the landscapes we drove through were incredible, and at times you could be forgiven for thinking you were on Mars.

Afterwards we were taken to the top of a huge volcano called Sol de Mañana (5,000 metres above sea level) where we stepped around the crater to see bubbling pots of mud caused by volcanic activity (the mud was over 100˚C). We were then taken to our accommodation for the night, a small village called Polcas which sits at an altitude of 4,300m above sea level.

The highlight of the tour for me was saved until after dinner. After being treated to some spaghetti bolognese and a glass of Bolivian red wine, we walked outside in the dark to a nearby natural hot spring (caused by the previously mentioned volcano). Being so incredibly cold outside, we quickly stripped down into our swimming gear and stepped into the spring... Absolute bliss. At around 40˚C, it was the warmest we'd been in days. And once we got used to the water, we looked up and were treated to the best view of the stars I've ever seen in my life. You could see shades of the Milky Way arching across the sky, and within it we spotted dozens of shooting stars. It was another one of those fleeting moments I've had on this trip, where you just need to sit back, forget about everything and just appreciate where you are in the world at that point in time.

The final day we visited a few more lagoons and deserts, and then made the long drive back to Uyuni. We arrived just in time to pack our bags, then take another overnight bus back to La Paz.

Almost as good as the hot springs was the feeling of having a nice, warm shower at the hostel when I arrived back in La Paz. After 2 overnight bus rides, 3 days exploring the dusty terrain of Uyuni and no showers in between, it felt good to be clean again. But it was an experience well worth being dirty for.