KateB
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Machu Picchu
Having hoped for a bit of a lie-in after the Salkantay Trek, we were disappointed to be told we needed to be up in time for a quick 6am breakfast, ready to leave the hotel by 6.20. Apparently our bus tickets had been booked for a 6am time slot – there’s clearly some flexibility in…
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Salkantay Trek
The Salkantay Trek, for those not in the know, is an alternative to the Inca Trail, which can be hiked either independently or with a guide. It is longer than the Inca Trail but does not require a permit, which means it doesn’t need to be booked months in advance as the Inca Trail does.…
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Cusco day 4
Well I’ve finally stopped vomiting thankfully, and was able to eat breakfast and keep it down. Still felt absolutely wiped out in the morning though, and still fairly nauseous – went out for a slow wander around to get some fresh air and eventually found myself outside Qorikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun, so…
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Cusco Day 3
Sadly this was an absolute write off of a day – spent the entire day in bed with nausea and vomiting. I’m supposed to be starting the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu in two days time so emailed the travel agent to enquire about joining a different group a few days later. Apparently this isn’t…
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Cusco Day 2 / Pisac / Sacsaywaman
Top of the agenda this morning was a visit to Pisac archaeological site. I didn’t want to take an organised tour and had read online that one can easily reach Pisac independently by using one of the many collectivos (shared minibus services) that operate between Cusco and Pisac. So straight after breakfast I headed out…
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Cusco day 1
I stayed at a cheap hostel yesterday evening, which doesn’t have a 24 hour reception, so with another early start I had to organise my own taxi to the airport. After yesterday’s experience with the fake taxi driver I wasn’t taking any chances so had done a Google search for local taxi companies and booked…
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Colca Canyon
An early start for the journey to Cabanaconde – with my taxi to the bus terminal booked for 3.45 I’d set the alarm for 3.15. But slept very fitfully and was awake just before 3am anyway. Turns out Arequipa is a party town – I’d put my earplugs in to drown out the noise when…
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Arequipa day 2
This morning I went on a tour of the Silar Route – silar is the white sandstone that many of Arequipa’s buildings are made out of. The tour started with a stop at a viewpoint where we had good views of the two volcanoes – Misti and Chachani – that loom above the town. We…
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Arequipa day 1
This morning saw the first of what will be quite a few experiences of budget airline travel in South America – flying with Jetsmart from Lima to Arequipa. Well all I can say is it knocked the socks off its equivalent in the UK and Europe! The worst part of the journey was the taxi…
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Lima
The whole business of actually flying to Lima has to rank among the top 3 most stressful journeys I’ve ever done. Most of that stress originated from the fact I had to transfer via Miami – and for reasons I don’t fully understand the United States doesn’t appear to recognise the concept of allowing passengers…
Adventures in South America and Scotland 