Well as you may have surmised I survived 'death road' although there has been hundreds of fatalities on it in the past, you would have to be pretty special to cycle off the edge (less cars use it now), if you do however there is a cheeky 500m sheer drop to contend with and I would say barriers were in place for about 4% of it. It was cool cycling through a cloud and coming out the other side into some awesome valleys and scenery, it was also all down hill as well which was a bonus!

I would say the evening held far more risks for me personally, as I was on yet another slippery tall bar dancing like a penis, couple that with being ushered into a shady club through the side door which was later raided by the police and shut down, followed by a jaunt through Bolivia's capital at 2 in the morning with UV paint all over my shweed and I am surprised more drama didn't ensue....bloody good night though, wouldn't have changed it!

Elections and protests meant supposedly no drinking (never fear though, I found ways and means!) for a few days, they have now brought La Paz to a complete standstill, luckily I managed to join up with my tour and escape just in time!

Upon meeting the tour we went for a pleasant meal followed by a few staying out for some sociable drinks, this didn't last too long however and I found myself in a rave with only the previous groups tour leader Jared for company (he was a legend). We managed to meet up with some people I'd met at my previous hostel and this meant the night took on a whole new and messy dimension.

So after some fairly solid work on the old first impressions front, the subsequent morning took all that away, my knowledge of embarking from the hostel wouldn't hold up in court and all I had to offer the day was a lot of bananas I bought from a lucky lucky lady! This led to Neil the group leader branding me 'Gringo Loco' which translates into English in my opinion as massive bell end, he tells me it means crazy white person but I am suspicious!

The tour group I joined are all lovely, a weird and wonderful collection of people's I am slowly corrupting into my way of thinking.....ish, the bedtime is certainly being pushed back as we go and although some of their shenanigans don't quite rival mine just yet they are growing day by day! Neil is an absolute dude and I have shared many a beer with him, he has added to my repetoir of drinking games as well so I have only nice things to say about him!

The tour to date has taken me to Lake Titicaca, I bloody big puddle where we encountered a home-stay with the locals, we challenged them to a game of football, not an easy feat at altitude but I'm glad to say the spooky special of one-run-a-game is still very much in existence, luckily it ended with me swinging my ham at the ball and it sailing into the top corner (still no idea how I pulled off looking like I had some form of footballing talent!) I was a write-off after that though. The whole thing was really cool, we also visited some more of the local cultures, a floating village made of reeds, a cruise across the lake complete with me diving off the boat (it was bloody cold!), I also tried my hand at ploughing a field with two bulls as a vehicle and other such things designed for us to get an insight.

Although drinking hasn't been the theme of this tour yet, with it leaning more towards organised fun, there have been a few messy occasions, with rum being ever present on these occasions. One that stands out in my mind is Hannah's birthday, this involved the festivities starting at 5.23pm, the birthday girl doing the worm across a fairly sedate bar (still impressed with the effort, it has been captured on video!), me being less than clothed on the clubs bar (unfortunately this was also captured), me bonding with a local and gaining a new drinking companion for the night (we didn't understand each other but there was a lot of saluting and downing of beverages), a sizeable amount of free drinks and a very short love affair with a barmaid (in reality I paid her a tip for a kiss but I know there was a very real albeit fleeting romance there!)

This night led to me having all of 6 minutes to prepare for the inca trail we were about to embark on, a 4-day, 42K hike through the mountains to Macchu Picchu, not ideal preparation, which led to me forgetting to pack any trousers. This however was a blessing in disguise as new and phenomenal garments were then purchased and led to me completing the trek looking like an absolute tool, but a very memorable one!

Lots of sights were seen on route and inca facts very nearly remembered by myself, I also recall being licked by a deer, a condor having a cheeky ankle bite and a puma at one point. I think this was at an animal shelter on route but again the rum corrupted my consciousness!

The actual trail was a challenge to say the least but so so worth it. we walked for a total of around 22-23 hours over the 4 days (complete with 3am start times), mainly uphill and all at altitude, luckily I had a newly purchased Gandalf stick to guide me through it, unluckily I had a 5cm hole in the bottom of my shoe! The inca sights, mountains, lakes and general views made it all very much awesomely enjoyable though along with perfect weather throughout and we got some camping in which is always a bonus. I found it hard to moan as the porters were doing the same route as we were except they were running and had 25kg on their backs!

On the trek I encountered llamas blocking in some Asian tourists at one inca sight (bloody hilarious) a wasp v tarantula showdown, the wasp won and got the spider in a leg lock Chris Jericho would have been proud of, then moonwalked the furry little blighter up some sizeable stairs, some sketchy squat toilet experiences in the dark, a snake, a naked salute to the sun (mum I promise I will stop getting naked in public soon) complete with flashing a good 50 people (I forgot every person and their dog had a camera....oops) and Macchu Picchu which is something no photo can do justice, truly a wonder of the world.

After all was seen and done a stiff drink in celebration/to ease the aches and pains was in order, the 4 hours of train drinking games complete with dares and all sorts of shenanigans was probably excessive but I argue was necessary to continue the group bonding of the previous days.

I again write this blog festering in my pants enjoying a lie in after some absolutely awesome bits and pieces. Hope this blog finds you well and you enjoyed the read!

Luke. X