Again, not what Santiago looks like. I've been rubbish with photos but you can always have a look on www.ringo.com (if you can find me) for the real thing. Santiago has been a LOT of fun. We stayed at Bellavista Hostel (don't go anywhere else) and have had a few days of debauchery. We've met up with Wolfie and Tony, made new friends, and just enjoyed ourselves. After sleeping for most of the day having arrived from Arica (phew!) Wolfie woke us up, h...

The photo? NOT what Arica looks like. But it is what I wish it looked like... From Cuzco we overnighted to Arequipa, which was a great little place to begin a bit of a recovery from Cuzco. Staying at Loki's "partner" hostel (actually far too sedate to be in anyway related to Loki, but we've been assured that's all to change), the couple of days there were spent wandering around, enjoying the feeling of plentiful oxygen again and a bit of wa...

It's finally time to leave Cuzco...and, I fear, not a day too soon. I eventually joined Caro at the legendary Loki hostel a few days ago - and it has been nothing but parties ever since. The hostel is quite incredible, set high in Cuzco overlooking the plaza with views to die for as the sun sets. It's also very obviously run by backpackers who have established a hostel that actually provides what backpackers want - a relaxed atmosphere, good communal spa...

I got back from the Inca Trail last night and am still somewhere between floating on a complete high, on another planet because of how incredible the whole experience was, and zombied out with tiredness! But I will just say this: after 8 years or so of dreaming about doing this, the expectations and build-up did not let me down one bit. There was no point when I wanted to be anywhere else (except, perhaps, half way up Dead Woman´s Pass when the only other p...

We´ve just returned (eventually) from an amazing week spent around Rurrenabaque in the Amazon Basin of Bolivia, visiting the Pampas and taking a trip into the jungle of Madidi National Park. It´s been a phenomenal adventure. Pampas first. They are basically massive wetlands with lush vegetation and supporting a vast amount of animal life. For 3 days we explored the area around our camp by boat. It kicked off with a 3 hour trip up river from Santa Ros...