Peru - Arequipa
The volcano surrounded town of Arequipa in the South of Peru is close to some of the world’s deepest canyons, enough reason for a detour there! We embarked on an amazing 3 day trek down into the Colca Canyon the day after our arrival in Arequipa with some new friends that we met in our hostel there. Here we spotted Condors circling the top of the canyon, trekked through the dry rocky cacti filled landscape, visited indigenous villages and hiked all the way down to an oasis at the bottom of the canon. The oasis was full of palm trees, amazing gardens full of tropical colourful flowers and spacious resort-like accommodation – pure bliss before the 3 hour uphill hike at sunrise ascending 1300m back to the top of the canyon before breakfast the next day! On the way back to Arequipa, we passed Inca terraces, and another local village where we tried the local drink – Colca Sour made from cactus fruit, whisked raw egg and Pisco, a type of brandy.
 |
| Arrival into Peru from Copacabana, Bolivia |
 |
| A catholic procession taking place in Arequipa |
 |
| Central Arequipa |
 |
| Plaza de Armas at night time in Arequipa |
 |
| Starting out on the Colca Canyon trek |
 |
| Awesome views down into the 1.3km deep canyon! |
 |
| A randy 15kg condor mounting his lady-friend! |
 |
| Huge impressive scavengers soaring through the thermals |
 |
| More amazing backdrop across the canyon |
 |
| Steve takes a well earned rest (pose) on a rock! |
 |
| A photo can't really do justice to the unbelievable depth of the canyon below! |
 |
| Group shot with some friends we walked with on the tour |
 |
| Tired looking mules were used to transport supplies to the villages deep in the canyon |
 |
| We finally made it to the bottom... but what goes down must go back up! |
 |
Some local fruit....looks like dried up banana from the outside,
best described as sweet cotton wool on the inside! |
 |
| Photo snap with a friendly local indigenous family. |
 |
| The natural abortion and contraceptive herb grown in the canyon! |
 |
| Fresh white pepper growing on trees |
 |
Tour group shot on one of the bridges crossing
the raging river at the bottom of the canyon |
 |
| The two of us looking over one of the indigenous settlements in the canyon |
 |
| Long hike between villages |
 |
| Huge cacti lined the track |
 |
| Relaxing in the oasis at the bottom of the canyon |
 |
| Steve taking some football coaching by a future Peru international |
 |
| One of the best places to stop and relax we've been to on our travels! |
 |
The gardens and flowers were incredible in the oasis,
especially considering the dry surroundings |
 |
Looking back at the oasis from the side of the canyon
on our pre-breakfast hike back up to the top! |
 |
| The sun rising and hitting the mountains in the distance |
 |
| The whole group after making it back to the top.... what's for breakfast? |
 |
| Us two celebrating making the tough hike to the top |
 |
| Our Aussie friend, Nicole's birthday pancakes at breakfast! |
 |
| A stop off at a view of some Inca terraces from the top of the canyon |
 |
| An indigenous lady making us Colca Sours! |
 |
| An irresistible shot with a llama, eagle and indigenous woman at one of the villages near the canyon |
Cuzco and Machu Picchu
After Arequipa, we took an overnight bus up to Cuzco enroute to the Machu Picchu lost Inca city. We took a bus and the Inca Rail train up to the hub town of Aguas Calientes an hour and a half’s steep climb below Peru’s big tourist magnet. We got a brilliantly sunny morning for our trip up to the lost city where we explored the breathtaking site and surroundings and even got chased by a hungry llama that wanted our sarnies!
We needed a bit of time to take a breath in Cuzco after some intense rushing around over the previous couple of weeks and much more planned for the coming weeks! A walking tour of the city gave us an interesting insight into local culture, gastronomy and handicrafts.
 |
| Ollantaytambo - a small town on the way to Machu Picchu from Cuzco |
 |
Happy to be catching the train from Ollantaytambo
to Aguas Calientes close to Machu Picchu |
 |
Aguas Calientes nestled next to a raging river
between the steep jungle covered mountains |
 |
| The steep steps 3.5 km up to Macchu Picchu |
 |
| A clearing in the clouds looking into the jungle surrounding MP |
 |
| The fine sight of the lost city - a breathtaking view |
 |
| The Inca terraces of Machu Picchu cascading all the way down the hillside |
 |
| On some Inca steps with Wayna Picchu towering behind us |
 |
| The hills behind Machu Picchu are meant to look like a face on its side with a big nose.... Caroline thought she saw a resemblance! |
 |
| Caroline sat on photo rock above MP |
 |
| Most of our photos make the whole place not look real! |
 |
| This photo should probably be on the front of the Lonely Planet! |
 |
One of the Inca Trails out of Machu Picchu lead to an
old Inca bridge built into the mountain side |
 |
Sun Gate - the first glimps of Machu Picchu where the
most famous Inca Trail enters the lost city |
 |
| Central Cuzco lit up at night time in Plaza de Armas |
 |
| Some traditional Peruvian music and dancing surprised us in a quiet restaurant! |
 |
| Plaza de Armas in the day time |
 |
| A typical view down one of the cobbled street in Cuzco |
 |
| A large local handicrafts market in the centre |
Huacachina and Mancora
Another night bus took us across to Ica and then on to Huacachina, a small oasis hidden in the huge sand dunes. We stayed for a hairraising dune-buggy tour and some sand boarding followed by a night of partying in the hostel and adjoining club with others we met sand boarding.
The next day we made the killer 30 hour journey north by bus and collectivo from Huacachina back to Ica and onwards via Lima to Piura and then finally Mancora. The small beach town of Mancora on the far northern Peruvian coast is a gringo hotspot with its few streets lined with many hostels, shops and restaurants inbetween the rowdy bars crammed in side by side all playing dance music through their ridiculously huge sound systems! We settled here for a night and enjoyed some beach time before carrying on across the Peru-Ecuador border overnight up to Cuenca.
 |
| One of the mad sand buggies |
 |
| A buggy full of screaming passengers speeding over the rolling dunes |
 |
| Caroline picks up some speed and some sand in her shoes! |
 |
| Two sand boarding pin-ups! |
 |
| A pro shows how its done! |
 |
| The people and buggies at the bottom of the slopes give an idea of the scale of the dunes! |
 |
| On the dunes above Huacachina; an oasis in the sand |
 |
| The dunes and Huacachina at sunset |
 |
| The sunset from our hostel in Huacachina |
 |
Drinks with some new Canadian friends after
arriving in Mancora - northern Peru |
 |
| Mancora beachfront |
Ecuador - Cuenca, Baños, Quito and Otavalo
Our visit to Cuenca was short and sweet, only staying there for a few hours during the day on our way through. We explored the town in this short time but unfortunately didn’t manage to catch up with our Swiss friend we met in Bolivia as planned due to some delays getting into town. Cuenca was a nice stop before we jumped back on the bus up to Baños further north in Ecuador.
We spent a couple of nights in Ecuador’s adventure capital, Baños, where we ticked off a few of the available adrenalin activities including a bridge swing, some zip lining in the forest, thermal bathing and mountain biking down to some amazing waterfalls. The town sits at the bottom of the recently very active volcano of Tungurahua.
From here we took the bus another few hours up the road to the capital of Quito. We spent a full day here exploring the sights in the Centro Historico including El Panecillo, San Francisco Plaza and cathedral, Palacio Presidencial and La Basilica. In the evening we went for a western food fix in the bar-filled Covent Garden equivalent; Plaza Foch in the La Mariscal area of Quito’s new town.
From Quito, we teamed up with our new Canadian friends for a taxi up to Otavalo, which contains Ecuador’s largest remaining community of Indigenous people, for their giant monthly market full of local food and handicrafts. The indigenous clothing was almost as impressive as the products themselves, with the women and girls in their traditional dress of white embroidered blouses, black shawls and headdresses, accessorised with clustered thin gold necklaces and the men in long shawls and rimmed hats with their hair in long plaits.
 |
| Local women dry their laundry on the banks of the river running through Cuenca |
 |
| The new cathedral in the Parque Calderon central plaza of Cuenca |
 |
| The flower market in one of the small plazas of Cuenca |
 |
| Cuenca from the riverfront |
 |
| A large grand building on a street corner of Cuenca |
Colombia - Popayan and Cali
Despite the rumours of dangers and difficulties for foreigners entering and travelling in Colombia, our border crossing was one of the easiest and quickest yet! It is strongly advised against travelling through the southern part of Colombia just after the border at night time. So, despite starting our day very early to ensure this section was completed during the day, when our bus went from slow to almost stop and we found ourselves still travelling into the night we became a little restless, especially when the tyre of a lorry we were overtaking blew and we thought for a moment we were under attack! Needless to say we arrived in Popayan with no problem whatsoever, apart from lack of sleep.
After a good night’s sleep, we got up and booked some cheap flights up to Cartegena on the Carribean coast and back down to Bogota cutting out at least 50 hours of tiring bus journey up and down the country! We then leisurely explored Popayan’s good-looking whitewashed town centre with some more Canadian friends Jonathan and Kristen who we met on the bus from Ecuador and then took the short bus trip up to Cali.
We arrived in Cali late in the day and went for some food close to our hostel in the San Antonio area of town. The next day we took a walk into the bustling market streets in the centre around the Plaza Caycedo. We ate in the San Antonio area again that evening in a great restaurant overlooking Cali’s night time city lights. Our flight up to Cartegena left the following morning and we shared our journey with a couple of Argentineans we’d first met back in Quito.
 |
| One of the typical Popayan streets lined with whitewashed buildings |
 |
| Only the churches varied from the whitewashed monotone in Popayan |
 |
| An important building from behind some tall palm tree in central Cali |
 |
| A typical big-boobed manikin outside a shop in Cali! |
 |
| Some of the artwork on the side of our hostel in San Antonio, Cali |
Cartegena
We stepped off the plane into Caribbean heat! After making our way to our hostel, we went for almuerzo in the old town with the Argentineans and then took a walk around the breathtakingly beautiful old town centre with its stunning old buildings and their overhanging wooden balconies arching into the narrow streets. We then made our way along to the beach in Bocagrande area for a late afternoon swim and bake in the Caribbean sun before some evening beers and more exploring of the old town which is just as pretty at night time.
We spent a full day in Cartegena relaxing on the beach close to the Hilton Hotel on the far tip of the Bocagrande peninsula with Sophia, Erica and Mitch - new friends from Argentina, Colombia and Canada.
After another swift walk around the centro historico again the next day, we took the afternoon bus east along the Caribbean coast to Santa Marta and on to Palomino.
 |
| The harbour in sunny central Cartegena |
 |
| The famous Clock Tower Gate entrance to inside the city walls |
 |
Some of the attractive wooden balconies on the colourful
buildings inside the old town part of Cartegena |
 |
A sunset over the ocean from a beach on Bocagrande
peninsula, a short walk from the old town |
 |
| A beer with the Argentinians in Getsemani - the red light district area where we stayed |
 |
Back in beach mode on the walk over to the nice beach at
the Hilton Hotel on the tip of Bocagrande peninsula |
 |
| A lady selling fresh mango on the beach |
 |
| In the sun with our beach friends from Canada, Colombia and Argentina! |
 |
| Some of the palm tree on the pristine beach! |
 |
| Another amazing sunset over the Caribbean sea |
 |
| Some tasty traditional sweet coconut flapjack type stuff from a beach vendor |
 |
| Caroline and Sophia making the most of the warm Caribbean waters |
 |
| First time for both of us out on a jet ski - so expensive most other places, but not here! |
 |
| The massive fort overlooking Cartegena |
 |
| One of the pretty streets near where we stayed in Getsemani area |
 |
| Another balcony covered narrow street in the old town |
 |
| The thick city walls enclosing the town |
Palomino
With a generous present for our birthdays and Christmas from Christine and Trev we booked ourselves a few days in paradise before gradually starting our journey home. We were staying in La Sirena, a tiny retreat overlooking the sea on a remote stretch of beach close to the small settlement of Palomino, about two hours east along the Caribbean coast from Santa Marta.
The place was everything we were hoping for – the perfect place to completely chill for a couple of days and soak up the sun to finish our trip! Our first-floor large wood cabin room opened out onto a balcony with a hammock strung up directly above the palm lined beach ten metres from the waves lapping the beach.
While relaxing in the perfect retreat after nine amazing months of travelling around the world together, Steve popped the big question! A little surprised and nervous, Caroline agreed and we are now excited to be officially engaged!
We spent the rest of our time at the beach doing nothing but eating, drinking, chatting and soaking up the Caribbean sun before jumping on a bus back to Santa Marta and starting the gradual journey home.
 |
Our secluded but airy cabana on the beach front in near Palomino
and the balcony where Steve proposed! |
 |
Miles of stunning beach each way, sea on one side, palm trees
on the other as far as you could see! |
 |
| The spacious retreat in amongst the palm trees |
 |
| Caroline relaxing on a giant swing strung up in the palms trees! |
 |
| The amazing feeling of having nothing to do all day but lie on the beach! |
 |
| Caroline and a slightly scary new friend from the Kogi tribes up in the hills! |
 |
| One of the frequent fly-bys from a flock of pelican type birds |
 |
Strong currents meant the sea was a bit treachous, but one of the rivers
entering the ocean at the beach was calm and refreshing! |
 |
| The inside of our big wood cabin room |
 |
| Winding down from a great trip (and getting over Steve's proposal bombshell earlier on that morning!) |
 |
| A nice photo of some hanging shells.... why not! |
 |
Because there was no one else around, we balanced the camera on
some driftwood on a timer for a photo with both of us in! |
 |
| Caroline made friends with a young girl from the family running the lodge |
Santa Marta, Bogota and Lima
Celebrating our engagement, we spent the evening in Santa Marta drinking Mojitos and eating at a small street restaurant in the centre. Our flight to Bogota left the following afternoon, the first of our four flights back home via Bogota, Lima and Madrid.
Officially winding down from such a great trip and thinking about seeing everyone at home, we spent most of our spare time between connections in these cities looking around the central areas and picking up last minute shopping from artisanal craft markets.
 |
| Mojito related celebrations on our engagement back in Santa Marta |
 |
| The sandy bay front in Santa Marta |
 |
| The promenade dotted with black shiny sculptures and statues |
 |
The sandy Santa Marta Airport departure lounge (well the beach just outside of the airport)
with a supersized sandwich that made us feel like borrowers! |
 |
| Enjoying our last few minutes on the beach near the airport.... |
 |
| .....just before the first of our flights back - next stop Bogota! |
 |
| Rainy Bogota on our arrival near our hostel in La Candelaria area |
 |
| Impressive government buildings in central Bogota's Plaza Bolivar |
 |
| A Colombian craft market in Bogota for some last minute shopping! |
 |
| A nice bit of green in the centre of Miraflores where we spent our time in Lima |
 |
| Last last minute shopping in the markets in Miraflores before leaving for our final flight home |
The End
(for now!)
