Last day of our long holiday today. 59 days, 20 countries and 592,830 steps later we have certainly ticked off some big ticket bucket list items. But, one of the main outcomes of the trip has been an even greater appreciation for good old Australia!After our 14 hour flight we arrived in Sydney around 6:00 pm on the 4th August. When we finally got through immirgration and out to the car park we both ran towards Brianna for a big hug. We both missed her while we we...

We left our apartment and walked around the lovely park surrounding St Lucia Hill before we stumbled on the start of a demonstration march. We stopped for a sticky beak and eventually worked out that it was a bunch of nurses protesting before we continued on our journey and arrived at the base of Cerro San Cristobal (880 metres high). When we started out at 10:00 am it was 5 degrees and by 12:30 it was 22 degrees.We travelled up the hill in a funicular and then s...

We arrived at Jorge Chavez International Airport at 6:30 am. We noticed during our various taxi rides in Peru that there is no chance anyone will let you in if you try to change lanes. It is a game of chicken where there is very little between each car. I had to close my eyes many a time.We had two hours before our plane left for Santiago and we needed 1 hour and 45 minutes of it to drop off our bags, go through security and get to our gate! No breakfast for us.A...

This morning we walked around the plaza in the bracing morning air. It was Sunday and a group marched along, drums banging and flags flying, into the Cathedral.We travelled from the airport back across the Andes to Lima before arriving on the coast at Miraflores. We were too early to check in, but they gave us an upgrade to a "junior suite" and we checked in. Woo hoo! That never happens. This area is such a contrast to the places in Peru we have visited so far. I...

As the Peruvians also get a free visit to Machu Picchu today and we have to get the train at 2:30 pm we decided not to risk going back up the mountain this morning but to explore the little village of Aguas Calientes (hot water in Spanish) instead.Breakfast was included with our room so we sat in the restaurant enjoying the views of the river and the mountains out one window and the train trundling past out the other.After checking out of the hotel we wandered do...