Cusco!! So this should be a biggy on my year calendar of destinations as it lays down the gateway to a few major hotspots on my "to-do" list.. Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain. Many people had raved about Cusco, both natives and tourists so I was keen to see what all the hype was about. Arriving on the overnight bus at the ridiculous hour of 5.00am on Monday morning, Ria and I checked in to the El Tuco hostel in the Santiago district, 15 minutes walk from the...

Copacabana was our next stop, not the famous Brazilian beach, but the Bolivian town which borders with Peru and sits on the verge of Lake Titicaca.. one of South America's largest lakes and the highest navigable body of water in the world at over 3800m. It is also said to be the birthplace of the Incas and is home to many ruins. Reaching Copacabana was slightly indifferent.. the bus had to cross over the first part of the lake on a makeshift raft while we hoppe...

It was very early on Sunday morning when we arrived in La Paz and the capital was already brimming with energy.. probably the calmest it was ever going to be throughout our visit. It was still dark so it was hard to get our bearings and get an early feel for our surroundings. We took a cab up a ridiculously steep road to our hostel in the Sopocachi district where we had to wake the night staff to let us in. After a few hours of waiting around we checked in and ...

The dreadful sound of alarm ringing in my ear at 2.00am came as bit of a shock, but hey, on the bright side we were off to Bolivia. With no taxis in San Pedro it was a 15 minute trek with our backpacks to the bus terminal through dust and darkness, only the amazing stars shining bright. A dozen people were already awaiting the 3.00am to Uyuni, two of those being a sound northern couple called Connor and Nicola from the Wirral. Somehow a Korean couple had been l...

It was Thursday evening when I left the Atacama desert for La Serena. The 15 hour overnight bus took me south down the west coast of Chile to the city known for its beautiful beaches. I'd arranged to meet up with Ria again after she decided to come back out to South America. It had been 3 weeks since she left for home after we had an awesome time together in Brazil and Argentina, so I was looking forward to catching up with her again. For the next 6 weeks we'll...