Salar de Uyuni

What better way to finish off our time in Bolivia with a trip to the famous salt plains. We had planned originally to go from Tupiza which everyone had recommended to us - and I believe still it is the better trip. However it was cheaper to go from Uyuni so in the end we went for the cheapscate option.

We still had a fab time though. Heading to Uyuni by public bus from Potosi took about four hours. We had been told Uyuni was a nothing town (a bit of a dump) and were not let down on arrival. Even though we had arrived late in the night we decided to get on a tour the next morning rather than stay in the town.

Bolivia in a nutshell

Ok so we realise it has been a little while since we last posted. Sorry. This is due mainly to travelling through Bolivia where the WiFi was not great, not to mention the fact that we jumped through a number of cities in the space of a week-and-a-half.

With Mike´s ankle, Bolivia was always going to be somewhat limited to us. Unfortunately we had to miss out the infamous death road in La Paz and we also skipped a trip to the jungle as we didn´t think it was the best way for Mike´s leg to heal.

Instead we headed to the cities, La Paz, Sucre and Potosi. Here is an account of our whirlwind tour.

La Paz

To say La Paz was a bit of a challenge was putting it midly. Set on a hill it made navigating the city with crutches somewhat difficult. We did, however manage to get around a bit and spent lots of time at the witches market. The market, if you haven´t been is a mixture of artesan shops with locals trying to sell tourists the traditional alpaca and lama wares, alongside  a few ´witchy stores´- basically made up of thousands of bottles of locally made potions, with a few dead baby lamas chucked in for good measure (apparently it is a good luck charm of sorts!)

Hello Bolivia

We arrived in Bolivia  last Saturday and spent the last few days relaxing in Copacabana, a border town with not a lot going on.

It does however have the most amazing hotel, Las Olas, with beautiful views over Lake Titicaca so it seemed like a good stopover for some rest and recuperation after our multiple hikes and Mike´s ankle incident.

Colca Canyon

What better way to follow Machu Picchu then with another three day hike down Colca Canyon, thought to be the second deepest Canyon in the world?

So of course that is what we just did. Mike, I, Neil (yes still from Salkantay trip) and some new friends Anne (from France) and Gwenn (from Holland) booked up for Colca.We thought it would be a breeze as the tour operator described it - breakfast, a few hours of hiking, lunch, afternoon off before starting again the next day. It proved to be a bit more of an adventure than that.

Cusco vs Arequipa

So Mike and I have spent the last two weeks in Peru's 'second' cities. Cusco, due to its importance as a cultural centre and the economic benefits it brings in from Machu Picchu and other historic Inca sites, makes it officially the second most important city in the country. Arequipa 'the white city,' however, has the second biggest population after Lima.

They definitely have similarities. Both have a historic centre, in tact with cathedral, plaza and all the touristy shops and restaurants you would expect. However each has its own atmosphere and vibe.

85KM to Machu Picchu

Ok so most people who know me understand that the prospect of walking 20K per day for 5 days, camping at altitude at the base of snow-capped mountains before ascending hundreds of steps up to the entrance of Machu Picchu is not my most normal of weeks.

That was our challenge though... made harder with only three hours sleep and a hangover. The tríp started well... we were picked up an hour earlier than we had been told to be ready (quick scrambling to pack our things), we found out we were not with the tour agency we booked with (and everyone else on our tour had paid about 100 dollars less than us) and we had to endure a three hour minibus journey to the start point.

Despite this we were lucky to have a good group and immediately made friends with Neil (from the UK) and Shawn (from the US). From thereon we were to form a foursome that made up the core of Team A - a self appointed name for our group which tended to lead the trek.

Halloween

What can I say. Halloween... it is a big deal in Cusco, we dressed up, we drank, we met up with friends (Paul and Matesse and Claire & Bob) ... all the night before we started our five day trek to Machu Picchu. They say a picture is worth a thousands words ...

Lovely Lima

So we arrived in Peru excited for our forthcoming trek to Machu Picchu but with low expectations for Lima, its capital city. Everyone we had met who had been there before us told us there wasn´t much to see or do.

So the bar was set low and we decided to only spend a weekend in the city. Perhaps it was because we didn´t expect much or maybe because we were only there for two days, but we loved Lima.

Day one was spent walking around Miraflores, the upmarket part of the city where we were staying. While it is very commercial with McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut on every corner it has a great vibe, is right next to the beach and has some cool and unique things to see like El Parque del Amour with ´the kissing  statue´overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

So long Colombia

So we reached our last few days in Colombia :( . What better way to finish though then by hitting San Gil, the adventure sport capital.

We arrived last Saturday by day bus (don´t do it to yourself - night bus it all the way) and booked into Sam´s VIP hostel right in front of the town´s main square.

We signed up for white water rafting on Colombia´s only grade five rapid river - perhaps not the best idea for amateurs - on day one. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to the river being too high from rain in the hills. It was cancelled the next day, and the next - in fact no-one went out for the six days we were there. So be warned if you are heading to San Gil for that only - it is quite possible it won´t happen.

Trouble in Taganga

So after deciding we couldn't endure anymore sandfly bites we left Costeño and headed for Taganga, a small fishing village near Santa Marta best known on the Gringo trail for its cheap Padi diving courses.

Still feeling under the weather we arrived and booked in for a scuba course to start after a day or two of chilling out in the hostel.

Unfortunately during this time Halifax managed to suspend our credit card account so that we couldn't get any cash out, Barclays blocked our debit cards even though we had told them we were going abroad and the one-and-only cash machine in the village was out of money. This was one thing to deal with when we were at the hostel with mobile phone and wifi reception but not so fun when we found out about it in the middle of Exito (supermarket) in Santa Marta.

Surf´s up dude

After Tayrona we ventured on alone to Costeño beach, a surf camp we first heard about in Medellin. Needless to say once Mike knew about it I had no choice but to go there.

Just along from the entrance to Tayrona (about 10 mins on the bus - ask them to drop you off at Costeño) you will find the entrance. A fifteen minute hike later you will walk into the hostel, a thatched roof paradise to say the least.

Costeño is run by two Canadian guys, Brian and Colm, who have gone out of their way to keep the place small, chilled and very friendly.

We were staying in a beach hut for the first night which was a novel experience before moving into the hammocks for the next two nights as the place was booked up with the weekend being a Colombian national holiday.

Fruit and Veg

What do you get if you mix two swedes, two pommes and a kiwi? Well apart from your five-a-day it is a good recipe for lots of laughter.

...And so our journey continued (sorry for getting a bit behind with the posts!).

After our day in Minca - next stop was Parque Tayrona, a protected park near Santa Marta that encompasses part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Our mission ... to do a hike, lie on the infamous beach Cabo San Juan (used on the front of the lonely planet guide) and sleep overnight in a hammock on the beach.

Ho.La

...Just a quick note to fellow travellers not in the know.

A couple of weeks ago we were introduced to Ho.La - hostels latinoamerica. The site is free to join and by becoming a member and using associated hostels you can get 10% of your room bill - which means every tenth night is free!

A merry bunch in Minca

So this last week has been very eventful. As we have had no WiFi you will have to bear with us while we split our adventures up into a series of posts - as there is just too much to put into one alone.

We travelled from Cartagena to Santa Marta with a group of guys we met in Medellin - Morgan from NZ and Niklas and Martin from Sweden. Together we make a group, now highly skilled in the art of lighting a coal BBQ without firelighters [apparently using plastic is the Colombian way and really what is the point of eating a cheeseburger if it is not slightly carcinogenic?] This wouldn't have been possible without the help of Mi-lady, yes really, a local girl who took a shine to Niklas and took over control of the BBQ thus emasculating all the boys. We also mastered, with international diplomacy, the use of multiple hand gestures to communicate with locals.

Mud Mud Glorious Mud

We have spent the last three days in Cartagena, a city in North Colombia and an official Caribbean beach resort! Needless to say it is hot - very hot!

Medellin's makeover

We have spent the last three days in Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia and known best for its shady past when the Medellin cartel ruled the streets and the ensuing war between cartels saw the city claim the title the most dangerous in the world from 1989- 1993.

Needless to say we were a little apprehensive on our arrival but equally determined to discover more about what the place is today as well as learn about the past.

Bogota

On Saturday we arrived in Colombia after a six hour bus journey to Sao Paulo and then a six hour flight to Bogota. After a night out on the town with some fellow travellers at our hostel we spent yesterday walking around the city, mainly taking in the historic quarter of El Candelaria.

Smile you're on camera

We arrived in Paraty yesterday to find ourselves in the midst of Brazil's largest photographic competition/festival.

Needless to say the town is buzzing with people and the streets are lined with Nikons, Canons and Sonys. This has not dampened but enhanced our experience of this quaint, historic town awash with beautiful churches, cobbled streets and curios.

Life's a beach

...So after a final party night out in Rio we moved on last weekend to Ihla Grande. This island is stunning, the  kind that are used in movies and we are lucky enough to have had a few lovely clear, warm days to enjoy.

Having met a few other couples at our hostel we embarked on a 14K round trip hike to see some of the beaches the island has to offer. Above is Lopes Mendes - the longest beach on the island and great for surfing. Unfortunately Mike had to keep his pro surfer skills at bay as the current was too strong for swimming that day. The walk back was a bit traumatic (not only due to my whining) but also as it started to get dark we nearly lost our way a few times. Luckily the island's dogs acted as our tour guide in return for a belly rub and a scrap of bread.

Her name was Rio

So we arrived in Rio a few days ago, surviving a 12 hour flight - in the middle seat (mike got the window), several movies (some painful), discovering the free BA tuck box (unlimited twixs) and breaking a brand new pair of headphones :(

Since then we have been exploring the city and taking in the iconic sights from our base in Santa Teresa, a historic, boho neighbourhood in the hills looking down on the city.

You can never have too many holidays

As spending a year travelling around the world is clearly going to be very taxing, we thought it best to have a quick holiday with the family to Spain before we left.

Farewell the Toon

This past weekend saw us get together with family and friends to say goodbye and celebrate the start of our new adventure.

Having lived in Newcastle for the last seven years we are of course sad to be leaving the city behind, but more importantly will miss all the great friends we have made here.

While we know this is not the end for any of these friendships it was fab to get together for one last hurrah and reminisce over the great memories and life events we have shared together.

Kudos to everyone that turned up and persevered despite the odd bit of rain. We had a great day, followed by a very [messy and] entertaining evening. We will miss you greatly and love you all x

Rio here we come

First stop Rio, can't wait so excited