Uyuni and the Salt Flats

Bus ride took up most of the day and about the most interesting site of the ride was the sea of plastic bags on the outskirts of Uyuni. Literally millions of plastic bags that have snagged on the ankle high vegetation giving the place an odd, perhaps even strangely beautiful look. Uyuni was a bit of a hole, dusty old town that people come to for the salt flats only really, but thats a good reason as they are stunning. Pretty sure Uyuni has one pub, which was humourously named ‘The Big Fun Pub’. Not sure about those Bolivians. For dinner though we went to an incredible pizza restaurant which was supposedly started by some Yank way back before he got bored of the place and left. The pizzas were still excellent despite the lack of his presence and was probably the finest Bolivian cuisine, despite it being Italian, that we had there. Few gentle aromas in our room later that night. Had our briefing for the Salt Flats tour then hit the hay. Was only allowed to bring a day pack for the 3 day trip which made things interesting, think Corry even resorted to turning the undies inside out to get a second use out of them, classy manoeuvre. First stop was the train graveyard, which was a pretty sweet spot to get funny photos with a whole lot of dinasourous (word?) trains. Then headed to the salt museum where we saw the various things the Bolivians do with the salt including using it to build things, making ornamental type things, and even using it as actual salt strangely enough. Afterwards we headed to lunch, had our first attempts at taking funny photos whilst waiting for it to be prepared. By funny photos I mean having various items and people at various distances from the camera and giving them distorted sizes. Bit of success, photos soon. Lunch was gold, then headed to some salt water ponds, pretty cool place, extremely salty water bubbling up from 12km down in salt, and took a bunch more photos including the now infamous naked ones of myself, Corry and Timothy Ashworth, bit of a ‘crack’ up. Facebook may get a working over at some stage, see for yourselves. Headed onwards to an ‘island’, which was actually an island as the salt flats used to be part of the ocean so it was made up of fossilised corals and now cactus too. Pretty awesome views of the salt flats, Corry almost cried he was so emotional about them. But in all honesty, its a stunningly beautiful place and I would actually say that it was my favourite stop so far, even above Machu Pichu, which we all know is indescribably describable. After the island we headed off through the salt, stopping at one spot to take more funny photos, build pyramids out of salt bricks, and watch the sunset, which was beautiful. Headed on again to the accomodation which was made out of salt and which also had a salt floor. Salt getting a bit much by this stage. Pretty classic dinner with a lot of laughs whilst reviewing the many photos of the day, it also involved far too much wine for the occasion, and also 12 sky rockets. Was feeling like scum in the morning and we set off early, had a long day driving through the desert looking at various rock formations, mineral lagoons of red, blue and green hues, and volcanic mountains. A really interesting day with some mindblowing sites, but also a very long day in the car, especially when u have Anthony Corry and Timothy ‘Frank and Beans’ Ashworth for company. But yes, a very rich and compelling day also, and even saw a twister. Pretty happy to get to the accomodation that night, bit of backyard cricket until I hit a huge 6 and ended the game, then sat down for lasagna and more wine. Early night after taking Timothy ‘I feel like a chunder and I might need a poo too’ Ashworth apart at cards as we were getting up at 4am the next day. When that time arrived, we headed off towards the geysers and mud pools. All the females were in a foul mood and Anthony ‘Cute’ Corry was also rather grumpy. Not a hindus hope in heaven of getting the famous Corry laugh out of him. Farking cold at that time in the desert so everyone was glad to stand next to the geysers and warm up, or even jump right through them, as well as to walk amongst the mud pools, which were absolutely shitting their pants and throwing mud everywhere. Walking that close would never be allowed in New Zealand so it was a super experience and got some cool photos in amongst the steam. Afterwards we headed to the natural thermal hotpools which were superb, great way to warm up and was mostly very relaxing apart from the bit where this fat japanese girl slipped and fell in, setting off a mini tsunami. But it was mostly very lovely. Bit of brekky then headed to see some more lagoons and mountains, pretty stunning, then the chilean border to drop off a couple of ppl from our car. Casually crossed the border illegally and had a bit of a walk around, interesting wee place. I’ll get rid of this one now, it was rather chilly in chile. Actually. We then headed back to towards Uyuni, long drive which took the whole day. Got a flat tyre in a fortunate position right next to one of the rare cafes in the desert so drank beer while the driver fixed that. Then drove off to the lunch spot, and onwards to Uyuni after that. Got another flat on the way so did what any normal person would do and took photos of us in the nude in the desert. All the time in the world for that sort of carry on. Eventually got back to Uyuni where we had time to freshen up and shower for the first time in 3 days, then back to the same pizza restaurant for more jizztastic pizza. As our train wasnt leaving till 2am, we tried to stay up and a few of us hit up the Big Fun Pub. We were the only people there and our bartender was plainly uninterested so made our own fun. Timothy ‘She likes things beginning with C’ Ashworth drank from a phallic shaped vessel and Anthony ‘There is shit all over the walls’ Corry from a female-body-part shaped cup. Time for a bit of cards and a power nap at the hostel before jumping on the train. Being men, and tall, we were lucky and were in proper seats which reclined etc, so we got sleep. However, many of the women, bless their tiny souls, were stuck in cattle class, people and bags everywhere and many people crammed into fewer seats. Gutted for them. Arrived at Tupiza early in the morning where we copped it from them for our better class of travel, completely not our fault but we didnt help matters by rubbing it in. More on Tupiza and our arrival in Argentina in the next post

Potosi

Arrived in Potosi in the afternoon and had a wee walk around the city after dumping our stuff at the accomodation. Not a huge amount of interest, Potosi used be a very rich city and apparently in its prime it was the most populous city in the world.  However, now the mines aren’t as productive its fallen a bit to ruin. Some signs of what it once was though, grand buildings and crazy little streets. One interesting site was seeing a random tourist have a gigantic yak right in the middle of a pedestrian street, it went everywhere and was like a fire hose on full blast, unfortunately i missed the photo opportunity whilst too busy staring. Cerro Rico was a pretty dominating site sitting right on top of the town and was fairly impressive. Had the novelty of eating dinner ten stories up at a revolving restaurant which was great until the sun went down at it got stupidly cold. Again we experienced the pleasure of waiting an extraidonary length of time for our meals, reasonably certain Jesus didn’t go through the same ordeals we did, and was pretty glad to get the taxi back - although our guy run over a rock on the way down a dirt path and busted up his suspension so we limped home slowly. Went out for some cheeky dessert then hit the sack, although Corry claims to have burst an O-ring on his throne before that. Tour of the mines the next day, we had a fantastic guide, Choco, who picked us up and got us kitted out in gumboots, waterproof pants and jacket, and a helmet with a headlamp. Gee did that helmet save my bacon on a few occasions. First stop was the miners market, where we picked up juice, coca leaves, gloves and dynamite (which they will freely sell to anyone) to give to miners as gifts as we ran into them. Before entering the mines, Choco made us stuff our mouths with coca leaves, pretty ranksauce, but the real killer was having to do a shot of Bolivian 96% alcohol. Was electric blue and im pretty sure it was actually just plain meths. Burnt the throat something chronic – not sure why Choco thought it was a good idea, own entertainment maybe. Anthony Corry asked for a second though, gee that guy can sink his piss. Entering the mines, we immediately ran into a Tio (or devil) which is what the miners worship within the mountain, rather an inaspicious start. Choco used to be a miner himself so he knew all the nooks and crannies, went down to the second level of the mine through a range of tunnels and shafts, was pretty carny times and a great adventure. Casual arsenic all over the rocks and the navigational methods would probably be shut down fairly quickly back home. Towards the end Choco lit a couple of sticks of dynamite and gave them each to us to hold for what seemed in my opinion to be rather a while, pretty loose behaviour that, Corry was loving it though. He then threw them down a tunnel except only one blew up, huuuuuge explosion – again, very loose goose behaviour. Hopefully the other one (detonator failed) didnt blow up later and take someones head off but guess we will never know. Pretty hard work so we took the rest of the day lazily, ate two lunches then sat in bed watching movies for the night, not a lot going on in Potosi as I may have mentioned. Next morning was the public bus to Uyuni. Only 200km away but took 6 hours on account of combo of shitty bus, shitty roads, winding roads and general Bolivian inefficiencies which have all too common place.

Sucre

Pretty comfy bus and slept well until we got a flat tyre half an hour from the city. Sat on the road for a whlle in the baking sun before we eventually arrived. Don’t know what he did to our bathroom but by the time I got in there it was like Cyclone Corry had well and truly grabbed it by the bollocks and torn in to shreds. Absolute bloody chaos and mayhem, the guy is a true larakin. Had the old blocked shower drain again which was also good for a laugh for about 0.5 seconds. Lupe then took us on a walk of the city which was a semi-OK place, markets with raw meat lying around the place in all sorts of unrefrigerated conditions was a highlight and really made you wonder what you’re eating in restaurants. However, they had a very pretty main sqaure and lots of old colonial architecture which was cool. I started to come down with some man flu (hey, its a real disease) so spent most of the arvo chilling at the hostel as there wasn’t a lot else happening. In the late arvo we decided it would be a good idea to get on the cervezas so sat in the sun drinking for quite a while. Basically everything I drank came straight back out my nose in a less fine and more mucusy form. Carried on to dinner which was excellent but again very slow in arriving and stayed afterwards for a few more drinkies. Next day I felt like cats piss, me and Corry were going to go horse riding with a few of the group but when we arrived we found out they had run out of gluestick and dog food horses. I wasnt particularly annoyed, and found a pharmacy with over-the-counter everything, seriously great pharmacies in Bolivia, no need for a prescription for anything at all. Me anc Corry went with Australian Tim to get his hair cut, then wandered around the markets again before walking up to the lookout point to get some splendid views of Sucre. I could barely stay awake over lunch and almost took a swim in my soup so I slept the arvo whilst Corry read and played with himself. Went back to the same place for dinner but this time we ate in the cinema whilst watching a movie on Cerro Ricco (or ‘The Mountain that Eats Men’) in Potosi where we were heading to next. Cerro Rico is where Bolivians mine tin, copper, silver etc, and over a 400 or 500 year history about 8 million people are estimated to have died. The movie focused on a 12 year old boy who provided for his whole family by mining in appalling conditions for many hours a week. Really interesting movie. Pretty happy to get back to the hostel to listen to Australian Tim’s ballad about Corry (entitled ‘Sorry Corry, its not me, its you’) and hit the hay. Next day caught a private bus (yippee) to Potosi which only took a few hours and was quite a nice ride really. Unless you've got the gentle aromas of Anthony Corry's feet and arse wafting up your nasal passages. I have advised him to visit a doctor on his return to New Zealand, those things are most unusual and indeed most unpleasant

Copacabana and La Paz (or in Corry's place, La Pash)

So we arrived in Copacabana in the middle of the day after the fiasco that was the border. As I’ve said, not a difficult exercise, just an inanely absurd one. We all freshened up at our hostel, noticing immediately that Bolivia was likely to be the shitter of the adventure. Our toilet didn’t exactly flush as per usual and the shower was blocked with god only knows what so in the end it was likely having a knee high bath in your own filth. Most unpleasant. Anyways, there is a hill on the outskirts of the town that we decided to walk up to get a view of the town, picked up a stray dog along the way which we named Paul (what a ridonulous name for a dog). Got a super view of the town and an even better one of Lake Titikaka. Then wandered back down. Don’t be fooled by the name Copacabana, its really not as great as its namesake in Brazil. Pretty much fark all to do so for the rest of the afternoon we read and played cards and drank passable coffee at a coffee shop. The experienced our first taste of Bolivian food and service. I had just about the worst pizza ever, could have cooked a better one up my bottom, and it only took an hour and a half to come. No tip for you I said very self righteously. Next day we weren’t getting a bus till the arvo so we wandered down to the lake for a look around. Not really nice so we went to a bookstore to exchange some books then hit another coffee shop for the rest of the morning. We picked up a rather pregnant dog at the waterfront which followed us in and spent the morning sleeping at Jo’s feet. Once inside (I just read this and it is rather a rambling tale I do realise) the weather absolutely shat its pants, lightning all over the place, sounded like Anthony Corry’s arse after a bad vindaloo, and it was raining llamas and guinea pigs. Thankfully it stopped in time for us to dash to the bus, and we headed off to La Paz. Some interesting scenery on the way, and it was mindblowing getting to La Paz. You drive in from above and I must say it is the most tremendous city at first site, really something to see. Bit gobsmacked. Our hostel was right in the middle of the city and was top notch. Really liked La Paz, crazy little one way streets, markets left right and centre, people and cars doing all sorts of bizarre things and was a great experience to be there. First day we basically only had time to suss our lives out before heading to dinner, which was not memorable and which took an absolute age to arrive again. Had time to go and book our mountain bike ride down death road while we were waiting, was gone for an eon and it still took years to come once we had come back. Few of us went out for some bevvies after to wind down but called it quits early for the ride the following day. Early start for the drive to the top of the road. First part of death road is all paved road so we flew down that at a swift rate of knots, one person lost their marbles unnecessarily about the equipment, wont name names but the acted like a grade A donkey. Most of us were too busy admiring the mountain scenery and practising our no-hands-on-the-bicycle technique. Corry was dropping sack while I was busy doing 60 or 70 kmhr and flipping him the bird with both free hands. We then reached Death Road Proper. Its called that for a reason, used to be the main road into La Paz and squillions of people died on it falling off the edge in cars, bikes etc. People still drive it and still go over the edge and mountain bike riders also still cark it on occasion. No worries with our group though. Was a super ride down there, could absolutely fly despite the inherent dangers and the views were really amazing, I entreat you to check out some photos at some stage. Took a few hours getting down the road with a few breaks and allowing time for the snails at the back to arrive. Really was an epic day though, loved it. Corry was even heard to use the word ‘bonerific’ despite sitting on a bike seat for that many hours. Don’t know about that guy, seriously loco. Well deserved cerveza at the bottom of the ride then went for a buffet lunch at a jungle lodge where about 3 cubic metres of food was systematically obliterated. Unbeknownst to us, we then drove back up Death Road in the van, which was a damn site more shit-in-your-pants scary than riding down the thing, however the views were equally as stunning when appreciated for the second time. Took a while getting back up and then back to La Paz afterwards but some rather epic games of 20 questions did the job perfectly. Got a bit silly in the end and even ended up with Anthony Corry proposing Anthony Corry as a famous person when he’s probably as famous as the gum on my shoe. Definitely didn’t match up to Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Jesus, King Leonidis of Sparta and Jason Gunn. Everyone was pretty knackered back in La Paz so there were a few kips before we headed out for our last night with Ollie our guide. As Darryl Eastlake would say, ‘Oh it was HUGGGGEEEEE, sensational stuff’. Pretty decent meal at a really cool wee restaurant which even played Springsteen without me having to request it. Ollie got pretty tippled on various tequilas and made an emotional speech which had Corry crying his eyes out like a baby girl. But seriously, we all got absolutely magoo’ed on cheap tipple, Bolivia is crazy cheap, like 4 NZ for a meal and beers about 1.50. Corry was sharing a rather romantic meal but unfortunately our friend Gabby chundered everywhere. And i mean everywhere. At our first bar stop. Found it most amusing. End of Corrys night unfortunately but I carried on to a few venues till around 6am. Classic night out, witnessed a bit of lesbianism and ended up doing a haka in the middle of a dance floor to convince a kiwi girl i met that i was in fact a kiwi. Solid behaviour. Great nightlife in La Paz – not that Emma Hartley will remember any of it. Only got like 3 hours sleep then had breakfast with Corry and spewmonkey, which was a lovely experience. Met up with a few of the guys from our tour and went to burger king for some papas fritas while Corry farewelled the love of his life. Didnt see the guy till the afternoon as he was most upset, however, I took the chance to have a look at the outside of San Pedro prison, which if you know nothing about then you should have a read. You can do tours of the prison, but if you are unfortunate enough to be a prisoner there then you have to buy your own cell, pay for your own food etc etc but on the upside, they manufacture cocaine there and your family can come live with you in prison and can go out daily etc. Farking crazy Bolivains aye. Very foreign concept. Took a look around some food and other markets then grabbed a late lunch with most of the crew. Really great market stalls and shops on our street so spent ages looking around, bought a baby llama wool scarf as well as the sweetest jersey you may ever get the chance to lay your eyes on. 445 Bolivianos (roughly 65 NZ) well spent, genuine llama wool. 15 minutes of solid bargaining was pretty entertaining too. Later on we met our new guide, Lupe, and some new members of our tour before heading out for an excellent Thai meal. Top quality stuff. Everyone absolutely spent from previous night so called it quits early. Next day we were farewelling some tour members so we had a long and lazy brunch before checking out San Pedro again (got offered a tour for 400 Bolivianos but apparently was another 200 to pay for the privilege of leaving so we flagged), the black markets (bought sky rockets) and witches market. Felt like we walked the whole of La Paz too. Ran into a mate from Uni on the streets which was pretty crazy too. Had time for some sandwiches (yuck) before goodbye hugs and hopping on the overnight bus to Sucre. La Paz, you’re choice.

Puno, Lake Titikaka and the Bolivian Border Crossing

Yep so both of us were really hungover on the bus ride to Puno. Took most of the day and wasn´t really that interesting as we slept off the previous night mainly. Amusing part was Aussie Tim getting an attack of the squirts and having to stop the bus to relieve himself on the side of the road behind a building. All class. Got into Puno late in the afternoon and mucked around till dinner. Few beverages and games of pool over dinner were all good. We had our briefing for the Lake Titikaka trip and then hit the sack. Everything was closed in Puno as it was election day the following day, all the bars shut so people cant get hammered the night before and then vote which shows the level of faith the government have in the people. Amusing concept really. Anyway, was up early and off on the boat to our first stop, the Floating Islands. They are literally floating islands made up of some special dirt which floats as well as a whole lot of reeds. The materials last only a few months so the people are constantly rebuilding the islands as well as their houses. Had a wee demonstration on what their life is like on a daily basis and how they exist, was most interesting. Also got dressed up in the local gears and went for a ride on one of their reed boats, Anthony Corry especially looked quite dashing and was making outrageous eyes with local women at least twice his age. Scandalous. After that we set off to Llachon Peninsula for our homestay. We bought some gifts of sugar, milk and rice for the family we were staying with who immediately repaid us with a lunch of alpaca and potatoes. As it had been raining recently our family couldnt show us much of what they do on a daily basis so me and Corry explored a bit of the peninsula and then helped them to turn a few fields over by hand for a bit afterwards. We then had a big group dinner which we prepared ourselves with some of the locals helping, all the while dressed in the local getup. Few strange looking characters at dinner. Had a sleep after that then our family mother got us up to take us down to the wharf to set off for Taquil Island. Tried to take some photos with her but she was very shy. The boat, which I should mention was epicly slow, then chugged off to the Island, had a walk around there and got an explanation about the culture etc of the island, quite an interesting little place and definitely a unique way of operating, will spare you the details tho. Bit of lunch then back onto the boat to head back to Puno (3 hours). On the way a few of us jumped off the second level of the boat for a swim, Titikaka is fed by the Andes so it was reasonably fresh. Back at Puno we got our stuff together then went out for dinner at a really nice restaurant. We were entertained the whole night by various dances and pan flute bands and the food was top notch. Best lasagna ever (sorry mum) of beef, lamb and alpaca with Andean cheese. Went for a few cheeky drinks afterwards, Corry made it home much later than me... then up in the morning to head for Bolivia. The Bolivian border was an absolute joke. Could probably have walked straight through without anyone paying you any attention. Really I must say they were running a circus there. We got throught quickly enough and without much hassle. No guards or anything at the actual border and I´m pretty sure Bolivians and Peruvians wander on through each way all the time, nothing stopping them. Enough of that, hopped on the bus and set off to Copacabana (very different from the Brazilian one I´m guessing) - will have more on that in the next post. Pretty average place as you´ll find out so it was great to get to La Paz after. Magic place

Cusco (after Machu Picchu)

Well, what a splendid first post from Anthony there, delivered much more than expected. From talking to him on various occasions I for one would not have guessed at his command and control of the English language. Cant believe the guy is still single to be honest. Thought I´d add my 2 cents on his coverage of events. Yes I did get violently ill on the second night and it was most unpleasant. Shitting down a long drop in freezing cold conditions at 3am is not a fate I wish on anyone, well perhaps Ben Reuhman. That was probably my lowest moment of the trip and the Incans were heavily criticised for their ridiculous path building exercises. However, the Guides and Porters were superb and probably saved my life in all honesty. Machu Picchu was the most incredible place I have ever seen with my own eyes, really a brilliant site and even better when viewed from Wayna Picchu (not Huayna Picchu as Corry reported). Bit of a slog to get up there but well worth it, superb day in all. I must say (to use Corry language) that it was a wonderful experience to be sharing it with Corry himself, who, even when experiencing severe cases of FML, is still an absolute pleasure to be around. Gee what a privilege.
Anyways, thought I´d sneak in a quick post before we are out of range for a few days at the Salt Flats. We were back in Cusco for a couple of days as Corry has mentioned after the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Arrived back in Cusco late at night after the bus ride back from the Sacred Valley. Think everyone, Corry particularly, appreciated the opportunity to have a shower, shave and shit (especially Corry). Also the opportunity for a quick lie down in some cases. We were given the best room in the hostel for some unknown reason but no complaints. It had two separate bedrooms (later to come in handy) as well as an on-suite bathroom, cable tv and dvd player. Absolute treat. Headed out for some dinner at an English Pub which was a novel experience. Pretty decent food but even better cervezas. Then headed to Paddys Pub (meant to be the worlds highest Irish Pub but pretty sure thats a load of twaddle). Met up with our Inca Trail guides there and sunk a few brews. I wasnt really feeling it so as a gentleman I volunteered to escort several of the ladies of our tour home, leaving Anthony to take care of the racousness. And that he did. I didnt hear the guy come home but there are various theories that there were at least two distinct sets of footprints entering the room that night. Unconfirmed as yet. I woke up rather early and took the opportunity to read in the sun. The love doctor didnt sleep that well apparently and only surfaced late in the morning only to return to bed straight away where he spent most of the day in a deep coma resting various body parts. As such, me and Aussie Tim spent the day chilling out together. After a big breakfast at Jacks, we played a bunch of video games and read in the sun (not like homos or anything). Then we got into some epic games of Sapo (the frog game i mentioned in an earlier post) which took up a good few hours. Numerous bets were placed, all of which I lost in the end, despite opening up an early lead. As such, I was buying the beers for the night (cheap piss in Peru anyway). Me, Aus Tim, and Corry (who had by now surfaced from his beauty sleep) wandered down to the supermercado and bought a bunch of beers and proceeded to resume our game of Sapo. As the afternoon pressed on in got a bit chilly so we moved to our lodgings where there was some pretty poor karaoke attempts (mostly featuring cat stevens), a number of the girls joined us there also. Eventually we pressed on to dinner, a bit under the weather already. Dinner was superb, what little is remembered, the food was, in my humble opinion, easily the best of the tour to date and was systematically mowed by all in attendance. Also systematically mowed were various liquids. Went back to Paddys where Corry was hoping to find some familar faces but no luck. Carried on to one of Cuscos nightclubs (after being chased around the main square by little children trying to sell us chewing gum) and was there for an eon. Few silly dares including running around on the roof and doing hakas on the veranda. Some absurd local interaction with the locals including some of the strangest dancing I have ever witnessed or partaken in. Also witnessed some lesbianism between a couple of girls on the tour. Nuff said. Great times there, Peruvians certainly know how to get amongst it. Wandered home to the hostel. Next thing I know our guide Ollie was banging on the door telling us we had to leave NOW. RIGHT NOW. Chucked all my stuff in my bag and bolted. Corry wasnt interested so after yelling at him a few times to get up (to no avail) I resorted to kicking and slapping him. Most satisfying. Especially one fly kick to the backside. Corry rushed around in a mad panic like a headless chicken but we got to the bus on time, not in any great state mind you, and set off towards Puno and Lake Titikaka. More on this next time. If you would like to request another entry from Anthony ´Jerry Seuseu, I see you too Jerry Jerry´ Corry then please do so. Asta luego

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Hola people. It´s Corry here, i´ve been given the blog duties for the first time on the trip...and what an honour and a privledge it is to tell you about one of the highlights so far - the Inca trail and Machu Picchu.  The last blog stopped the night before the trail started in a small town called Ollyamtamo which is about a 30min bus ride from the start. There were a few hilarious episodes involving broken beds and outrageously loud Peruvian music being played right outside TWild´s and Corry´s room. TWild was not a happy man and started to pour water down a small crack in the floor onto the uncouthly people playing the music (which he has already alluded to in a previous blog). Anyway, all bets aside, everyone on our group were pretty much amping to start the trek and when morning came, we were both running around like little girls getting ready to start. Our bus ride to the start was a memorable one with the backstreet boys, michael jackson and justin bebber blasting away on the sub woofers...just the ticket to get amped up to. TWild espeically liked "as long as you love me" by the backstreet boys....fair play I say.
Anyway, enough of the suspense. We arrived at the start and were tricked out with some sweet-as hiking poles, bandanas, poncos and some good snacks which were meant to last the full 4 day trek. Our guides were two really good Peruvian chaps who pretty much sorted everything out for our group (you have to show your passport, tickets etc) before you actually start the trail... We also had 18 porters who carried all of our stuff to each campsite, each day. Oh and I forgot to mention, we had 2 executives chefs preparing the most incredible food for us. Each and every breakfast, lunch and dinner were pretty much 5 star. Anyway, day 1 of the trek was relatively straight forward. It basically involved some slight inclines and some pretty cool views of surrounding farm land and valleys once your get near to our camp. When we arrived at campsite 1, there were these lovely local ladies selling ice cold beers which was rather thoughtful of them to be honest. Lets just say the cerveza´s were well earned that day...at least we thought they were until the DREADED DAY 2!!!
Day 2 started at around 5.30am with a really nice breakfast prepared by the chefs. We started the hike pretty much straight away which was a 4 hour hike straight uphill from approx 3000meters above sea level to about 4200meters. What an absolute mission. Bex, it´s pretty much twice as steep as Mt KauKau and about 20 times the length. Nightmare material. Anyway, after the first four hours, we reached the 4200meter mark also known as Dead Woman´s Pass. We stopped here for a while to take photos and recover from the epic climb. But I must say, what an incredible view from up there. You are able to look back on where you have just climbed and can see in the distance snow capped mountains with overhanging clouds etc. Amazing. It got pretty nippy up there after a while so we started the steep decend down to the lunch campsite. This is the point where I should really point out that the inca trail is not just an easy dirt track or a nicely paved walking path...it´s basically thousands of massive stones just thrown together to form some kind of path. It´s definitley tough times and not for the faint hearted. (Bex). Had another epic lunch put on by the chefs and continued on climbing and decending again until we reached the second camp site. Inca ruins and remains were scattered everywhere...quite stunning really. I should also really mention the day 2 campsite...we were overlooking massive mountain ranges with snow capped mountains and overhanging clouds...simply superb. TWild came down with something chronic during the evening which involved both ends if you know what I mean. Poor bastard...I genuinley felt sorry for the poor guy...I´m a good mate like that you see...LOL. He wasn´t the only one to fall ill at this stage though, Tim, the Aussie bloke, also got crook and seemed to have it even worse than TWild. Anyway, we were all pretty tired after the day 2 hike so we had an amazing dinner then hit the sack pretty early.
Day 3 started early again but turned out to be a more relaxing hike than the previous day. In the morning we were introduced to all of our porters and we all introduced ourselves to them in Spanish. Good times all round. Great bunch of guys and we all had the greatest of respect for them! Day 3 involved some uphill and downhill sections with some amazing views out over more mountain ranges. We passed through some old Inca tunnels and started to walk on the original inca trail (prior to this, the trail we had been walking on was developed by the Peruvian government). You didn´t really notive any major difference though because the path was still very rough. The aim of day 3 was to get near a power pole which indicated that we were nearly at the day 3 camp site. TWild and me saw the power line after a while but it took another 2 hours to actually get to it. Keep in mind that TWild was feeling crook and after a while, the Incans started to cop some abuse for their poor path building techniques. I found this hilarious as you might probably imagine. Again, we passed through some incedible incan ruins and our guides told us about the history of each site. Our camp site on day 3 was superb...there was a small hotel near our camp so we were able to shower for the first time in a few days. Felt like heaven. We all had an early night to prepare for the final assault on Machu Picchu in the morning...come on!!
Woohoooo so it´s now day 4 and finally after 3 long days of uphill and downhill slog, we have reached the final day of the trek which definitley turned out to be the most rewarding. TWild seemed to feel much better this morning and there were no longer any strange sounds coming from his direction. We woke at 3.30am, had breakfast and at 5.30am we started the 2 hour trek to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. A few of us wanted to climb Huayna Picchu (which is the huge mountain you often see at the back of the classic photo of Machu Picchu). As a result, we had to literally run to the lost city in order to get a ticket. It was pretty much mayhem on this final trek...people were walking, running, crawling, crying everywhere. TWild and me reached the Sun Gate after about an hour and WHAT A VIEW....the view which met us was simply outstanding. Its the first view of Machu Picchu and was completely undescribeable. So yeh...I can´t really describe it since it´s undescribable...just beleive me when I say it was an undescribeable view. We were quite lucky as clouds started to form and 10 minutes after we left the Sun Gate, the whole of Machu Picchu was fogged over. We were lucky to get such a good view. We then finally reached the lost city, picked up our Huayna Picchu ticket and chilled out until the rest of the group caught up with us. Machu Picchu is an incredible place. We were taken on a guided tour of the city by our guide and explored most areas of the city. TWild, me and a few others then started the trek up Huayna Picchu which turned out to be the most ridiculous climb ever. It basically involved pulling yourself up sheer vertical cliffs...good times really. I was sweating like some kind of animal and TWild was making outrageous comments about incans again. The views from the top were outstanding... log onto TWild or my facebook pages to see the photos.
After chilling around Machu Picchu for another hour or so, we headed back to Cuczo on a local train and then mini van. Everyone was absolutley buggered by this stage but a few of us went out to celebrate in Cuzso afterwards which I´m sure TWild will fill you in on during the next episode of the blog.
Well that´s all for now folks. The last four days were definitley a highlight of the trip so far. Shout outs go to our guides and porters as well as Jo who hiked the trail with a broken foot. Big ups to you!
Peace.

Cusco and Sacred Valley

Been a while, last time we were just on the overnight bus to Cusco, which was another pretty decent 12 hour ride, albeit in luxurious conditions once again. Corry especially slept like a baby lamb. Arrived early in the morning and went up to our hostel which was a pretty cool place. Bit of time for a shit, shower, shave then we headed off on our city tour of Cusco, which really is a marvellous place, potentially a top 5 of the trip (especially for Corry, good bless the wee fella). Went for a look around the main plaza then to some of the local markets, where most people do their shopping. Could buy all sorts of junk there, including any type of fruit, cheese and meat which was stored hygenically on a table with flies partying all over it. yum yum. Good fresh fruit juice tho, and cost next to nothing. Afterwards we went up to a local shop which makes all sorts of chocolates and teas and employs a lot of disabled and marginalised people. really good stuff there and most of went away with a bunch of stuff, some of the girls even bought viagra infused chocolate knowingly/unknowingly. our guide then took the three lads (me, corry and aussie tim) off to the black market while the girls wandered around cusco shopping etc, not our scene tho would have been interesting to watch the two girls who got tattoos. black market was pretty crazy, amazingly cheap electronics, clothes, shoes, food etc, Sir Corry bought an oasis dvd live in rio for 3 soles, about 1 NZ. ollie the guide then took us to the porters soccer competition. pretty sure we were just there to watch but we ended up entering a team Aquipo Gringo (Team Gringo) which went rather well. Had a couple of cervezas before the games and was playing at altitude which didnt help matters, in fact was absolutely buggered most of the time, but the first game we won 1-0 thanks to a left foot rocket from an acute angle thanks to Striker Wild. Shocked the team of porters who had nothing to offer in return although some strong defence from Aus Tim (in bare foot), Ollie and our Inca Trail guide Miguel as well as some nifty goal keeping from El Capatain Corry didnt go amiss. That win put us into the semi-finals where we went up 1-0 early thanks to another goal up front from myself (nutzed the keep then went on to celebrate with the famous ´shoe shine incident´). However, altitude and cerveza took their toll and we went downhill fast, eventually falling 3-1 to a team of guides and porters, good times tho. After that we found an Irish Pub (famous scenes there later after the Inca Trail) and watched the aussies smash the frogs at union over a cheeseburger and more cerveza. Pretty buggered after that so wandered back to the hostel for a nap, which turned into a long sleep so me and the big guy both missed the group dinner. went for a pizza instead then had our briefing with our inca trail guides (Miguel and Fabian) back at the hostel before crashing once more. Early start the next day but some time to kill so went down to Jacks restaurant (famous to travellers) for a massive big breakfast and milkshake, superb cuisine. Back at the hostel hopped back on the bus to the Sacred Valley, where the Inca Trail starts, couple of hours from Cusco. Did a couple of activities (pottery making, chocolate making) with some local families before having lunch at a local restaurant. Discovered a mean game called Sapo, not going to attempt to explain cos its a bit bizarre (basically you throw copper coins into holes on a board including one which is a frog) but definitely going to make a set when i return. addictive. no surprises that corry was rubbish and owes the tour a nudie run for scoring no points in one round. then cruised off to the hostel at Ollantay Town, stopping along the way for Mount Corry to erupt with a fiery vomit which came from nowhere, lucky it was just a once off and the wee fella didnt actually get sick. When we got to Ollantay did a warm up hike up the hills to look at some old Inca Ruins and got a stunning view of the start of the Trail as well as the Town and its surrounds. Really cool little town. Corry struggled his way up, good display of courage on an empty stomach, the guy is a machine. Had dinner on return at a restaurant supporting abused women and children, really good food (vege burgers especially), then one more briefing as we were starting the Trail the following day. Was going to have an early night but Clowno Corry somehow broke his bed (classic photo) so we had to switch rooms and were on top of some guys having a bit of a party. Kept us up for a while. There was a hole in the floor tho so Mr Corry started pouring water through it on top of them which shut them up a bit. Next morning, Inca Trial... Hope you all look forward to the next post - Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, Anthony Corry (a.k.a El Clowno) has promised to enter the game and write the next one so I unfortunately cant promise it´ll be a great read. The guy is fairly retarded as you may have guessed by now. In Bolivia now, about to head off to Potosi, famous for mining including Cerro Rico (the mountain that eats men) where about 8 million people have died mining during the last 400-500 years. Then off to Salt Flats which promises to be excellent. Adios

Arequipa and Colca Canyon and Arequipa again

So arrived in Arequipa early in the morning. Arrived at our really nice accomodation (best of the trip so far, apart from shite internet) and dumped our gear. Immediately set off for a tour of a Francescan Nunnery. This might sound like a bit of a gay thing to do but it was actually really good. The nuns themselves had moved to a new part of the Nunnery so we didnt actually see any nuns up close (only through far off windows) but the facility had been in operation for hundreds of years so it was interesting to see and hear about how the operation had changed over time. The buildings were really beautiful and we had a good rooftop view of the surrounding mountains and volcanos. Doubt anyone really wants to read about a nunnery so i´ll leave it at that. After the tour we headed back for a nap. Corry had come down with a really gross chest infection and was coughing up all manner of vile pollution so he slept the whole afternoon. I also slept in so missed the group lunch. Went and found lunch myself then headed to the Juanita exhibition which was superb. Juanita is the mummy corpse of a 12 year old girl that some exlorers found not that long ago atop a volcano that was previously covered in ice. She was a sacrifice made by the Incans to the volcano god, she was extremely well preserved, as were a large number of items also found with her that were given as offerings to the god. The whole exhibition (including seeing Juanita herself in a special frozen tank) was really interesting and a good insight into Incan culture. After that I headed back to the hostel to relax until our Colca Canyon briefing. Our guide for the trip gave us a ran through, including that we would be starting early both days. On the basis of that information we all decided to cook our own meals at the hostel, food in Peru is incredibly cheap so had some sweet as pasta and avocado etc for about 2.50 NZ each. I then headed out with one of the girls on the trip for a couple of beers with some peruvian guys she had met. They were bizarre and rather dodgy individuals. The first guy tried to sell me cocaine (politely refused) then the second guy shouted in my ear, spraying me with saliva, for the next 30 minutes. Was glad to escape after a couple of beers. Next morning, Corry was in an absolute state and hating life. We left Arequipa early and started to head up into the highlands, at our highest point we were 4900m above sea level. Incredible landscapes everywhere, very barren, but absolutely stunning mountains. We all tried coca leaves for the altitude but they tasted terrible so that little experiment didnt last long. Stopped at a cafe for some coca tea which was much better. We finally arrived in Chivay, had a quick lunch of alpaca and rice, and set off walking for the local hotpools which are fed by a nearby volcano. They were awesome and definitely well needed, couple of pisco sours in the pool didnt go amiss either. Spent a couple of hours there then headed back to the hostel to prepare for our homestay evening with a local Quechua family. On arrival, me and Corry volunteered to slaughter the two guinea pigs. Corry didnt actually get to slit one of their throats, but I certainly did, right through its neck bone. Was a rather interesting and bizarre experience. Few of the girls werent all that impressed but I figured it was going to die anyway and I gave it a pretty quick death. Me and Corry then skinned it and gutted the two pigs which was somewhat of an amusing exercise at times. Wont go into too much details but it involved drenching it in hot water to peel the skin and hair off, then slitting it open down its belly and ripping out its innards. We then watched the family cook it, along with preparing alpaca meat, potatos, and a mash of local grains, milk and cheese. We all sat round an open fire and ate what was a really delicious dinner in actual fact (despite how it sounds) and it all went down really well. Time for a few group photos etc, and photos with their pet llama, before heading off. Had to get up at 530am the next day to set of for the Colca Canyon and the flight of the Andean Condors. Was a really bumpy and long ride in our van to the Canyon, again some incredible scenery and some really quaint little Peruvian towns. Was good to get to the Canyon though, it was pretty breathtaking scenery there, its the deepest canyon in the world (4500m or something like that at deepest point), more so than the Grand Canyon or any other. We hung around waiting for some condors to fly but didnt have much luck until we set off for our hike along part of the Canyon. As soon as we left we got some amazing views of the Andean Condors flying and gliding, really close up to us; they are rather majestic and beautiful creatures. After the hike, where we got to appreciate some more magnificent views, we set off again back down the same bumpy road to Chivay. Stopped for some more alpaca for lunch and got some photos of local families in traditional dress with their pet alpacas and llamas. We then set off again for Arequipa, most of us slept a good portion of the ride back and were all glad to get back to the hostel after a pretty exhausting but memorable trip. Corry´s chest infection had got even worse on the trip and he wasnt the most joyful character to be around. He slept again while I made the wee fella dinner, he then ungratefully mowed it down and left me to wash up. Great mate. Went out for a beer with a few of the girls from our trip but was pretty over it so headed back for a reasonably early night. Arequipa was scorching hot the next day and I spent most of the morning reading on the roof while Master Corry slept in and also visited the pharmacy. Most of the tour, including Corry who was starting to enjoy life again after getting some antibiotics, visited the Juanita exhibition so I went for a walk around the town by myself. Its a very beautiful but crazy city, more dangerous driving, beggars, and markets selling a random collection of junk (although a few gems in amongst the rubbish) mixed in with beautiful buildings, cobbled streets, sunny blue sky, and a beautiful backdrop. Despite this, I have to say Arequipa has been my favourite city so far (think Corry is agreed on that) and have been really lucky to spend a bit of time here. Backtracking a bit, went out for lunch with some of the tour, 3.50 NZ for a 3 course lunch with a glass of juice (excellent grub and superb value for money) then found a bar doing happy hour at 1pm in the day so had a mojito and a pisco sour. Went and had a walk around the markets again and bought a couple of t-shirts for cheap as chips prices then headed back to the hostel to unwind and prepare for an overnight bus to Cusco. Just found out one of the girls, Emma from England, fractured her leg whilst exploring the city today which is an absolute bugger and tragedy considering we have the Inca Trail and Machu Pichu in a couple of days time. Seriously bad luck. As I say, off to Cusco tonight on the overnight bus, got the day in Cusco tomorrow then an early start the next day on the Inca Trail for 3 or 4 days until we arrive at Machu Pich- Yeah Baby! First time the blog has been up to date so far, will update again when we are back in Cusco after the hike. Chur

Lima, Pisco and Ballestos Islands, Nasca (including Nasca lines!) and towards Arequipa

When I left off we had just arrived in Lima, I tell a lie, we didnt go to a restaurant, we instead hit up Peruvian McDonalds. Not as good as the kiwi version but some cravings were satisfied. In the morning we headed to the supermarket to get some breakfast then went for a walk along Lima´s waterfront and beach area. Not actually a particularly nice or attractive part of town and not really much of interest to report on. Headed back to Hostel to chill out as we were saying adios to our tour guide Diego, who had been magnificent to us, and saying hola to our new guide Ollie (Oligar really but Ollie to us). Few tears shed by some of the girls and corry when saying goodbye to Diego. Ollie gave us a run down of our itinery with us then we headed off to a much nicer part of Lima, basically the municipal/presidential area, with some beatutifully historic buildings and palaces. Had a walk around the main square then went into the cathedral for a tour, which included seeing the catacombs, a huge underground cemetry where all people from Lima used to be buried. A lot of human remains etc, some beautiful artwork in the cathedral itself but apparently only 20% of it was real and the rest had been done recently to mimic the original. Still an interesting site to view. Went for a walk down some of the streets of Lima and tried some local food before ending up in another square with more magnificent buildings (although one housed a KFC which was rather disappointing). Then got a taxi back to the hostel. Driving in Lima is an absolute experience as I alluded to earlier, pretty dodgy taxi ride both ways. Went out for dinner at a local restaurant with more local cuisine which escapes me now. Then hit up a bar for a couple of drinks with Ollie before heading home. Relaxing morning before catching a long local bus ride to Pisco on the coast. Pisco was destroyed by a huge earthquake not that long ago and the town was a bit of a mess with lots of roads completely out of order and plenty of piles of rubble where buildings used to be. Bus ride fairly boring, but getting used to long trips now so handling the jandle no sweat. Had time for a quick dinner at a nice wee restaurant, delicious avocado salads etc (south american avo is superb) with some more cerveza. Early night as we had to be up early for our boat tour around the Ballestos Peninsula and Islands. Was a really good activity, firstly we saw a huge candelabra shape that had been dug into the side of a sand dune on the Peninsula around Incan time that was completely intact 500 years later more or less in the same state. Around 150m high and 60m wide I think, an odd phenomenon. Then we headed out to the islands, where we saw a huge amount of pelicans, penguins, sea lions and other bird and sea life. Very cool spot. After the tour we hopped on a bus towards Nasca (famous for the Nasca lines). Along the way we stopped at a desert oasis for dune buggying and sand boarding. Dune buggying was epic, in a massive 10 seater buggy with a crazy peruvian driver flying up, down and across sand dunes at top speed. Quite exhilarating. Definitely a highlight of the trip so far. Sand boarding involving lying down on something like a snowboard and flying down a massive sand dune as fast as you could. Also very exhilarating, got up to some pretty decent speeds. Got covered in sand also and corry was sporting a sand moustache after applying too much sunscreen. Had a wee race, I came second to Australian Tim, whilst Corry utterly embarrassed himself... After dune buggying back to the start we headed to the pool which was a beautiful setting, no one wanted to leave so we set off late after a load of swimming, suntanning and cerveza-ing. A really cool spot also and we all reckoned it was one of the best days on the trip to date. Back onto the bus and set off for Nasca. We stopped at a lookout along the way and got a bit of a view of some of the lines and shapes as well as a beautiful sunset, however the best was to come the next day on the scenic flight. Nasca was a nice litle town, we had pretty rubbish accomodation so set off quickly for a restaurant specialising in spit roast chicken, really good and I absolutely gorged myself, couple of cervezas werent helping matters either. Had a bit of a walk around the town and the square before getting an early night for our early flight the next day. Early start with another delicious (haha) breakfast of bread and jam. Set off early to the airport to avoid the lines and got on a plane almost straight away. I was on a plane with Corry. Aussie Emma and an Irish guy with the worst B.O you´ll ever have the pleasure of smelling. Luckily, think the pilot got a whiff of it too so had the window slightly ajar for the whole flight. The Nasca lines were awesome, got a bunch of photos out of the side of the plane but they dont do justice to seeing it with your own eyes. Shapes included the owlman, whale, trapezoids, hummingbird, spider, spiral and pelican amongst others, pretty amazing sight to see, especially in amongst the surrounding landscape which I found stunning. Corry was pretty glad to land and kissed the ground upon exiting the plane. Airport was a bit of mickey mouse operation but wont dwell on that, getting accustomed to south american shambolicness. Waited a while for the others on the tour to complete their flights, only one vomit amongst them which was promising. In the afternoon me and Corry went on a tour of some local aquaducts which had been constructed pre-Incan time, they were really interesting and beautifully constructed. Also saw the world´s highest sand dune in terms of height above sea level which was pretty cool. Apparently people sandboard it - 1.5km straight downhill, we didnt get to do it but can imagine it would be an incredible rush. After the tour we got a quick meal with some of the other tour guys and some snacks for our overnight bus ride. Bus was pretty comfy but not as good as the first one, still had reclining seats and a couple of snack meals, wifi internet etc. We left Nasca at 10pm and slept most of the ride which was good (think we both woke up about 630), arrived in Arequipa at 8am. Arequipa is Peru´s second largest city and is very beautiful set at the base of some volcanos with lots of rich architecture, cobbled streets etc. Next post will be Arequipa and the Colca Canyon trip which we´ve just come back from - really great trip including seeing Andean Condors in flight and viewing the Canyon, which is the world´s deepest. Think we are having a quiet night and cooking at the hostel (really good accomodation here apart from slow internet) as the trip was rather exhausting, 530am start today and many hours on unsealed roads. Until next time then

Trujillo/Huanchaco and onto Lima

Arrived in Trujillo pretty late and got a taxi to our accomodation in Huanchaco about 30 mins away. Everyone pretty knackered so hit the sack straight away. Had another jam and bread breakfast - pretty over jam and bread already but we will probably have it for most of the trip. Smaverage. After breakfast we went into Trujillo and had a walk around the city. One of Peru´s bigger cities but I cant remember much of interest, didnt really grab me that much. Went to a really nice restaurant for lunch. Corry tried duck whilst I went with Cerviche - which in Peru is raw seafood (as opposed to in Ecuador where Cerviche is a soup). Mine was mixed so raw fish, squid, scallops, prawns etc. Pretty good, especially with a beer. Back to Huanchaco on a dodgy public bus, everyone decided to have an afternoon off activities so mostly spent the day looking around the beach, at some local markets, and chilling by the pool reading a book etc. After a pretty hectic start to the tour think everyone appreciated recharging the batteries. Went across the road for dinner to a really good italian place, had a mean hamburger and a couple of cervezas whilst corry (eyes bigger than stomach) was comprehensively defeated by a large pizza. Think the guy but a whole block of cheese on it though, never seen anything like it. Hit up a bar afterwards and convinced the dude to give us our first drinks at happy our prices, numerous beers and cocktails followed as well as a pretty gross tequila shot that the tour guide, Diego, shouted all the boys. The night descended into some pretty awful dancing (we were only people in the bar) and then wandered home. Cruisy start to the morning (more bread and jam) and reading by the pool before hopping on a luxury bus to Lima just before lunch. The bus was incredible, fully reclining seats, wi-fi internet, a meal and a snack at various intervals, movies showing throughout, a couple of toilets, it was two storey with heaps of leg room. Definitely the way to travel. We were on the second floor of the bus, right up the front so we had a great view of the road and the surrounds. Despite being on a massive two-storey bus, our driver was unphased and attempted a number of ridiculous overtaking manoeuvres for the first hour before he decided it wasnt worth it. The old fella then settled down and we cruised down the coastal desert for about 10 hours before arriving in Lima. The scenery was pretty breathtaking, sea on one side, surrounded by desert all around, then rising up to the foothills of the Andes. Was much better than watching the movie. Lima is a massive city and took us a while to barge through traffic to the bus station. Driving in Lima is definitely an experience I will remember, doesnt seem to be any road rules apart from to try and get to the front. All sorts of crazy acceleration, lane-changing, overtaking, tactical blocking, near misses, scrapes and crashes. Your horn is your biggest weapon and everyone seems to be on the buzzer at least every 3 seconds. My sense of hearing was rather offended by the end of it. Got a huge amount of laughs out of it though when you sit back and let it wash over you. Got into Lima quite late but there was time to head to a restaurant for some dinner. Me and Corry and a couple of the girls stopped in at one of the casinos on the way home. I was down about 15 NZ at the end of an hour or so, Corry down about 5 NZ, while both the girls had made coin! Cheeky cerveza back at the hostel. Will be more on Lima in next post, in Arequipa now, beautiful city, Peru´s second largest

Ecuador/Peru Border and Mancora

After Cuenca we had a several hours long bus ride to the border of Ecuador and Peru on a public bus. Was a bit of a circus like affair. Couple more stamps in the passport but a hopelessly inefficient process with most officials just staring from the sidelines as we have become accustomed to. Interestingly, the border seems to be about 10km wide and the area in between is neither Peru nor Ecuador so it is filled with a huge number of people selling an absolutely ridiculous range and amount of pure junk. Its a very bright and loud place, but not one you would want to experience hungover in the heat of the desert as we were, really a shock to the senses. We thought we had got through all the border crap and were on our way to Mancora in Peru but we were stopped by the customs office of Peru about an hour down the road into Peru. Not really sure what that is accomplishing, if you had managed to smuggle something into Peru through the border you would be long gone by the time you met the customs office. Another mickey mouse affair and basically held us up for 45 mins before letting us through without searching anything. Guess you can only laugh and crack jokes. The drive to Mancora was quite nice, good smooth road and some interesting enough desert scenery. We were also on the coast so had a pretty sweet view of the ocean and it wasnt too long to Mancora. We arrived in the mid afternoon. Amazing accomodation, had a bungalow with an outside shower and a swimming pool for all the guests. We dominated the swimming pool and spent most of the afternoon performing a series of dives to impress the ladies. None seemed suitably impressed, despite Aussie Tim´s stunning effort to look like a salmon. Got amongst a few Peruvian cervezas by the pool too and was glorius weather. Got to dinner time and we went out to a local restaurant, not sure what Corry ate but I had a Chicharon de pescado (deep fried fish) - excellent. Everyone was pretty ruined so hit the hay back at the hostel after a bit of a walk around the town and down to the beach. Next morning was spent mostly by the pool in the sun again, a few ppl went into town for brekky but the hostel food was pretty decent. At around noon, Aussie Tim, Corry and I went surfing. First time for me and Corry but Tim was a bit of a pro and helped us out. I got up a few times and really enjoyed it but Corry looked like a retarded fish out of water and spent most of his time trying not to drown - despite the water being armpit high at the deepest point where waves were breaking. Had another Chicharon for lunch before looking around the local markets and hitting the banks to obtain some Sole (Peruvian currency pronounced ´solly´- as in bro). I ran into my kiwi friend I had met in Banjos which was cool. Again spent the rest of the arvo by the pool impressing the ladies, my superman dive attracted some attention whilst Corry lurked around the deep end looking like an absolute creep. More cerveza in the sun before heading out for dinner at Mancora´s finest. Much banter between the kiwis (me and Corry) and the aussies (about half the tour) about who were bigger drinkers (most ppl were a few down at this stage) and a few bets made which may or may not come to fruition as the tour progresses. I had an excellent Chicharon again - this time it was calamari though, whilst Corry went with a Chicharon de pollo (chicken). Ecuadorian and Peruvian food to this point had mostly been excellent and very cheap. Could get an entree and a main and a couple of beers for about 15 NZ. Superb value. Definitely like Peruvian beer more than Ecuadorian too. Headed down to the beach after dinner for a big drinking session. Plenty of cerveza, pisco sour, shots and many more I have forgotten. Drunken stumble back to the hostel and collapsed into the bungalow. Woke up covered in bed bug bites which was pretty average but they didnt itch too bad and I got some stuff from a pharmacy which got rid of them pretty quickly. Spent the morning chilling by the pool before packing up and jumping on another public bus to Trujillo. Pretty decent ride and we are all getting used to being on buses. After a few 10 hour bus rides, our 5 or so hour ride was an absolute piece of piss. More on Trujillo and Huanchaco in the next entry (and maybe Lima too). Currently in Nazca (doing Nazca lines flight tomorrow) after staying in Pisco overnight - went on a boat ride out to an island this morning to see pelicans, sea lions, penguins etc and then been in the desert this afternoon on a dune buggy and sand boarding. Very sunburnt...

Banjos and Cuenca

Been a while since the last post, apologies. Starting from where I left off, we went out for an italian meal in Banjos, I felt I had recovered a bit and managed to keep down a couple of slices of pizza. Corry was on the cerveza - lucky sod. Didnt have much of an eventful night and I was a bit buggered so hit the sack while a few people chilled out on the roof of the motel with some cerveza and vino. Woke up feeling much better and declared myself fit. Me and Corry went and hired a 4 wheel, 2 seat offride buggy capable of about 70-80km an hour. Everyone else hired push bikes - muppets. We hit the main highway in the buggy, would never be allowed in NZ. Drove off back down the valley road towards the waterfalls. Stopped at one and took a pretty loose open-air teleferico (cable car) across a ravine for a pretty stunning view of a waterfall as well as the valley up to Banjos. Only $1 US dollar too! Set off again in the buggy and cruised down to the bottom of the valley. Corry was driving at this stage and decided it would be a good idea to turn around down someones driveway, got chased by their (rather rabid looking) dog - he got pretty close too. Anyway, we boosted off back onto the highway, was reasonably slow going back up the valley and we got passed by all manner of vehicles, some very dodgy manoeuvres taking place, including overtaking by big trucks on blind corners. On the way back we passed the others coming the other way on their bikes, massive battlers all of them. We had a bit of time up our sleeve so we decided to take a few side rides. Found a couple of good off road tracks, probably private roads but who gives a rats arse, we were leaving soon. One time we actually ended up on someones front door step which was taking the piss probably a bit too far. Some pretty interesting side streets in Banjos, interesting street art, buildings, and generally Ecuadorians mucking around not up to much. Can see why there is a bit of poverty as a lot of them stand around looking around most of the time. Drove around Banjos a bit and got lost, couldnt find the place to return the buggy so went back to the hostel and waited for them to come get us. They eventually did and after that we went white water rafting with a bunch of ppl from the group. Was pretty epic white water in some places, few dodgy moments but was also quite relaxing in between. Both of us were towards the front of the boat so got some good views of the rapids we ploughed through. Had a long van trip back to Banjos but our raft guide cranked up some tunes in the front which made it more bearable. Deserved a hot shower back at the hostel then went out for dinner, I had an ordinary Pad Thai but felt pretty good again so me and Corry and most of the tour group went out for a bit. Had a couple of beers then cruised home. Next day got up early and went hiking up to the volcano with Diego and a bunch of the girls from the group. Some stunning views of Banjos and then took a truck up a cobbled road to a spot where we had some awesome views of the Banjos volcano. The spot had a treehouse with a swing that swung out over the valley so took plenty of photos there. Really cool place. Walked all the way back down the hill to the hostel, some pretty epic yarns about which super power you would most rather have on the way. Then went canyoning with Corry and Aussie Tim from our group. Was awesome - basically you are abseiling down waterfalls, we did about four waterfalls which were 10-20m high then the last one was about 50m high. Some superb photos taken and was quite a buzz doing the last one. Rode in the back of the truck on the way back, deserved another hot shower then went out for a really good dinner of local cuisine right under the foot of the volcano at a nice restaurant. Everyone in a good mood so we all decided on having a massive night. Plenty of cerveza, rum, long island iced teas... Played fuzball and pool against the locals and some germans who were real good guys and met a kiwi girl who was travelling through south america on her way back home - really sweet girl. Diego our guide then took us across the road to a discoteca (dance club) and we showed the locals a few new moves, some pretty classic times there and a whole lot of ridiculous dance moves were pulled out of the bag, the robot featured strongly... Bit of a struggle getting up the next day and had a long bus ride to Cuenca to deal with. not a hugely eventful ride from memory and everyone was glad to arrive in Cuenca. Cuenca is Ecuadors third biggest city and I really loved it, had an old town feel to it with lots of original architecture, really beautiful. Tiny one way streets all around the city too, a really wonderful place. Got in quite late so grabbed a quick dinner then walked around the inner city for a while at night, felt very safe in Cuenca and really liked it as I say. Had a pretty sweet hostel too. Woke up the next day and it was my birthday. Diego bought me some vegemite for breakfast which was a nice taste of home. After breakfast we did a walking tour around the city. Went to a cathedral, UNESCO listed heritage site (I will come back to this place later) which was right next to the main square. Then to the flower market, roses for 20 cents and heaps of ppl selling other cheaps flowers which the girls and Corry all loved. Next we hit up a local fruit market and tried a lot of Ecuadorian fruits which were delicious. Following that we had a tour of the Panama hat factory which makes the authentic version of panama hats. I bought 4 hats with postage back home for 100 US, very cheap. Some really cool panama hats there, we then went to the museum and saw shrunken heads before heading to an Australian restaurant for lunch. After that we went up to 4000m above sea level to a beautiful national park at the base of the Andes. Reminded me a bit of the south island, some stunning scenery and even got up close with a few llamas. It was then time for dinner, went out to a really nice restaurant, lots of balloons and streamers for my birthday. I got a card signed by everyone and a birthday cake too. The real present was 6 sky rockets from Diego tho, bloody awesome (though not sure how legal). Went out to the main square to set them off, the first one flew into the UNESCO cathedral I mentioned earlier, about 3 storeys up into one of their outer chambers with no windows, and blew up with a massive bang, couldnt have aimed it better/worse if I´d tried. Was pretty loose but we sent off the other 5 anyway. Then went out for drinks, I got pretty plastered and didnt by a drink all night, all manner of tequila, iced tea, cerveza, cuba libre etc. Then hit up a club for a few hours, some massive dancing taking place, was an absolute blast, again intrepid tour group dominated dance floor and danced like absolute clowns. Very good times, so mint to spend my birthday overseas and in Cuenca especially, very good memories and plenty of classic photos for evidence. Drunken stumble home to bed and then a very early start for a bus ride to the border, will update with more soon on the border, Mancora, Trujillo/Huanchaco and Lima... gotta pack now as we´re leaving for Pisco today!

Quito, the Amazon and Banjos (and a number of spews)

So arrived in Quito several days ago. South America is pretty cool! Pretty random place I must say. Had about a 30 hour journey from Wellington to Quito via Auckland and Santiago, planes weren't too bad and me and Corry made a friend on the Santiago-Quito leg. Had a few drinks on the plane which didnt go down that great. Arrived in Quito about 9pm local time and had a taxi driver waiting with a sign for 'Anthony Corry' which was rather exciting. Hotel Casa Kanela was all good for us. Woke up thr next morning and went exploring. Up the teleferico (cable car) to get some good views of Quito at 4100m above sea level. Met a nice German girl called Katrina who showed us around Quito. The Basilica was awesome and we got some great views of Old Town and the Virgin statue 150m up the clock tower. Went and scratched around Old Town for a bit which was really interesting, cool architecture and street layout etc. Met our tour group that night and went out for dinner, good bunch of ppl. 5 guys and 10 girls - corry liking the odds. Next day went to Otovalo to a local market (saw a cow give birth) and a tourist market where we had a go at bartering. corry has taken to it like a duck to water. also went to a condor park - some amazing birds including Andes Condors and Harpy Owls. Also went to the equator line which was sweet. Went out for dinner with a bunch of ppl that night to a local restaurant, yummy food, my first pisco sour and free tequila at the end of the night. Ecaudorian ppl are really friendly and helpful ppl. pretty chilled out way of life. next day was off to the jungle, corry was sick with a bug and had about 5 spews, including two on buses. eventually reached the accomodation outside of Tena. Really nice. went and saw a local family and saw how the indigenous ppl do things - some of it was rather ingenious. got painted up like local ppl and had a go shooting a blow pipe, then went for a swim in the Napa river. after that had a chilled out night at the bar on the cerveza. next morning we went for a walk in the jungle and for a swim at a waterfall which was excellent. then went tubing down the river which was awesome and very relaxing. of course corry fell out going down the rapids. i started to get sick after lunch and had a couple of epic yaks, one with some serious nose chunks. they came out of nowhere, literally within 5 seconds of feeling shit your blowing your guts. so i had a lie down in the arvo while corry headed off to an animal sanctuary. apparently they rode on top of a local bus which was pretty loose. i was laid pretty low so no dinner for me, but the locals bought me some herbal tea to my room - as i say they really are marvellous ppl, very friendly and helpful. although then i woke up at 1am in the morning and blew it all out. next morning we left for Banjos with a couple of public bus rides, i handled them fine cos i had nothing in my system anyway. Banjos is a really cool city, lots of adventure sports. after lunch (where i had a yak at the restaurant) i had a lie down while corry has been hiking up the volcano. that brings us to about the present time, im feeling much better so going out for dinner. corry not back yet but im sure the hike will have been cool - gutted to miss out but got a couple of days of white water rafting, canyoning, abseiling, biking etc coming up. we are thinking of hiring a 2 seater mototrised buggy and driving around Banjos tomorrow too.Will get another post up soon to let everyone know next set of news. Loving it here and having a great time! sorry i have tried to make this extensive but definitely missed out some stuff, los siento amigos. asta luego!

D-Day

Outies... see you in 3 months NZ. Very surreal that this day has finally rolled around, huge anticipation for the trip, got about 30 hours of travel coming up then walking into spanish speaking Ecuador. BOOM, will get a post up when we arrive

2 weeks to go and...

Dropping sack. At the same time, cannot wait to blow this crazy popsicle stand (depart)

Birth of Blog

The rookies blog begins. Never done one before. I have casually set the blog up at work on ratepayers time (didn't take long tho...). 41 days till we depart Auckland. Far too organised thus far, Corry is basically packed and I'm almost ready to go to. My spanish is coming along but Corry is going to battle worse than a handicapped midget.