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.