Potosi, Bolivia

Aug 23-25

A long day of driving eventually got us to Potosi; a town famous for its silver mining. We walked around and decide it was not the most interesting place...but we stocked up on snacks and went out for dinner - llama, yum!

A tour of the silver mines the following day proved to be very insightful. Our guide picked us up and dressed us in super sexy red jumpsuits, along with helmets and boots for protection. Very Village People-esk

At the 'miners markets' he showed us coca leaves, cigarettes, alcohol and dynamite that the miners often buy. He demonstrated how to put together the dynamite and asked if we could buy gifts for the miners, including soft drink, gloves and coca leaves. 

Upon arriving at the mines we learnt that 7500 miners work down there each day and roughly 9 million of them have died in the last century; currently averaging 4 per day. The life expectancy of a miner is only 35-40 years, not only because of accidents but because of diseases caused by being down there eight hours a day. Not sure why we thought it was a good idea to head down...?

There were incredibly narrow parts that we had to climb, sometimes just climbing up and down rocks and occasionally using very sketchy ladders. 

Along the way we saw a few statues where the miners would make offerings to pacha mama by sprinkling alcohol and coca leaves on him and feeding him a cigarette.  

Upon returning we hunted down a cheap lunch and strolled around town. Bini and I found an increible chocolate shop (which I may have visited twice..) stovked with an amazing array of delicious little treats. I had a lazy morning before we departed the next day, mostly laying in bed and just doing a little shopping.

La Paz, Bolivia

Aug 20-23

The border crossing from Peru to Bolivia had the longest line you could possibly imagine...but eventually we made it into Bolivia and to our first stop, La Paz. On the way in we got an amazing view over the city. 

We went out for dinner and came back to the hotel to kick start our costume party. There was a cactus, a 'big spoon' looking for a little spoon, some cross dressers, and an assortment of other strange things. 

After a few drinks and some 'awards' (as it was our final night as one big group) we headed out and caused some mischief.

The next morning Bini and I roamed the markets, finding everything to be fairly similar to Peru but a little bit cheaper. 

After lunch we went on a walking tour. 

It started at one of the main plazas, where we could see the San Pedro prison. I had just started reading Marching Powder (a true story about one of the prisoners from San Pedro) so was quite intrigued by this. It's a rather unique prison... Inmates have to pay to stay there and if they can afford it, they're able to live in luxury, essentially...jacuzzis included! The prison is also famous for its drug dealing. Drugs are made inside the prison and thrown from the roof (wrapped inside nappies) to be caught by outsides who then sell it. Crazy.

Another highlight of the walking tour was the witches market. Lots of crazy stuff going on there! They sell potions and claim to put a curse on you if you take pictures without their permission. But the craziest thing is the preserved llama babies and foetus hanging from every stall. These are used as an offering to the gods, often buried beneath new houses (at a time they used to use humans as sacrifice, but this is obviously illegal...so they've moved on to llamas)

Later that afternoon I had a crazy adventure navigating the local buses with Laura and we ended up finding some pretty cool street art.

Our last day in La Paz was spent on Death Road!! This was not something I was planning on doing but was convinced by everyone else that it was a 'must do' while in Bolivia. We were provided with all the appropriate gear to mountain bike down one of the world's most dangerous roads! We drove for an hour or so until we reached the mountains, at which point we geared up and made an offering to pachamama by pouring alcohol on the ground, on our bike and of course in our mouths. The look on my face will tell you just how delicious this alcohol was...

The ride began on asphalt road, giving us time to practice on a flat surface (though still steep and windy) before we hit Death Road. A few nights before this I was skyping my parents and when mentioning this little adventure my parents were shocked I would even attempt it... Infact, Dad said "Cycling has never really been your strong point..." and it was as I began the speedy descent that I realised he was probably right. Even on a smooth surface I was shitting myself. The views were lovely though!!

At one point there was a tunnel that bikes are not allowed through so we had to go around it, giving us our first taste of gravel roads! So so scary. There were loose rocks everywhere. I was fairly certain I would die and we weren't even on Death Road yet.

There was one little uphill part that is optional (remembering we were at ridiculous altitude..so it was even more difficult) so naturally I opted to hop back on the bus for this part. Only a few crazy people rode their bikes fkr that section. Towards the end of that section, when the road began to decline again, we spotted a motorcyclist who had crashed. Luckily he was okay but this was not really what I wanted to see right before starting death road.

Our last safety talk before getting onto Death Road had me so nervous I was shaking. Rachael and I happily took our place at the back of the pack and attempted to go as slow as possible. The road was uneven and full of loose rocks. We were told to ride on the left - which is the cliff side! Insane! But most of the time you could ride on the left and still be at least a metre or two from the edge. 

There were lots of great views and photo opportunities along the way, including dangling our legs over the edge of the cliff twice! I'm so brave!

At each break Steven, our guide, would tell us about the people who have died on the upcoming part. Just what I wanted to hear!! 

At times we rode under waterfalls and through river crossings. 

I only fell off my bike once..amazingly not too near a cliff edge and I somehow jumped off before my bike hit the ground, saving myself from any real injury. One guy fell off right near the end and scraped his arm, but otherwise we all came away unharmed. 

After a long day of riding we celebrated with beers, cuba libres and a buffet lunch. Exhaustion and adrenaline were again an excellent combination (just like after the Inca trail)

We continued to celebrate with cuba libres the entire 3 hour ride home and then headed straight to the bar. We survived! Woooooo!

Lake Titicaca, Peru

Aug 17-19

A long drive back through the mountains landed us in Puno, a small city on Lake Titicaca. While eating a delicious fancy dinner (alpaca again for me!) we were treated to a show. There was a small band, with one particularly enthusiastic member on the pan pipes, who accompanied the colourful dancers. For each song they had different costumes, and every single one of them was spectacular.

In the morning we hopped into tuk tuks to begin our journey onto the lake. 

Lake Titicaca is the largest high altitude lake in the world and sits along the border of Peru and Bolivia. Arriving at the port with a bit of time to spare, we shopped for gifts for our host families on the islands (rice, fruit, veg, toys for the kids) and boarded a very slow boat headed towards the Uros Islands, otherwise known as "floating villages."

The president of this tiny island (housing five families) explained to us how the islands are made from reeds and anchored down to stay in place. The houses are also made from reeds. The locals on these islands make money by creating handicrafts and either selling them to visiting tourists or taking them to the mainland to exchange for goods..such as a solar panel & TV! Kind of strange to see a TV in a little straw hut on a tiny island in the middle of a huge lake. 

Another long boat ride took us to Isla Amantani, where we were greeted by our host families. I was lucky enough to stay with Bini, Rachael and Laura at a home Laura has visited many times - she is infact godmother to one of the children! We were fed a vege-full lunch, as none of the locals on this island eat meat. We spent some time playing with the kids, creating plasticine masterpieces.

Later in the afternoon we all walked up the mountain in the centre of the island, reaching the pachamama viewpoint in time to catch sunset. At over 4000m altitude, it was not an easy climb...but  quite a view!

The sun set and the air got noticeably more freeeeezing, so we quickly trekked back down. Dinner with our family was followed by a fiesta! Our host families helped us to look the part. 

There was a fantastic band and many group dances that mostly involved holding hands and going round in circles.

The next morning, after breakfast with our host family, we set off to explore another island. The island was gorgeous and the views were again spectacular. On this island everyone wears beanies which depict their marital status. The men are responsible for knitting beanies and only those who knit well are likely to find a wife. Showing off ones knitting skills is infact the main form of flirting on this island! 

Alex was mad enough to jump into the water before we set off. Freeeeeeeeezing!!!

A long and slow boat ride took us back to Puno where we roamed the markets and had an early night, in preparation for a long drive across the border into Bolivia the next day.

Farewell Peru!

Cuzco, Peru (one last time!)

Aug 15-17

Sleep-deprived and aching all over, we arrived back in Cuzco with the 24 hour challenge set: stay awake (partying) for 24 hours from when you awoke. We got up at 4am..so it was going to be a serious challenge. A group of us headed out to dinner and exchanged stories from our hiking adventures. For roughly $8 we got a starter a main and two drinks! What a deal! Then we headed out to celebrate our achievements and believe it or not a small group of us lasted until 5.30am, outdoing the 24 hour challenge!

Laura knocked on our door and forced us out of bed to enjoy our only day in Cuzco. We ate an enormous and delicious breakfast and then set off to do some shopping. Laura quickly shuffled us into a shop where the ladies covered us in ridiculous and amazing Peruvian clothing. A photoshoot then ensued, where random tourists even asked to have a few pics with us! Laura bought just about everything in the shop (seriously...11 scarves, probably about 9 jumpers, a million baby clothes...out of control!)

Bini and I wandered around Cuzco, admiring the endless parade in the main square which was celebrating the "'birthday of the Cuzco flag" apparently. It went on for hours and hours. I even joined in at one point!

  

There were also lots of women and children carrying arround animals, which you could pay to have a photo with. I got sucked in.. Alpaca!!!

To reward ourselves for all our hard work, Racheal and I got a massage! And owwww, it hurt when she got to my calves! But just what we needed.

It's a shame I didn't have more time to explore Cuzco cos from what I've seen I really like it!

The Inca Trail, Peru

Aug 12-15

When we arrived back in Cuzco from the Amazon, we spent the afternoon madly hunting down everything we would need for the Inca trail: ponchos, beanies, gloves, warm jackets, warm pants, warm socks (it was forecast to be coooold and rainy!) hiking socks, hiking boots, walking sticks... You name it, I bought it or rented it. I wasn't going to take any chances, I got every single thing that was recommended..plus maybe more!

We went out for dinner to celebrate Racheal's birthday, and then continued to do last minute preparations and attempted to get an early night. 

Day one was a gentle introduction to the torture of the trek. I knew that day one was the 'easy day' but I still was expecting it to be incredibly difficult, given that I've barely ever hiked before in my life. It really wasn't so bad at all. When we started the skies looked grey and miserable but it didn't end up raining too much until we were almost finished walking.

There were some steep parts but none too steep or too long. We stopped several times to take in the beautiful views along the way. There were two Inca ruin sites that we passed and our guide, Ruben, explained to us a bit about the Incan history.

At our last break we were told it was only 5 minutes to the campsite, and I wondered why we would need a break so close to the end... And then it became apparent when we struggled through the final five minutes of stupidly steep terrain. The best part about our campsite was that we didn't have to set up aaaanyything! Our porters (who each carried 25kg of camping gear, cooking gear and our bags) raced ahead of us and set everything up for us. These men were like machines. Our chef was incredible, every meal he made was delicious - and he carefully took into account my dietary needs, often giving me a separate meal. The first night's dinner included chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, topped with tomato sauce...gourmet!  

It was cooollldddd at night, so Rach and I got into our warmest (most attractive) gear every night as soon as we got to the campsites.

Day two started with semi-formal introductions to the seven porters & our chef. They ranged in age from 18-59. Each of them told us (with Ruben translating) their name, age, number of years on the trail and their home town. One particularly young and well educated porter from Cusco introduced himself in English and added on the end "..and I am single!" We had a giggle and then introduced ourselves. Ruben asked us at the end of each intro if we were single and when Racheal and I both said yes there were huge cheers and claps from the porters.

Day two is known to be the 'death day' of the trail, with the first 4.5hrs going streeply uphill and the last 1.5hrs going down. We split the climb into 4 parts - the first three were uphill and the last one was downhill.

After the first part (which was all rocky path) I was feeling positive and still somewhat energetic. During the treacherous second part we walked up uneven stairs and it began to pour down with rain. I can't even begin to explain how steep it was, and the altitude was beginning to get to us, making it harder to breathe. By the time we got to the meeting point for a break I was not only exhausted but also wet and incredibly cold, almost to the point of a little breakdown. We decided to leave as soon as the rain calmed down.

The third part was much more even steps, but the altitude was seriously taking its toll. I was out of breath every few steps. And nothing will make you feel quite so inadequate as a 60 year old porter scooting past you with 25kg on his back, while you're struggling to breathe! Luckily, we had some nice views along the way which made for a good excuse to stop regularly. Finally we made it to the highest point on the trail: 4200m! The view was 100% cloud and fog. Spectacular. 

The final leg was all downhill, which turned out to be much more difficult than it sounded. The steps (or rocks, really) were incredibly uneven and slippery from all the rain. 

It began pouring down again and I was gradually getting worse and worse altitude sickness, resulting in a severe migraine by the time we reached the camp. It was only 2pm, so after lunch we had time to rest and recover. Mike and I squeezed into his tent to watch a movie on his iPod while the others napped. In the evening we noticed lots of stars had come out, meaning that the clouds had finally cleared. We were hopeful for a rain-free day ahead...

You would not believe our excitement when we woke up to blue skies on day three, the 'scenic day'

We trekked uphill and stopped over at some ruins. 

There were lots of stunning views along the way.

As we continued along the path we saw a lake shaped like Australia! There was also a skull of some sort that we played with...as all mature adults do. 

Eventually we reached the second peak. The view was much better than the peak of the previous day! Oh, sunshine!!!

We walked down a little while to our lunch spot, where we spent most of our time chasing after the llamas to get a good selfie. Again, mature adults. (We  just kept blaming the altitude for our crazy behaviour)

Later that afternoon, after a steep climb, we reached the third and final peak. We sat on top of the rocks to take in the view. From this spot we could see the Machu Picchu mountain, which the ruins are hidden behind. 

The rest of the day was a constant horrendous 2.5hr downhill walk. I can't even begin to explain the paaaaiiiin in my knees. I could not have made it one step further and at this point was incredibly nervous for the last day. 

On the plus side, we passed one of the my favourite views of the whole trek (shame my camera doesn't do it justice!) Ruins, river and snow capped mountains all in one. 

The campsite was lovely, we had an incredible view from our tent...and again we were very well fed. After dinner we said our thank yous and goodbyes to the porters, who would have to run off very early in the morning to catch the first train out. We had some hilariously awkward moments giving them a kiss on the cheek - with one young porter coming back for seconds!

Finally day four ('Machu Picchu day!!!') had arrived. We eagerly jumped out of bed at 4am and headed for the control pass, where we had to wait in line for an hour. Then we trekked up and down for about two hours - including a practically vertical climb towards the end. 

At last we had reached the sun gate and caught our first glimpse of Macchu Pichu!!! Very far away. We edged closer to watch the sun rise over the ruins. 

Once the sun had fully risen we walked down to Machu Picchu and found the 'postcard spot' to take a few snaps.

We spent hours roaming around the ruins, learning about the Incan history. Lots of beautiful shots.

There was one spot that eachoed when you clapped...and more llamas! Yay!

We got a stamp for each day on the trek, proudly filling a whole page in our passports.

By the end of this ridiculous trek we were all exhausted and in extreme pain. But it was worth it! Amazing. Celebratory lunch and drinks in Agua Caliente (a nearby town) had us glued to the couch for several hours and struggling to keep our eyes open. Oh, delirious exhaustion.