Hi folks. Time for a bit of housekeeping. Please sign the petition to save the important fire station behind our house in Hackney. There are plans to close it which would result in the closure of another important public service and someone putting a monstrous hotel or something else there. Thanks. Please follow this link: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-kingsland-fire-station/

Here is THE NEWS from Huaraz, Peru Tour of ancient city of Chavin conducted almost entirely in Spanish. No meaningful facts obtained by non-native Spanish speakers. Classifieds: Aspiring rapist hailing from Nebraska requires trekking buddy for world famous 4 day hike. Corners distressed blonde gringa in Huaraz supermarket tinned foodstuffs aisle. "C'mon I got my own tent and everything". Group of mixed nationals on organised trek fails to gel resulting in 3 em...

Huacachina The two main attractions of the desert oasis town of Huacachina, Peru are: 1. Visit to a pisco distillery /winery. 2. Dune buggy/sand boarding sunset trip Nick was feeling under the weather and believed he had visited enough wineries in Argentina and South Africa, so he wanted to stay at the hotel while I ventured out on my own. I didn't fancy that idea so after some persuading (nagging), I convinced him to come on the 11am bodega tour. At the fi...

Compass Points NZCA/LINES, Peru There has been endless academic debate and discussion on the subject of the enigmatic lines in the Nazca and Pampa regions of Southern Peru. Maria Reich is the German anthropologist mathematician credited with having done the most to forward the thinking on the subject and to bring the mysterious petroglyphs to the world's attention. After a lifetime's work she came to the conclusion that the Nazca people created them from 500 to ...

Terror at the Terrapuerto Arequipa bus terminal, Peru We are sat in the new bus terminal - the oddly named Terrapuerto (Earthstation?) listening to the elevator music. Now we have a pan pipe lounge version of Hotel California. This is then followed by an equally Andes-ed up version of the Lennon classic Imagine. We are waiting for a bus to Cabanaconde on the cheapo Señor de Los Milagres bus service (Father of Miracles). Unfortunately it is a full 2 hours be...