We hadn't planned to visit Huacachina (pronounced Waccacheena) as the place wasn't even referred to in our guide book, but we have met so many people who have been here and said it was worth visiting that we decided to give it a go. From Pisco we had to take a local bus to Ica, about an hours drive, and from there a short taxi ride to Huacachina a few kilometers away. The bus ride from Pisco was amazing - every minute was through a vast desert and if we hadn...

From Lima we headed south by about 4 hours to a small town called Pisco, on the coast of Peru. It was here that we embarked on a five day actioned packed itinery along the south coast of Peru. Pisco has two key claims to fame - the Ballestas Islands and the Pisco Sour. The Ballestas Islands lie about 30 minutes by speed boat from the coast and are considered to be a credible alternative to the Galapogos Islands of Equador. On the way there we were able ...

Our first introduction to Lima was in the Plaza de Armes (Main Square) in downtown Lima, where we were greeted by the usual contingent of water cannon trucks, riot police with tear gas and the biggest Rottweillers you have ever seen with Hannibal Lector masks! Chris asked one of the policeman if there was a problem today and he replied that it was just normal! Most of what is on offer in Lima is around the Plaza and includes the Cathedral, which houses the d...

We had anticipated that the boat trip up the Amazon would stretch our patience, as it was so long, but in actual fact it turned out to be really relaxing - plenty of practice for entry into the olympics in the sleeping category! The journey took us from Manaus to Iquitos in the Brazilian Amazon region - a journey of 1200 miles, taking us a total of 2500 miles up the Amazon from the Atlantic. The boat itself was very busy. The third class travel that we ment...