Chile/Peru/France - Santiago to France

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël or Feliz Navidad!!

Our whirlwind, 2 month circumnavigation of South America has reached its conclusion! 

The final part of our adventure included a couple of days in both Santiago and Lima, before embarking on the long flight back to France where we spent a night in Nice before returning to Aurelie’s parents in Mazan just in time for Christmas.

We arrived into Santiago, the capital city of Chile after a 733km overnight bus ride from Pucon. We were immediately impressed by Santiago. Given it is a city of over 5 million people, it was extremely clean and the variety of architecture, colour and tradition gave it very much a European flavour. The only downside was the cold blast that swept across Chile upon our arrival in Santiago. The temperature literally dropped from a comfortable 29 degrees one day, to a wet and cold 11 or 12 degrees the following day. We were advised that they hadn’t seen anything like this in Chile in over 25 years…lucky us!!!

Saint Lucia square in the heart of Santiago

All around South American we were consistently advised that the best wine in South America comes from Chile. We therefore took the opportunity to visit Concha y Toro, a vineyard which produces Chile’s most globally recognised wine, Casillero del diablo. We also paid a visit to the ‘red devil’s cellar’ to learn about the legend that is - Casillero del diablo. 

Shane searching for the devil in the Casillero del Diablo

It was a great day where we couldn't help but leaving without a couple of carefully chosen souvenirs, not before sampling them first of course!

Soaking up the beauty of the vineyards of Concha y Toro

Last but not least was a flight back to Lima, Peru, where our South American adventure started 2 months earlier. After exploring Lima's historic centre when we were first in Lima,

this time we decided to stay in Miraflores, an area which epitomises the modernisation and development of Lima. It is situated along the coast, with high rise apartments and construction occurring on seemingly every street and around every corner. Fortunately, some significant cultural sites such as the Huaca Pucllana, an ancient pyramid immersed right in the heart of Miraflores, have been retained. 

The ancient ruins of Huaca Pucllana - Lima's version of the pyramids

After a day at the beach, and a superb Peruvian cusine that included Cerviche, it was time to pick up our backpacks for the final time in South America and head back to France.

Due to flight delays as a result of the hectic Christmas period, our stay in Nice was short, but it certainly put on a show and welcomed us back to France in fine style! Nice is a beautiful city and we will certainly spend more time there once the European summer arrives next year!

Spectacular greeting upon our arrival in Nice...welcome home!!

After not really feeling the Christmas spirit in South America, things quickly changed as soon as we arrived at Aurelie’s parents. We hadn’t spent a Christmas in France for six years, and we were both looking forward to it!

Christmas decorations lit up the house, the warmth of the fire, the emotion of being surrounded by family and the joy that the festive season brings provided a stark and welcoming contrast to the isolation of South America. Aurelie’s mother had even gone to the effort of creating her own Christmas nativity scene!!

Le crèche de Noël - Our very own Christmas nativity scene

The much anticipated Christmas dinner certainly did not disappoint! French Champagne (not sparkling wine!) flowed freely, and the combination of french delicacies included in each of the five courses was something to behold.

The magic of Christmas in France...and these were only the appetizers!! 

After two months on the road, it’s great to remove the packs from our backs and settle into a comfortable bed without the thought that we will be packing up in a couple of days and on the move again! 

For the next couple of weeks we will remain in the South of France, exploring the local area, enjoying the local delicacies and catching up with family until we depart on the 13th January where 3 ½ months in Africa awaits.

Aussie touch added to the French Xmas cuisine...more 'Rum' next time s'il vous plait!!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Bring on 2013......!!!      

Argentina/Chile - Buenos Aires to Patagonia

The last 10 days have been full of exhilarating exploration of the great outdoors culminating in an 'epic' climb of the beast that was - Volcan Villarrica! It is here where our outdoor adventures got serious!!!

We left Argentina’s capital city, and headed 1,600km West to the Northern part of Patagonia. Our time was primarily spent in three villages - Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes in Argentina and Pucon in Chile. 

Bariloche was our first stop, a small Patagonian town located at the bottom of the Andes and spread along Lake Nahuel Huapi. The area offered vivid scenery reminiscent of the Alps region, snow-capped mountains overlooking turquoise lakes and surrounded by emerald forests. One of the nearby villages was even established by Swiss travellers who seemed to have introduced the locals to the ‘fondue‘, a typical Swiss (and French) dish.

Overlooking Lake Moreno just outside Bariloche

Upon our arrival in Bariloche, we embarked on a 5 hour trek (which we completed in 2 1/2 hrs) to the summit of ‘Cerro Lopez' - just over 1,800m in altitude. After grabbing a coffee and taking in the incredible view at the local refuge based at the top, we descended then followed this up with another 20km / 5 hr trek to Lago Negro...solid day at the office!

Half way up Cerro Lopez - another challenging mountain trek

We awoke feeling the effects of the previous day's trekking so we decided to take a slightly faster approach for the next day's explorations. We hired mountain bikes to enable us to explore the sites and attractions around Lake Moreno. The wind decided to join us for the undulating 30km circuit which made things  a little more challenging. Aurelie was painfully trying to stay on Shane’s wheels to get some assistance. As a true gentleman, Shane kept pushing the pace!

Bariloche also turned out to be a chocolate heaven.with ‘chocolaterias’ at every corner. Hand-made chocolates and other ‘dulces’ proved irresistible with Aurelie finally persuading Shane to a visit.

Pre-Christmas chocolate indulgence is under way

After a couple of days in Bariloche, and the freezing cold wind off the mountains getting stronger by the day making things quite uncomfortable, we were pretty keen to keep moving up North for hopefully some sort of improvement in the weather.

We made it to San Martin, another small town 3 hours north of Bariloche that was very similar both aesthetically and temperature wise to Bariloche, however a lot quieter. There was hardly a tourist to be seen, in fact, even the local buses were’t running so our explorations were all on foot. We did however manage to catch the local ferry across the lake to assist in exploring the surroundings and the national parks. We also noticed that the local speciality was the trout caught from the lake that the town based itself on and we were not going to miss this!

With only 10 days or so left of our South American tour, we crossed border into Chile and settled in Pucon, a small but buzzing little village that is the home of outdoor adventure. It was also here where the bar was raised and our outdoor activities reached a whole new level! We were here with one objective in mind, to summit Volcan Villarrica, one of Chile's and the world's most active volcanos. It literally backs onto the town of Pucon and stands tall and proud at over 2800m.

First glimpse of the intimidating Volcano - Volcan Villarica

The weather for the first couple of days in Pucon was quite cloudy, so summiting the Volcano was not possible. So we spent our time trekking and cycling our way around the lakes, mountains, waterfalls and impressive local attractions. Day 3 arrived and we finally got the green light that the weather was on the improve and that we would get the chance to attempt to summit this beast!

The first hour or so of our climb was on volcanic gravel, making it a bit technical. At some point, we passed the remains of an old cable car structure which was destroyed in the eruption of 1971. As we were getting closer to the top, we reached the snow, which was rather unusual given it is the middle of summer. By that stage, we were above the clouds and could enjoy the breathtaking aerial view of Pucon and the surrounding lakes.
 

Shane feeling on top of the world as we rose above the clouds

As we ascended beyond the 2000m mark, the wind increased within a matter of moments and we were literally being slapped and pushed by the biting and feisty, 60 km/h gusts of wind. The guide announced, welcome to Volcan Villarrica...these were some real mountain conditions!

We had a group of 6 in our touring party, but it was reduced to 4 when a couple of Brazilians from our group who we titled 'soft & softer', decided it was getting a little too cold and a bit too dangerous for them, so they pulled the pin and decided that continuing toward the summit was not for them!

As conditions got even worse, the guide continue to encourage us optimistically that reaching the summit was possible but emphasized the importance of our ice-picks as the surface turned from thick snow to what would better be described as ice. The track in this section also began to get even steeper. At this stage, Aurelie wished she had joined 'soft & softer' and gone back down to!

 Disregarding the testing conditions and pushing hard toward the summit

Unfortunately (or fortunately), at approx 400m from the summit, we hit a patch where the winds increased even more, the cloud set in and we were getting pelted by hail coming down sideways, forcing the guide to come to the conclusion that it was too dangerous to go any further as the conditions and icy surface made it simply too dangerous to continue our quest.

Just when we thought our adventure was over, it was there when it actually reached its climax! In our packs were some tiny plastic luge type objects to assist us in sliding our way down. After a brief demonstration on how to control these things using the ice pick as a hand-brake, Shane decided to lead the way. Because the snow was too powdery for the ice pick to get any traction and slow him down and the downhill section too steep, he increased speed to a point until losing control and tumbling down the snow for some 8 - 10m in an impressive ‘Tom Cruise’ like manner. Fortunately he finally managed to get a grip of the snow with his ice pick as the rocky part of the mountains got uncomfortably close!

Next in line was a young Canadian guy. Unfortunately he had learnt little from Shane's escapades and also lost control. He however panicked, dropped his ice pick, gathered more speend and slid at least a couple of hundred metres across a combination of rocks and snow, only to be stopped by some well placed rocks that he managed to get a hold of. Another 20 metres and he would have free fallen off the rocky face and been in a whole lot of trouble! Luckily he was wearing his helmet and escaped with a blood nose, a sore head and some bumps and bruises. There was no way Aurelie was taking the same path and a sympathetic guide came to her rescue and led her and the other remaining trekker down to the base to safety.
With the eventful Volcano trek behind us, a couple more days were spent in Pucon, relaxing, recovering and exploring the surrounds.

Los Ojos del Caburgua - the eyes of the river

Next and final stop in South America is Santiago where a visit to the Chilean vinyards awaits. The Chilean wine is 'supposedly' the best and well renowned wine in South America.

Exciting times!!

Christmas and the end of our South American adventure is now only days away!

Brazil - Rio to Buenos Aires

Everything is great in Brazil...

...well, almost  everything!!!

The last week has included spicing it up in Rio de Janeiro, exploring the beautiful Brazilian island of Ilha Grande and a flight down to Buenos Aires for a taste of Argentinian culture.

We departed Iguazu Falls for the long ride (1,600kms!) into Rio. Upon arriving, we needed some comfort after the marathon bus ride so we booked into a plush hotel right in the middle of Copacobana, in preparation for a big weekend in Rio. Our lethargy upon arrival at the hotel obviously showed as they promptly upgraded us to the 'Presidential' suite which was bigger than our house! It included separate lounge area, kitchen, surround sound stereo system, spa and even a private in room sauna...backpacking eh, tough times! Welcome to Rio!!

Feeling the spirit of Christo Redentor

We spent our time exploring the touristy sites, Christo Redentor being the highlight, riding bikes along the beaches, navigating Lake Rodrigo de Freitas, drinking out of coconuts on Copacobana beach and tasting some of the most toxic (super strong!) Capirinhas that we could get our hands on! They destroyed us these things!

The only thing that we missed was dancing up a storm at a big local Brazilian samba party, although not through lack of trying! Ah well, what better reason to return to Rio for the 2014 World Cup or the 2016 Olympics!

Next stop was Ilha Grande. A small island 150km south of Rio. After a weekend in a big city, this was the ideal place for a couple of days of R&R (rest and relaxation)!

Praia Mangues - One of Ilha Grande´s many beautiful beaches 

After a night of sampling a couple of the local cocktails, the concept of R&R quickly wore off when we realised that there were walking trails to gorgeous secluded beaches, which included 'Jennifer' Lopes Mendes, ranked no.1 in the list of Brazil's most beautiful beaches. The day of trekking totalled at least 30km but all very much worthwhile given some of the places that we discovered. After all the trekking, we re-energised with a a gourmet local grilled seafood BBQ dish (Charrasco fruitas del mar) and a quiet bevy or two!

Great location Ilha Grande, we would have spent a couple of weeks there if we had the time and would head back there in a flash!

Unfortunately, time on this occasion was our only enemy, so we quickly departed Ilha Grande for a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina´s capital.

When most people talk about Buenos Aires, they talk about it being the Paris of South America and being known for it´s European culture and architecture. In all honesty, Buenos Aires was really about two things...steaks and tango!

We were a little fortunate that we checked into a place right in the heart of San Telmo, which is widely renowned as the home of tango. It is also the home of La Brigada which is also widely regarded as the best Parilla (Argentinian BBQ) restaurant in Buenos Aires, famous for it´s incredible steaks...perfect!

Local tango club Lunatics Milonga - plenty of character and very few touristicos! 

We first headed into a quaint little local tango bar for some tango lessons, worked up an appetite then checked into La Brigada at about 10pm (which is early for Argentina) for a meal that absolutely blew us away. They cut the steaks with a spoon they were that tender, and the portions were certainly not small! 

Definitely vying for the best steaks we´ve had the pleasure of eating!

We washed it down with a bottle of Argentinian red wine to ensure that we were primed for some more tango. Unfortunately the tango at the club was well beyond our basic 1 step, 2 step that we had picked up earlier in our tango class, so we camped ourselves on the sidelines, with bevy in hand and soaked up the local atmosphere...great night out.

We leave Buenos Aires today on an overnight bus to Bariloche and some trekking in the Andes Mountain Range.

Another week of adventure ahead...can´t wait!!

Brazil - Santa Cruz to Iguazu

It appears Pachi Mama (Peruvian god of the earth and nature) is still shining on us:

Camped under a rainbow at one of many of Iguacu´s waterfalls

It´s been a big 9 days incorporating 2,426km of travel from La Paz to Iguazu Falls but we´ve entered Brazil and been fortunate enough to be greeted with some magic spots along the way!

We departed La Paz and made our last stop in Bolivia in Santa Cruz - a far cry from the other chaotic, crowded, and colourful big cities of Bolivia. Santa Cruz had very much a Brazilian feel, very relaxed, tropical climate that provided us with a great transition to our next destination - Brazil!

After another 12 hour overnight bus ride, we made it to the Bolivian/Brazilian border nice and early, where we finally stepped foot into Brazil. All we needed was to take a 20 minute bus ride to nearby town, Corumba. However we quickly realised 2 things:

1. We didn't have any Reals (Brazilian $) and there was no bank or cash machine to be seen
2. We couldn't understand a word of Portuguese! Our (Aurelie´s!) semi-fluency in Spanish certainly wasn't helping

Out of nowhere, a young Brazilian girl offered to purchase and pay for our bus tickets! First impressions are good impressions and this certainly didn´t do Brazil´s reputation any harm!

We arrived in Corumba trying to get our bearings when a dodgy looking character offered us all the information we were looking for, bus timetables, cheap hotels and places to go in the village. He even went onto the effort of walking us to the suggested hotel, which actually turned out to be an absolute hole! However, we had been told that Brazil was rather expensive for backpackers and this was no the time to be picky, so we decided to stay. Bad move. Between the 40 degree temperature, the rooms ínteresting´ odour, the relentless mosquitoes and a broken fan that looked like it could fall on our head at any moment, we were lucky to get a couple of hours' sleep that night between us. Corumba did not offer much and we waisted no time moving on to our next destination - Bonito.

Bonito was a hidden jewel in the far North West corner of Brazil. It provided the relaxed and idyillic feel we were looking for. We found a nice comfortable place to stay, rented a couple of bikes and cycled the 5 or 6km out to Bonito´s 'public pool' which turned out to be a natural lagoon/waterhole that immersed us into the middle of an abundance of the many and varied underwater life that this place has to offer...twas some ´public pool´ and the snorkelling here was magic.

 Aurelie taking a dip surrounded by some of the local underwater Amigos

The next day, we jumped back on the bikes and took on the 22km cycle to the Mato Grosso do Sol (Blue Lake Grotto), a World Heritage Listed  cave with calcium formation stalectites that encapsulates a vivid blue lake deep inside the cave. Astonishing place!

Mato Grosso do Sol - shimmering Blue Lake submerged at base of a cave in Bonito

After surviving the long ride back, on dusty, bumpy roads in the 30 odd degree heat, we spent another afternoon at the ´public pool´. By now we´ve developed a good flair for digging out the best deals and when it came time to finding a restaurant for dinner, we were fortunate enough that this occassion was no exception. We found a small local restaurant off the main street where we enjoyed a delicious Churrascaria Brazilian feast and drinks that cost about the same as a couple of coffees back home...brilliant!

It was then time to make our way down to the Iguazu falls which meant another long bus ride but it was certainly worth the trip. Iguazu Falls, in the Iguazu River is one of the world's largest waterfalls and it simply dwarfs Niagara Falls.

Chilling out in front of the Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)

Surrounded by the subtropical rainforests and sitting on the border between Brazil and Argentina, the place definitely provided some ´wow factor´! We spent two days trekking around both the Brazilian and Argentinian side of the falls and even spotted raccoons, cheeky monkeys, a massive Iguana and a 2 1/2m solitary black snake (Shane spent at least 1/2 hr trying to get a decent photo, but all efforts were in vain!) slithering it´s way across our path.

Magic spot but it´s time to move on! Shane´s just brought a pair of the darkest possible tinted sunnies (not sure why!) as our next stop is Rio de Janeiro...exciting times!

Peru/Bolivia - Lake Titcaca, Death Rd & the Amazon

Never smile at a.....

...crocodile!!

It´s been a big 10 - 12 days and we´re loving every minute of it! We departed Cusco (what seems like a lifetime ago!) for the Southern most point of Peru where we hit Lake Titicaca. We then entered Bolivia and using La Paz as a base, we´ve taken on the adrenaline rush of the infamous Bolivian ´Death´ road and then spent the last week exploring the Amazon jungle.

Aftering arriving in a small Peruvian town called Puno (had a rather septic smell about this place!), we wasted no time jumping on a boat and heading out on to the islands of Lake Titicaca (pronounced Lake Titihaha).

First stop was an exploration by boat to the incredible floating islands of Uros. The islands have been constructed by the locals with a solid mud base and thick straw covering which feels like you could fall through it at any moment. They somehow provide residence for the local communities.

Even though they are only a couple of hours off the mainland they are seemingly a million miles away from the hectic buzz of Peruvian city life! We took the opportunity to kit up in some local outfits. Aurelie found herself very much at home in this environment!

Aurelie modelling the latest fashion on the Isle of Uros

Back on the boat and onto our next stop, Amantani, another of Lake Titicaca´s islands (not floating thankfully!) where we spent the night with a local family enjoying an insight into their culture and lifestyle. After feeding us with some local cuisine which they were proud to acknowledge was exclusively cultivated by them, they took us for a night out of local music and dancing. Our host Noberto or Nobby (he didn´t exactly welcome this nickname!) loved having a beer with Shane, as long as Shane was paying of course! He even invited his amigos to join him for a drink, shrewd operators these local folk!

We awoke early and after being presented with a home cooked breakfast, we said our farewells to our host family and moved onto probably the most impressive of Lake Titicaca´s islands, Taquille. After an hour exploring the island we spent the majority of the afternoon dining on coffee and a local 3 course feast. The restaurant sat high up on the island with views as far as the eye can see of the pristinely clear blue water and snow capped mountains on the horizon...incredible spot! We were simply amazed upon leaving to be given a bill totalling something like $8 USD! We would´ve paid that for the view alone!

Taking in the view on the Isle of Taquille

Peru was then left in our wake as we entered Bolivia. First stop was La Paz, a bustling Bolivian city located 3,600m above sea level. Fortunately, thus far we have not had any issue whatsoever with the altitude..´touch wood´.

We were advised the best way to see the dramatic landscapes surrounding La Paz was by bike, so we quickly booked ourselves onto a mountain bike tour. Well, not just any tour, it was a trip by bike along the infamous´death´ road - a 64km descent on some of the most treacherous roads that you are ever likely to encounter! It started at 4,700m above sea level and finished at a mere 1,200m.

A couple of speed demons ready to take on Death Road (that's us!)

Surrounded by snow capped mountains, the initial descent on bitumen roads was pretty comfortable. About 14km into the descent the fun commenced. This was where the bitumen disappeared and the trail turned to rocky (with random boulders strewn across the road!), narrow, windy, dirt roads with no rail partitioning and a cliff drop off the side of the road of up to 1000m. Any little slip up and it was game over! Scenary was simply breathtaking, not that Aurelie took the time to look sideways, she was too focused on strangling the bikes breaks as she bounced her way down the trail! Shane was a little more extravagant however knowing the ramifications of a burst of over confidence he managed to restrain himself enough to ensure that both of us survived this experience. Tick that box and move on, certainly no need to do this one twice!! We´ve still got no idea how trucks used to commute along this road...insane!

With no time to rest, we woke early the next day for a 7am flight to Rurrenabaque, the heart of the Maididi National Park situated in the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia.

We split our week in the Amazon with 3 days of jungle trekking and 3 days on a Pampas tour which was a wildlife exploration tour by boat.

First up was the boat exploration. This proved to be the ultimate wildlife feast which included getting up close and personal with caiman crocodiles (100´s of them and some of them were literally only an arms length away!), alligators, capibaras, turtles, monkeys, spiders, many differents types of birds and even finding time to throw a line in and do a spot of fishing...

A nice little catfish to join the piranha Shane caught moments earlier

The highlight though was getting the opportunity to swim in the crocodile and parinha infested waters with pink dolphins. We were reliably informed that the dolphins were the kings and that crocodiles would not attack while the dolphins were around! Fortunately this theory held true although it was still a daunting experience diving into waters with crocodiles on the banks of the river looking at us!

After a goodnight´s sleep on dry terra firma, we then ventured off for our 3 days of jungle trekking. This was a pretty intense experience with the thrill of wildlife discovery being combined with the overwhelming flora and fauna of the jungle, random animal noises thundering in all directions and the constant threat of mosquitos, ants, bees, wasps, oversized sand flies and many other varied insects that enjoy inflicting damage to humans whose paths they cross..repellant was certainly no deterrant to some of the above, we got eaten alive!

Night one was spent in a nice comfortable ecolodge, night two was spent in the jungle, under the stars with nothing more than a mosquito net for protection! Of course, this was the night that a monstrous thunderstorm hit with rain pelting down from 3 through to 9am. Although cold and soaked, the one positive of the storm was that at least it drowned out the overbearing snoring of the one other tourist, a 28 year old Irishman who we had the ´pleasure´ of sharing this experience with (very ´unique´ character this chap who certainly did not personal hygiene at the top of his priority list!).

List of wildlife encountered included an abudance of bird life including the very impressive and colourful macaws, a batch of 50 odd roaring wild pigs, snake who we saw eating a frog, spiders, butterflys and about half a dozen of these attractive little fellas...

Tiranchula spotted on night jungle trek

Like any good adventure, there were a couple of downsides:

1. You can choose your friends but you can't choose your travel companions! Majority of the time, this is not a bad thing, but having to spend three days with the aforementioned Irishman was an absolute nightmare, we almost felt sorry him he was that bad...!

2. We didn´t find our anaconda although we did find a dead anaconda, a cobra and a smaller snake eating a frog but unfortunately no anaconda!

3. The trip home! The heavy storm damaged the airport runway which was made out of sand (still have no idea why they don´t put a bitumen runway down - only in Bolivia!), but anyway, it ensured that all flights out of the jungle were cancelled so we took a ´15 hour´ bus back to La Paz which subsequently turned into a 25 hour bus ride from hell due to a landslide leaving us perched on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere for 8 - 10 hrs!

A couple of days relaxing in La Paz, then we have some big travel days to get to Iguazu Falls and then onto Brazil!

The joys of travelling...you gotta love it!

Peru - Inka Trail done and dusted!

The big build up to the infamous Inca Trail certainly did not result in any sort of anti climax. It was an incredible experience. Here´s how the adventure panned out.

Machu Picchu in all its glory! 

We embarked on our grand adventure with our fellow trekkers which comprised of us and 6 other girls (4 French and 2 Danish). Aurelie was rapt to share this adventure with some fellow compatriots!

Day 1 - Trek commenced at altitude of 2,600m and the 11km which proved relatively easy and served as training for the days to follow. We got our first sight of some of the extensive Inca ruins scattered along the route. There were also great views of the Cordillera Urubamba and the snow capped peak of Mt Veronica 5860m.  At the campsite, we were treated to our first dinner. We expected quick and easy sandwiches. To our surprise, we enjoyed a sit down Peruvian feast, the first of many more to come - 'Camping Deluxe'!

Day 2 - Up at the crack of dawn, we commenced at 2,850m and winded around mountains, through valleys and up a very steep ascent Incas stairs (Aurelie was looking for a longer set of legs at one point to get up some of these stairs!) It certainly provided  a series of beautiful vistas but the never ending climbs proved extremely challenging! They say you´re meant to take it easy and pace yourself up. However Shane decided to set the pace, and Aurelie had no choice but try to keep up! Very solid 5 hour work out!! We reached a peak of 4,200m -  the highest point of the Inca Trail. Being fully exposed to the Andean elements: first scorching sun, relentless rain and the freezing winds certainly didn´t make this day any easier!

Fellow trekkers left in her wake as Aurelie reaches 4,200m summit

We finally descended to the 2nd night's campsite at Pacamayo (3,600m) where overnight we were again hit with the elements. Very, very chilly night and about an hour of sleep between us certainly ensured that Day 3 was going to be no pushover! 

Day 3 - Aurelie´s Birthday! Her day commenced with a 5am wake-up call by a random rooster making its home in the mountains. Fortunatley the weather had cleared and we started our journey which provided excellent views of several snow-capped peaks including Salkantay (6,180m) and Veronica (5,750m). We also encountered Phuyupatamarca, the most impressive Inca ruin so far. Toughest section of the day was a long, steep, slippery and irregular descent of over 1000m in altitude. Shane had a minor slip up at one stage which left him hanging on to the side of the cliff but all´s well that ends well!

After 5 hours of walking through cloud-forest, we finally made it to our campsite. To everyones surprise Aurelie was greeted with a birthday cake, made by the porters that would not be out of place in a French Boulangerie!! How the crew managed to whip this up in the middle of nowhere and with very little baking utensils and ingredients remains a mystery.

Happy Birthday Aurelie - Inca style

This surprise was definitely not included in the Inca Trail brochures but really was a very generous gesture of which Aurelie was extremely grateful!

Day 4 - We awoke at 3.30am and were on the move by 4.30am to get to Machu Picchu before sunrise. The sky started getting light by 5:30am and the first rays of sunlight hit Machu Picchu at about 9am. Suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu spread out before us in all its glory. Built sometime in the 15th century and rediscovered in 1911 by an American engineer, Machu Picchu was thought to be an estate for the Incan emperor, Pachacuti. The sheer enormity of these ruins certainly made the challenges of the previous 4 days worthwhile...phenominal experience! 

Seemingly pretty pleased to have made it to Macchu Picchu

It was then time to have a couple of celebratory drinks with our crew, who made this adventure a very special and memorable experience!

Inca crew - note the two flags in the middle!

We then immersed ourselves into the somewhat brown and smelly thermal springs of Aguas Callientes. Regardless of the odour, the legs certainly appreciated it. We spent the next day in Aguas Calientes, primarily relaxing but we did squeeze in a 2 1/2 hour trek to Mandor Paradiso Waterfall which was pretty impressive!


Fun and games continue...Next stop Puno and the islands of Lake Titicaca. We then depart Peru and on to Bolivia.

Random Peruvian Notables:

- Coca is a native Peruvian leaf that the locals seemingly live off. It is also a prime export to the U.S as it provides the basis for Coca Cola!
- Peruvian beds are made for Peruvians! At a towering 178cm, Shane´s feet hang out the end of almost every bed or tent that we´ve slept in!
- 2 to 3 star hotels cost b/w $25 - $40 USD per night
- Guinea Pig is a local delicacy cuisine
- Customary local cuisine comprises of Alpaca or Llama meat
- Quechua is a rice type product that is extremely tasty
- Currency: Peruvain Soles (2.7:1 USD)

Peru - Colca Canyon & Cusco

Picture below epitimoses the way the last 5 days have transpired. Things are literally flying along!

A leap of faith over the sand dunes at Huacachina

After a couple of days in Arequipa we left to embark on what turned out to be an epic 3 day adventure into the Colca Canyon. This was followed with a couple of days exploring the sites of Cusco, one of the worlds most historic cities before preparing our packs to set off on the Inca Trail tomorrow (Fri 2nd Nov).

The Colca Canyon really was an absolute gem! For anyone with Peru on their list of countries to travel to, this is an absolute must do! It's longer and deeper than the grand canyon (not quite as steep). The 3 days that we spent trekking into, around and up this immense natural wonder really did blow us away.

Start of the Colca Canyon Trek

Day 1 was all down hill as we trekked to the very floor of the Colca Canyon where we spent a night in a tiny local village that only had electricity connected in the last 2 years, and whose villagers live primarily off their local produce. Big eye opener and a great taste of local lifestyle and customs.

 Cactus is one of the few plants that survive deep within the Canyon Walls

Day 2 was a 3 1/2 hour trek from the village into a hidden Oasis at the base of the canyon. This was one of the most impressive places that we've ever stayed with a horizon pool looking up into the glistening peaks of the canyon. More incredibly, the accomodation cost a total of 20 peruvian soles for our double room (equivalent to approx $7 USD). Amazing value for what was an incredible location.

Trekking our way out of the Colca Canyon

Day 3 was probably the most physically demanding with a 2 hour trek, rising over 1200m in altitude straight up the canyon wall.

The adventure then finished off with an hour of recuperation in the 38 degree thermal springs which helped to recharge the batteries. The Colca Canyon adventure well and truly exceeded the limited expectations that we had leading in.

We then moved onto Cusco where we were greeted by a spell of wet weather but still found enough time to explore this historic Inca City. Predominantly by foot but we did find a dodgy local who was prepared to put us on the back of a couple of his horses and take us around some of the historic Inca ruins and temples by horseback. We'll certainly not be lining up in next weeks Melbourne Cup based on this showing!

Horse riding our way around the outskirts of Cusco

We are now ready and prepared for the Inca Trail. Kick off: 6am tomorrow morning...

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the landing was quite as smooth as the takeoff...

Peru - far more than just the Inca Trail!

Our Peruvian adventure is under way and it's amazing what you can squeeze into a week!

Trying to avoid commercial tour packages, we'ved followed the unbeaten (and some beaten) tracks in a week that's included multiple adventures, a bit of watching the world go by and time spent mingling with the locals and fellow travellers alike!

After flying into Lima and spending a day/night looking around the city, we've spent the last week working our way down to Arequipa located in southern Peru.

It's truly an adventure. Even the most trivial activities, such as going to the bank, buying bananas or booking our next trip can be challenging due to the language barrier. Fortunately the years spent studying Spanish in high school were not done in vain! Shane's Spanish however is proving to be of very little assistance (although that doesn't stop him trying to negotiate anything and everything!) It is also great to meet other travellers along the way. People seem rather adventurous, open minded and ready to experience the local culture.

First stop as we headed Sth from Lima was Paracas to visit Ballestas Islands. We met two self-reliant blond Dutch girls on our way and jumped on a local speed boat out to the islands. Shane couldn't wipe his smile off of his face. Probably because he was mesmerised by the thousands of animals living on the islands, chilled out sea lions, curious penguins, enormous pelicans, clumsy crabs, colourful sea stars, giant jelly fish...great start to the trip!

Sea Lion soaking up the attention on Ballestas Islands

Next stop was Huacachina where we ventured out to a beautiful Oasis in the middle of the desert. Surrounding the Oasis were giant sand dunes (the worlds biggest apparently) where we jumped in Sand Dune buggies (which literally fly!) for a wild ride up to the top of the dunes. With Sand Boards in hand we joined a couple of snowboard experts from Colorado. We had no choice but try to impress them by ripping up the dunes for a couple of hours. I think they had a good laugh at some of the 'awkward' maneuvers that we tried to pull off (generally unsuccessfully although we did have our moments).

Probably the highlight of the week this. Brilliant couple of hours!

The following day we headed further south to World Heritage listed Nazca Lines. We were joined by a couple of German photographers on our 6 seater airplane (smallest plane flight either of us had been on!)  for a 'joy' flight over the lines of Nazca. Whilst the Germans were in their element taking a thousand photos, we kept quiet at the back trying to manage our churning stomachs. Unfortunately for one of us, effort was not successful...!

Putting on a brave face after the Nazca Lines 'joy' flight

From Nasca we took an overnight bus to Arequipa which sits in Southern Peru at the base of the Andes Mountain Range. Great spot where we spent a day touring the city and exploring various vantage points to capture the phenomenal landscape and surrounding mountains.

Hanging out in Arequipa

If possible, the itinerary for the coming week looks even better.

3 day trekking tour around the Colca Canyon starting tomorrow and then up to Cusco to commence the much anticipated Inca Trail.

LG - Life's Good!!

France - Melbourne to Mazan

Bikes, backpacks, sleeping bags and whatever else we can carry have been packed...hopefully this will be enough to get us through the next 12 months!

Final leg: Train from Nice - Avignon (France)

The first week of our adventure flew by but it honestly could not have kicked off in any better fashion!

We started with a weekend down in Melbourne for the Melbourne marathon. For the marathon, we were greeted with perfect conditions. Fortunately Aurelie's ongoing knee soreness leading up to the race had no impact and she subsequently she ran a Personal Best time for the marathon of 3 hrs 8 mins.

The afternoon was spent celebrating at the Belgium Beer Cafe with the sun still shining brightly, a quality crew turned out for the afternoon....happy days!

After a couple of days catching up with family and scrambling to get organised, we were on our way.

First stop - Dubai.

Throwing on the suit and tie and drinking Veuve Cliquot champagne ($30 a glass) at the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa (829m or 123 Levels) was not exactly how we pictured our initiation to 'back packing', but this was how things turned out!

Base of the Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE)

For anyone thinking of a trip to Dubai, make a reservation well in advance (we managed to scam our way up - no real surprise to most I'm sure!) at the rooftop bar called Atmosphere for the opportunity to feel like you're sitting on top of the world.

Second stop - France.

As it is commonly known and of which Aurelie has no hesitation in reminding all and sundry, the South of France is 'God's country'. Given it's been just over 2 years since we were here, it is great to  be back!

After landing in Nice, and spending a couple of hours on the train to Avignon, Aurelie's parents greeted us and wasted no time spoiling us with some local hospitality, quality food, beer and wine made for a grand 'welcome home' welcoming.

After sleeping till 9, we awoke to a breakfast of croissants, brioche and coffee. We then headed out on the bikes for a couple of hours to blow out the cobwebs of the long flight the previous day.

Summit of the Col de la Madeleine (Bedoin, France)

As Aurelie proudly displays, our ride included our first Col (Mountain climb) of the trip. 448m is a mini climb over here but don't tell anyone, we were still happy with our efforts! Unfortunately after descending we lost our bearings so we had to climb it again on our return home. The smile wasn't quite so large second time around!

We arrived home just in time for a typically provencale lunch (2 hours of food, beer & wine), followed by a customary afternoon siesta. It was here when we realised, it is not going to take long to get out of the 9 to 5 routine! Our holiday is officially under way!!

A great weekend was then spent catching up with Aurelie's parents, Jean-Paul & Annick, and sister Claire, in the little Provencale village of Mazan.

Before we know it's time to re-pack the back packs and we're off again. This time we're definitely travelling light!

Click on the link for a map of where we've been.

Next Stop - Peru, South America - Monday 22nd Oct.

Bags are packed....

...and we're ready to go!

House is packed up, car's gone, work's already seemingly a distant memory and after 5 years in Sydney, we have once again found the urge to throw the backpacks on and explore what the world has to offer.

Our round the world adventure is now only a matter of days away and we're very much feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation as to what awaits us over the next 12 months.

Here's a high level overview of what it will entail:

Duration: 11 months (Oct 2012 - Sept 2013)

Itinerary:

- Sydney to Melbourne 13th Oct '12 (Aurelie running Melb marathon 14th Oct)
- Depart Melbourne 17th October '12
- 1 night in Dubai - 17th Oct '12
- 5 days in France (18th - 22nd Oct '12)
- 2 months in Sth America (22nd Oct - 22nd Dec)
Countries include: Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru
- 3 weeks in France for Xmas & NY (23rd Dec - 14th Jan)
- 3 1/2 months in Africa (15th Jan - 23rd Apr '13)
Countries include: Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa

23rd April: Return to France for the European summer.

Plan of attack for the european summer is still to be confirmed but the primary intentions are for Aurelie to see as much of her homeland as possible given she's now been abroad for the majority of the last 12 years, and for Shane it's pure French immersion to ensure that the goal of being 'fluent' in French is achieved!

What will definitely be included during the 4 - 5 months in Europe will be a couple of months cycling around France (our own version of the tour de France), trip to London & a wedding in Scotland.

Game on!!