Happy Birthday to me! Of all the things to do on your 20th birthday, trek to a beautiful lake at 4600m in the Peruvian Andes is one of the best. I woke up around 4:30am to call Dad and Annabel and receive birthday wishes, before unwrapping the birthday present I've 'lugged' all this way around South America… a pack of brunch bars. Which are actually super useful! We headed off into the dark on a packed coach, back up the main highway that runs through the ...

45 Hours. In 3 days. So basically 27 out of the last 72 hours NOT on a bus.... Time to stretch my legs and regain feeling in my arse. After grabbing a delicious ceviche (Peruvian, raw seafood dish) in a streetfood market down the road from the bus station, I set off on a Palomino bus from Cusco to Lima. A 22 hour journey. The section from Cusco to Abancay, the last town we passed before dark, was spectacular. Possibly among the greatest roads in the world that o...