Hungover Antics and foolish mistakes.....!!!

So, i finally made it back to La Paz (the top of which is shown in the pic here, the view of La Paz as you come down into the valley is wicked.. although this was taken from a moving car so not the best depiction of it!!!)... time is running out for me fast and so having spent a lot of time in La Paz already I didn't want to waste too much more time there.... it was too late to do anything about that by the time I got back that Saturday night so instead i found Emily who was still at El Solario... (once again I'd scored my own room as they had no dorms available and I have to say i was loving.. i think I might be a little over the dorm thing.. for a while at least!!) Anyway... i found Emily and her friend from home, Dan, along with an Aussie girl; Bec who I met in the hostel just after i arrived back and we headed to Olivers (obviously) for some food. I was shattered from the long day so have to admit it wasn' the usual Saturday night La Paz has to offer and my bed won over socialising pretty easily!!

The next day, being Sunday... and me having not got up all that early, it's fair to say, was also a bit of a wash out in terms of organising my escape route from one of Bolivia's capitals and so it was spent wandering round the witches market.. attempting to meet a hungover Chris (the aussie) for lunch but being met with a note rescheduling... written at 8am that morning, whilst still in the pub... knowing he was about to go home to bed and not by any stretch of the imagination make it back out of bed in time to meet me for lunch... hey, at least this Chris left a note eh!! ;0) Anyway... we met for dinner instead although I actually read his note wrong and it was really only by chance that he bumped into me... oops!! The night did what La Paz does best and sucks you in, not letting you leave until the morning... along with Bec, the Aussie girl from the hostel, we stayed at Olivers til late then moved onto to La Luna for some more drinks then back to Oli's house (owner of Olivers Travels) for a few more.. before we knew it, it was 0730 in the morning and we were only just getting home...just as Em was getting up to go do Death Road!! When will I learn.. and how many times have i said that since I've been in South America.. oops! Pic here is me and Em at the Halloween party.... don't ask re the Christmas hat... random I know!!

This was where i should've known just to stay in bed and not attempt to do anything sensible... but oh no... here I was hangover from hell, and hell bent on booking my flight out of here asap!!! As if i was going to make a practical, sane decision having had about 2 hours sleep!! I had a couple of thoughts up my sleeve as to my route from here on... they involved Argentina mostly. And my 2 decided options were fly to either Iguazu or Buenos Aires with the intention of going to Iguazu from there. Now, normally speaking the obvious thing to do would be to fly to Iguazu then go to Buenos Aires from there.

For the record I didn't really want to fly anywhere but thanks to my ticket home being about to expire and STA/Qantas/BA not being at all flexible and allowing me to extend it I had no choice... honestly, anyone would think I'd been away for a year and was just getting greedy!! ;0)

Anyway... long story short, the agent I was speaking to could get me a ticket to Iguazu for $400 or a ticket to Buenos Aires for $338... she kept going on about how pricey it was to Iguazu, which prob jst meant she earnt more commision from the BA flight but hungover Flooze here didn't quite have the brain power to compute that so just went ahead and agreed with her and booked the Buenos Aires flight!!! Dumbass!!!!

Anyway.... we'll come back to that later when I explain how I rectified that once i took the flight... for now... La Paz.... the rest of the day was pretty much a write off. I managed a small amount of shopping and internet time and 2 meals at the same place... Luna Coffee.... when the guy in there said it was nice to see me again I realised maybe I'd been dining alone in the same place a little too much!! ;0) but bless him... he was very friendly! I actually ended up having 2 dinners that night as when I got back to the hostel Em had just got back from surviving Death Road (although she did take a little tumble poor thing!) and enticed me into going for Tapas with them. It was a yum meal but I have to say I was rubbish company and didn't last long before the thought of my bed won and I headed home to sleep.... it was bliss!!!

The next day was Halloween.... although I had wanted to be getting on my way it was quite a good day to be in La Paz... there was a fancy dress party being held at Olivers that night. After lunch (at Coffee Luna... again!!) the afternoon was spent at the Witches market with Em, shopping to our hearts content, bartering with all the ladies on the stalls and getting that Christmas shopping done.... it's not like I'm going to be able to afford to buy anyone anything when I get home so Bolivian prices are your only hope of pressies from me people!! ;0) (Pic on the left here is Chris (aussie) and I at the Halloween party! He clearly had done the dressing up thing.. at least I hope that's why he had eyeliner on!!! Below from left to right is Dan, me, Em, Andrea and her boyf... they were a lovely couple we met both living in La Paz).
Once I'd exhausted the shopping options and relieved the market of pretty much half their stock I headed back to pack before hitting Oliver's with the others.... I didn't dress up as had to leave for my flight at 4am. I had fully intended to go home at 11ish and get some sleep but that young Emily is a bad influence ... heehee... and somehow 11ish became 3ish and i never made it to bed...!!! oops! The day that followed was hell thanks to that but the party was fun and it was a good send off from my time in La Paz!! It had been fun and La Paz and Bolivia as a whole are wicked... I still hadn't managed to do all the things I wanted to do there, I didn't get to Sucre or Potosi or the Jungle which is a shame but hey, it's on the list of places to come back to so one day.... xx

The 'Cool' White Shirt Gang and Evil Mozzies!!

Our flight to Rurrenbarque wasn't til 4pm so a leisurely morning was on the agenda...... until I got a call at half 9am from America Tours who we'd booked the flights through to tell us our flight time had been changed and we were now leaving at 1330... so had to be at the airport by 12... and i was yet to pack and had to get hold of Dawn and Johnny at their friends house to let them know... eventually I managed to get in touch with them and they came to pick me up from the hostel at half 11... just packed and ready in time! Phew!! Despite the unexpected rush we were all happy to actually be on our way. Flights from La Paz to Rurrenbarque are notoriously unreliable.. in fact the hostel wouldn't let me book a room for my return purely cos that's where i was flying in from!!

We got to the airport within plenty of time but check in took longer than actually getting there... thanks to Amazonas wanting to leave someones luggage behind until the next day... not really ideal when everyone's booked on some kind of tour for the day after they get there! Anyway, eventually it got resolved and the luggage in question got put on the plane. The aircraft was small and the ride was shaping up to be bumpy... all fine for me, given I'm not a nervous flyer it doesn't really bother me... the English girl sat behind me however, not quite sharing my views! Her first (of many) announcements to the entire passenger body was 'My dad's a pilot and he's never get on a plane like this. It's a death wish.. we're all going to die!'.... or words to that effect anyway... All i could say was 'hmm.. loving the positivity there Girlie!!' I don't think her or her boyf were overly amused when I calmly managed to sleep through the entire flight!! oops!

Anyway, safely back on the ground we arrived in the intensely hot and humid Rurrenbarque.. I'd managed to forget that as we'd be descending from altitude it wouldn't be quite as dry, crisp and cool as La Paz and packed accordingly... oops!!! Clearly my 3 jumpers and the tracky bottoms I'd bought for those chilly nights were not going to be needed for the next few days!

Once in town we confirmed our tour for the following day... I only had time to do either the Jungle or the Pampas, not both unfortunately and had opted for the Pampas, a decision made purely on the wildlife you'd see there... I so wanted to get to the Jungle too but it wasn't to be, this time anyway! Then we found ourselves a hostel, the hostel Asis where we were hoping for a cool shower but as someone was doing their washing that wasn't to be.. apparently you can't do both at once in these parts!! So, we settled for a wander down to the river and around town and then a cool drink at the Moskkito Bar... seemingly the meeting place for all backpackers in this town! It was a nice atmosphere in there though, with some decent pool tables and a good DJ.. Marco, who became our friend very quickly, not least cos Johnny's a DJ too and they got stuck into the music talk (yes yes Panda and Pucas.. which I obvioulsly knew nothing about!!!!!!)

After a few drinks we headed back for a shower (finally) and to cover ourselves in deet before heading back to Moskkito for dinner and a few cheeky happy hour ######### and a few games of pool (I have clearly forgotten all the lads taught me in Thailand and am utter rubbish once again... although did manage not to pot the black this time you'll be impressed to know Lotty, Graham and Adam.. after my performance with you guys in Queenstown!! As we were to be up early for our tour the next day we were sensible and didn't stay out too late!

We squeezed in a lush breakfast of Banana bread before our tour the next morning... something i'd been missing since becoming a tad addicted to it in Sydney... then off we set to conquer the Pampas. First up for our 3 day tour was a bumpy 3 hour jeep ride to the banks of the Beni River with a little flat tyre incident along the way, a shed load of dust, a few sightings of crocs and a lot of heat... not that we were complaining you understand!!! Once we reached the river we had a short ride in a dug out canoe up to the lodge that we'd be staying in for the next few days.. and there we met our fellow Pampas bods.... an Irish girl, a German girl and an American Mother and Daughter... once again Johnny being a male was in the minority on a tour, just as was so on the Inca trek.. with Chris as his saving grace!! Luckily Johnny handles this kind of situation well..... training from his time with Dawn and her friends.. and so became an honourary member of the Girl Gang for the duration... heehee... sorry Johnny... couldn't resist describing it as so!!! ;0)

Talking of Gangs though... we think everyone was jealous of us really, even though they didn't show it.... Dawn, Johnny and I, having no light weight long sleeved clothes to fend off the mozzies has purchased a fetching white school/work style shirt each in Rurre the previous day, for all of a pound each.... and my.... did we look gorgeous in them!! After lunch and a siesta at the lodge we donned them with price, buttoned up to the very top might I add and made our way to the canoe ready for our 3 hour wildlife spotting boat trip down the Beni. As you can see from the pic above, I wasn't joking about how attractive we all looked in them!!!! I'm ever so sorry too, I know it was a bargain but I may have 'accidentally' left my special shirt in Rurre when I left!! oops!! Oh yeah, and given the honorary girl thing... just so you know... Johnny's the one on the left in the pic of the 3 of us!! heehee!!

Anyway... the afternoon boat ride was cool... well actually no, it was ridiculously hot and the mozzie's were out feeling vicious and ready for the kill..... it seems they like my blood and went to work on my legs, through my trousers, with no shame at all!! Sorry Mum but I have to say it.... Little Bastards! (actually what am I saying, you'd probably call them worse yourself Ma!!) However, the boat ride and all te wildlife we spotted was pretty damn awesome.. .there was all sorts, Caimans, Alligators, Herons etc etc... these little fellas on the left here are pretty cool too, I can't remember the name of them but they're really tame and just stand stock still like you see in the picture here no matter how close you get to them. Now, on another note, I know I should say the wildlife was the best bit of it but check out this sunset below..... it really was stunning!! After dinner that night we went on a nocturnal boat ride too...... I was sat at the front on my own... and the guide kept nudging the boat up front first right close to the shore where several Caimans had just been woken by us and I'm guessing weren't feeling too enamoured by us!!!!! Not my least scared moment of all time.. good fun though!!

It was straight to bed after the night boat ride.. we were all exhausted from the heat and long day and happy to have a shower and tuck ourselves tightly in under our mozzie nets for the night. I still seemed to have more bites the next morning and they were driving me mad but hey... I'm tough me... i can handle it... now where are those damn antihistamines!!!!!

We had a 4 hour boat ride the next morning, taking us the other way round the river, with the option of swimming with the Pink Dolphins found in these waters. I was considering this and did have my bathers on just in case but after spotting several million Caiman lining the banks, as much as I dream of swimming with Dolphins and was gutted i didn't get to fulfil that dream in NZ.. swimming with them in murky Caiman infested waters wasn't quite what I had in mind and quite honestly, i think the 2 peeps that did give it a try (they wren't playful at all btw so pretty pointless anyway) were utterly insane.. but they were American so understandable I guess!! Heehee!! ;0) Just kidding Girls!! Anyway... the boat ride this morning was more impressive in the animal spotting stakes than the day before... the things we saw were wicked, lots of monkeys, herons, eagles, caimans, alligators, dolphins, turtles and other things I can't remember... a few pics here show you some of the things we got to see.

We headed back to the lodge for lunch... a welcome break from the sun and mozzie's by this point I can tell you. After lunch we just chilled out at the lodge for a while... my body was taking a while to adjust to the heat, which I know is unusual for me... so all I was really capable of was lying on my bed reading, trying to keep as cool as possible! The afternoon's activities were to be Pirahna fishing.... I was tempted to opt out.... but Johnny played it perfectly and said... Just think in a few weeks time you'll be back in the cold English Winter wondering why you didn't take the opportuntity when you had it... he clearly knows how to convince me to do something.... damn it.. so off I went, deet and white shirt in place, back to the canoe..... funnily enough.. all but Johnny managed to catch something... although I have to say once I'd hooked one through the eye I felt incredibly guilty and didn't catch any more!!! I know Im a wus but it looked painful for the poor thing!! It was a fun afternoon though and I'm glad I opted to do it!! There are no pics as I forgot to take my camera but I believe Dawn and Johnny have one of me with my catch so maybe it'll make it on to here at some stage!!! but for now... here's another Caiman!!

That evening after dinner, at which the company gave us some red wine... yum... there was a little drama before bed... in the guise of an apparently extremely venemous snake... not so far away from our bedrooms, which weren't exactly snake proof shall we say! I think we were all a little on edge in our beds that night... although Jennifer had kindly given me an antihistamine for my bites so it didn't take me long to drift off (does it ever mind you!?!)

Our final day dawned and we were up early again to head off for a walk in search of an Anaconda... as you do! We said goodbye to Jennifer and Julie (the Americans) as they had to hotfoot it back to Rurre for thier flight but the rest of us ventured off into the Pampas beyond the river.. it's unexpectedly very flat and floods an awful lot apparently. Our guide knew where an Anaconda had been living for a while so it didn't take us long to find the not-so-little thing... as you can see from the pic.. not sure you'd really want to get too close or on the wrong side of this dude!!!!!!!!!

After the walk it was back to the lodge for an early lunch before waving goodbye to the Pampas and heading back on the 3 hour return jeep journey... luckily this time with no flat tyre incident. I have to admit I wasn't sorry to be leaving the Pampas... not because i hadn't enjoyed my time there, I definetly did, it's an awesome place but really just because of the Mozzies, they were feasting on me and doing my head in! It was definetely worth it though... an amazing experience!

We were staying in Rurre again that night... or rather I was only staying one night, Dawn and Johnny were staying longer to do a Jungle tour so this was my last night with them. We had a bit of a mission finding a hostel (the hostel Asis, the owner turned into a bit of a nutcase so we opted not to stay there this time) and ended up athe Hostel Beni... a nice place in town with a decen shower.... bliss!! Although once we'd checked in we were told there'd be no hot water for at least another hour as they were cleaning the tank!! Oh joy... just what we wanted to hear!!! So, we sat and continued to be smelly and horrible for another hour chatting and eating chocolate (the banana bread missionary man had run out... how rude!!) Eventually we got a shower, cleaned ourselves up and headed out for dinner and a few drinks in honour of our last evening travelling together! Dinner was ok... excpet for Dawn who's veggie lasagne was possibly the worst ever made but we shared ours with her and all was well. Then it was to Moskkitos for a few drinks, some pool and for Johnny to spin some tunes with Marco the DJ (pictured here on the left.. Johnny DJing in the pic on the right) for the rest of the evening.

It was a fun evening and ended up being a fairly late one... I had to be up early for my flight so managed not to drink too much somehow and we headed back to the hostel in a fairly decent state. Dawn and Johnny made me promise to wake them in the morning so the goodbyes were saved til then.. which came all too soon for my liking and I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower.. expecting to be back in La Paz by Midday... oh how wrong I was!! I went and said bye to Dawn and Johnny though.. i was sad to be leaving them, it had been fun travelling with them, they're a great couple. Guys, I hope you're having fun on your travels since I left you.... keep in touch and have a fab fab wedding back in Auckland... I'll be over to see you DJ for real at some point Johnny and you guys are always welcome at mine if you're ever back in England!! Thanks for being fab travelling buddies (obviously that's them shown in the pic below for those that hadn't twigged)... I've had a ball, You Rock!!! ;0)

Back to the day though..... it didn't turn out quite as planned... I thought I'd be back in La Paz by lunch time and book my flight out of there for the next day or Monday at the latest... oh no.... there was a delay... apparently cos of the clouds (!?!) Luckily I was saved from a few hours of boredom sat at the Amazonas office in town as Marco turned up and kept me company at breakfast and while I waited for the bus to the airport. Once we were taken to the airport we thought all would be ok but nope... there was no plane awaiting us and we sat for the rest of the day in the very small, hut like airport waiting for our flight... technically i guess we should count ourselves lucky.. we left at about half 3 that afternoon, instead of the 0955 departure we were meant to have... but ours was the only flight that didn't get cancelled that day so we couldn't really complain!! It had been fun in Rurre and I'm so glad I went even if I didn't get to do it properly.. It was nice to be down from altitude for a bit too.. I was apprehensive about whether my nose bleeds would return when I got back to La Paz but i was quite glad to be going back to the cooler climate there... never thought I'd hear myself say that!!! xx

La Paz... Take 2!

After having a much appreciated lie in and leisurely mooch round town the next morning, taking in the Car Blessing ceremony... where the priest's bless the car's by decorating them as you see in the pic here, saying some kind of prayer and toasting with what appeared to just be Cervesa (that's Beer to you and me!) .. and accidentally gatecrashing a wedding...we caught our bus to La Paz early afternoon... after a particularly quiet bus ride with the exception of having to disembark to let the bus be put on a makeshift 'ferry' to cross the lake while all the passengers got on a boat to the other shore...there was skeptism about whether we or the bus would make it to the other side.. but we did and arrived in La Paz around 5ish... Dawn and Johnny were staying at a friends place in La Paz and Chris was being Chris and had decided to venture off to 'heavily chill' on his own so I headed back to El Solario where Katy and I had stayed when we got to La Paz the last time. I will admit I was a little daunted to finally be on my own in South America... my spanish skills having not improved massive amounts. I did find they'd improved enough for me to sort myself out a room and get my laundry put in... and the alone thing didn't last too long either.... I hopped on the internet not long after arriving to find Luke online.... I was feeling a tad subdued after recent events.. details not relevant but suffice to say, I needed to hear some friendly banter..... I miss Luke lots obviously and so it was fab to catch up with him... he was just about to leave home again and make his way back to Sydney.... he told me some stories from home that made me laugh.. a lot.. and I was smiling again!! See, even on the other side of the world, he manages to still be there for me... not bad for a guy who by his own admission had no idea how to deal with a neurotic/distraught woman before he met me!! That's meant to paint you in a good light btw Pukas!! haha!! I have to mention also that Nick, my friend from bouncing, was also online that day and did a good job of cheering me up too!! Thanks matey!

Anyway, half way through said conversation with Luke... who do I turn round to see grinning at me but Chris and Emily of Isla del Sol appearance. They were staying at El Solario too so after signing off from Luke we all headed to Olivers (an English pub) for dinner and drinks.... as is unsuprising where these 2 are concerned.... the evening didn't end there.. infact, it didn't end at all, not until 6am anyway... oops!! A friend of theirs, Finbar, a cheeky Irish lad who'd also worked at Loki while I was there, was also out with us and the 4 of us ended up checking out the delights of La Paz's nightlife.... there were a couple of bars, Sol Y Luna, Mungo's and some other place... when will I learn I'm too old for All Nighters??!! It was fun though... the hangover the next day, not so much fun but we were all highly amused that Fin managed to miss his bus to Cusco thanks to the later night/early morning... given he didn't make it to bed until 2 hours before the bus was leaving, can't say we were exactly suprised!!!

Although Sunday morning had already dawned by the time I made it to bed that night, I had to force myself up again far too soon as I'd arranged to met Dawn and Johnny for lunch and some sightseeing... I managed the lunch and a visit to a couple of travel agents to check out Pampas and Jungle tours but after that it was all I could do to get myself back to the hostel and into my bed. I'd lucked out with my own double room at the hostel as they had no dorms available when I checked in and had given me my own room discounted ... never had I been more grateful for that than today.... the room was noisy and I've slept in nicer beds but it was the most inviting thing in the world to be right then!! See... told you I was too old for this out all night malarky!! ;0)
After chilling out for a few hours though, i found myself enticed back to Olivers by Fin, Em and Chris... as well as another girl, Sarah who'd arrived from Cucso that day too... funnily enough it turned into another late night... although not quite so bad, just 2am this time... something tells me this lot are a bad influence on me. It turned into a pretty comical night.... although started with good intentions and me just drinking tea and vanilla milkshakes.. that didn't last too long and by the end of the evening there was dancing on tables by among others, the barmaid who we'd got to know given that we seemed to spend far too much of our time in there, and lots of other amusing antics while chilling out on the comfy leather sofa's in there.

Thankfully I was feeling slightly more human the next morning when I met Dawn and Johnny to sort out our activities for the next few days. We'd decided to head to Rurrenebarque the next day and do Pampas/Jungle tours so were booking it that morning. Chris (Aussie) came too although then decided it was too pricey for him... and after getting all the info on the trips bumped into Chris (American) who'd done Death Road the previous day and was aching a little... but was still in one piece we were relieved to see! We all went for some brekkie so we could decide which trips we wanted to do then headed back to book... with a cheeky stop at Burger King afterwards. Now, I'm not a big fan of fast food and have tried to avoid it as much as I can on this trip.. and I've done pretty well I think but i decided to treat myself today... only they don't believe in veggie options here so chips it was!! The pic here is a demonstration of some kind that we got caught up in on our way to meet Dawn and Johnny!

Anyway... I'm talking rubbish... once we'd booked our flights and tours we decided to head to the infamous San Pedro prison.... Bolivia's notorious prison where the conditions are entirely dependant on how much money you have, if you're wealthy it's like living in a hotel I'm told and where families live in there with you... kids growing up inside a prison!!! We wanted to go in but to do so you have to visit the embassy and find out the name of an inmate you want to visit from your country... or I'm assuming you could probably bribe the guards but we were a little scared of doing that so opted to just have a look from the outside. It's a pretty unopposing building and intrigues me a lot.. I've not read Marching Powder yet, written by an inmate there, but i'm told it's a good read so I'll put that on the list. This is the only picture i was able to get of the prison.. it's ths entrance, you can see the inmates all crowding round by the door.. as we were ushered away and told not to take pics, Johnny even had to delete his (luckily he'd managed to get 2).

Anyway, it was our last day in La Paz, if all went according to plan so after the prison we headed to the Coca museum... La Paz's museum all about Cocaine and it's history and uses through the years... there were some amazing facts in there and it's a pretty cool museum... did you know, a percentage of Cocaine was still used to makde Coca-cola up until 1985!!!!! After we'd filled our minds with Cocaine facts we did a little shopping and headed for a quick drink... i was sadly quite excited to find somewhere that would do hot milk for me.... child that I am!! ;0)

I'd arranged to meet Chris (American) for dinner early evening as he was leaving at 8ish for Uyuni so it'd be the last time we could catch up... luckily I'd arranged to meet him in Olivers, where by now i was recognised and quite happy to sit at the bar chatting to Bonnie (the barmaid) .... which given that Chris didn't show turned out to be a good thing!! Yes, that's right the young man stood me up...... it's ok though... some apologetic emails and a decent explanation was received so I think I'll let you off my moody, irate young american dude.... you've been bloody hard work Mr, you're worse than a girl sometimes but its been 'interesting' and even fun at times!! Enjoy the rest of your travels and keep in touch.

The evening wasn't over there though, I bumped into a Canadian guy that had been on the boat over to Isla del Sol with us and he had a few drinks with us (Chris, Em and Sarah had joined me) before we headed to Sol Y Luna for dinner. We were all a bit shattered and I had a flight to catch the next day so the evening was an early one for a change... just what my body was crying out for though so definetly a good thing!! La Paz the second time around had been fun but I was ready for another adventure... Bring on Rurrenbarque.... plus I'd be back in La Paz briefly afterwards so it was exciting to be going off on another tour.... xx

Lake Titicaca... the Bolivian side.. and Dead Ants!!

Our bus to Copacabana wasn't until 1430 so we had a lie in, although I found myself awake at 8am and watching the last ever episode of Dawson's Creek... there's a blast from the past! Yep, I cried again!! Chris returned (he's a ridiculously early riser and had been up and off somewhere for ages already) to find me a tad bleary eyed.. he laughed alot!!

Anyway, we spent the morning catching up on the internet and Chris finally bought some new pants ... that's trousers to you and I... after only having one pair which he'd worn since the Inca trek and not washed.... boys are sooooo minging!!! After a not so quick lunch that nearly resulted in us missing the bus, we were on our way.... again, a pretty uneventful bus ride... I tried to badger Chris into testing me on my Spanish but being male and irate, he didn't really excel himself as a teacher... Dawn however came to the rescue and I did manage to take in a few more things. I also made them all promise to force me to ask things and try speaking Spanish sometimes instead of relying on Dawn and Chris, as I'll never improve if I hide behind them.

We got to Copacabana just in time for sunset and watched it at our gorgeous hostel... La Cupula... (our room is the one with the light on in the pic here... the sunset shown above is the view from our room) it was prob a little pricey for a backpacker but it was only $10 each for a twin room with our own bathroom so we decided to treat ourselves... or rather, that was everyone else's norm.. i was just treating myself!!! We had a little wander round town, decided we all really liked it there, although weren't too impressed with the no ATM machine's thing, esp as Chris and I had both been unprepared for that. oops! Then headed back to the hostel restuarant... well reviewed in the Lonely Liar.. for dinner. We were up early for the boat over to Isla del Sol the next morning so it was early nights for the 4 of us again... we had trekking ahead! and this time we'd chosen to do it independently!!! hmm... interesting!!!

So, brekkie eaten, packed lunch packed off we set for Isla del Sol.... and what followed was a horrendous few hours on board the most uncomfortable boat in the world where i wasn't allowed to sit outside incase the weight at the back was too much for the boat to handle and so I spent the entire time lying uncomfortably on the hard seats trying to pretend I didn't feel like I was about to throw up everywhere!! I somehow managed to survive the ordeal and we arrived into the North of the island 2 and a half hours later!! We'd decided our route would be to start in the North of the island in Cha'llapampa (shown above) and walk from there to the Chincana Inca ruins right at the northern point of the island, back to Cha'llapampa for a rest stop before trekking south to Challa, where we'd spend the night then continue on the next day to Yumani, in the South of the island, spend the night there then get a boat to the mainland from there and trek back to Copacabana from there on day 3!! All sounded like hard work to me but I'm used to that now and actually quite like the challenge... the feeling when you've done it is great! But right now, we were at the beginning... and it was hot!!

The trek to the Chincana ruins took an hour or so each way and it was beautiful scenery... the Lake is certainly more picturesque on the Bolivian side, although the Peruvian side does seem to offer more tradition and culture. The sun was beating down on us the entire way and foolishly, forgetting the altitude I ended up with rosy coloured shoulders... but the walk was gorgeous and brought us beautiful views, random donkeys and some pretty damn cool ruins at the end of it... Isla del Sol is where the Inca's believe the birth of the Sun was, hence the name and there's apparently God's footsteps there too, although Dawn and i are skeptical that what we found were meant to be them... not to mention the sacrifice table you see below.... there are pics of me on the table but this one of Johnny amuses me more.... not least for one reason and there's a certain group of people that will know exactly what I'm on about... Nat, Jen and all of Nat's girlie's... I've 2 words for you; DEAD ANTS!!! Ring any Bells girls???!!!! oh the memories.. one of our finer moments I do believe!!
Anyway, back to the island of the sun... Once back at Cha'llapampa we were all ready for a little refreshment stop before hopping back onto our trekking feet so stopped for a little not so cold Sprite and then set off again, this time heading south... we were a little unclear of our route but managed to find our way to Challa... a tiny settlement described by the Lonely Liar as reminiscent of the Greek Islands..... hmm.... not so much!!! It turned out to be a tiny settlement on the shores of the lake, with very very little there, although it is home to the islands only Secondary school, infact i think it might be the only school at all.. so not really sure what the kids do for Primary school. It was very pretty though and although we were surprised by the lack of anything at all there as what we'd read had not given us that impression at all but we pressed on to the Posada del Inca Hostel.... it was deserted. But hanging around long enough meant the owner found her way to us.. word must get round quickly in this village... there were Newbies in town!!
We ended up checking in for 10bs each for the night (plus 15bs for dinner.. it still amazes me how you pay more for a meal here than you do for your accommodation)... our rooms were boxes with mattresses on the floor, no locks on the door, no running water and a toilet block with just the mountain face as pretty ineffective 'doors'.. but the views of the lake from our rooms were fantastic and we were paying less than a pound each for it!!! Can't really complain eh!!!

Once we'd checked in we did however venture a little further down the beach to find a brand new hostel perched on the hill that looked like it had a lot more creature comforts... oops! But in the end, we were actually quite glad to be staying where we were... we figured the family running our place were far more in need of our 100bs than the other people and the had the cutest little boy, who was soo grateful and excited when Johnny and I gave him soem colouring pencils as a present when we left.. he's the kid in the pic above btw). As the nightlife wasn't up to much we decided some cards (no boys, I didn't cheat, it's not my fault a girl can beat you both so easily!! ;0) dinner and bed where the order for the evening!! I do have to admit though, Dawn and I were both a little scared given we had no locks on our doors, all the locals knew exactly where we were and the owner of the hostel had gone off up the mountain to her ouwn house for the night leaving us all alone.... there was only one thing for it.... I don't know about Johnny but Chris had to push his mattress up by the door and sleep against it, astanley knife at the ready... just in case!!! Have to admit, I was pretty damn glad to be sharing with a guy that night!! Thanks matey!!

Obviously our fears were obsolete and we awoke the next morning safe and sound in our beds, with the sun streaming in and the lake outside, it wasn't a bad place to find yourself of a morning. The owners cooked us breakfast before we set off on that days trek... destination Yumani.. the islands major town in the south which is where most visitors come for the day. It was a 2 hour hike from Challa to Yumani, most of it was fairly flat but there was a little uphill and the whole altitude thing stil makes me utterly breathless going uphill.. I had also awoken to find my shoulders sore and red thanks to my stupidity the day before and also without a decent t-shirt to cover them up... so I had to borrow one of Dawn's to save my poor skin.. thanks hun!

We reached Yumani by about midday and once again the island had come up trumps with its impressive scenery... once there we managed to find a lovely little hostel; Las Islas. There were 3 rooms on the top floor of the hostel with a massive balcony that overlooked the lake and Isla Luna, the small Island of the Moon, just off shore of Isla del Sol (this is the view from our balcony in the pic here). Unfortunately the sun sets on the opposite side of the island but it was still beautiful. we headed off in search of food... we searched everywhere but for some reason all the restaurants were closed... there wasn't that many people around either and so it seems the restuarants close until the boat from the mainland arrives with more tourists.. so we headed back to our hostel and ordered from the restuarant there, sitting in the sun overlooking the lake... it was gorgeous... certainly nothing to grumble about. Once again.. it made me think how lucky i was to be on this trip, doing and seeing all these things!!

After lunch we all adjourned up to our balcony, my idea being to sit and chill with my book taking in the view... a bit later when we'd all napped, read, showered etc... we were joined by 2 peeps who were taking the 3rd room up there. Turned out they were people we knew from Cusco.... Emily (an English girl) and Chris (and Aussie lad) .. Emily had been working at Loki while I was there, although I hadn't really known her that well and both Chris' had met on a night out in Cusco too. We all ended up sitting on the balcony for hours chatting, drinking beer, mate de coca and eating biscuits then ventured down to the church, where both Chris' ended up playing football with the locals (not an easy task at altitude!) Dawn and Johnny had gone for a wander and Em and I found ourselves back on the balcony doing what we do best.. chatting..before heading off for dinner.... this time to a proper restaurant. The food was pretty good although mostly what I remember is the delicious chocolate coverd banana and Bolivian red wine.. which despite being told it's disappointing I was actually pleasantly surprised by.

and a little aside... yep, it seems, that regardless of my life long dislike of red wine, South America has in 2 short months managed to pretty much convert me... I am now addicted to the stuff!! Mat.. you can stop despairing of me not liking it!!!

but... back to the island... the rest of the evening was spent in Chris and Emily's room playing cards and oops, drinking more wine.... that 4 hour trek tomorrow was going to hurt!!

We'd decided an early start was in order as walking in the midday sun wouldn't be ideal and didn't want to make it back to Copacabana too late so were up and about at 0830... Chris and Em impressively dragged themselves out of bed and joined us for brekkie.. although the lucky sods got to go straight back to bed afterwards unlike us!! But we had a plan to complete so off we went, packs on our backs... we'd arranged for a boat to pick us up from the other ruins on the island... it was only a short walk to them so we allowed an hour and a half to get there and check them out before hopping over to the mainland to start the walk. As it turned out we didn't need quite so long.. the ruins.. hmm, not so impressive and didn't really take long. Chris didn't even bother looking at them but Dawn, Johnny and I figured we were there we might as well... it had started to look a little threatening weather wise too and rain a little.. none of us fancied a repeat of day 2 of our Inca trek so we considering our options but they were pretty limited so when the motor boat turned up we got in it! (Usually these trips to the mainland are done in a row boat but that would've been impossible in the wind that day so we'd had to pay more for a motor boat).

Luckily once we'd made it back to the mainland, the skies were kind to us and the sun came out for our walk back. Most people do this walk the other way round so we met a lot of people going the opposite way, with varied responses to our 'how far is Copacabana?' questions!! We passed through villages and cut over an ancient Inca road, almost totally obliterated now, saw a monument wher apparently miracles occured and finally rounded a corner to find Copacabana in view in the distance... we didn't realise then how long it would take us to reach it!! It was like a mirage... always there but never getting any closer and although the walk was flat it was soooo exhausting in the sun with your destination seemingly so near and yet so far! I think that was probably the hardest part of the whole 3 days trekking, forget the hills and the breathlessness.... it was this relentless, endless flat walk at the end that killed us all... we made it evntually though and I think we all did damn well... good work guys!!

As soon as we made it to town, Chris and I were finally able to get money out from the bank then we collapsed at a restaurant for much needed food.. it was 4pm!!! Ouch... but quite proud of myself I have to say! None of us were capable of much that evening it's safe to say, we all had much appreciated long hot showers, chilled out, caught up online and had a tasy mexican meal...... then bed.... bliss!!! It had been a wicked 3 days though, Isla del Sol is beautiful and I'm so glad I took the time to se it properly. i was worried about it eating into the time I had left but I've realised that there was no way I was going to fit everything that i wanted to see in, in a mere 2 months here so its best to not rush everything but just do less things and do them properly... anyone gets the opportunity to come here, I definetly recommend it, it's beautiful! xx

Lake Titicaca.... the Peruvian side and Guinea Pigs!!

So... we left Cucso at 0830 on the Saturday morning, despite Chris' worries I was on time picking him up... infact may have even been a little early.... yes, really!!! Our destination... Puno... the reason... Lake Titicaca; apparently the world's highest navigational lake.. although that's according to what we've now affectionally named 'The Lonely Liar' and there is some debate!!

Anyway, it was a 6 hour bus journey and passed pretty uneventfully... we reached Puno mid afternoon and set about getting ourselves to a hostel (Don Julio was the chosen place and pretty decent at that) eating (always high on the boys' list) and sorting out our Lake Titicaca plans for the next few days. Puno isn't the nicest of towns and is really only on everyone's route as it's the gateway to the Peruvian side of the lake... namely the Floating Islands and other islands on the lake. We got our tour sorted for the next day and then went for dinner and drinks.... dinner venue was chosen by the lads as they wanted to try..... of all things... the local delicasey..... Guinea Pig!!!!!!! Hmmmmm... lurvely!!!! The restuarant, Kintu, was actually very nice... Dawn and I didn't indulge in the Guinea Pig unsurprisingly... but here's a pic of the proud pair with theirs!!! They said they enjoyed it but hmm... skepitcal, me??!! Never!!

We were up early for our pick up the next day... Chris nearly missing breakfast which wouldn't have put him in a good mood... god forbid, a man should miss a meal!! ;0) and then we were off. We'd opted for just a one night stay on the islands... first stop the floating islands, which are amazing islands all made of reed, depsite explanations from the guides I really have no idea how they manage to make these islands from scratch.. and apparently the oldest one isn't even floating anymore, it's rooted itself!! Random!

Anyway, we spent a few hours there, looking around, going from one to another on a reed boat (the type of which you see in the pics here) and generally being amazed that people can live on them. It's all well and good in decent weather but imagine the winter, as you can imagine it wouldn't be the life for me.. I don't deal with the cold well in England let alone at altitude on a reed island in nothing but a reed teepee!!!! Fair play to those locals is all i can say!!

After we left the floating islands, we set off on a 3 hour boat journey to the island of Amantani, where we were due to spend the night with a local family. Luckily the 4 of us managed to get placed in the same house, usually they only put 2 in each but they have one with a few rooms so were able to accommodate us all together. The family we stayed with were lovely, they had several children and it was mainly the young girls that prepared our meals for us. The pic on the left here is the house we stayed in.

About 3pm we all set off on a walk up to the highest point of the island to watch the sunset, it was a bit cold and I'd not really come prepared for the walk so was a bit chilly but the sunset was beautiful and it was a good walk. The photo here is Chris and I having just reached the top... and the 2 below are obviously the sunset with the centre one being us at dinner with 2 of the girls from our host family!

We were all ready for dinner by the time we got back to the house though... more Quinoa soup, as you tend to get with every meal over here but I'm quite a fan so wasn't complaining. They also don't really eat meat on the island so it was perfect for me!!

After dinner.... the family had a little treat for us.... out came the traditional dress... the boys were given poncho's and hats while Dawn and I were trussed up in the traditional skirts and tops and headresses.... then it was off to the local Fiesta.. where all the other people on the tour had recieved the same treatment!! It was classic... dancing ensued much to our amusement and everyone's host families made sure we all danced with them. A classic evening, loads of fun!

The next morning we were up early to catch the boat to the second island; Taquile... this is the one that most people visit and it's somewhat more commercial. We had about an hours walk to the main square and there happened to be some kind of election demonstration going on so there was all sorts of people around and we got caught up in the crowds. It was good to see it all going on though. We only had a few hours on this island though so after a tour and lunch, with more Quinoa soup, we headed back to the boat for the long journey back to Puno. It was short and sweet but it had been fun and eye opening being there. The islands are beautiful and the people are lovely. Apparently they're still very traditional and only marry people from the same or neighbouring islands.... with a population of something like 4,000 on the largest island, that's not much of a choice.. at least considering some of us have trouble with the whole world out there!!

As we got back to Puno late afternoon we'd decided to stay overnight there and leave the next day, so we had a leisurely dinner and chilled out in front of Mr Deeds before bed. From Puno we were heading to Copacabana, a popular little town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, I was looking forward to seeing how the Bolivian side compared to the Peruvian side. So far, i had been impressed! xx

Recovering in Cucso!!

Refreshed from a decent nights sleep Katy and I made it up and out of the hostel in time to meet Chris for lunch at Jack's Cafe (although comically i found Chris on the street on the way to meet him, asking a random Peruvian directions to 'Chips'..... typical American!!! ;0) Once again, Jack's came up trumps with a lush salad and chips (and we all know what a chip addict I am!!) and the rest of the day was spent sorting photo's, shopping and pampering ourselves... after the war wounds we'd picked up from the previous few days we decided we deserved a bit of pampering so found our way into the Royal Inka Spa for a massage and pedicure (I think I'm the only backpacker with a french pedicure, it looks strangely out of place to have neat feet!) and in Katy's case, a manicure too. All our beauty treatments took a little longer than anticipated and after grabbing a ridiculously quick dinner we rushed back to the hostel to glam ourselves up for our Post Trek Piss up! Everyone was pretty much already waiting for us at Mama Africa's so it was a double quick change and off we went.... only an hour late (not bad for me some may say!!)

It was great to see everyone looking refreshed and lively following the trek (although Chris just looks a bit drunken in the pic on the right here.. heehee! mind you, i can't talk.. look who's sporting a Rudolph nose in the pic above!), all but one of us had made it out and Justin, our lovely guide had also come along. We started with a few drinks in Mama Africa's but the cheesy old skool music soon got to a few peeps and we headed out for a second bar, Justin still in tour guide mode, and knowing slightly more about Cusco's nightlife than any of us, took us to Ukuku's and the dancing got underway. I think everyone was on a high after the trek as it didn't take us long to be throwing those shapes on the dancefloor and generally causing mischief!! We lost a few peeps along the way, some had to be up early the following day etc etc so our numbers dwindled after a while, although by this time it was pretty late.. by English standards though, and hey, England's a long way away!! Anyway, after we'd 'rocked' Ukuku's those hardcore amoung us decided it was time for Bar number three... or to be more accurate; Bar 7. The place to be in Cusco on a Tuesday night apparently! So, those of us left; me, Katy, Chris (the american) and Dawn & Johnny (the Kiwi's) set off for the notorious Bar 7 and spent a very comical few hours there which despite not involving more dancing did involve lots of other amusing antics.. games of Truth or Dre being high on that list!!!!!! How old are we!?!?! haha!!

A few other characters joined us through the night, many familiar faces from Loki had opted for Bar 7 that evening too and Katy and I were also introduced to a rather charismatic old friend of Dawn and Johnny's too....nicknamed Yahtzee by Chris for reasons I can't actually remember!! Anyway, amoung the 6 of us the night continued as it had started, lots of fun, banter, mischief, silliness and making new friends!! Although we lost Dawn and Johnny to their beds after Bar 7, the rest of us and some other peeps from Loki decided a hat trick wasn't enough and went onto Uptown, a cheesy club near the Plaza das Armas..... more dancing and silliness followed and it wasn't until it was full on daylight outside that we emerged in order to finally go home.... nothing like missing a nights sleep... esp for Katy who was flying to Lima in a mere few hours!! oops! It was a wicked night full of unexpected antics and a perfect way to round off the trek. So, all you Team Inca bods... for those I'm not continuing on with, enjoy the rest of your travels and keep in touch... Dawn, Johnny and Chris..... bring on Lake Titicaca and Katy.... don't go... who needs to work anyway!! hehe!!
It was actually only a few hours later that I had to say goodbye to Katy... she was flying to Lima in order to catch her flight back to London the following day. I can't believe that the 3 weeks we'd travelled together had gone so quickly... Chica.... I've had a wicked time travelling with you, thank you so much for coming to meet me and making my first 3 weeks in South America soooooooo much fun. We've had a ball haven't we and I'll laugh whenever I think of things like... early morning walks, random chilean house parties, vegetable soup and all sorts of other things. Can't wait to see you when I get back! Hope you had as much fun as I did!!

Katy might've left that day but my hangover certainly hadn't.. infact it steadfastly stuck to me like glue throughout the day. After I've waved Katy off, and I have to say I was feeling a little daunted to be on my own in a country who's language i didn't speak, I decided the only option was to go back to bed... I had 3 hours before I had arranged to meet Chris for lunch and that time was allocated as sleep time. I obviously overslept then had a few issues with the hot water and finally made it about half an hour late to meet Chris... he calls it 'Flee Time' so was basically expecting the wait (sounding familiar to anyone?! i obviously stuck to my defence... I'm worth waiting for!!!!!! hmm..... I can feel the laughter and raised eyebrows from here people... watch it you lot!! ;0)

Anyway, the fact that I'd managed to drag my hungover self out of bed at all was a bit of an achievment in itself and as Chris was as hungover as I was after lunch we decided to take advantage (or that was probably just me taking advantage actually given it was his room anyway) of his hostel... where he had his own room and a TV.. all either of us were capable of was lying very still and tuning out to some mind numbing film.... and that was that for the rest of the day... sleep didn't allude for long and by 9pm I was back in bed and fast asleep... I'm clearly too old for this all nighter lark!! Thanks to the hangover and Chris' company I had managed to survive my first day without Katy though!

Oh, I did manage one other thing that day..... to collect my newly repaired and fully functioning camera again... and it only cost me 20 quid..... yay!!!! I don't need to tell you all how happy I was to have my little camera back!!

The next day I felt slightly more human again and spend the morning, with the assistance of Mario.. a fluent in Spanish Aussie... getting stuff sorted at the post office, shopping and indulging in a lush hot chocolate at Jacks! It really is delicious if anyone is there and hasn't tried one... do it!! That night I met Jacqueline, Chris, Dawn and Johnny at Moni's for dinner.... once again, the veggie restaurant came up trumps, the food was lush... although I did manage to drop my knife again... something that's become something of a habit for me lately... and always when I'm eating with Chris.. I think he's bad luck!! haha!

Friday the 13th dawned, our last day in Cusco..... I'd decided to head off to Lake Titicaca with Dawn, Johnny and Chris.. I was going to stay in Cusco a while and learn Spanish but as I was so short on time (a massive misjudgement on my part about how long I'd need over here) and the others were heading to where i wanted to go next I decided to go with. So, Chris and I booked our bus tickets before meeting Jacqueline for lunch then I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting things out, packing, having a rather intursive bikini wax... 2 women.. one each side... i felt a little like i was being examined and could barely speak a word to them either... an un-nerving experience I can tell you!!

Anyway, once all was set for the morning, I met up with Chris for a bit of dinner... i.e... more tomato soup and chicken sandwiches (the boy is obsessed with both!) and then headed to bed in preparation for the early start the next day. I was a little sad to be leaving Cusco, it's such a fun city to be in.. and it's easy to see how people get stuck there for ages...if i'd had more time...!!! x

Taking my Breath Away!

I don't even know where to begin with this entry..... the thought of that first sight of Machu Picchu still takes my breath away 3 weeks later. It is simply stunning and the pictures just don't do it justice.

We were up at 4am and left the hostel to begin the Dawn walk up there by 5am.... it's a tough walk, I believe one of the girls counted how many steps up there are... something like 1400 i think it was... and i have no idea how she counted them, it was all i could do to breathe!!! the first part to the base of the mountain is fine but once you start to ascend it's not the easiest thing in the world... i was determined though so took a deep breath and off we went. (Pic below is Katy and I looking our finest (?!) having nearly climbed all of said steps!!)

I have to just admit, and acknowledge, one thing and one person before I continue though.... somehow and I'm not sure how but I certainly wasn't complaining, I'd found myself with my own personal bag carrier... namely Chris... the American I mentioned in the last entry. Yes, I quite agree the phrase 'Jammy Cow' springs to mind.... and i think that's prob what Katy and everyone else was thinking too. I will just explain though, it's not quite as cheeky as it sounds... Chris only had a big backpack with him and didn't want to carry it up to Machu Picchu but had snacks and stuff to take up with him and no bag to put them in... so offered to carry the bag of whoever let him put his stuff in with theirs... I just got in their first... well, do you blame me?! In fairness though, he did go above and beyond... even after all his snacks were gone (which didn't take long Chris being Chris!!) he continued to carry my bag throughout the day, even when climbing Huayna Picchu.... and took it all the way back to Aguas Calientes for me too!!! Although he did have his unbelievably sweaty top from the walk up in the side pocket which I didn't want to go anywhere near so i think it was partly fair! haha!! No seriously... thanks Chris... you made my life a whole lot easier that day, it was much appreciated!! (Just for the record I wasn't completley mean, I did carry Katy's bag for a little of the way up to give her a break!! ;-) oh and pic here isn't Chris.. it's our fab guide Justin.. thought I'd just show you guys him! He was lovely, fab at his job and the sweetest guy ever. Thanks for everything Justin, you made our trek wicked!

Anyway... back to the matter in hand...... we made it up to the top by about 6.15am and set about entering Machu Picchu.. we still had a bit of a climb to go before we reach the view point but we were nearly there. First though we had to do the official bits, including getting our passports stamped.... I was loving that it had it's own stamp, another one for the collection and Jules, it has a stamp so it had to have a badge too... they'll be one sewn on the bag soon!!!

Once through passport control we headed up for the final climb... it wasn't a long one and before we knew it we were walking out on to the open with Machu Picchu revealing itself below us.... the view was unbelievable, I really don't have the words to describe it. The picture below is that first view... it doesn't even look a fraction as impressive as it really was.

I'm sure all of you know all this but just in case... Machu Picchu is literally translated as the 'Old Peak' and known as the City of the Lost Inca's. It's basically a pre-Columbian Inca Ruin located high on a mountain ridge. It took the Inca's 90 years to build it and it was obviously all done manually, with them carrying the rocks (and they're not small) up the mountain on their backs. It stands at an elevation of approximately 2350m above sea level and sits above the Urumbamba Valley in Peru. There you go, a little bit of info for you all....!!!!

Back to my day up there though, cos that's obviously far more important than all that factual historical stuff... haha!! We stood in awe for a bit just taking it all in when we first saw it, people had told me how it takes your breath away when you first lay eyes on it but you don't really expect it to..... which probably just makes it all the more amazing!! Before we even realised what was happening it had all but disappeared beneath a thick layer of cloud... the sun hadn't properly risen yet and so the atmosphere was somewhat eerie but also added to the amazingness of it all (is that even a word?!?!) We continued on to another point where Justin gave us some history on the place and took the group piccie you see here.

Then we started our tour, Justin being the fabulous guide that he was took us round for an hour or so explaining all sorts of history and symbolic meanings and all that about the place. It really is incredible. After that Justin headed back to town to get lunch under way for us while the rest of us had some free time up there do look around some more or do one or two of the other hikes... up to the Sun Gate, to the Inca Bridge or up Huayna Picchu.... Katy and I having taken leave of our senses decided that we wanted to do both Huayna Picchu and the walk up to the Sun Gate... my hip was crying out... 'don't do it you fool!' but I wasn't about to give up now and I knew if I didn't go to both I'd regret it. The pic here shows Huayna Picchu in the background... how on earth did I make it up there??!!! Huayna Picchu translates to New Mountain I believe, although it's just as old as the rest but was rediscovered more recently... it is also home to the Temple of the Moon.. a cave near the top that is believed to have held mummies in the Inca's time.

Anyway, somehow our determination rubbed off on Chris too and he found himself, despite his claims there was no way he was going to, setting off on the climb up to the top of Huayna Picchu with us.. not before I clandestine toilet stop in the quietest, most secluded spot we could find... yes, I know we really shouldn't be relieving ourselves on protected, historical, sacred Inca grounds but needs must.... what can I say!!! Anyway, bladders emptied, we set off.... I have to admit I wasn't relishing the idea but I was looking forward to having done it.... the mountain is ridiculously steep and towers over Machu Picchu. The climb is all on steps, and just to be cruel you start by descending some distance before you can actually start the climb up. They say it takes an hour to walk up to the top...... you'll all be amazed to know I made it in 38 minutes... Katy and Chris both beat me (Katy did it in about 32 mins i think, and Chris in about 20!!! Well, the boy lives in California and typically so, what can you do!) but that's not the point, the point is I made it.. full stop! It wasn't an easy climb (although Chris still had my bag so it was made slightly easier thanks to that) and there were several stops on the way with my hip crying out in pain and not really wanting to support my weight anymore but check out the view on this pic here.... that's Machu Picchu below us in the background.... how could anyone not want to experience that!! I'm glad it was afterwards that we found out about the amount of injuries (and worse) from people falling off!! It was every bit worth the pain though i have to say, The pic below is the 3 of us right at the top, as far up as you can get... you can see the point in the pic above looking towards the mountain... I know I keep going on about it but it really was unbelievable!

Once we'd sat and enjoyed the view, looked around at the ruins up there (even more unbelievably, the Inca's built up there too!) got scared from dropping my water down a crack in the rock and got our breath back, we ventured back down... I think this was even scarier for Katy, coming down those steep steps right at the top, it was only my glacier 'training' from the ice steps in NZ that made me ok with them all!! We had to be back in town by about half one so only had limited time to make it to the Sun Gate... something I really wanted to see.

We bumped into Dawn and Johnny when safely back down at Machu Picchu and left Chris with them, he was wimping out of the walk to the Sun Gate... another 45 minute uphill walk... although took my bag with him so I wasn't really complaining!! Katy and I set off for the Sun Gate, only to be told by one of the officials just a few mins along the way that thanks to the recent landslide we needed a guide to accompany us up there... and there wasn't one available for another hour.... we didn't have an hour to wait and so at a loss of what else to do, gave up and made our way back to the hostel. I don't know whether we were had for fools and the guide thing was rubbish or not but i am so disappointed that I didn't get to see the Sun Gate... I'll just have to go back and do the official trek so I can arrive through the gate next time. It didn't really diminish what was a totally awesome experience though.... I can't believe I've actually made it there after all the years I've wanted to go and physically it was a pretty big achievement for me too! I'm still completely in awe of the place and can't recommend enough that you should do it. And for those that told me in no uncertain terms not to get the train and bus up there... thanks, I never intended to anyway but trekking up there is so much more rewarding!

The rest of the day was pretty easy, especially compared the previous 4 days... we all lunched together at the hostel in Aguas Calientes before hopping on the train back to Cusco, minus Justin who had to get a later train. The train journey back took a good four hours and was possibly the most entertaining train journey ever, aside from our card games, i-pod sesh's and chatter we were treated to some classic Peruvian shows; a fashion show and a musical of sorts with a scary looking man in a mask skipping his way up and down the carriage and stopping to involve random passengers, Chris and Johnny included, along the way... it was highly comical trust me!!

We'd planned our post tour piss up for the following night as everyone was so shattered from the early start and the last few days so once back in Cusco we said our goodbyes for the night and all headed off for well earned sleep in our respective hostels! A welcome thought but it was also with a little sadness that I realised it was over....... it was hard work but as one of my must do's off this trip, let alone pretty much most of my life, it was more than worth it. I couldn't have wished for a more brilliant experience and I'm so glad I've been lucky enough to do it. xx

Head in the Clouds!!

One of my main things I wanted from this trip was to do the Inca trail, it's been a dream of mine for as long as i can remember so despite the early morning (no, I'm still not a morning person!!) it was exciting that I was finally about to do it!!! We were up at 5am (it still hurt, despite my excitement!!) for a 6am pick up. We'd chosen a company called SAS Travel to go with as along the way I've had several people recommend them, they were a little more expensive than some of the other companies but well worth the extra, esp given some of the horror stories I heard afterwards!!!

Anyway, first of all I should explain, it wasn't the official Inca Trail trek we were about to embark on... despite being aware that it was neccessary to book a good few months in advance, as i didn't know when i was going to make it there until a mere 6 weeks or so before I arrived in South America, it was impossible to book... so instead we opted for an alternative trek... the Lares Trek- a 4 day Mountain Valley trek that still ends up at Machu Picchu, the only disappointing thing being that you don't get to enter through the Sun Gate... but I was on my way and that was enough for me!

DAY 1 (Friday 6th October): So, at 6am.. a group of very sleepy people rolled out of Cusco on a bus en route to the starting point of our trek; Calca. About an hours drive toook us to this small town where we stopped for breakfast and supplies at the market, then it was really on to the starting point and the morning began with a 3 hour trek across the Andean mountain valleys. We were to become very accustomed to drinking lots of coca tea and chewing on the leaves to help us with the whole altitude thing. Despite having been at high altitudes for a while now, i was still getting nose bleeds and constantly getting breathless, a horrible feeling that makes me feel even more unfit than I am!!

We made it to our lunch spot in record time... I obviously started as i meant to continue and took up my position bringing up the rear of the group.... slow and steady people, slow and steady.. and were treated to a surprisingly good feast. Given that the team of cooks etc with us had limited resources in the middle of the andes with nowt but a tent and goodness knows what contractions to cook anything with, the food throughout the trek was brilliant, always really tasty, the veggies amoung us well catered for and popcorn, tea and snacks always provided when we arrived at our campsite each evening.... a nice and unexpected but very welcome touch.. one that you can see me trying to warm up over, with my rosy cheeks, in the pic here!!

Anyway, i digress... luckily we reached our lunch tent just as the hail started and were happily tucking into our food while that got itself out of the way in time for our afternoon activities. First up was a short drive on the bus to some hot springs.. not sure exactly where they were but they were gratefully recieved.... having revived ourselves in the springs we set off for our afternoon hike that would take us to our first campsite... the scenery throughout the day had been amazing and continued to be so for the afternoon. There was a fair bit if uphill (not my fave I'll admit) so i was exhausted by the time we reached our home for the night.... standing at 3700m the Huacawasi Community was where our tents were pitched and the locals awaiting us.

Along the route you come across many locals and children, we were naturally armed with plently of pressies for the kids.. colouring pencils and the like... or I'm not sure we'd have made it out of their alive. The locals are lovely and very welcoming and the kids are just the cutest, one thing I do find sad though is that many of them will now approach you and will outright tell you to take their picture in exchange for presents, alot of them seem very ungrateful too.. it seems a shame that these kids have become accustomed to expect material things from passing tourists but I guess we only have ourselves to blame!

Our first night was spent in the tent, feasting on a lush dinner, playing cards (Lotty, Graham and Andy... I've been spreading the Sevens, Hearts and Chase the Ace word you'll be pleased to know!!), trying to keep warm and getting to know each other a little better. We had quite an eclectic mix in our group, some kiwi's, an american, us 2 english girlies, an Austrian, dutch and any other nationalities I've forgotten to mention... apologies Team Inca.. I'm hungover as I write this and my brain's not working all that well!! All in all it was a good start to the trek, we'd survived the first day, everyone seemed nice and Katy and I tucked outselves up in our tent for the night, with our thermals on and the makeshift hot water bottles that Justin has fashioned from our water bottles for us all... (they did the trick nicely.. good work Justin!!) and praying that we didn't need to venture out to the loo in the night!! (Pic here is of the view from where our tents were pitched that night btw.)

There was just one thing that damped the day for me......... just as we started our first trek that morning I got my camera out (I was well prepared for the thousands of pics i would be taking over the next 4 days) only for my camera, after 10 months of flawless service to chose this moment to break!!! yep, can you believe it, the infamous Canon's, apparently not technically recognised as a fault but actually pretty fatal for a camera, E18 error appeared on my screen, my lense jammed and that was that... I was cameraless and not a happy girlie!! Thankfully Katy had her camera and everyone else promised me copies of their pics.. all very much appreciated everyone btw.... although I was still yearning for my little Canon, being the snap happy wannabe photographer that i am... but oh well, I have it all in my head too!!

DAY 2: Today dawned bright and early... a 6am breakfast followed by a house visit in the Huacawasi community and I hve to say.... it really does show what a multitude of luxuries we have and take for granted every day... the house was just one small room and housed a family of about 8 I believe.... including Grandma - shown in the pic along with Mum and eldest daughter here!! There were guinea pigs running around everywhere and a big carcass of something, not sure i want to know what, hanging from the ceiling, the floor was simply a dirt floor and the bed covers were Llama skins..... it's amazing how these people live. I certainly couldn't do it.

After our visit with the family we set off on our morning trek..... Day 2 is notorious for being the hardest day and we soon discovered why.... a 4 hour up hill trek across the Ibsacocha Pass (4400m) which even the stunning views over the Cordillera Vilcanota couldn't disguise this hike as being anything but bloody hard... and just to make it harder for us.... the weather decided not to be as kind to us as yesterday too..... it started with a little rain but quickly turned to a lot of rain and by the time we reached the lake beside which we were having lunch we were all soaked through and shivering.. with no way of drying out we just spent our lunch time complaining alot... poor Justin must've been sick of us right then!! The food was good though and once we'd filled our bellies we decided the best thing was just to get on and get the afternoon trek underway, we were all freezing and the weather didn't appear to be getting brighter.... in fact, it was to get worse!!! The pic here was taken close to the beginning of said section... clearly I wasn't looking even close to this spritely by half way through, let alone come the end!!

The 3 hour afternoon trek to the Patacancha Community where we were staying that night was relatively flat, with a little downhill.... so it wasn't the actual trek that hindered us... more the hail and snow that found it's way to every part of us as we trudged across the Andes, all bundled up in our waterproofs and anything else we could find to keep us even remotely warm (we'd given up on staying dry) every now and then I'd peek out from under my waterproof (I had two on and was still soaked and freezing) and take a look around me, the scenery in the Andes really is stunning and didn't cease to amaze me once in the whole 4 days and the altitude meant that we were literally walking in the clouds at times. It was awesome! In the end the whole weather thing just became comical, we were all so wet, a few people had fallen over, Katy included.. I'd only narrowly saved myself from falling at one point too and we all just decided we may as well laugh or we'll cry. The pic on the right here might give you a little idea of the conditions we were enduring that day!!! Fun fun!! and the one of the left was taken early on, apart from yours truly in action in it, I like it cos it shows just how close we were to the clouds!!

I think I can safely speak for the rest of the group too when I say never have tents been a more welcome sight than when we reached the campsite that evening.... somehow our team of cooks and porters had managed to get the tents up and get the dinner on and we set about somehow making ourselves slightly dry and warm - ish.... unfortunately for Chris (the American among us) he only had one set of clothes so had to stay in his wet stuff all evening....... not nice! We all gave our trainers to Justin to put by the fire in the hope they'd be dry for the morning... they weren't!!! The evening, unsurprisingly didn't last too long, thanks to everyone being wet through after some more cards and dinner we all headed to our tents in our vain attempts to warm ourselves up. I think I slept through pure exhuastion.... it was a really tough day for me, my hip had begun to hurt the previous day and a 4 hour uphill trek on it hadn't helped but I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself for getting through it.... and not succumbing to the temptation to get on the back of the horse that was walking alongside us to scoop up anyone that felt they couldn't carry on.

DAY 3: We were up again bright and early today and relieved to see that the skies looked pretty clear. We had some locals come and lay out some textiles and things for us to check out before leaving the campsite... a welcome sight as my gloves were still soaked through and i figured the 10 soles (about 1.20 GBP!) was worth forking out to keep my hands warm. We'd survived the hardest day and today's walk, although 4 hours long was mostly downhill, if not flat, so not too daunting and a welcome rest for my hip. The descent took us into the town of Ollamtaytambo, at a lower altitude of 2900m and with some impressive Inca ruins.. shown in the pic on the left here) where we had lunch at one of the restaurants (although still prepared by our fab team of cooks.. pictured with us all in the last pic on this entry... our fab guide Justin is the guy knelt in the front of us all with the white cap) then we had an hour or so free time to wander round the towns markets. We also got to try the local speciality; Cheeka (I think that's what it's called anyway).... it's very potent and not really that nice i have to admit but it's offensive not to drink it once you've bought it apparently.... thankfully Chris, Johnny and Justin, and one of the girls i think but i can't remember which, did a good job of finishing it off!! Good work you lot! (Below is Katy partaking in the delicacy!) There was also a random local girl who came to sing us a song... I don't mean to be offensive but she was just plain odd! I don't even know how to describe her!!

Once our free time was all used up we headed for the train station.... our walking over for the day we boarded the train to Aguas Calientes, the town that sits at the bottom of Machu Picchu and where we would be staying that night... in a hostel with hot showers and not a tent.. i can't tell you how excited we all were about this!!!! The train journey was long and hot and filled with some comedy american tourists exclaiming their 'Oh my Gawds' at every little leaf they saw from the window but it was all worth it when we finally got there and soaked ourselves in those showers... although i did then discover that my foolishness of not putting suncream on my face that day had taken it's toll.... I had a nose worthy of Rudolph and I've not doubt Katy will take alot of amusement from assuring you all that that is a very accurate description!! It's only just stop peeling and this was 3 weeks ago now!!!! haha!!

The evening was again a pretty short one, Chris and Jacqueline ventured up to the towns hot springs but Katy and I along with everyone else decided the hot showers were enough for us. Katy and I did manage to join Pami and Caro for a cheeky drink in town before dinner though, along with me firing off a panicked, 'help please research this horrid camera error and find a way to fix it for me' email to my Mum, Brother and Sister... in the hope one of them would reply sharpish. Lottie came up trumps with the research although it wasn't really want I wanted to hear and needless to say i was still cameraless the next day when Machu Picchu came into sight!! Ah well!!
We all had dinner together that night and voted unanimously that we wanted to climb up to Machu Picchu and not get the bus (as if... we'd made it this far, I wasn't about to give up and take the easy option now!!) I'm not sure Justin was overjoyed at the thought, I'm sure he's had to climb it with annoyingly enthusiastic groups many a time but he rose to the occasion well and that was that, decision made, we headed to bed to get some much needed sleep in a proper bed before leaving them at stupid o'clock the next morning in order to make it to the top for sunrise!!! I have to admit even though i was exhausted and my hip was killing me, the thought that i would be at Machu Picchu in a few short hours was soooooooo exciting!! I'd really enjoyed the trek, even with the weather and hills, but this was what it was all about.. I couldn't wait!! xx

Why do Birds....??

So... early on Monday October 2nd we settled ourselves down on yet another bus, this time bound for Cusco.... it was to be a 12 hour journey... and a long one at that!! Usually these long journeys can be done overnight and so slept through but not this time...it was to be a long day!! After crossing the border, getting a new stamp in the passport, adding Peru to my travel list and managing to sleep away a few hours, Katy and I became restless and entered into several million games of '20 Questions' and 'Shag, Marry, Kill' to entertain us.... and entertain us it did, our favourite equasion involving 'Milli Vanilli, Big Fun and Bros!!!' Quite a combo we think you'll agree!!! (The pic below is a view of Cusco from our hostel btw).

Anyway, eventually our game playing passed the time, along with some random on board entertainment in the form of two young lads in the pic here and being amused by the sourfaced French woman sat in front of us and we finally arrived in Cusco and jumped in a cab to Hostel Loki.... unsure what to expect from both the hostel and the city we were pleasantly surprised by both. Loki is a really cool hostel with free internet, a fantastic view over the city from the bar (and some of the rooms) hammocks in the gardens and a really friendly vibe. I'd recommend it to any backpackers visiting Cusco... esp those who are struggling with their Spanish language skills like me... in fact Cusco on the whole is pretty easy to get by in without knowing Spanish, not that that's an excuse not to learn it.

Our first evening, shattered from sitting on a bus all day (?!) was intended to be a quiet one, some food, a quick drink and bed... obviously, as with all 'quiet nights' it didn't quite happen like that. We had dinner at the hostel, tasty Burrito's then ventured to the bar for our one drink before bed, with one of our new room mates (yep, we were finally staying in a dorm and not a private room!) Being at altitude it didn't take long for us to find ourselves tipsy... a dangerous state when you have free internet at hand!! haha!! All in all it was a good night though made all the better by being able to stumble to our beds so easily from the bar!!

The next day was a bit of an admin day, we'd allowed ourselves a few days in Cusco to chill out before embarking on the Inca Trail trek so spent the day sorting all the arrangements out for that, catching up on email, doing our laundry... all the usual stuff... then we treated ourselves to a gorgeous lunch at Moni's vegetarian restaurant (another place I'd recommend in Cusco) before shopping (Cusco is pretty dangerous for that!!) the afternoon away then having dinner at Jack's Cafe... somewhere that became a bit of a regular haunt for us during our time here.... where I fell in love with the Tuscan Vegetable Soup.... that you can see me devouring in the pic here!! Jack's Cafe is awesome, would totally recommend it to everyone too... they do amazing hot chocolates and limonada's with fresh mint... yum!!

After our excesses of the previous night, we both got our heads down pretty early and so were up fairly early the next day and back in town doing what we do best.... shopping!!! and eating at Jack's again (anyone spotting a trend here!!) It was a beautful sunny day and one that was perfect for mooching around town in the sunshine. Cusco is a really pretty city, the central square; the Place de Armas is lovely with 2 ornate churches, manicured gardens and a central fountain feature surrounded by bars, shops, restaurants and cafe's... despite the ridiculous amounts of times you find yourself muttering the phrase 'No Gracias' every day, to all sorts of people trying to sell you anything from postcards to pictures of themselves holding a lamb, it's still a great place to hang out.

As we were feeling spritely from our early night and we had the next day to recover, we decided it was time to sample Cusco's nightlife that night so after our leisurely day we headed back to the hostel to glam ourselves up a little (or rather as much as possible, which is basically very little, with the limited backpacker wardrobe that is ours!!) that done... didn't take long... and a little distraction of the aussie in our dorm performing a little trick or us with a full scooner and a 20 cent coin (random but quite cool) we grabbed some dinner at Chez Maggy's; a tasty italian in town, then hit the bars... first stop Mama Africa's which is apparently the place everyone goes.... but it was dead and despite the free drinks (rum and coke... no alternatives!) we didn't even bother staying for those. There are free drinks offered at every bar in town with several million people vying for your custom so we weren't short of venue options and were even physically dragged into one place (or at least they tried too, neither of us took too kindly to it unsurprisingly!)

In the end we opted for Mythology... a much busier bar with a far better atmosphere... all was looking promising until to random dutch guys, one of which danced like your dad... but worse, seemed to take a little liking to us and we had a fair bit of trouble shaking them off.... following that and me being mistaken for an Israeli a number of times (not really sure what that was all about but apparently it's the curly hair!!!!) we decided it was time to move on..... bar number 3; Extreme.... and i have to admit by this point we were feeling a little sleepy and were toying with the idea of calling it a night.... Extreme was pretty empty so we thought we'd just stay for one... famous last words.... there ended up being a pro dancer pair in there who were shaking their moves on the dancefloor quite impressively so we stayed to watch them and ended up partying the rest of the night away with some British Navy Bods we came across who were there on leave from the ship for a little holiday to do the Inca trail.... John, Lee and Sarah are shown in the pic with Katy and I here, they were a lovely bunch and it turned into a very comical night... not least cos of the comedy hat John's wearing... lovin' your style John!! ;-)

The next morning it was safe to say our heads hurt but we managed a highly amusing early morning stroll to Jack's for breakfast.. it was the only thing capable of easing our hangovers! Safe to admit that we went back to bed straight afterwards though, haha!! The rest of the day was spent somewhat leisurely with the only thing we had to do being turn up for our Inca trail briefing at 6pm. The trek was starting at 6am the following day, at this point in time, the last thing we felt like doing was spending the next 4 days climbing mountains and crossing valleys... but we went and met our guide and the rest of our group, depsite the list of only 4 of us, all female, when we signed up for the trek, the group had now grown to about 10 or so, although only including 3 guys, one of them being the guide!!! Still... all briefed and set for the adventure we headed off for some food... on our hangovers we wanted good food and ended up at a plush restaurant on the Place de Armas... was yum!! Bellies filled we headed home, packed our bags and slept in our warm beds for the last time til Sunday night... a whole 3 days away!!!! Chilling out in Cusco had been fun but now it was time to put our hiking boots on and head for the hills.... xx

The Scariest thing I've ever done!!!

We arrived in La Paz at about 7am and made our way to El Solario.. a hostel recommended by the Lonely Planet as well as various people who´s brains I've picked about South America over the past 10 months! Unfortunately, they didn't have a bed available for us until 10am so with 3 hours to kill before i could get into a proper bed, we left our bags and found a cafe for breakfast and set about sorting our plan of action for our time there. We had to be in Cusco for the Inca trail on the 6th October and were planning on having a few days there before having to head off on the trek so we had a few days to play with in La Paz.....

There were a few things we were thinking of for our time there but one stood out above all others... Mark, who we'd bumped into in Uyuni had mentioned it and I had been told, several million times, by Mat way back in Thailand, that if I didn't do this thing, he'd kill me anyway when I get home... so, that was that, decision made.... we were off to conquer Death Road!!!!!! I have since come to the conclusion that Mat actually just wanted me dead..... I have never been more scared in my entire life!!! Young Mathew... you have some explaining to do when I make it home!! ;-)
Anyway, once we'd decided on our plan of action, we spent the rest of the morning sorting things out, booking Death Road, checking email, booking our bus to Cusco for Monday morning (today was Friday October 29th by the way) and deciding to stop overnight in Corioco, where the Death Road experience ends (if you make it that far!). All that done, we finally checked into to the hostel... i didn't get to rest though, thanks to our plans, we only had that day and Sunday evening to explore La Paz, so once we'd showered and sorted ourselves out we headed back out and hit the 'shops'... Bolivia's cheap but my god, my credit card could take a battering there!! I'm going back there too so I'm not out of danger!! The evening didn't get too late for us, we had an early dinner at Olivers (an english pub) and then headed back to get sorted for our early start the following day and get some much needed sleep.

I have to say I really liked La Paz, it felt like you were really in South America, and everyone there is really friendly. I've had a lot of people rave about how fantastic Bolivia is but you never really know if you'll agree until you experience it for yourself... so far, I'm in agreement!

We were up at 6am on Saturday and at the meeting point for breakfast by 7am. Mark and his friend Karen were also on our trip and it was nice to know a couple of people in the group. There were about 15 of us altogether i think and everyone was pretty friendly... not to mention apprehensive. For those of you that don't know what I'm on about when I say Death Road.. its basically a road the runs for approximatley 64km along the side of a mountain, with a sheer drop at one side, and simply for the adrenalin rush, you Mountain bike down it!!!! The pic above is Katy and I on the minibus to the start of the route... looking glam in our head gear!!! ;-) and on the left is me doing the ritual offering and then drinking of some very potent, not particularly nice, drink they give you before we set off on our way..!!

It's known as Death Road for 2 reasons... 1; Its the worlds most dangerous road and has pretty much weekly injuries if not fatalities and 2; way back I can't remember when, a previous Bolivian government used to take people they weren't happy with up there and push them off!!! Nice!! I also managed the exquiste timing of discovering the night before that my friend Nicky had managed to break her shoulder and cause herself the need for several stitches and a big fat upper body cast, doing exactly what we were about to do... oh joy!! You'll be glad to know Nicky is at home and recovering well now though! Phew! Piv to the write gives you an idea of what kind of road Death Road is!!!

Needless to say, that, coupled with the fact that it's actually quite dangerous... had me feeling a tad scared on Saturday morning.... actually, you know what, scratch that, i promised I'd be honest on this blog.... I was a complete wreck... seriously... never been more scared in my life!! I'll even admit I welled up a couple of times... was completely neurotic for most of the day and have no idea how the guides put up with me... but they did and I have to say, I'm so glad I did it. As scary as it was.. and you can probably see the fear in my face in the pic of me in action here... and as much as I feared for my life several million times a minute, having survived it I can honestly say it was wicked! You do have to be careful and concentrate loads but the scenery is amazing and the rush is brilliant! I'd highly highily recommend that if anyone of you is thinking of doing it, do so with Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking... they're slightly more expensive than most other companies but they're worth the extra, the bikes are top quality, the guides know what they're doing and if they can put up with the likes of me then they're definetly a good company!

We finished the biking about 4pm, it takes about 5 hours actually on Death Road.. you start on asphalt just to get used to the bike then make it to the actual road by about 11am.. the road is also an open road so you have traffic to contend with also and Gravity stop you at several checkpoints to make sure your bikes are ok and have snacks and stuff. Once you've made it down you get to have a lovely hot shower and lush meal at a hotel in Corioco. Bliss!.. this pic is Katy and I showered, fed and sporting our death road t-shirts!! You're also given a feedback form to fill out.... it's won't surprise you to know that my response to the 'what did you enjoy most about the experience' question was... 'Surviving it!!!'

We'd been told Corioco was beautiful so had decided to stay there for a night with the intention of going horseriding in the mountains the next morning before heading back to La Paz. Those plans didn't quite happen.. we ended up staying at the most beautiful hotel (Esmerelda) or own room for about 3 quid a night, with balcony overlooking the mountains (which i'm stood on in the pic here), a gorgeous pool, sauna and generally a perfect setting for just relaxing... we were both shattered from the biking and decided to sack off horseriding and have a lie in, relax by the pool and catch up on some much needed rest! Tough life eh!

We spent the evening just having a leisurely meal with some girls that were on the Death Road trip with us then headed back to the hotel to gorge on some chocolate treats... although, am still yet to find Mars Bars over here...am not impressed!!! The last one was the one Glen bought to Fiji for me... don't these people know I need m fix!! ;-)

Anyway, sorry... off on a chocolate tangent there.... the following day went exactly as planned and we even splurged a cheeky $4 for the hotel's taxi service back to La Paz... not in keeping with the backpacker rules but it was comfier, took the new road, thats not quite officially open yet but alot safer than heading back up death road in a bus and took half the time... worth the 4 bucks we think!!!

We made it back to La Paz by about 5pm and had a nice evening meal, a few drinks and then bed in readiness for our day long bus journey to Cusco... Bolivia had been too short and sweet but I'll be back! xx