We had a wonderful time in Ecuador, but had to make our way (quite swiftly now) to Cusco, in Southern Peru. This involved a fun filled 40 hour journey to get us to Huaraz first (Vilcabamaba-Loja-Chiclayo-Trujillo-Huaraz) , with the intention of doing another trek. After all that effort, I decide that now would be a great time to get sick. Brilliant! Fortunately, Chris played a fabulous nurse, while the hostel owner played in the garden and kept picking 'healing' ...

Volcanoes, Chocloate-based Violation and Equine Adventures in Ecuador... After Quito and Otavalo, we went south in the back of a ute, to the Secret Garden's sister hostel at Cotapaxi. The hostel had the most stunning view we've seen yet, it directly overlooked the massive snow-capped volcano, and a vast panorama of other mountains and volcanoes. We had a great stay here too. Again, the people were lovely and we walked/scrabbled to a waterfall on arrival, then ...

'South America's Worst Border Crossing' and beyond to The Land Where Lucy is Tall...! We left the lazy beach town of Mancora on a CIFA bus to attempt the infamous Peru-Ecuador border near Tumbes (without getting hijacked, robbed at gunpoint or swindled out of our money by corrupt border police and unscrupulous taxi drivers!) To make things even more interesting we decided to cross at night! Despite the horrendous catalogue of nightmare tales we were told before ...

After Easter Island we had to spend a night at Santiago airport. This was not fun. We got no sleep at all, but it could've been worse. Having (somehow) managed to make a friend, Scott, who was travelling to the same hostel in Lima as well, we managed to pass the time (mainly with Chris regaling horror stories involving his bowels...nice.) So by the time we arrive at the wonderfulBackpackers Family Hostel in a nice area called Miraflores, we're exhausted. Our tim...

So the saying goes 'start as you mean to go on' so we leap head first into South America and make our first stop easter Island! We paused briefly at Santiago (after a 19 hour trip from Sydney) but pretty much head straight back to the airport. Rapa Nui is one of the most islolated, populated places in the world. The only place to stay is in Hanga Roa, which is where the majority of the 3800 residents live. Then our first day is spent getting over the shock of se...