Alison: Following our trip to the Ballestas Islands we set off for Huacachina which is a tiny place built around a small lagoon nestled amongst huge sand dunes in the dessert. It is composed of only 3 small streets and a path around the lagoon but despite the size it is very popular with both Peruvians and foreigners as the dunes are not only very spectacular to look at but are also perfect for sand boarding. As part of Peru Hop service, if you don't have any...

Nigel: With a fairly early start, we were out of bed and out on the water before we had chance to have our first cup of coffee (not that there was anywhere to get a cup!). The boat journey to the Ballestas Islands took around 45 minutes and this was going at some speed to get there. The islands are often described as the poor mans Galapagos and similar to the Galapagos Islands, the main attraction is the wildlife which lives there. This includes penguins, seals, ...

Alison: Today we started our Peru Hop adventure. The tour started with a quick spin around Lima to pick everyone up and then we were given a run down on the bus rules......you were pretty much allowed to do whatever you want but it was forbidden to do a number 2 in the bus toilet! This point was really hammered home so there must have been some unpleasant bus journeys in the past that made this rule so essential!The first couple of stops were just on the outskirt...

Nigel: We left HK and headed to our next destination, Lima the capital of Peru. To get there we had to take two 13 hour flights which included an overnight stop in Amsterdam. We arrived in Lima late at night and as we had heard some stories of taxi scams at the airport, we arranged a pick up by the hostel. We also heard that it was common for the drivers to work with thieves and plan bag snatches as you wait at traffic lights. Paranoid about this and very jet la...