Here in Lima, in darkest Peru and home of Paddington Bear. Closest sighting was a tramp with a PB book. Will keep looking. Arrived on Saturday, having heard nothing but negative reports about the place. Good in a way because it has been a real surprise. Plenty of dodgy characters around wanting to separate you from your posessions and security guards with guns on the doorway of all hotels and even the smallest of shops remind you that there are a few crims o...

Our final stop before Lima was Pisco, about 100 miles south of the capital. Bloody awful place with no redeeming features. The only reason for coming was to visit the Ballestos Islands, dubbed the poor man's Galapagos. Standard fare - a few hours on a boat to some sanctuary out at sea. Saw the usual - plenty of seals (or is it sea lions?) and birds (big and small - sorry Grandad all those bird watching lessons were wasted). The treats of the trip were the pe...

A bus journey through the night brought us to Nasca, a town situated in the desert to the west of the Andes. The town had nothing to offer until aircraft noticed strange formations on the desert floor in the 1950s. These were then investigated by some crazy German woman (saw the photos, she looks it) over a period of 50 years and have been plotted, modelled, restored slightly, preserved (although not before a tarmac highway was built through the middle of ...

We were only in Arequipa for half a day so we hurridley went around the sites. Mainly the Juanita Museum and the beautiful Santa Catalina Convent. Juanita was a young girl who was sacrificed to the Gods as part of her culture around 500AD. She was buried at the top of a mountain after having her skull brutally fractured by a heavy blow to the head. As soon as they did this, they buried her and she immediately froze as she was on a glacier. Because of this, ...

Have been in Cuzco, what was the capital of the Inca Empire, on and off for almost a week, but have left to go to the jungle and to do the Inca Trail. A truly beautiful City. Full of tourists and backpackers, but a few too many American college kids for my liking though. Still, due to the numbers, certainly plenty to keep us entertained at night. Loads to do during the day, but really only had any serious time here after the Inca Trail though. Managed to che...