Santiago and Valparasio

We arrived in Santiago one rather grey morning and quickly settled into our lodgings, and got ready for the activity we were most excited about based from the city: skiing and snowboarding. My godfather Steven deserves a special mention at this point, as we were afraid that this sport was going to be beyond our budget on this trip however he was incredibly generous and offered to gift the excursion to us. It was certainly one of the things highest on my list to do in South America, being a little obsessed with snowsports, therefore I would like to take this opportunity to thank him once again: thank you Steven! 

The mountains, including the resort we were to go to, Valle Nevado, are just a short two hour drive from Santiago, and we booked up for two full days on the slopes leaving each morning from the city and returning at night. It seems amazing that this is possible and the perks of Chile's capital were beginning to become apparent to me! That afternoon we were also able to squeeze in a little bit of sightseeing, taking in the beautiful main square and the old/new architectural contrasts.   

We awoke early the next day, very excited to be heading off up the hill. The scenery on the way was amazing in itself: never have I driven past cacti in the hills on the road up to the ski slopes before! As we climbed we also drove past small herds of cows, donkeys and horses which would occasionally wander across the road, seemingly unaware of the distress they were causing to the drivers on the road. About two thirds of the way up, snow started to appear on the ground and before we knew it (and just about at the point where we thought the driver's terrible taste in music might have driven us crazy!), the resort appeared in front of us. The main building was very modern and included the entrance to Chile's first gondola type ski lift. We were kitted out in there with much better equipment than I had expected and headed out into the snow! The snow this year has been less good than what was hoped. After a very good start to the season, they have had little more to top up, however the base layer is solid and there is enough to get round a lot of the mountain. On the (very) bright side, the weather was absolutely fantastic, there was not a cloud in the sky either day and it was just cold enough that the snow was not turning to slush but not cold enough to need more than a few layers. By Southern Hemisphere standards, the resort is large, and there was certainly enough to keep us more than occupied over the two days. The resort boasts an excellent variety of runs, nothing super challenging bit mostly sweeping and wide which is perfect for a short trip. I cannot explain how amazing it was to be back out on skis, especially, as we kept noting with disbelief, as it was July - so strange for us, coming from the Northern Hemisphere!

The two days came and went far too quickly, however we knew there was plenty more that Santiago had on offer so the next day (albeit after a bit of a lie in!), we went in search for some sights and culture. The rather grey picture we had perceived the first day was shattered under a glorious sun. As we walked through the centre of the city, we saw more beautiful buildings, such as the national theatre and many stunning modern glass structures. We then came to the Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia Hill) and climbed right to the Castillo at the top for wonderful views over Santiago. We also visited both the National Fine Art gallery and that of Modern Art. The former was certainly better at the time of our visit, as the latter was having some building works which only left onlu one exhibition on display. That evening we sampled what the city had on offer in terms of a nightlife. This included trying the infamous drink known as a Terremoto, or Earthquake, made up of a concoction of pineapple juice, wine,  Fernet (a herby dark liquor) and a couple of scoops of ice cream on the top! We spent on final day in Santiago the following day, resting up and making plans for our next stages.

First on our list was the holiday playground of the wealthy of Santiago: Valparasio and neighbouring Viña del Mar. We arrived with just enough time in the afternoon to take a walk around the latter, past casinos and castles built by the wealthy of the past and present. We finished off the day watching the sun set over the sea on a beach packed with holidaying Chileans (it being the winter holiday period) with an ice cream. It was perfect. 

The next day also involves lots of walking as we took in the sites of Valparasio. The walls of the main tourist and residential "hill" neighbourhoods are covered with intricate and, mostly, beautiful graffiti. The Cerro Bellavista (Bellavista Hill), even has a Museo de Cielo Abierto or "Open Sky Museum" of wall paintings by previous students of the art museum, some now well known artists. In the same neighbourhood we visited one of the houses which previously belonged to the Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, from which there is a wonderful view over the bay. The view from the, otherwise somewhat disappointing, Museo del Mar de Lord Cochrane was also superb, looking directly over the main square. We also rode in one of the infamous elevators which take you up to the various hills and lunched on seafood soup. I've never seen so many different types of seafood in one dish! 

That evening we sat watching the world go by, on some steps near our hostel looking at a beautiful view over the sea and drinking mate (herbal tea) with two Argentian girls. The hostel, as we have found in more and more Chilean hostels, had more Chileans and Argentinians, which means we are practicing our Spanish more and more! We spent the evening therefore chatting with the other residents over piscocolas (pisco mixed with coke) and beer. 

Early the next morning we left on a bus bound for Mendoza, Argentina - yet another country on our list. We plan to return to Chile after our visit there, as geographically it makes more sense on our route. I look forward to telling all about this area famous for its wine production in the next instalment!

Lots of love,

Emma

Northern Chile

Soon after completing our mountain mission, it was finally time to move on from Bolivia, and into Chile. We took a bus all the way from La Paz down to the coastal town of Arica, where we spent a night in the grimmest and dirtiest guesthouse I have ever stepped into! Our neighbour spent a good hour as we were trying to get to sleep making so much noise that the only thing I could imagine he was doing was breaking up all the furniture in his room! However, the town was pretty, and even boasts a church designed by Gustave Eiffel and constructed in separate units in his Paris studio, before being sent out to be assembled in situ. It was lovely to be by the sea again, and the weather was certainly much milder than in La Paz! The sea itself was wild, and we spent the afternoon walking down the beaches watching the waves crash against the rocks.

That evening, we took a short five hour bus ride down to the larger town of Iquique, which also sits along the sea. The waves here were even bigger, and we were informed that surfers were even being fined for attempting to go in the water as the coast guard considered it too dangerous. It was incredible to watch those brave or stupid enough to head out though!

Iquique is home to a duty free mall, and we were excited at the prospect of finding some cheap electronics. Disappointingly however, the prices seemed the same if not inflated from those at home! We also visited the abandoned nitrate processing plant and associated village in the desert just outside Iquique, called Humberstone. It was an eerie place, filled with huge empty warehouses and some of the old machinery, including several steam engines. Surrounding the factory was an entire small town, where the workers and their families lived. There were two schools, two squares, quite a large hotel and a swimming pool, so it had been no small village. It was very interesting to see the different types of dwellings for the overseers and the workers, which you could still see furnished as they would have been. 

From Iquique, we headed to one of Chile's most important tourist destination: San Pedro de Atacama, in the middle of the Atacama desert. The town itself is small and rather uninteresting, built to cater solely for tourists. We found a quaint residencial run by a French lady and her Chilean partner, who is a musician. The house was constantly filled with music, with the whole family and friends practicing and performing all through the day and night. It was lovely to stay in a less faceless and emotionless place than a lot of the hostels we pass through. 

There are countless travel agents in San Pedro which run many tours in the surrounding area. Our first outing consisted of hiring some bikes and cycling throug the Valle de la Luna (the Valley of the Moon), so named for the moon like appearance of the landscape produced by the solidification of the sand in strange structures, and covered by a dusting of salt. We stopped off at various view points through the park, and even went through a few caves under the sand. At sunset, we walked up to the top of a dune for an amazing view over the while area. The only flaw in this plan was the lack of lights on our bikes for the hour long cycle back to the town, but thankfully we made it back alive! 

The second tour we took was to the SPACE observatory that very evening, where an excellent astronomer guide gave us a talk on astronomy in general and specifically the sky you see in the Southern Hemisphere. We even had a chance to look through the teb telescopes they had set up, and saw some incredible sights such as clusters of stars which shone like gems in different colours, and a pair of stars orbiting around a point together. The best of all however was a perfect view of Saturn, complete with its ring. It was so clear, it simply looked like a cartoon drawing! To round off the night, we sat around wrapped up in blankets with hot chocolate asking any last minute questions about the sky, stars, suns, moons and planets. It was certainly an eye opener, and I am so glad that we had the chance to see the beautiful sky, full of so many stars, in a place with so little light pollution. 

The next day, we woke up at 4am to head out into the highlands and see the Tatio Geysers. Due to having missed the geysers on the salt flat tour thanks to the blizzard (see two posts previous), we were very keen to see those near to San Pedro, and we were not disappointed! After the two hour drive up to the altiplano from San Pedro, the sight of the tall columns of steam rising up from the ground in the early morning light was something to behold. We spent a couple of hours listening to the explanations of the various type of geysers and how they are formed from our guide. We had a lovely breakfast out of the back of our jeep and even took a dip in a natural thermal pool fed from the geysers. The morning ended with a visit to a tiny indigenous village, where only about eight people live at any one time to tend to the llamas, while the other fifteen or so inhabitants live down the valley in order for the kids to be able to go to school. 

After a couple of fantastic days in San Pedro, it was time to keep moving south. We took a night bus to Calama, from where we traveled to the tiny beach resort of Bahia Inglesa for the day. We had a lovely, relaxing day, and it was even warm enough (for us tough English girls!) to sunbathe for a while. We treated ourselves to a scrumptious seafood meal, sampling local scallops and sea snails, which were surprisingly good! In the afternoon, we meet some hippies who were setting up a drug rehabilitation centre in the bay, and ate more scallops and a gorgeous home made soup. One of them was a jewellery artist, and we bought a couple pairs of lovely earrings from him. That evening, we hopped on another bus, this time with destination Santiago, from where I write this post. There are several things to do and places we'd like to visit around here, and I will be sure keep you updated on our progress in the next post. 

Lots of love,

Emma 

Huyana PotosÍ

This post will quite likely be very short, as it only covers the events of three days, however they were so tough and they mean so much to me, I thought they deserved a post of their own. We had decided to attempt to climb a mountain, and had chosen Huyana Potosí (6088m). If we achieved it, we bagged our first 6000m peak, which is about 1800m higher than the highest mountain I've climbed before. I knew that the snow and the altitude would make it difficult but I had no idea how much it would take out of us. I think it might be the hardest physical effort I have ever undertaken.

We arrived at base camp on the first day, freshly kitted out with our (rather old and badly fitting) equipment. We spent that afternoon learning to use the crampons and ice picks on a glacier an hours hike from camp. The altitude (around 4800m) was already making is breathe heavily, and the idea of going so much higher was already a little concerning! 

The next day, the real challenge began. We had a three hour hike up to high camp, which sounded like nothing. However, we had to carry all the gear we would need for the final climb, including the crampons and ice picks, helmets and gloves, sleeping bags and warmer clothes. The altitude really started kicking in, and walking uphill in snow, with crampons for the last two hours, was hard. We made it up, but we were worried for the next day. We went to bed early, at about 6, as we were to get up at 1.30 to start the final ascent. 

I'm not quite sure how to describe the final 4/5 hours of walking up to the top. They really were hellish. We were tied in a line together, with the guide in the guide in the front, followed by Tanya and finally myself. I hadn't really eaten, having not felt very well in the morning, and it was struggle to take more than 10 paces at a time. My eyes were closing involuntarily. There were parts which were so steep we had to use our ice picks and climb up with our crampons. We even had to jump over a couple of narrow, buy extremely deep crevasses! At 5800m, with so little left to go, I began really struggling. However, our guide then pointed out the 100m up to 6000m and finally up to the summit itself. This gave us the push we needed to carry on. Once we reached 6000m, the final ascent followed a narrow ridge, in certain areas so narrow one couldn't place both feet next to each other! This final part was perhaps my favourite, as it was actually less steep, and the sun was slowly rising revealing incredible views of other mountains, La Paz itself and mountain lakes (including Lake Titicaca!). Tanya was perhaps a little more peturbed by this part, having a small fear of heights, but she did fantastically and eventually, after all the mental and physical exertion, we finally made it to the summit! It was a fanatastic feeling, and the views were superlative. The reality hasn't really set it, but we had made it! 

The way down the mountain was in some ways worse than the way up. We were so tired and still so hungry and the guide was pushing us to hurry as the snow was melting increasing the avalanche risk. By the time we reached high camp we were at the end of our tethers. I wasn't sure we'd make it down any further! A couple of Oreo biscuits later and our guide was again edging us on down. To cap it all off, Tanya's knee started to hurt, and we once again had heavy packs to carry. However, somehow, very slowly, we finally reached base camp, nine hours after leaving high camp that morning. I was done, I couldn't even eat, and I slept most of the way back to La Paz. 

Even a couple of days later we are still recovering and suffering with coughs, sore throats and extreme tiredness. Apparently, on average, 30% of a group do not make it up to the top and all of ours did. The mental and physical effort was huge, but the feeling of achievement was worth every moment. I'm so glad we took the challenge and succeeded, however we certainly need a rest before our next trek or other physical trip! We are now heading for Chile, and aim to find a beach! The weather won't be warm, but certainly warmer than up a snowy mountain! I will keep you updated soon with our first days in another new country. 

Lots of love, 

Emma 

Tupiza and the 4x4 tour up to the Uyuni salt flats

Leaving Potosí proved to be more difficult than we first expected, as the driver of the bus we had booked decided that there were too few passengers to make the journey worthwhile. The company neglected to tell us, the passengers, of this decision, resulting in a wasted hour at the bus station. In the end, we took a shared taxi with another couple of travellers, and the comfort was certainly appreciated. The addition of the aforementioned travellers, two lovely Irish guys, bought out little party up to six, as we were already travelling down with an English guy we had met in La Paz, and a Swiss girl we had originally met whilst swimming with the dolphins in the pampas, and whom we'd run into again in Potosí. 

It turned out to be a fantastic group, and the first night and day in Tupiza were great fun. The highlight for me, of course, was the five hour horse ride through the incredible red rock scenery which provided the backdrop for the final days of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Unfortunately, accessing the actual scene of their final moments would have meant a much longer, camping, tour however I feel that we certainly got the feel for the area, which included incredible canons and vast colour changes - from the red rock to green rock all punctuated with stunning cacti. We were even given chaps and sombreros to wear so we felt very western! I was given a lovely little grey mare who flew like the wind (though not as fast as Ginger!). As we were having a gallop up ahead on our own, she even took me down a path with a little jump cheeky pony, and I surprised several hikers and a goat herder as we careered round a corner in a cloud of dust, with my hat almost flying off! 

The following day, the six of us joined three further tourists on a four day tour in a 4x4 up through fantastic scenery first through the area surrounding Tupiza, then through the Altiplano (high planes) and ending at one of the largest salt flats in the world outside Uyuni. 

We ended up having really quite an adventure! The first day passed as expected as we drove along a very bendy road flagged by deep canons (Mum would have hated the trip already), until the scenery changed into the bare landscape of te Altiplano. Here, the temperature dropped fast and we were already faced with snow and icey rivers to cross. We stopped often to take pictures of the wonderful views, which included a slightly creepy derelict village which was apparently abandoned due to a haunting! We stayed the night in very basic accommodation, where the temperatures inside was about -8 degrees which was cold but nothing compared for what we were in for next! 

The next day we were back in the jeep early heading to our first destination: the strange rock formation called L'Arbol de Piedra or "Rock Tree". This does have a remarkable resemblance to a tree, and the general scenery was still making us look twice. I never tired of watching the llamas and wild vicuñas grazing the bleak plains, and we saw plenty more wildlife including ostriches and at the end of the second morning, a lake full of flamengos. We stopped early for lunch and had some free time to soak in a hot spring. I was slightly apprehensive at first, as it was actually snowing outside by this time, however once we were in it was wonderful. We even got out and rolled in the snow and jumped back in! 

After too short a time, it was time to dry off and head in for lunch. Then the real adventure began! We plan for the afternoon was to head to the Laguna Verde, or "Green Lake", and then on to see the geysers. Unfortunately, we never made to it to either as we were caught in a blizzard. We ended up in a convoy of about a dozen other jeeps, driving through the snow for about 5 hours. The drivers simply couldn't find a way through, and I suspect they were rather lost at some points as well. A helpful Canadian tourist even tried to help by lending his GPS system to them, though it seemed to me that they might have been lacking a map, so I'm not sure how much help that would have been. After several close calls, where jeeps were stuck in snow up hills, and several loops of the same area, finally the snow started to abate and the last planned stop for the day, the Laguna Colorada (Coloured Lake), appeared in front of us. It was the perfect time to see it, just at sunset and it was spectacular, and we felt as if it hadn't been a day lost. It was very cold however so we didn't stay long but headed swiftly on to our stop for the night. The temperature dropped to -15 degrees inside there and we coped by burning dried fungus and making hot whiskeys with honey and lemon to keep the chill out! 

The third day was centred around a line of lakes, where we were reassured that we would have plenty of opportunities to capture photos of flamengos especially. We were not disappointed, there were more flamengos at each lake, as well as opportunities for some incredible shots of vicuñas, and even both animals together. It's hard to explain how beautiful the surroundings were - the gorgeous lakes surrounded by snowy peaks were the perfect background for such wonderful creatures. 

We had lunch outside served out of the back of the jeep in the company of several mountain chinchillas which were adorable. In the afternoon, we drove to a ancient burial site, which also served as a mirador over the very edge of the salt flats. We were nearing the main attraction of this trip, the Uyuni salt flats, among the largest in the world. That night, we stayed in a hostel made entirely of salt. We would visit the first of its type the next day, but those built on the salt flats itself have been outlawed for environmental reasons. However, the hostel was fantastic (not least because it had hot showers, a luxury we had not had for the last 2 nights!), as everything was indeed made out of salt. The walls were made out of salt bricks, as were the tables and chairs, and even the floors! We whiled away the evening happily accompanied by a couple of magnums of red wine which a cholita (traditionally dressed lady) was selling in the hostel! 

We awoke before dawn the next day in order to drive out onto the salt flats and see the breathtaking sunrise from there. We had breakfast on one of the five islands in the flats, Inka Wasi, or the Inca's Home. The island was covered in cacti and was amazing to wander around. We then drove out into the salt flats again and spent a good two hours taking hundreds of the stereotypical perspective pictures which the flats lend themselves so well to. I have to say, we got some good ones, and I hope to share them with you all at some point! We did see the original salt hotel, though I was a little underwhelmed after our excellent salt hostel, and we ended the morning at a train cemetery, which is exactly what it is described as! All the old spanish steam trains are simply abandoned on the outskirts of Uyuni, which again makes for great photos! 

Uyuni itself is possibly one of the most depressing places I have ever visited. We had a few hours to kill before our bus back to La Paz, and it was a few hours too long. However, it was back to La Paz we were heading, as next on our list was to attempt to climb out first peak over 6000m,Huyana Potosí (6088m), which towers over the city. I hope to let you know how we get on soon in another post. 

Lots of love, 

Emma 

Bolivia continued

The evening in which we returned from the Death Road we spent with some friends whom we'd meet just before out pampas tour. The group grew, and we meet a group of guys who had just graduated from Durham. It was fun chatting to them about my old university town, and what had changed in the time is been gone. We also established fairly quickly that one of them is actually the cousin of one of our classmates from school! These "7 degrees of separation" type encounters are becoming more common.

The next evening, after one last day of wandering around La Paz, we jumped on a night bus bound for Sucre. All was going well, until we were only about 30km outside of the city, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, where the bus stopped, and the engine was turned off. Another British guy on the bus got out and went to see why was happening only to come back and report that there was a rally and we would be stopped until at least early afternoon. After an initial panic that he meant a protest rally, I realised with relief that it was actually a national Rally Car race blocking the route! Therefore, our plan for sightseeing in Sucre was forcefully placed on the back burner, and we spent the day sitting in the sun, watching the race. I've certainly heard of worst delays in Bolivia, where strike road blocks are not uncommon. 

It was late afternoon therefore by the time we reached Sucre, which only really left us enough time to settle into a hostel and go to dinner with some new Scottish friends from our bus. The next day, we managed to meet up with some other friends from La Paz, and together we took the "Dino Bus", an open air double decker, to the Cretaceous Park, a museum based around an enormous mined out cliff which displays some of the best dinosaur prints in the world. Other attractions include life size replicas of dinosaurs and fossils. Although it was a touristy and, to be honest, a little naff, we had a great time. 

We spent our final full day in Sucre, wandering happily about the beautiful "White City" (apparently, yearly white washing is mandatory), taking in the amazing parks, churches and the mirador which provides spectacular views. We also visited a couple of indigenous museums, which were both very interesting. One explained the ins and outs of weaving, and weaving patterns as well as local music and dance. It also had a collection of artefacts from an excavation complete with preserved clothes and a skull with a viable depression from, apparently, voluntary deformation. The second museums was based around a village whose population had been reduced to just 170 at one point in time, but recovered and now has a population over 2000. There was also a collection of ceremonial masks, some of which were terrifying! 

We left the warm weather of Sucre (which we had been so grateful for after La Paz!) for Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world at 4090 metres. The temperature difference incredible when one considers that it's only a three hour journey between the two cities. Potosí was once one of the richest cities in South America due to the Cerro Rico, or "Rich Mountain", a mountain which was once rich in silver ore. The silver has now been depleted, however the mining industry remains the most important for the city, with minerals such as zinc and copper. The biggest tourist attraction of the city therefore is a tour of the mineral refineries, miner's market and, finally, the mines themselves. It is advertised as a tour of a "non-tourist" mine, and indeed that is what it is. Tanya decided to give it a miss, however a friend we are travelling with currently persuaded me that I would never get another oppurtunity like it again, so I gave it a go. There are thousands of men working in the mines, and as we descended the narrow, low shafts, the first ones we came in contact with were those pulling and pushing a tonne of rocks up through the mine in carts on narrow tracks. As we carried on down the mine, we meet miners performing different tasks, including hauling up rocks from lower levels, and wheel-barrowing them over a cart, and even drilling holes in the wall for the dynamite explosions (I even had a go using the drill myself!). They gratefully received gifts of juice, water and coco leaves (which keeps them going on their long shifts) which we had bought in the miner's market. Overall, the experience can only be described as haunting, terrifying and extremely uncomfortable. There were certain places where the ceiling was so low we were forced to crawl on our stomachs. However for me personally, the worst of it was the dust in the air which was full of the smell of sulphur and made my throat and eyes hurt. We only stayed down there for a couple of hours, and our guide told us that the miners could work as many hours a day which they wanted up for 20 hours. I came out of the mine full of relief that I was out in the fresh air, and respect for the miners who go down there every day. 

We are now planning on heading down to Tupiza, which is listed in the guide books as reminiscent of the Wild West. We are looking into riding tour through the canyon scenery, which of course I am very excited about! After that, it is on to the salt flats in Uyuni, which is supposed to be spectacular! I hope to write another update soon after that tour. 

Lots of love, 

Emma xxx

Moving on to Bolivia

It seemed to me that our time in Peru flew by and before I knew it, we were organising crossing the border over into Bolivia. The journey itself was perhaps the worst yet for myself as I fell under the clutches of the dreaded stomach bug. However, we somehow made made it in one piece to the small town of Copacabana (yes, like the song!) on the shore of Lake Titicaca, which is considered the world's largest high altitude lake. 

By this point, we were slowly crashing after a month and half travelling at a fairly swift pace. It was a rather spectacular place to recover, with the incredible views of the giant lake, flagged by the Cordilleras mountains, some of which are even snow capped. We took a boat (though unfortunately not one of the small traditional reed boats!) from Copacabana over to the Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the sun in Incan mythology. There we witnessed one of the most spectacular sun-set and subsequent -rise I have ever seen, the latter right over the lake from the window of our bedroom. In the morning, we hiked the length of the island from the south, where we had stayed the night, to the north, taking in the scenery and the ruins which are scattered across the island. Observing the life of the locals, who are mainly involved in agriculture, was also interesting. We sampled local (farmed) lake trout at a charming restaurant while the little girl of the place sucked us into a game of cards for her amusement! 

Back on the mainland the next day, we made the trek over to Playa Blanca, or White Beach, where several "Floating Islands", traditional large jetties made of the reeds which grow in the shores of the lake, are linked together with small rock islands just off the coast. This aspect was pleasing and pretty, exactly what you picture when reading up on Lake Titicaca. The beach itself is in need of a community clean-up project however, and I can't help but wonder how tourism and growth will change this place: perhaps for the better eventually but in the present pollution seems to pose a major threat.  

From Copacabana, we hopped on a bus to La Paz, which was to be our base for several trips in the area surrounding the city. Amazingly, we meet a chap on the little ferry boat we had to take across the lake on who had been in the year above us in school! We hadn't known him well, but considering the small size of our school, it was really quite a coincidence! 

When we arrived in La Paz we finally gave in to exhaustion and illness. We allowed ourselves two days to recover, but no more as by the second day we were busily scoping out agencies for various adventures from La Paz. And so by day three, we were busy packing for a boat trip in the Bolivian "pampas". 

Out trip started with an early start to La Paz airport (which, interestingly, is very small due to the fact that international departures are so difficult thanks to the altitude playing havoc with the fuel reserves). From there we boarded the smallest commercial plane I have ever seen. There was just a single seat either side of the aisle, and the ceiling was so low that even I, at 5'1, couldn't stand up straight!  The views, however, made up for the size of the plane. The mountains surrounding La Paz were beautiful in the morning light, and the scenery slowly changed, though mountain lakes until finally jungle was spread out in front of us. 

We arrived in Rurrenabaque, the small jungle town which serves as the base for jungle and pampas tours in the area, and jumped straight into a van which drove us the three hours to Santa Rosa, a village on the edge of the national park where our tour was to take place. The road was awful, especially after the recently, unseasonal, rain however the scenery was incredible: cattle and horses lined the way, both on the side of the road and within the many ranches which I was surprised to find in a jungle setting. After lunch in Santa Rosa, we met out guide at the point where our motorised canoe was moored on the river Beni. 

The next three hours were filled with our first taste of the amazing diversity of wildlife we were going to see over the next three days. Within minutes, we had spied turtles, alligators and a veritable menagerie of birds. The bird life included cormorants, kingfishers, egrets, stalks, eagles, vultures (a strange, small species of the family), and many more. Perhaps the strangest were the Huapsin, a prehistoric bird with red eyes and a blue head lined with spike in what can only be described as resembling a Mohican. 

Out of the reptiles, the black caiman was certainly the most impressive. They grow up to 6-8 m long, and are capably of inflicting real damage in defence. We had one lying right on the edge of our lodge, where we stayed two nights and managed to take some fantastic pictures right up close to it! However, the sheer number of alligators which we saw is also very impressive, and it was very interesting watching their temperature regulation methods (sunbathing; opening their mouths; and submersion in the water). 

When we first arrived in the camp, we had a lovely surprise as a group of monkeys were lining the trees, as if to meet us! They really are incredible creatures, the way they are able to jump so gracefully between the branches. They seemed less special the following morning when a Howler Monkey woke us up at 5am! Another incredible land based mammal we saw was the capybara which is like an oversized guinea pig! 

We watched the sunset from a specific post each night we spent in the pampas and they were really beautiful. One morning we also awoke early to catch the sun rise, which all agreed, strangely, to be reminiscent of the opening scene of the Lion King! On the way back from our sunset location, we were able to spot the eyes of the reptiles lying in wait using torches which make them shine brightly.

We spent most of the trip cruising up and down the river letting the scenery sink in and watching the wildlife. One morning however was spent hiking through the pampas itself in wellies searching for anacondas. We were extremely lucky (as I heard that other groups were not) and our guide was able to find and catch one of the snakes. The was only little however we were able to appreciate how soft the skin was (after "washing" our hands in the filty pampas water in order to remove the harmful sun cream and DEET insect repellent stuck to them).

Perhaps the most exciting part of our trip however involved climbing into the thick, brown water of the river and swimming around with a group of pink river dolphins. They too were surprisingly soft, and very playful! It was my first time swimming with any type of dolphin, an one I will certainly not forget. I was concerned about touching them, and harming them however thy came straight up to us. I did not condone the actions of some of the other tourists, who went as far as catching and holding their tails for pictures! 

All too soon, it was time to head back to Rurrenabaque. The van ride back was even worse than the one out, as we had rain en route. The 180 degree skids were particularly fun! We made it back safe and sound however and were able to enjoy a shower after the oppressive stickiness of the pampas. 

We spent one night in Rurrenabaque before jumping on the plane back to La Paz, and the cold! Unfortunately, we then had another illness scare (specifically a suspected, but eventually ruled out DVT in me), which delayed our next adventure by another day. However, we missed awful weather and eventually survived cycling down the so called "Death Road". The ride was fantastic, lots of down hill with fun corners and the road is very bumby the whole way. The full suspension on the bikes was very much appreciated! We saw the place where the Top Gear team got two cars to pass alongside each other and I have to say, I don't know how they did it! It really was an incredible thing to have accomplished, and I am so glad we did it! 

We are now planning our trip down through Bolivia, with Sucre firmly in our sights. I hope to keep you posted soon of our next movements. 

Lots of love, Emma xxx

Cusco and Machu Picchu

By the last week in May we arrived in Cusco, perhaps one of the most iconic of Peru's cities. I fell in love at first sight. It is the kind of place which I could imagine myself coming back to for a holiday: it is packed full of architectural marvels, effortlessly blending Incan and Spanish styles together, weaving in and out of steeped cobbled streets. Good restaurants and expensive shops line the main streets, especially around the Plaza de Armas, the main square, while cheaper, wholesome eateries are available off side streets. There's a fantastic market, complete with a cheese section which definitely made my mouth water!  The religious buildings, with the grand cathedral at their centre are the most prominent Spanish features while a short walk to the outskirts of the city brings you to Incan ruins high on the hill surrounding the modern centre. 

Amazingly, within hours of arriving in Cusco, I walked into our hostel's bar and ran straight into a couple of English girls we'd met on the Galapagos and seen again on the coast of Ecuador. We spent a couple of fun nights with them, and met some more interesting people in the hostel including a couple of Chilean guys who insisted we compared Chilean and Peruvian pisco (because, of course, they insisted Chilean was the original and is the best). One of them is in the Chilean ski team and we were able to get a couple of tips for skiing in Chile which is excellent, as it's something I'm really keen to fit in our trip. 

It was great to catch up with the girls and hear their stories from the Machu Picchu trek that they'd just completed. In fact, their enthusiasm for the trek encouraged us to do the same one! We therefore had a hunt around for a good price and booked ourselves up for the Salkantay Trek - allegedly rated in the top 25 best treks by National Geographic. It didn't disappoint. Our group was fantastic, which I think can make all the difference on a trek. We set out very early Monday morning for 5 days and 4 nights. The hike on the first day was gentle enough although already the high altitude was apparent and we were glad to have had some acclimatisation in Arequipa. The first night we spent in a tent at 4100m - it was cold! The next day we set off early for the toughest section of the trip - up to 4600m on the Salkantay pass in the shadow of the great mountain itself (6271m). It is actually still officially unknown if anyone has ever scaled Salkantay, although there are rumours that one American man has managed it. The views from the pass were incredible and it felt great to be in the mountains again. From there however, we started descending and before we pitched camp again that evening we were in the cloud forest, and by the next day, we were into the jungle. The contrast between the different zones was fascinating and it really was strange to be almost at the snow line one day, and picking wild strawberries and avocados on the trail the next. Our final night camping was in the town of Santa Theresa, where we were finally able to soak and wash after the long days of hiking at the local hot springs, followed by a little camp fire party at the camp site. The following day, we took the option of zip-lining across the canyons which turned out to be an amazing experience! We reached speeds of up to 60km/h, taking in the incredible birds's eye views of the canyons below. We even tried out the "Spider-Man" position ( hanging upside down on the line) and the "Superman" position (flying with your arms out in front of you) holding hands on parallel lines. I have a video of the latter and hopefully I will be able to share it with some of you at some point. It was then onto the final part of the trek to Aguas Calientes, also know as Machu Picchu  Peublo, the town at the foot of the famous site. We hiked along the train tracks and saw the infamous Hiram Bingham (who discovered the Incan site) train, which costs 600 dollars for a round trip from Cusco. Once we had arrived in Aguas Calientes, the realisation that the following day we were going to be in Machu  Picchu hit home. The toll of the trek had taken over the previous days so completely that it was as though we'd almost forgotten out end goal! 

Therefore it was with great excitement that we got up before 4am the next morning (although getting out of the first bed we had seen for 4 days was a little hard, I have to admit!) to hike up the last hour or so to the site entrance. Tanya and I were determined, and we practically ran up the steep steeps, no mean feat at altitude and in the dark! I was very proud to have beat another group of hikers we'd seen along the Salkantay trail whom we'd nicknamed the "Spandex" group for all the kit they had on - including Equipe de France sports jackets. The final physical push paid off as we were among the first people who gained access to Machu Picchu that morning which allowed us to take some amazing photos of a deserted site, with the sun just coming up over the surrounding mountains. However cheesy it might sound, it was quite emotional to have in ally made it to the iconic site, and have it for just a few minutes to ourselves and just a handful of other equally keen people.

After a brief but interesting tour of the site from our guide, we were free to spend the whole day in the ancient city. It's a fascinating place, once an important religious centre but also a place of community, trade and agriculture. They now still have a few llamas roaming around, entirely for the benefit of the tourists but along with the mountain chinchillas which can be spotted from time to time, they add to the fun of the place. 

Perhaps ignoring the fact that we had been trekking 8 to 10 hours a day for the last four days, we had purchased tickets to climb up Machu Picchu Mountain, the highest mountain on the site. The hour and a half uphill climb was strenuous but 100% worth it for the view at the top. The entire city was laid out in front of us, with the other main mountain of the site,  Huayna Picchu, behind it. We had a well deserved packed lunch (including the avocados we'd picked up on the trek!) at the top and soaked up the view. Finally, as the day drew to a close, we completed on last short trek up to the famous sun gate, where those on the Inca Trail come through first thing in the morning, and even had a short wander down the famous trail. Before we knew it, it was 5pm and the city was closing. By the time we'd walked back down to the village we'd been on our feet for well over 12 hours and ready for dinner, followed by a 2 hour train ride and similar length bus ride back to Cusco, and bed. 

It's amazing that such a small part of out trip has taken up such a large post of this blog, however I think it reflects how incredible this trek really was. I hope you have enjoyed reading this update and keep an eye open for my next post as we head out of the Peru (how it has flown by!) into Bolivia! 

Lots of love, 

Emma xxx