OK, so there’s part of the story that I haven’t fully explained yet. Whilst in the jungle in Iquitos (Peru) I met an Argentinean family (well Korean actually but they lived in Argentina) who were very sweet and we conversed in very broken spanglish. Seniora Kim (I have called them family Kim although I’m not exactly sure if this is correct) was so very sweet and insisted that I stay with them when I arrive in Buenos Aires. I took this initially as travellers talk and accepted the notion and we exchanged details. It wasn’t until I got an email a few days before I was due to arrive in Argentina from Snra Kim asking for my flight details that I realised how serious she was. I provided her the flight details and held my breath as I landed in Buenos Aires…

I wandered through the arrivals in Buenos Aires, not knowing if there would or wouldn’t be anyone to meet me and more importantly whether I would know what they looked like! My heart sank a little as I slowly crept through arrivals and nobody showed an ounce of enthusiasm at my arrival. Even the locals didn’t seem to be impressed to see me. Maybe they didn’t know who I was?! I jumped to the nearest cash machine to take out “some” money (although I really wasn’t too sure how much I was getting) and lurked. I lurked for five minutes, and then ten, trying to make eye contact with anyone who might be searching for a blonde “Gringo” with a bag the size of a small continent. Nothing and nothing and then suddenly “Hey, are you Matt?” My saviour had arrived.

Martin (although his name was Christian somewhat confusingly) was a few years my junior but good looking and enthusiastic with a genuine face and Korean features. He smiled and helped me with my bags to his car, apologising for being late. I was very relieved but slightly nervous at this generous hospitality and we chatted (mainly in English) as he drove me to the city centre. He explained that we would go to his parents workplace and then for some food. The family lived and worked in the Korean quarter of Buenos Aires, an area I would later think of as the underwear capital of the city. Martin was a professional golfer, recovering from a back injury. He had little interest in any other occupation and I admired him for his single mindedness.

We arrived at the family business, a letting and sales agent for commercial property. I was welcomed with the warm openness of old friends by Snr and Snra Kim and we babbled at each other in our mother tongue, gesturing as though we understood what each other were saying. Snr Kim insisted that Martin take me on a tour of the city and to lunch and there was no way I was able to resist. We set off down the road on foot and Martin knocked on one of the doors, leading into what looked like a private house. It actually turned out to be a Korean restaurant inside, though nobody else was eating and Martin ordered for us both. Nothing could have prepared me for the banquet that followed! A spread of all types of delicious Korean food, with incredible barbequed meat on a mini barbeque that was brought out to our table. I ate until I could eat no more and we started to make a move. As I withdrew my wallet and asked how much it was, Martin waved it away. “You must no pay” he told me and despite my protestations he was insistent. I was humbled by their generosity and it set the tone of my entire time with the family. They wouldn’t let me pay for anything, no toll roads, no petrol, no food, no drinks. Nothing. For a family that had just met me I was overwhelmed.

Following lunch, Martin took me on a driven tour of the city, stopping at key locations to explain the buildings and for some coffee. I checked in with the Gap tour group that I was supposed to be meeting that day to tell them that I wasn’t going to meet them until the next day and wouldn’t stay with them. No problems but there was a “team meeting” at 19:00. We explored a little more and returned for the gathering.

I walked into the “Splendid Hotel” in Buenos Aires late for the meeting and bounded upstairs to meet the group. Introductions had passed and I made my apologies and introduced myself to everyone, nervously looking around to see the people I was going to spend the next 17 days with. There was a strong mix of characters from the “chav” that sat opposite (who turned out to not be a chav, but a really nice Kiwi who was hilarious and really decent… and also my room mate for the entire trip) and the two Essex girls down the end of the table (who turned out to not be from Essex and were highly offended by my accusation. Still, we became inseparable for the trip and I hope we stay in touch back home). Then there were Americans (Jess and Mary), Canadians (Rebecca and Jeane), a slightly older and more civilised couple (Rolf and Sherry), two English girls (Katy and Cheryl) and our guide, Ale, an Afro-Brazilian woman, very sweet and confident in her abilities. So we had a quick brief of all the things we will do over the coming weeks and went our separate ways.

Back in Martin’s car, the trip continued as we saw a few more sights and headed back towards Korean town. We stopped short and pulled into a restaurant where I realised that his family was waiting for me. They had assembled the family; Snra and snr Kim, Martin, his sister and cousin for a steak dinner. I was still full from the enormous lunch but had no intention of offending their incredible hospitality or missing out on my first Argentinean steak, something that that country is famed for! We ate, talked and drunk for a while, in Spanish and English before finishing dinner and heading back to their apartment. I had picked up already that Snr Kim was a successful businessman and his car displayed the symptoms of a well to-do family.

Family Kim’s apartment was lovely, very large and undergoing redevelopment. It had good views of the city and traditional Korean decor. I was handed slippers on arrival and swapped my shoes for the customary footwear. Snr Kim showed me his pictures of his old boxing career, where he trained for the Olympics and fought in impressive locations, he was obviously a successful fighter as well as businessman! We sampled some Ginseng liqueur (sort of like liquid dynamite) and all assembled for a cup of Ginseng Tea before bed. I had very kindly been granted Martin’s room (they insisted) and the use of his computer for email. I rolled into bed, still in awe at the generosity I had been granted and fell asleep in the most comfortable bed I’d slept in for an weeks!

I rolled out of LOKI and into the cab at about half five, six o’clock, feeling a little bit worse for wear but generally OK.

I arrived early for the flight so stopped into the VIP lounge after convincing them to drop the $50 entry fee for an all you can eat breakfast and more importantly free wireless internet. It gave me a chance to catch up with email and remind my “old world” I was still alive! The staff were nice and polite and the breakfast was good (shame I wasn’t that hungry). The very polite waiter was keen to practice his English and tried to chat a little longer than was helpful for me but I didn’t mind, it was nice to be of use.

I dozed the flight to Lima and stumbled off the plane, overjoyed to see my sister waiting for me at the fninish line. I had made the first part of my travels unscathed and was so happy to see Gemma (and my neice Emily) again. Even better than that, Gem had cheked us into the (extravagant and very posh) airport Ramada hotel. I jumped straight into the shower and was resident there for the next 30 minutes, washing myself repeatedly and stealing shampoo for the next leg of my travels.

Gem and I then hit the shops with a vengance (well Gemma did anyway!) We roamed around the city centre and I was actually pretty happy to enjoy certain Westernisations, particularly the mall food court and very nice underwear shops. Not so pleasant were the fights to get tables in the food court or the (far too) loud traditional music that was present for the dancers that were doing their display on center stage in the food court.

In a fit of madness, Gem went all out to spoil me, something that I really appreciated. She took me to a beautiful seafood restaurant on a pier that extended into the sea. For a while we could watch the surfers thrashing about in the freezing waves (with a certain amount of reserved envy!) but the real focus was on the food. It far surpased any seafood that I had had before, and the set menu we both opted for was a smorgesboard of fine cuisine, each plate having four or five tasters of incredible delicacies, ranging from smoked Octopus to mini fish pies. By the end I was full but completely blown away by the food…and we all know how I feel about food!

After a brief argument with a cab driver we took a taxi back to our (very nice) hotel room and I repacked my gear, throwing out what I could and sending as much as I could back with Gemma for her to take on to England. It wasn’t as much as I hoped I was going to get rid of and as before, I struggled to lift my pack onto my shoulders. After packing, with Gemma heading to bed and Emily firmly asleep I snuck back into the airport terminal to find the Starbucks. I sat down to type a brief message and at the same time stumbled across two English girls (Lara and Anna), fresh off the plane and new to Peru. We chatted for ages, unfortunately for them they had had a nightmare journy and were onward bound for Cusco to carry out their medical placement. Lara reminded me exactly of Lauren by feature and a little by character too. I wished them the best of luck and recommended that they go to Arequipa, a town that had stolen my heart a week or so earlier. I think they must have made it there as photos appeared later online of their adventures.

I headed back to the room to my slumbering room mates and caught 4 hours sleep before heading back to the terminal, Argentina bound!

Woke and had breakfast with the rest of the group in the ho(s)tel pretty early (about 5AMish). The basic process is that you get a very early bus up to Machu Pichu so that you can see sun rise and get some good photos before the crowds arrive. We duly followed this process and caught one of the buses that takes you on the 20 or so minute ride up the side of the suprisingly tall hill, following switchbacks all the way (the method a zigzaggaing the road so that the incline in shallower.

I wont labour on the brilliance of Machu Pichu, it has to be seen to be experienced. There are countless photo books, accounts and explanations of Machu Pichu that can do a better job than me and so I wont try. The only point I would add was the Wayna Pichu climb, just to the side of Machu Pichu is well worth the effort, taking an hour or two, the views from the top are breathtaking (if not a little crowded). I was lucky enough to time it with lunch and able to enjoy a picnic looking out over the hills in the delightful sun. Bliss.

Instead of taking the bus back to Aguas Caliantes, I walked the descent and saved the $6. On returning, I wondered over to the hot springs back in town for a (rather dirty) chill out and short spell of R&R. The springs that  Aguas Caliantes is named after are surprisingly not worth the effort, being a tad too murky, not all that hot and rather souless. Nice to rest weary feet but not worth going out fo your way for.

The train back to Cusco was slow but comfortable and the journy was eased by chats with Holly, Abraham and Chris, three American students taking a break from the hectic parties that I happened to be sitting opposite to on the train (sorry Abraham, I called you American but now think you may be Mexican in origin? Please advse!). All three got off the train the stop before me. Oddly, if you get out the stop before Cusco and take a bus, it’s cheaper and quicker than staying on the train! Too late for me because my ticket was booked and my lift was waiting but the guys were really nice so we agreed to meet up at 10 or 11 that night to have a drink down by the Plaza in Cusco.

Later that night I met Abraham and then the rest of their “Inca Trail” group to have some drinks (AKA “get blasted”), ending up in a club called “Mythology” -  Just for Gods! I had a great time watching Helene (a French girl from the group) pole dancing the night away and generally, the whole night turned out to be a pretty crazy experience, especially after she had been comatosed on the table just 30 minutes earlier!

I rolled back into LOKI hostel at 4AM after some late night chicken and chips but the party there had finished. Not wanting to sleep, I broke into the locked “Internet Lounge” only to be kicked straight back out a minute later by the security gaurd. I stumbled back to the the hostel room for an hours sleep, packed my stuff and headed out to get an early cab!

Affter much fighting and arguing, I gave in to my alarm. We had fallen out over the timing of it all and some harsh things were said that I don’t think either of us meant but as with everything in life, there are winners and losers. I came in second place on this one, besides, bunk bed’s arn’t my favourite flavour, especialy if i were to feel the wrath of the other ten dormitory inhabitants that I was waking up.

I think I had mentioned before that I didn’t have much faith in the company that I had booked to take me to Machu Pichu – SAS Travel. They had suffered a few pretty bad reports over the net and they caertainly hadn’t been much help when it came to booking the experience (unless it involved questions of how to pay them the money!) To this end, I was dubuious as to whether I would even get oicked up from the hostel as promised, and if that failing, the wheels would come off this leg of my travels as I hadn’t time or money to sort anything else out for getting to Machu Pichu.

Twenty minutes later than arranged, a sleepy looking Peruvian pitched up, looked at me (and another chap who had joined me on the steps outside the hostel). “Mattiu”? He asked. I was set

As it turned out, it wasn’t going to be a very “guided” tour. Ten minutes after hoping into a mini bus I was booted out at the station with a train ticket in my hand and a package for a man named “Julio” who I would meet on the other end! Great, now not only was I slightly clueless about where I was going, I was now smuggling packages to other Peruvians through the rail network and all before 9 O’clock in the morning! Slightly more worrying was the revelation that there were ahalf a dozen stops and I hadn’t been told at which one to get off. Being the relatively laid back traveler that I have become, i lay back into my seat, closed my eyes and assumed it was the last stop on the trip. It was.

As the train finally pulles into Aguas Caliantes , I was met by Julio (and hundreds of others offering accomodation) and led through a bustling flea market to the (very nice) hostel. I had heard previously that there was quite a decent treck up a local hill that I could do in around four hours and, seeing as I had about that before nightfall I promptly checked in and went looking for a map.

I found a local tourist info shop and they pointed me towards “Al Putokosi” hill/mountain which was supposed to be a 4 hour round trip so I strapped on the heart rate monitor (techno climber that I am!) and went for it. After an exhausting climb of steep paths, ladders of over a hundred rungs (don’t look down!) and the odd hairy moment, I made it up in 57 minutes and was stoked! The view was something i had definitely not expected. All throughout the ascent, there are great views of Aguas Caliantes (the local town), but as you rounded the very final tip of the ascent, you are rewarded with absolutely breathtaking views of Machu Pichu, my first glimpse of the ancient citadel. I marvelled in in shocked silence and then swapped photos with a local family who had also made it up (oddly they wanted me in their photo!?).

A few minutes after my superhuman speed ascent of Al Putokosi, a random Canadian girl came flying up the hill and bounded up next to me to chat. Being prund of my acheivement I boasted about doing it in 57 minutes., She checked her watch and smiled as she told me she started 47 minutes ago. I swallowed my pride as I looked at her (black with dirt) feet to see she was wearing crocs (rubber like flip flops). Turned out she was a really really sweet girl and we had loads to chat about. I named her Jane (after Tarzan’s wife) but her name was Christina. She reminded me of Kat but her story is quite crazy. Turns out that she had been walking around the jungle for 14 days when she found the “random town” (Aguas Calliantes) staying under the stars or in a hostel or two. She was definitely in need of a shower! We enjoyed the view for a while more and headed back down to the town. We had lots to talk about, she was definitely a girl of nature, prefering to eat herbs and fruits that she found than the usual processed diet that we put ourselves through. We got down to the town before dark and went for a fruit shake in the local market. The shakes they make are pretty incredible, blending up buckets of fruit into a rich shake and then diluting it a little with freshly squezzed orange juice. You can literally feel yourself getting your 5-a-day as you drink it!

Possibly out of pity, possibly out of friendship I gave her the use of my hotel room’s (undeniably good) shower and Jane managed to remove most of the dirt from her legs! I was really sorry to see her go as it was exactly what I needed, a sweet, honest, genuine person as a “fleeting friend” to restore my faith in traveling. It reminded me that some “friends” are in your life for a blink of an eye, some for a while longer and some for life. I was just happy to have experienced a few hours of fun and good chat and hear someone else’s view on the world.

(pics will be added when I have a decent internet connection)!

Woke late as I didn’t have much that I wanted to get done in Puno. The town is nice enough but I wasn’t feeling it so jumped straight onto a pedal powered taxi (cycle rickshaw) and paid the measly sum of 1 Sol (20p) for the 15 minute ride and spent the entire ride feeling guilty for the guy behind me pedalling with all hist might! Think I might have struck upon the cheapest way to travel short distances!

The bus station is smaller than Arequipa of course but there was a bus to take me where I wanted to go, for how much I wanted to pay (not very much of course!) and bingo, it left at 11:30 (with the ‘5 hour’ trip to Cuzco, that would get me into town in time to explore). As it turns out, that 5 hour trip rapidly turned into 7.5 hours and I was starving by the time I pulled in!

Still I had a couple of hours to blow before the bus left town so I popped back into the centre for some food and to watch a parade (seems to be at least one parade every day in Peru)! Got back to the station in time for the bus (which left smack on time this time round – go figure!) and settled in for another bumpy journey.

Made it to Cusco and had the usual fights with the cabbies. Turns out I only had 3 Soles in my pocket and I wasn’t going to/couldn’t break a note, so the bartering was for real. The main guys wanted 10, I walked past. Outside, the cheapest I could find was 5 so asked him to take me as close as possible and I would walk the rest. Due to a breakdown in communications, he took me all the way and wanted the 5. We compromised as I gave him 3 Soles and a Dollar! I had arrived at LOKI.

I had been warned that LOKI was a bit of a party house ad so was expecting something different to the usual sort of place I had been staying (see ‘Sammy’s’ in Lima). Whatever I had been expecting couldn’t prepare me for what happened when I arrived! The ‘hostel’ is like a club/bar/frat house/oasis of English speaking backpackers sharing stories, catching up on web and chilling over a beer. It was definitely more expensive than usual (but then it is Cusco ayway) and I was in a dorm of 14 people but the vibe was incredible. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I was ready for it and shrunk back for a bit, but had some beers and chucked my stuff in the dorm and headed out. I wanted to catch up with Nicole, Corrine’s sister who has a (very nice) restaurant in the centre. I found it in the end, it was really lovely but as Nicole wasn’t there and I couldn’t afford the meals to be there by myself I took a pass and headed to a Chifa (Chinese) for a cheap slap up meal and resolved to come try and find her on my return to Cusco.

Headed back to LOKI where the party was in full swing. Fearing for my sanity if I missed my 5AM start (and train to Aguas Calliantes) I didn’t have a late one and headed for the bunk before midnight. I definitely enjoyed the remainder of the dorm coming in pissed at times between 1AM and 3AM with lights on and off giving us our own private disco. Didn’t feel nearly as guilty when my horrid alarm went off at 5AM…and 5:15AM… and 5:30…

(pics will be added when I have a decent internet connection)!

Yet another early start (05:30) but was relieved to find out that the shower had hot water this time (although they had cleverly disguised the hot water with a blue tap and the cold water with a red tap. Wonder if that’s something to do with being south of the equator?)

Caught my bus to Puno although I clearly still haven’t fully got into the Peruvian vibe as I rushed to get on the bus for its 07:15 departure, only to wait until 09:00 before we left and it decided to stop EVERYWHERE, turning a five or six hour trip into an eight hour gruelling battle to survive the heat.

Oddly, when I finally arrived in Puno everyone was wearing coats yet in the bus it was still roasting. I found out why when I got out of the bus to find a noticeable drop in air temperature! I was greeted by one of the (now starting to become a real annoyance) ‘hawkers’ that actually turned out to be useful! He was rep-ing for to Q’oñi Wasi Hostel which was where I was headed and so I let him fix me up a cab. Once I got to the hostel, I wasn’t overly enamoured with it and so fished around 4 or five more but settled back at Q’oñi Wasi once I had got him down to 15 Soles (3 pounds) for private room with double bed and private bathroom with hot water (kind of!)

My main reason for being in Puno was to see lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake (except it’s not according to my newly acquainted Irish friends, Ipfsh and Kate). The most interesting thing about lake Titicaca (apart from it being the border between Bolivia and Peru) is that it hosts a very interesting tribe of Peruvians who many hundreds of years ago, to escape angry Incas (I think) decided to make their own islands… except they made them float! To this day, they live on a combination of 45 floating islands, up to 5 meters thick (the lake is about 25 meters deep). Better than that, they make almost everything out of the same thing they make their islands out of the abundant ‘totora reeds’, including houses, boats and of course, their islands!

Bearing all this in mind, the first thing I did was to find boats going to one of the islands and luckily enough found a cheap one that left about 20 minutes after I checked in. I jumped straight in with a group going to floating island of Uros and was lucky enough to have a fascinating tour of one of the Islands including a lecture on how it all works and a totora reed boat ride. Photo opportunities complete with gay pose care of my new Irish (not British!) friends. Was also lucky enough to be party to a chat about travel and astrology with a Brit with the thickest Liverpudlian (sp?)accent I have ever heard!

As soon as sun goes away in Puni it gets cold. REALLY cold and so on returning to the mainland I headed into town to check out life on the Plaza. After circling for good places to eat and turning down a stack of them, went to a so-so food joint and had average food just because I was craving steak! Whilst eating, it started to strike home that there are times when a travel companion wouldn’t be a burden, but a blessing.

Fought my way home to chill out (literally!) and watch a DVD. I discovered that after all my careful haggling, I hadn’t asked for a place with heating and so froze my nuts off all night!

Well the bus got in nice and early at Arequipa and I headed straight towards the town centre (it’s easy in Peru because the town centre is almost always located at the Plaza de Armas and each town has one). Checked into a nice little hostel which supposedly had hot water 24/7. Being a bit more savvy than I used to be, I checked it before agreeing to stay and it didn’t work. Lots of protest and messing around later, they had it working and I took a room (a nice big room with two double beds for 10 Soles (2 pounds). Dumped my stuff and headed into town for a breakfast.

Took a leaf out of the Lonely Planet guide and headed straight for Sonetata. The food was pretty good, but the view out of the Plaza was mind blowing. Such an amazing way to spend a morning. I didn’t really have much I wanted to do in Arequipa, but I think so far it is my favourite town. It’s so beautiful. The architecture is sublime and although it’s a bit touristy, it’s friendly, beautiful and quite quaint. I figure that there must be a lot more to it as it’s Peru’s second biggest city by population but doesn’t seem it from the centre. It’s the sort of place I could happily spend a year or so I reckon.

As I didn’t have much to do for the day, I walked down to the Museo Santuarios Andinos to see the frozen Ice princess Juanita. It’s a very well laid out and researched museum showing some incredible, well preserved Inca artefacts that have come from the surrounding mountains and have been preserved in ice. The tour culminates in seeing the frozen ice princess herself. She is a six year old child sacrifice made to the mountain Gods after something like four or five months trekking. Quite an amazing sight. The only other serious attraction is the huge Monastery of Santa Catalina (Monasterio de Santa Catalina) but it was expensive and not really my bag. Realised also that I didn’t have time to trek to Colca Canyon so stayed in the town center.

I think the super-fast pace of thrashing around the country at such a tempo is taking its toll and so the day was the most melancholy of them all. Some mild travellers exhaustion set in but no worries as I was in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in which to kick back.

Back to the Sonetata for a quick Pisco Sour before an early night to catch my early bus to Puno.

Woke with a little bit of a lie in and had a nice breakfast on the Plaza, looking out on the morning buzzyness of the square.

Dumped key (checked out) with my hostel owner and made my way to bus station. Quickly managed to find a collective going to Nazca and hoped onboard. “When does it leave” I asked in by best Spanish. “20 minutes” came the reply. One hour later we set off down the bumpy path to Nazca to see the Nazca lines. There was a very old looking portable TV at the front of the bus showing a pirate copy of the new Indiana Jones film. Irony being that the film (although I missed most of it because it was both in Spanish and inaudible) is set in Nazca featuring the Nazca lines!

Got chatting to a doctor on the bus who was helping me with my Spanish as well as pointing out some of the lines and updating me where we were. Very friendly, maybe a little over friendly as when he patted my knee to make a point, he left it on my leg a little too long… Still he gave me his number and told me to call him if I ever got sick!

Arrived in Nazca and started haggling for flights over the lines. Being the start of high season, everyone had jacked their prices up and I couldn’t get anyone below $55USD. I figure that the reason for me going to Nazca is to see the lines and I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for a few quid so take the offer and end up in a tiny Cesna with 5 other people. The plane is tiny and most things in it don’t work (the pilot had to repeatedly slam the door to get it to shut!). The flight was stomach churningly violent as the pilot swings from one side to another, showing the figures from left to right. I actually did turn around to see the Belgium girl behind me puking into her sick bag! The lines are eerie in every way, but very impressive and definitely worth seeing from the air. Nobody quite jnows why they were made or what they represent, though the theories abound!

Made it back into Nazca town in time to have some food, internet and Pisco sour before my bus to Arequipa. My new technique of night time bus travel is this; have a really big meal and a stiff drink just before boarding the bus and you can fall asleep straight away! Unfortunately someone had stolen my window seat on the leg between Ica and Nazca. We drove for about 3 minutes and then pulled into a bus port for a 10 minute stop, at which point he got out to go to the loo. I seized my chance and jumped into the window seat, put a jumper over my head, ipod in my ears and pretended to be asleep before he came back. Haven’t yet worked out how to say “you snooze you loose” in Spanish. J

Incredibly I slept (waking only 3 or 4 times) all the way to Arequipa when we pulled in at about 06:30!

As it turns out, the hostel was bad enough that I didn’t trust the beds enough to sleep under the sheets and slept in my bag. Even then I felt nauseous putting my head on the pillow! I woke after almost no sleep thanks to the ‘Hostel’ being situated above a Salsa club with plenty of fighting, shouting and loud music. To be honest I should have gone down to join them but I was pretty tired and had a 5:30AM start. I was slightly nervous after last night the doorman had demanded ID and (being that I never let my passport out of my sight) I let him take my driving licence I was starting to wonder if I would ever see it again. As it turns out, sure enough at 5:30AM, three sleepy figures emerge from under the stairs and one hands me back my driving licence as agreed! I took a taxi to the Ormeñio bus port and took a bus to Ica. As it turns out I was the only passenger (along with a very friendly stewardess who was kind enough to attend to my every need… Including putting on a movie in English!)

Pulling up in Ica I was met by the usual hawkers that swarm to fresh visitors off a bus. I normally walk straight past them, in fact I did and went to the station reception to find the price of an onward ticket to Arequipa. Whilst in line I got talking to ‘Luis’, a Californian/Peruvian with a pretty impressive grasp of the English language who was looking to sell his sandboarding tours. The deal was, he would speak to me in English and | would reply to him in Spanglish (his English was much better than my 4 weeks of bootstrapped Castillano!). Luis helped me trawl the local bus stations and in all credit pointed me toward CIVA, who whilst I’m not expecting much from the bus, was just 35 Soles instead of the 70 that Ormeñio wanted! I booked my ticket and asked Luis about local accommodation. After a few places that ranged in price and services, I managed to find a ‘Hospedaje’ (hostel) for 10 Soles (just under £2). Shared bathroom and no hot water but it had a bed and a light (it even had a table in the room!). (I was later to find out that the one little window it had wasn’t outward facing and so when I woke at 3AM I started getting up because I thought it was morning. Turns out it was just the corridor lights that are left on all night!)

Part in thanks for his help, and part because it was a good deal I agreed to take him up on his offer of a wine & Pisco tasting, dune buggying and Sand-boarding afternoon. The whole afternoon worked out pretty cheap and helped me achieve all the things I wanted to for my stay in Ica in one fell swoop.

The first trip was ‘El Catador’ for a tour of the vineyard and explanation of the process used to make their wines and Pisco. The tour finished in a nice sample of all their wares (and of course me ending up buying some!). The taxi Luis had arranged for me (‘Alberto’ who was a very sympathetic Spanish speaker who was helping me with my words) took me back to drop off my purchases at the hostel and then off to Huacachina to meet up with Mark and Natalie (from Belgium) to jump into a crazy little sand buggy and go mad over the dunes. Huacachina is a small Oasis about 5km from Ica which is more of a resort than a town and is inhabited almost completely by long haired teenagers sporting T-shirts about how to stop Animal testing and exhibiting almost superhuman Sand-boarding abilities. I had to (literally) hold onto my hat as we hacked over incredible dunes at up to 70mph in an open buggy with exposed engine at the front. Pretty exciting but the kicker was the scenery. Incredible and quiet as well. Amazing to think that just two days ago I was in thick tropical rainforest!

After a while, the pilot stopped at the top of what was one of the steepest dunes I had scene and motioned towards the boards. Time to strap on and give it a go! I strapped my feet in, turned my board down the hill and promptly sh*t myself. Man that was steep and the board doesn’t control anything like a wakeboard.

They weren’t the most hi-tech pieces of equipment (though I’m not making excuses) but I managed to start making some serious speed, only to follow it by landing square on my ass. Man does sand hurt when you hit it fast! My first thought was how much sympathy I had for Sam when she smashed her bum bone on our couch as boy did this hurt! Still, I picked myself up again for round two!

In the end I spent about 3 hours on the dunes, boarding with Isrealies (there’s hundreds in Peru), French, Brits, Americans and anyone else game for a laugh. We had an amazing time and had to go back at night fall. Turns out that driving in the dark in these buggies is even more scary (for some reason they drive faster when they can’t see where they’re going!)

Made it back to the Hostel for a (very cold) shower, to find that I had sand in every nook and cranny possible. 2 days later I was still washing sand out of my ears and I think the sand in my trekking shoes will be with me until they finally get binned!

Took dinner in a nice restaurant just off the Plaza de Armas. I gave ‘Caldo de Gallina’ a bash… not that impressed really. It’s like a pottage of hen with no ingredients that I was keen on. They served a very fine Café Pasado though and with that I made it back to the hostel to prepare for Nazca.

After the mind blowing couple of days in the jungle, it was back to the real world and back on the road (or in the air to be exact). Rising at a reasonable time, I remember that breakfast is included. Nothing special, the usual ‘Huegos’ (eggs, in this case fried) and lots of the tiny bread rolls that are ubiquitous here.

Tyson arrived bang on queue to take me to the airport where things were running fairly late due to some rain at another airport. Did the usual waiting type activities (eat, phone home and generally people watch before we get to go through to the departure lounge (a room with doors out onto the apron. No ‘airlocks’ here of course!) Notice another Gringo coming through with a red passport and presume by her blonde hair and slightly nervous look that she is a Brit and we get chatting. Turns out Jo is a vet from the UK and has been 4 months in Peru working on a program of neutering cats and dogs. We’ve shared some pretty similar experiences (albeit mine less so due to the fact I’ve only been in the country less than a month, though a very packed few weeks so far!)

Sleep most of the flight (it’s only about an hour and a bit, including a stop a Pucallpa ) and arrive at Lima and remember just how different it is to the rest of Peru. Taking advice from the Lonely Plant guide I pass straight past the official taxis at the airport who want 40 Soles into the center of town. Jo decided that things had gone without hitch so far for her time in Peru and she didn’t want to push her luck! Right outside the airport someone offers me a taxi for 30 Soles and later another offer at 15! Feeling bold I reckon I can better it and fight my way to the Collectivo area. Manage to get help from a Peruvian (who spoke no English at all!) and get on a Collectivo which does eventually take me right to my destination, costing me just S/. 1.50! (about 30pence). Feel proud of myself with the saving and better still, have some good banter with those on board the bus, one elder lady even forcing me to take her address and number with the offer of a free place to stay that evening. I am overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of the locals as they all help me to my destination offering me advice and places to stay.

Book my ticket out of Lima (a bus to Ica that doesn’t leave until tomorrow) and go on an adventure with an entirely mad taxi driver. We fight and bicker and laugh as I look for cheap hostels but run out of time as I said I would try and meet Jo at her hotel at 5pm. He takes me there (after stopping for directions and almost killing a few people, us included) and fortunately Jo is around, and has just met up with Kayla (SP?), a young girl from Virginia who seems a bit overwhelmed with having just arrived in Peru with no friends and no clue of what it’s like out here. Hats off to her though, she speaks Spanish brilliantly!

We all go for an wander around the city, including the incredible Plaza de Armas. Have a nice dinner just off the Plaza and introduce Kayla to the customs and things to watch out for in Peru. Think she will love it here when she gets stuck in but she’s rather overwhelmed with the experience so far. After dinner I go hunting for cheap hostels. No luck for a while until I finally find a nice cheap one (though he wouldn’t haggle). I relent to his 20 Soles price but don’t have it in change, so reach for a 100 Sole note. The landlord takes it, then hits the roof, screaming for us to get out! I manage to work out that he things it’s a fake (I later find out that it is) but have no time to protest my innocence as he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it! Literally pushing us down the stairs he kicks us out. We head back to the hotel (poor Kayla is quaking in her boots) and I head off for another search but find nothing. After a while longer I find a place at ‘Sammys’ at 35 Soles in central Lima. There’s no loo seat or hot water, but it does come complete with blood on the floor, neon in the window etc. Awesome! I go back to Jo’s (very nice, very expensive!) hotel and pick up my bags. We head out for a couple of (not very quiet) beers and head our own ways…. I try to sleep…