Peru to Canada

Phil had a unique birthday, being that we were in Lima, with both of our parents and nearing the end of our amazing trip in South America. Phil’s parents made him bacon for breakfast (a favourite that was rarely had on this trip) to accompany our nice complimentary continental. Then after some running around, we all headed to Centro, to show our parents Lima’s impressive Plaza de Armas, churches and government buildings. After a few hours of wondering the streets, we were once again hungry, so had a nice lunch off the main plaza and headed back to the hostel for birthday cake.
That evening my Mom and Dad headed home, and the rest of us went out for dinner and chess in the square.

The next two days, we wondered around Lima, picking up presents and last minute souvenirs. Phil and I spent some quality time sitting by the water, reminiscing about our trip and preparing ourselves for heading home. We of course enjoyed some lovely meals and Lima’s warmth, and tried to soak in as much Spanish as possible.

Then it was time to go. Very late on Monday, April 14th, the four of us headed to the airport for our night flight back to Canada. My Mom met us at the airport and the five of us had an airport snack/lunch, before Karen and Graham caught their connection to Halifax. Phil and I went to my parent’s place for five days, visited with Phil’s grandparents in Port Dover, friends and family from Stoney Creek to Toronto, and attend my Dad’s wonderful retirement party.

We then headed home on different flights, mine arriving in Halifax on the 21st, to a great welcome from Karen, Graham and Andrea at the airport; and Phil on the 22nd (after stopping in Montreal for his in-person interview), to a great family party at the Dennis’.

It is hard to believe that we are home. Although we are home prematurely, we are both very excited to be here and to start a new chapter. Our time in South America, especially our time in our Cuenca Community, has and will continue to impact us and make us better world citizens.

We are so fortunate that we were able to wonder this world so freely.
Thanks for reading and being a part of our journey.

Lima, Peru

After a quiet morning by the pool, Janet and Carlos graciously drove us to the Cruz del Sur bus terminal for our afternoon drive back to Lima. We once again were continuously entertained with loud movies, food and bingo – which we won! My card was the winner, but I made Phil call bingo and go to the back to clam the prize, they sometimes make the winner make a speech. We won a bottle of Pisco, which was a perfect prize and token of our past week!
We arrived back at El Patio Hostel in time to throw our bags town and head to the square to see the Mayors Choir perform. Before we left for Ica, a man in the choir befriended us while we were watching salsa dancers in the square and he invited us to come see his choir sing the next weekend. So here we were, watching the choir and salsa dancers in the heart of Miraflores, and getting a special welcome from the choir director, it felt like we stepped into a movie. However, our hunger did not allow us to stay for the whole show so we slipped away to get something to eat. After a lovely meal along the Plaza, we headed back to the hostel.

Huacachina, Peru

Thursday, April 10 was our last full day in ICA, so instead for starting the day off at 7, we thought we would give our amazing parents a break, and have a sleep in, and hang out by the pool kind of day. And this was how we enjoyed yet another sunny day, the ladies stayed mostly poolside with our books and beer, while the gentleman took a stroll to Ica’s Plaza de Armas for a traditional menu del dia and a hair cut (for Phil). At four o’clock, Janet and Carlos once again picked us up for our tour, this one to the oasis town of Huacachina and it’s surrounding sand dunes. We wanted to watch the sunset in the desert, but given our nerves from yesterdays airplane news, Phil and I had asked Janet to organize a more relaxing tour of the tunes. However, when we arrived in at the oasis we boarded a huge dune buggy, with an exposed engine, flip rails, and yellow sunglasses for each passenger, and we took-off over the first dune into a sea of sand, and it was then we realized we were in for a rollercoaster ride into the sunset, and practically going fast was the only way to get up and over some of the dunes we encountered. Before finding the perfect sunset spot, with a great driver, we explored the dunes, which were mesmerizing. We also stopped a few times to sand board! This sand boarding experience was a little different from the Atacama Desert, because the dunes seemed twice as high and we were encouraged to just fly down the hills on our bellies. So, Phil and I, and Karen and Graham all gave it ago, with my parents cheering us on. We flew down three hills, which progressively got bigger, while my parents took the dune buggy down, which was just as wild of a ride, in my opinion. It was all very fun, fast and hilarious, and by the time the sun was turning glorious shades of orange and pink, we were on the top of another dune that overlooked miles if dunes until they touched the sky. And there we sat, appreciating the vast world from a new perspective and a new appreciate of sand.

Although the post should end there, I do have to mention that we went back to Huacachina, traveling by night on the dunes, found a place to enjoy yet another Pisco Sour by the Oasis, and then headed back to town for an Italian dinner by the Plaza de Armas in Ica. We then headed ‘home’ for our last sleep in the middle of this amazing desert, that has treated us so well.

Nasca Lines, Nasca, Peru

Another early start today, this time to the south to fly over the famous Nasca Lines. We were picked up at 7 am and drove down the Pan-American Highway, through three valleys, by the Inca Face (a face-shaped rock that looks to the sun), and the town of Nasca. Before our flights, we were toured around a traditional ceramics studio and a traditional oro (gold) production planet. Both provided fascinating glimpses into traditional ways of life, that are still maintained today in this region. We arrived at the airport late morning, and each family took to flight over the Nasca lines in a small Cessna aircraft. The tour of the lines was about 45 minutes, which was plenty of time to see most of these amazing formations. Our pilots were great guides, and we flew amazingly low to the ground, for an even more spectacular viewing angle. Once safely back on the ground, we loaded up in the van once again and headed to a restaurant recommended by our tour guide, as the place to eat a traditional pork and corn set-lunch. This was one fabulous meal for 7 soles, not to mention my mom’s favourite meal of the trip! It was later in the day when we arrived home (our Ica hotel) from this tour, but we still managed to relax by the pool, until dinner. This was our forth day at the hotel and the staff was getting quite used to us being around, in fact, I think they even liked having us around. There were three gentlemen that ran the restaurant that took great care of us, whether we were at the tables in the restaurant, poolside or in one of the many sitting areas. So, it wasn’t that surprising that they were very happy, and I mean very happy, to see us when we arrived home after the Nasca Lines. However, at dinner, we found out why we got the overly friendly greeting. That day, only 2 hours after we left Nasca Lines, there was a terrible plane accident that claimed five tourists lives. And in the afternoon, when our friends at the hotel heard this, they immediately thought of us, as they knew we were flying that day. Finding this out, as you can imagine, was quite overwhelming. I suppose, throughout this trip Phil and I have tested our faith, from crazy bus rides to skydiving, but this was perhaps the closest call, and with our parents, in a way, under our care, it was even more of a reality check. It really reminds you how precious life is, and that it needs to appreciated everyday. And this, to me, doesn’t mean eliminating risk and staying home, but living life to the fullest, and if you are lucky enough, sharing it with those you love.

Islas Ballestas, Paracas, Peru

Today’s tour started bright and early at 7 am. We were picked up from the hotel by Janet and Carlos, our trusted guide and driver, and headed to the coast. We then jumped on a speedboat for a ride into the Pacific, for a bird watching tour. With a couple dozen other tourists, we enjoyed a fast ride to the famous Candelabra, which is an enormous candelabra permanently etched onto the side of a dune, that can only be seen from the water. No one is sure how this massive picture (similar idea to the Nasca Lines) came to be, but it is a spectacular sight, with many creation theories, which our guide colourfully described; perhaps it predates the Incas, or was a sign of a cult in the Spanish times, or an arrow pointing to the Nasca Lines so that Aliens could navigate their crafts to the lines (we liked this one)! Next, we saw a few birds gathering around the rocks at the base of the dunes, and thinking this would be similar to the rest of our bird watching boat tour, we all took lots of photos. However, we soon caught a glimpse of the famous Ballestas islands and realized we were heading to a bird watching paradise. These islands are often describe as Peru's poor“man”'s Galapagos, because of it's bird and sea lion colonies, but we was not prepared for the magnificent amount of animals that we saw. It was spectacular. There were literally millions of seabirds; flying, nesting, diving, and talking to each other. There were Boobies, three types of Cormorants, Inca Turns, Penguins, Pelicans, and Vultures, to name a few of the larger ones. And, there were sea lions, hundreds, maybe even thousands, from little babies to huge males over 15 years old. The islands themselves were also amazing and covered in guano, in some places 10 metres deep. Guano is the droppings of these large seabirds, which is mined here for fertilizers and at one time was Peru's main export. The Islands have eroded into amazing formations, with many arches and caves, which formed an incredible playground for the birds and the sea lions, particularly the pups, who were having such a good time playing with each other in the water, while the adults talked and sunbathed on the rocks. After a couple hours of touring and almost avoiding being guanoed (dad got hit), we headed back to the mainland.

It was a spectacular tour, which ended with a short stroll and a meal in the town of Paracas. Paracas is one of the towns in the Province of Ica that was affected by the earthquake in August 2007. Damage from the quake was still very visible, although the town is rebuilding and encouraging tourism once again.

We were back at our Ica hotel by 2:00, and quickly put on our suits for a swim. The rest of our day followed a similar, relaxing and enjoyable routine to yesterday. Life is good in this sunny town.

Wine and Pisco Tour in Ica

Ica is known for itss grapes, so it only seemed right to go on a wine and pisco tour on our first full day here. The landscape is quite remarkable, having small oasis towns, like Ica, surrounded by miles of sand dunes. It hardly every rains becuase it is a desert, yet they are still able to grow and export many veggies and fruits, and produce some fine wines and even finer piscos. We started early on our tour, tasting our first wine by 10:30AM. We had three fascinating tours, one at an industrial wine and pisco vineyard, and two at artisan vineyards. We were encouraged to try everything, from white, to red, to straight pisco to pisco con leche. After the tour, we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool and enjoyed a late supper at the hotel. We could feel a very enjoyable routine forming for the rest of the week; morning tours, afternoon swims and of course, lovely meals con pisco sours, wine and beer.

Ica, Peru

After one night in Lima, we travelled along the coast, approximately 400km south, to Ica, Peru. On August 15, 2007 an extremely powerful earthquake hit the region which caused incredible damage to infrastructure, much of which is still very evident. We stayed five nights at the following lovely hotel outside of Ica:

El Carmelo Hotel and Hacienda

Jr. Tenería # 125

Ayacucho, Perú

Tel. 0051-064-326028

rochipinto@elcarmelohotelhacienda.com

www.bookingbox.org/elcarmelohotelhacienda

The Cultural Capital, Cusco, Peru

After our beautiful day at Machu Picchu, we spent two more days in Cusco, enjoying this high altitude city. We spent our days wondering around the city, shopping, and of course eating and drinking (wine and pisco sours)!! Among other activities, Graham and Phil enjoyed an afternoon at the Inca Museo, the ladies enjoyed a traditional weaving museo, and we all took part in a traditional meal with musical, dancing show for our closing Cusco Banquet. At one point in the evening all the ladies were up dancing in the show, with great style, of course. We spent one more night at our Cusco Hostel, Rumi Punku, a lovely, traditional hotel, before heading back to Lima. Altogether we were in the beautiful Sacred Valley for eight wonderful days. And despite some altitude sickness and some tingling, we had a full schedule and saw many amazing sites. We were also extremely lucky to have primarily sunny days, although we are looking forward to hitting the coast and the summer weather, for our second week of adventure!

Rumi Punku, Cusco, Peru

After a very lovely and memorable visit to Machu Picchu. We all returned to Peru's cultural capital for another three nights to visit museums, explore the centre, and to relax before flying back to Lima. We stayed at the following hostal:

HOSTAL RUMI PUNKU

Choquechaca No.339

Cusco, Peru

Tel. 00 5184 221102

info@rumipunku.com

www.rumipunku.com

We're Engaged!!

Here is the happy family at Machu Picchu, and Phil and I moments after our engagement!! It has been so wonderful to have our parents here, to be a part of our engagement and to travel with us for our last couple of weeks here in Peru. That's right, the other big news is that we are coming home!! We will be in Ontario from the 15th to the 21st and then back in Nova Scotia. We both are very excited to get back and feel very fortunate to have had five months of adventure here in South America.

Phil: It certainly was a beautiful day and I was very pleased to have had both sets of parents there with us. I was quite nervous, but pleased when everything had unfolded as planned. I had bought the ring for Mary back in Buenos Aires (it was in my guitar case for nearly 2 months). I'm glad I was able to keep it a secret until then. See you when we get home.

Machu Picchu

We visited Machu Picchu on April 2nd, a day full of magic and beauty, which I will never forget. I had been looking forward to this day since arriving in South America and therefore built up the day in my head, needless to say my expectations were high. And before telling you the story, I can't help but reveal that every expectation was exceeded and more.
Karen, Graham, Phil and I decided to head to Machu Picchu for the sunrise, which meant having breakfast and catching the bus before 5:30AM. We made it to a very foggy Machu Picchu at 6:00AM, and although we did not see a sunrise, we did see the clouds lift and float over the most spectacular ruins. At 7:00AM, we headed in different directions, Karen and Graham hiked to Inkapunka, a trek towards the south, and Phil and I to Wayna Picchu, the mountain towering over Machu Picchu in the North. While on our hikes, my mom and dad arrived just as the fog cleared and hiked to the Funary for the famous view of the ruins. Phil and I hiked up for about an hour, which gave us lots of time on the top to watch Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains reveal themselves. It was most spectacular. We couldn't have asked for a better day, as far as weather was concerend. Phil, as we walked down the precarious rock steps in fact kept repeating, "it is a beautiful day," and he kept on repeating it as we met our parents, who were waiting for us at the enterance of Wayna Picchu. They all had wonderful mornings, and all six of us were thrilled to be now sharing the magic of Machu Picchu together. We sat on an ancient wall, looking at the ruins, telling our stories of the mornings activities, while Phil kept repeating¨"it is a beautiful day." And then, all of a sudden, Phil was facing us all, and announced how happy he was we were all sharing it together, and then he reached into his pocket and at the same moment knelt down infront of me, and asked me to marry him. All I could do was wrap my arms around him and say yes. So, in the middle of Machu Picchu we created quite a scene; parents crying and hugging, Phil and I embracing, groups of people around us cheering. For the rest of the day, I floated around Machu Picchu, admiring the sites and my finger. Throughout the day at the ruins and back in town, we were congradulated by strangers, who had either witnessed the event or heard of it. At around 3:00PM, we met for pizza and pisco sours to celebrate the day, and then we headed to the train for our extended four hour journey back to Cusco (the train had some power difficulties at one point, so we were delayed, but entertained by wonderful singers in our car).

Aguas Calientes, Peru

After a quick sleep in Cusco, we headed to the train station for our four hour journey on the Machu Picchu VistaDome train, which took us to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. It was a lovely, very comfortable, journey through the Sacred Valley, with dozens of beautiful picture postcard moments. We arrived in Aguas Calientes at 10:00AM, found our hostal and rooms, with views of the roaring Rio Vilcanota.

Hostal Continental

Av. Imperio de los Incas 165
Aguas Calientes, Peru

Tel. 211065

sierrandina@gmail.com

That afternoon we went to the hot springs, located just outside of town, to warm up and relax before our big day in Machu Picchu. We had an early dinner at Indio Feliz, a busy and flavourful spot. We headed to bed early, anticipating another 4:30AM wake-up call.

Pisac, Peru

Pisac is a lovely little town full of beautifully colourful Peru scenary, both in the famous market and the Andean lanscape. After a lovely breakfast on Sunday morning with Mercades, our new friend and host at Paz y Luz, we all headed into town to take part in their busy Sunday Market, which is both for tourists and local villagers, who come in from the surrounding hillsides to trade their goods. I think our Moms had the most fun, although I have to say, both Graham and Scott got right into the bargaining and fun of the it all. We, of course, picked up some amazing crafts and jewels. In the afternoon, we headed for the hills, for a trek to a famous Inca ruins. It was a beautiful day when we started, which made the steep, thin steps around the moutain’s edge doable. Once we made it to the ruins, we had little time to wonder around before the sky was taken over by dark clouds. So as we walked back, thankfully on an easier path, we experienced some rain and an amazing hail storm. The second natrual wonder for our parents, who all experienced an earthquake in the Lima airport, on their way to Cusco. Once back to the road, our faithful taxi driver, Larry, was there to quickly get us back to Paz y Luz, to dry off and warm up (we were soaked)! That evening, we headed back to town for dinner and another Pisco Sour. We have decided to take in upon ourselves to test Pisco Sours around the region, and so far this Pisac Pisco was the best bang or the buck (5 soles). The next morning we headed to Cusco to start our preperations for our big and much anticipated trip to Macchu Picchu!

Paz y Luz, Pisac, Peru

We all arrived at Paz y Luz in the morning on Saturday, March 29. All rooms had comfortable beds, a private bathroom with a skylight, and good showers. There was a glass/stone breakfast room with mountain views. We listened to the sounds of the flowing sacred river and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings for three days.

Paz y Luz

Pisac, Peru

Tel. +51-84-203204

reserve@pazyluzperu.com

www.pazyluzperu.com

Parents in Peru!

We woke early on Saturday, March 29th, both too excited to sleep and with a list of errands to do, before picking our parents up from the airport! We had an early breakfast by the fire and headed out in seperate directions to pick up train tickets, print schedules and purchase our Machu Picchu tickets, before the arrival of Karen and Graham, Susanne and Scott at 10:30AM!!! We decided to surprise them at the airport (we told them we would meet them in Pisac), and I think it is safe to say they were thrilled to see us. After many hugs, we hopped into two Pisac taxis and enjoyed an hour ride through the Sacred Valley to our Pisac retreat, Paz y Luz B&B.

Los Niños Hotels in Cusco

Our second night in Cusco was spent in a very special/interesting hotel. Jolanda van den Berg, from the Netherlands, is the founder of Niños Hotels. Both Niños Hotels are in Cusco, Peru. The profits from the hotels are used to give 500 extremely neglected children from Cusco a hot meal on a daily basis, a warm shower, medical and dental assitance, homework and sports lessons.

The Niños Hotels offer two-star service and are situated within walking distance of the Plaza de Armas. They are established in wholly renovated old buildings of about 300 and 150 years respectively. The Niños Hotels each have a large sunny patio and breakfast and lunch room where homemade bread is served.

Niños Hotel

Calle Meloc 442

Cusco, Peru

Tel. 084 231424

ninoshotel@terr.com.pe

www.ninoshotel.com

Cusco, Peru

We arrived safely in Cusco, Peru at 11:30PM on March 27, after another bizare bus trip. We had arranged transportation through our hotel in Copacabana (La Cupula). From Copacabana to Cusco it takes approximately 12 hours by bus and our ticket was US$15 in total. We switched buses three times (all different companies). From Copacabana to Puno it took 2 hours by bus; this portion costed US$11. The remaining portion to Cusco took 10 hours and costed US$4. Makes sense eh? To make a long story short, our hotel ripped us off! Advice: don't let travel agents or bus companies book long legs of travel for you that involve switching buslines, they will almost always over-charge. Upon arriving in Cusco, we stayed at the following hostal for one night:

Hostal Familiar

Calle Saphy 661
Cusco, Peru

Tel. 239353

Isla de la Sol, Bolivia

We arrived on the north side of Isla de la Sol early on Wedensday, March 26th, after a two hour boat ride from Copacabana. This Island and Lake Titicaca are central to Inca spirituality and history, as it is believed that the sun and moon rose from the water and was the birth place of all creation. We started off on a guided trek on an ancient Inca road, which ended at a beautiful and remote Inca ruin. Here we learned of the Inca creation story, which was decribed by our guide, who used the amazing rock formations and landscapes as visual aids. Now on our own, we enjoyed a little picnic in the ruins and hiked to the south end of the island. This was a spectacular trek that followed the top terraces of the slopping hills down to the water. After about three hours we arrived in Yumani. Here we found a hostel for the night, and an amazing restuarant to watch the sunset on their terrece (with thier llama), while playing cribbage and drinking a cold Bolivian Pilsener. After the sun went down we went into the restaurant for a lovely candle light dinner (they did not have electricity). Around 9 we found our way back to our hostel in the dark, we went to bed in this quiet town. Since we watched the sunset on the Island of the Sun, we thought we should watch the sunrise, which was a brilliant display of colours over the Andes. While we sat quietly watching, we also witnessed the morning ritual, of some of the town’s people, which is walking down the steep hill with two to six donkeys and dozens of water jugs, to then fill them , strap them to either side of the donkey and assend the hill, providing water for the enter town.
We visited another Inca ruin that morning, after arranging to be picked up by the small ferry boat at 10:30. We arrived back in Copacabana in time to catch our bus to Cusco. Before jumping on our bus, however, we ran into our family friends from Edmonton, the McPhee’s! Jennifer and Rob were heading south, so we only had time for a quick chat, in the middle of bus loading confussion, but it was wonderful to see familar faces!

Isla de la Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

We spent Wednesday, March 26 on Isla de la Sol, which is was a sacred ceremonial site for the Incas. We stayed at the following hostal facing the snow-capped Andes.

HOTEL IMPERIO DEL SOL

At ease in Copacabana

We spent three days in Copacabana relaxing along the shores of Lake Titicaca. During the first afternoon, we sat in hammocks, read our books, gazed down at the town from the hillside, and I chewed a few coca leaves to numb my mouth. The following day, was spent wondering and sitting along the hillside, watching the sun move closer towards the horizon, and speaking to one another about the highlights of the trip. Our last two nights at the hotel were spent in a private cabin; we had our own living room and kitchenette where we drank wine and watched the sunset. Late in the afternoon, on our third day, we rented a sailboat and let the wind take us around the bay for a couple hours with a local kid from the village. Throughout our stay here, we enjoyed the sounds of drums echoeing in the valley below to commemorate La Dia del Mar. We slept well and enjoyed the sun. It was very beautiful in Copacabana.

Copacabana, Bolivia

We arrived in Copacabana early in the afternoon on Sunday, March 23 just in time for Semana Santa (Easter weekend) as well as Dia del Mar (Day of the Sea - where Bolivia remembers the day they became landlocked, losing their piece of coastline to Chile). We are staying at the following beautiful hotel up on the hillside:

HOTEL LA CÚPULA

Calle Michel Pérez 1-3

Copacabana, Bolivia

Tel. 00591-2-2862-2029

bolivia@hotlecupula.com

www.hotelcupula.com

Valle de la Luna, Bolivia

After a beautiful journey from the desert, through mountain passes full of a alpacas, llamas, sheep, lagoons full of flamigos, ducks, and lake birds, we were back in La Paz. We were very happy to be back for a few days. It is a fasinating city, which in many ways feels like the heart of South Amercian culture. On March 22, we ventured out of the city’s constant activity, for a day trip to the Valle de la Luna. This is an amazing cluster of eroded canyons and pinnacles (know as badlands). We wondered around this area for most of the day, admiring the views and formations of these natural structures. That evening, we hit the markets once again, enjoyed another Easter Parade (we have seen many in the last two days, yesterday's being very somber), and found a place for some Lake Titicaca Kingfish for dinner. That night while we settled in, we were startled out of bed by loud firework explosions, so we got up and enjoyed the incredible display right outside of our window. They really know how to do fireworks in La Paz (and Cuenca, of course)!

Return to La Paz, Bolivia

We returned to La Paz on Thursday, March 20 from the Atacama desert in Chile. The difference between Chile (& Argentina) compared to Bolivia is very striking. We noticed very apparent changes in living standards. Chile is comparible to Canada in the 1970s when anything seemed possible, and Bolivia more raw, primitive, poor, and far more hectic. It was an interesting eye-opener. We returned to the following hostel for three (3) nights:

Casa de Huespedes
ARTHY'S
Guesthouse
Av. Montes No. 693
Tel. (591-2) 2281439
arthyshouse@gmail.com
http://arthyshouse.tripod.com

Salar de Atacama & Valle de la Muerte

After another night bus, we landed in San Perdro de Atacama on March 17 at 2:00PM. Once we settled into this very hot, touristy town in the middle of the Atacama Desert, we walked around looking for food and tour information. Being a tourist hotspot in Chile, things are expensive, but Phil has refined his bargaining techniques and was able to get us a great deal on an afternoon/evening tour for the next day. After this, and now a pleasantly cool evening, we enjoyed live Chilean music while drinking Pisco Sours in a local bar. The next day we wondered around town, enjoyed the local museum, that tells the story of the people of this area from 11,000 years ago until the Spanish invasion, and set out on our tour at 4:00PM. It is hard to describe the landscape that we saw in the Salar de Atacama region, just south of the town. Our first stop was at the Lagunas Cejas y Tebenquiche, which are incredible salty lakes. We went for the most buoyant swim I have ever experience, it was near impossible to submerge your body in the water. After walking around the other lakes, we rinsed off in small natural pool, with less salt, where we were allowed to dive from the banks because of its depth. Next stop, an amazing salt reserve and lagoon, with flamingos and plovers. Here, we watched the sunset, while sipping, once again, Pisco Sours. It was a brilliant day, filled with sites I have never seen before.

The next day in San Pedro de Atacama, we rented sandboards and bikes, and road to the Valle de la Muerte (Valley of Death) to try out this sport on spectacular sand dunes, surrounded by pre-historic rock formations and a view of the Andes. We joined about eight others who were already there. We climbed up to the top, waxed the boards, and headed straight down (after a few tumbles). The advice we received from other boarders, was to just go straight, that you can’t turn like you would on snow, and just have to trust that you will slow down once you reach the bottom. This was easier said then done, as my instinct was to try to slow myself using the edge of the board, which resulted in large spills. Thankfully my landings were always soft, the benefit of sand! The best exercise was climbing back up the sand dune to give it another try, and try we did. Feeling like we got the hang of this sandy sport, we decided to get out of the heat around 2:00PM, and to ride to a nearby pool, fed by a natural hot-spring (which wasn’t hot, thankfully), on the other side of San Pedro. After a great swim and de-sanding, we headed back to town for a cold beer and a quick dinner, before jumping on a bus, once again for a night ride, to Arica, Chile.

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

We are currently in the oases town of San Pedro de Atacama (in the middle of the driest desert on earth). There are dusty streets, wonderful landscapes, and it is incredibly quiet. We have spent two nights in the following hostel:

CAMINO DEL INCA

HABITACIONES Y CABAÑAS

Calle Licancabur 246

San Pedro de Atacama, II Region, Chile

Tel. 055-851157, 09-97837556

jfgarciavengas@gmail.com

Enjoying La Serena

We finally hit the beach again, the Pacific ocean, in La Serena. We left on a night bus from Santiago and arrived at 6:00AM. We had a morning nap (night buses are efficient, but the sleep isn’t always satisfying), wondered around this beach town, walked along their miles of white sandy beach and booked a star gazing tour at Observatorio Comunal Cerro Mamalluca, about 2 hours away. We are a little sceptical of tours, but this area of Chile is the best place to observe stars in the world, so we took the chance and jumped on the toursit bus around 7:00. At 8:30 and in the dark, we arrived at a small building holding a large telescope. We joined the English tour and learned an emense amount about the sky, specifically the southern hemisphere and the planets. We saw the moon through the telecscope, mars, satarn, clusters of stars that the naked eye sees as one star, the milky way, a galaxy, all companied by interesting facts and stories from our guide, who was extremely passionate about the night sky. We found out about a great website (http://www.starrynight.com/) that allows you to observe the stars and planets at different times of the year and in different locations. We spent the next day on the beach, and sipped wine (another specialty of Chile). Neadless to say, we enjoyed La Serena.

La Serena, Chile

We arrived in the town of La Serena early on Saturday, March 15 (6:00AM). We organized a room at a small family hostel. The mother of the house is a cobler and suposedly makes Chile's cutest shoes. When we arrived, the hostel was full and we ended up staying in the son's apartment; it worked out really well. (unfortunately, we didn't visit the shoe-maker).

Maria's Casa

Las Rojas 18

La Serena, Chile

Tel. (051) 229282

wini1818@hotmail.com

www.hotelmariacasa.cl

Exploring Santiago

We spent two full days in Santiago after arriving from Córdoba. We were pleasantly surprised when we got there. Many people during our travels had mentioned that they weren't particularly impressed by the city itself, but we thought that the streets were clean and safe, and both of us were taken by some of the architecture. During our first day there, we visited a beautiful park downtown called Cerro Santa Lucia & Jardín Japonés. The entrance is a neoclassical archway, and a hike up the staircase to its summit presents a lovely view of the city. The park itself has many stairs and gardens, and we could have easily spent more time there sitting and relaxing. We wandered the streets, visited the main square, and watched the many Chileanos engaged in their regular routines. For dinner, we ate at a small hamburger diner and afterwards sampled various locally brewed beers at a small bar and played some chess. The next day, we passed through the Centro Artesanal Santa Lucia (outdoor craft stalls) and I ended up buying another instrument (surprise surprise). This instrument is called a kalimba (African influence) and it is classified as a percussion/rhythm instrument. It makes lovely sounds and is a perfect campanion for my guitar and quena. After the market, we visited an excellent museum called Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino that chronicles 4500 years of of pre-Colombian civilization throughout the Americas with ceramics, textiles, and Chinchorro mummies (which predate their Egyptian counterparts by thousands of years). Shortly afterwards we walked to the Parque Metropoliano which overlooks the entire city (very impressive, and very smoggy). We took a cable car up the hill and a gondala down (I didn't feel as afraid of heights - must have been the skydiving). We had dinner and went to the bus station to catch our night bus to La Serena.

Santiago, Chile

We arrived in Santiago early in the afternoon on Thursday, March 13. We carried our bags to the nearest metro station and made our way to the following hostel, where we spent one night. We are heading north to La Serena later this evening (Friday, March 14).

EcoHostel CHILE

General Jofré 349

Santiago, Chile
Tel. (56 2) 222 68 33

Mobile: 08 - 901 70 30

info@ecohostel.cl

www.ecohostel.cl

Paracaidismo in Cordoba Province

I have always wanted to sore, like large birds flying across the sky, which is why I went skydiving. And Phil wanted to defy his aerophobia (terrible fear of heights), which he did beautifully. We also said we wanted to do it about a month ago, so in a way we were following through on our word, even though, the day of, we seriously thought it was the craziest craziest craziest idea. Hanging your legs out of a plane, with the intention to jump, is absolutely insane. We jumped from 10,000 feet above the ground and enjoyed a freefall towards earth for 35 seconds!!

With our friend Lisa, from our Cordoba Hostel, we set out midday to meet our destiny in the sky. We had to wait all morning, and travel on a bus for two hours, so as you can imagine, we were thinking way too much about our decision. However, our friend, Marcel, an experienced jumper, calmed our nerves and explained to us the amazing safety precautions taken and the limited risk factors. So repeating his words in our heads, and the reassurance we received from our very competent skydiving guides, we suited up and headed for the sky. Phil and I were able to jump together, so the two of us, our two guides (attached to our backs), a camera man and our pilot, took off to find a good spot, with few clouds to jump. It wasn’t until the door on the side of the plane opened that my stomach went into my throat. And then all of a sudden, Phil was sitting on the edge of the plane, he blew me a kiss and said I love you, and was gone. One second he was there and then next he was lost in clouds. This was probably the scariest moment for me, and even retelling it makes my heart beat faster. The good thing was I didn’t have much time to think about, because a second later my guide hoisted me to the edge and we too, were gone into the clouds. We fell for 35 seconds through clouds and blue sky, and then the parachute was pulled and it was then I realized the immense adrenaline rush I just had and the complete relief I was now experiencing as I floated down to our beautiful Earth. We were in the foothills of the Andes, so the scenery couldn’t have been better. I could see for miles, mountains, lakes, rivers, farmland, and Phil’s parachute, twirling, safely to Earth. I held my arms out like wings for my descent, and enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the sky. Phil had an excellent ride and landing, and was incredibly calm and thrilled all at the same time. He conquered his worst fear, and did it in amazing style. Although I had a rocking landing, a gust of wind hit just as we reached the ground, which resulted in both my guide and I rolling to a stop, I felt amazing. It was the most extreme thing we have done, and one that we will never forget, although it now feels like a dream.

House of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

On the morning of Tuesday, March 11, we visited the small town of Alta Gracia about one hour outside of Cordoba. The reason for our visit was to see the country home of the South American revolutionary idol Che Guevara. It has been transformed into a museum, charting Guevara's life from his youth to his early death. The Guevara de la Serna family home holds numerous photos, letters and exhibits that the museum has successfully sourced, all revealing fascinating parts of the famous Argentinian's life.

Córdoba, Argentina

We arrived in Córdoba at around 8PM on Saturday night and were welcomed by heavy rains and flooded streets. People were scattering everywhere to stay as dry as possible. After a short taxi ride, we knocked on the door of our next hostel and were greeted by a handful of backpackers drinking beer and listening to music (we joined in).

Tango Hostel Internacional

Fructuoso Rivera 70

Córdoba, Argentina

Tel. +54 (0351) 4256023

infolatitudsur@arnet.com.ar

www.latitudsurweb.com.ar

Exploring Rosario

About 4 hours by (a lovely) bus is a city of 1 million called Rosario, which is a small version of Buenos Aires; with pretty streets, lots of boutiques, beautiful people, and fresh take-out pasta (a favourite dinner of ours). Rosario is on the Rio Parana, which seperates the city from its frequented beaches. Every half an hour a small ferry crosses the brownish-painted river to a small strip of sand (nothing the same as beautiful Bayswater Beach in Nova Scotia), but a beach nontheless. For the past week we have experienced a lot of rain, and on Friday we awoke to a beautiful bright sunny day, so we packed our backpacks and hit the beach. It was a relaxing afternoon of reading, people watching, and soaking in the sun. Around 5PM, we took the ferry back, walked around town, found Che Guevara's first home, got some fresh take-out pasta and an extra large bottle of vino, and headed back to our very lovely hostel for dinner, drinks and a night on the town with some Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) on vacation. The next day, was cloudy once again, which made getting on yet another bus easier, and we headed to Córdoba.

Rosario, Argentina

We woke up early on Thursday, March 6 and took the ferry back to Argentina from Uruguay. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, we caught a bus north-west to a lovely city called Rosario. This is the birthplace of Che Guevera. We stayed at the following hostel for two nights, and it turned out to be one of our favorite places to sleep thus far.

La Comunidad Hostal
Presidents Roca 453

Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

Tel. +54 (0341) 4245302

info@lacomunidadhostel.com.ar

www.lacomunidadhostel.com.ar

Colonia, Uruguay

We travelled by bus from Montevideo on Thursday morning to Colonia del Sacramento, located a few miles southeast of the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Rio de la Plata. Its historic district has been declared a World Heritage Site to illustrate the successful fusion of styles Portuguese, Spanish and post-colonial. It was the first settlement in what is now considered Uruguayan territory. We stayed at the following hostel while visiting the town.

Hostelling Colonial

Gral.Flores 440
Colonia, Uruguay
Tel. 598 52 30347
Fax. 598 52 30347
hostelling_colonial@hotmail.com

Steak in Montevideo

I know that I left your mouth watering from my last post on steak (for those meat-eaters anyway), so I thought I would endulge you further with Phil's steak in Montevideo. First of all and as a side note, it is important to recognize that eating is perhaps our main activity, it consumes are days while we wonder around a town or travel between places. The food we eat is a cultural symbol of where we are, teaching us about the people, the geography and it's history. And if we don't eat we get cranky. So we have become a custom to looking out for eating opportunities everywhere. And on that note, back to Montevideo. We just had a very nice cafe con leche, in the old part of town as we made our way to the water in Montevideo, when we stumbled upon Marchado del Puerto, which from what we saw, was a market of steakhouses, all with wood buring barbecues and grills absolutely packed with different kinds of meat. It was close to lunch and the place was busy. mostly with locals, so we pulled up a stool and ordred right from the grill. I went with pollo (chicken) and Phil with a steak, and it was absolutely huge, it took up the whole plate, and as Phil would say, enough to feed a family (but he managed to eat every last piece). For the rest of the day and night, we walked off our meals and visited a couple museos, the waterfront, banks (we had trouble finding an open one), and finally restaurants for dinner. We eventaully found one and had lovely fresh pasta, which they are also known for here. It was an interesting day, perhaps the most variable weather day we have every experienced (sun, rain, wind, warm, cold, changing every 5 minutes, a reminder of Halifax but even more variable). Here are a few pictures of what we saw (and eat), the ones of the costumes and the paper mache head are from a colourful Carnival Museo.

Montevideo, Uruguay

We arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay by ferry/bus from Buenos Aires late at night on Monday, March 4. Upon arrival, we realized that the our reservation was in another town and we had to scramble to find another place to sleep. We found the Hotel Alcazaba at 2AM (strange spot). There were no rooms available upon arrival, but we were assured that if we waited for 20 minutes, we could get one (only had to pay the "half night price") that's great we thought.

Hotel Alcazaba

Mario Cassinoni Nº 1669

Montevideo, Uruguay

Tel. 4080915, 9000063

estudioelopeza@hotmail.com

River State vs. San Juan

One of our priorities in Buenos Aires was to go to a futbol game, and last Sunday we were fortunate enough to catch a River Plate home game. They were playing San Martín de San Juan, from the North West of Argentina. There were 35,000 in attendence, most in the third level of the stadium, and most wearing red and white. Just watching the fans was enough to entertain me; they sang and chanted, hung over the railings, waved flags, danced – it was spectacular. And the futbol game, of course, was entertaining with lots of close calls, men diving all over the place, dramatically recovering from trips and falls, and a score of 3 to 2 for River Plate. It started raining during the second part of the second half, and it just poured which made the crowd sing and chant louder (and take their shirts off, the men anyway). It was great, quite an experience. The only unfortunate thing was the rain was so heavy they did call it off ten mintues before the end, so there will be a rematch (maybe a good thing, it means another game in the season for River Plate fans, which I now consider myself a part of).

La Boca

Yesterday, we ventured south-east to a very interesting area in Buenos Aires called La Boca (the mouth) located near the city's port. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. La Boca is a popular destination for tourists visiting Argentina, with its colourful houses and main street, the Caminito. We walked from shop to shop, admired all the multi-couloured buildings, listened to music coming from the open-air bars, and watched tango in its abundance throughout the streets. La Boca, is also known throughout the sporting world as the home of Boca Juniors, one of South America's top football clubs. The large yellow stadium lies just a few blocks from the Caminito. We made our way home late in the afternoon and picked up some fresh pasta for dinner.

Tango

Our plan on Friday night was to find some live Jazz for the evening. So we checked the old guidebook and headed to Café Tortoni, the oldest café in Buenos Aires. When we got there we were told that Jazz was off and a tango show was starting in 30 minutes. So we jumped on the opportunity and settled into our front row seats for a night of tango (watching). It was a very entertaining show, that took the form of a dancing musical, with a traditional drumming act thrown in the middle. One of our favourite parts was the live band that played passionately throughout the whole evening. And of course, the amazing footwork and emotion of the tango, beautiful!

Recoleta and Palermo

Our days here in Buenos Aires seem to start off slowly, as it is impossible to go to bed before 2AM. However, it stays light until 9ish at night, so we have lots of daylight to walk around and see the sights. We had one of these days on Thursday. In the early afternoon we jumped on the subway and headed for an area called Recoleta, which is the wealthiest neighbourhood here, and is known for elegant cafes, unique boutiques, and the Recoleta cemetery where the wealthy and famous people of BA are buried, including Evita. After strolling around the elaborate sarcophagi, we made our way to the Museo National de Bellas Arts, to see an amazing collection of classical and modern Argentinian art. Next it was off to a huge metal flower sculpture, that actually opens and closes. At this point it was about 6:30PM, so we decided to head up to Palermo, a nearby neighbourhood, where we were planning to have an Argentina Steak dinner, at a famous grill. I was feeling a little under dressed, so we popped into a salon for a haircut and a boutique for a little black dress. Now, all dolled up, I was ready for my fancy steak dinner!! We got to La Cabera Restuarant at 8:15PM and the place was completely empty, but it turend out they had reservations for every table starting at 8:30PM. So we were directed down the street to the second La Cabera, opened to deal with this overflow issue. We sat down at 8:30PM, and within minutes the whole second restaurant was packed. And completely understandably, this meal was absolutely outstanding. The best example is perhaps Phil's Argentina Steak dinner, that cost around $45 pesos, expensive for us, but included 3, yes three (including bacon), of the best steaks Phil has ever had, and about 20 little salads and condiments to dress the steak. Essentially every bite could be different. I never thought I would be going on about steaks like this!! But to tell you the truth, and to reassure you that it is me writing this, my favourite part was the condiment/salad tray. Once again, we ate and drank the night away, caught a late night bus home and were in bed by 2, I think...

The Clan House Bed & Breakfast

We have moved locations, yet again, in Buenos Aires and have relocated at the following bed & breakfast. It is quiet, clean, and we get to fry our own eggs in the morning.

The Clan House Bed & Breakfast

Alsina 917 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tel. (54 11) 4331 4448

info@bedandbreakfastclan.com.ar

www.bedandbreakfastclan.com.ar

Graffiti Tour

Although Buenos Aires is a masivo city, we have been mostly exploring by foot, wondering the busy streets and the different communities. At first we didn't know where to start, so Phil suggested a graffiti tour, which involves just walking from one piece of wall art to the next. Pretty simple, but truly elaberate and plentiful here. However, our day did not start out as simple as this open air art museum tour sounds. We, actually, spent the morning on another type of tour, a where-are-we-going-to-sleep-tomorrow-night tour. Before Buenos Aires, it was easy to find hotel rooms and it was common for menus to be waved in our faces as we passed by virtually empty restuarants. But here, we are experiencing quite the opposite. It is difficult to find a room in a hostel or a table at a restuarant, which although is not convenient when you are carrying your belongings on your back, but it is great for this metropolis (and the people watching). So anyway, we spent the whole morning looking for a new hostel, walking back and forth between our current one and new ones, trying to coordinate prices and dates. We eventally found one that we will be quite happy in, without breaking the bank (which is another new experience here in BA).

Ayres Porteños Hostel, San Telmo

We are currently residing at the following brightly-coloured hostel in the heart of San Telmo.

Ayres Porteños HOSTEL

Peru 708, San Telmo

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tel. +(54-11) 4300-7314

info@ayresportenos.com.ar

http://www.ayresportenos.com.ar/

Hostal Tango Suites, San Telmo

Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, we wondered around the streets of the San Telmo district and found the following hostal. We remained here for two days to recuperate.

HOSTAL TANGO SUITES

Chacabuco 747 - San Telmo

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

República Argentina

Tel. +54 (011) 4300 - 2420

http://www.hosteltangosuite.com.ar/

info@hosteltangosuite.com.ar

Buenos Aires, Argentina

We made it safely to Buenos Aires after a very very long bus ride from La Paz (53 hours). Our morning in Bolivia started off with cold eggs and stale bread. We made our way to the bus station where we found out that the tickets we bought the previous day did not include transportation from La Paz to the border, which was frustrating. We were given tickets with another (extremely disorganized) bus company called 2 de Febrero. After much confusion (passengers screaming and yelling), we sat down in a very dirty, dilapitated old bus and began our journey to the border town of Villazon (what a nightmare). Shortly after getting on the bus, we obtained three pieces of information that we found to be quite interesting. 1-There was no ventilation in the bus and we couldn't open any windows. 2-There were no meals included (as we were originally told). 3-Conveniently, there was no bathroom (and we both had diarrhea). The funny part was that it was a 20-hour ride to the border. After four or five hours into the drive, the bus suddenly changed direction, and squealed into a farmer's field. We roared through dirt and debris down a some sort of path that sort of looked like a road (we're still not really sure). We spent at least two hours in this field as we came across many obstacles. We got off the bus to lighten the overall load of the vehicle to cross makeshift bridges, we bottomed-out a few times in holes that swallowed the wheels of the bus, and at one point everyone was involved with the construction of a bridge where the road seemed to suddenly disappear. We finally got back onto a reasonably good road and noticed that we had only detoured through the field to bypass a small town. We're not sure what the intention was maybe they were trying to avoid a check point or something. We spent the night trying to sleep as the bus rampaged down very rough switchbacks and were given a chance to go to the bathroom at approximately 3:00AM on the side of a cliff. We made it to the small border town of Villazon at 8:00AM. We retrieved our bags from the bus, and they were completely covered in dust and dirt (great). At the bus terminal, much more confusion awaited us. Supposedly, the bus company had over booked the bus and a handful of people we're required to take another the next day (luckily we were able to catch our connection that morning). Everyone was assigned new seats and there was a tremendous amount of confusion and discontent amongst the passengers (people were very grumpy). We finally got our bags and seats sorted out and drove two blocks to the Argentinian border. We spent four hours standing in the rain waiting for our passports to be stamped. We also had to get all of our bags back off of the bus, so that the police could root through all of our belongings (in the rain). We got back on the bus and were finally served a meal (after 28 hours with no food - actually, we had water and a few Goronzo chocolate bars from a desolate gas station back in Bolivia). We drove for another six hours to catch another connecting bus in Argentina (this is where the story completely changes). On this third bus, we were assigned luxury leather seats, that completely reclined to make a bed, we were served meals, there was air circulation/ventilation, and they even had wine. We couldn't believe the contrast. We spent the remaining 24 hours on this bus, sleeping and eating, reading and enjoying the scenery. We arrived in Buenos Aires around 5:00PM on Sunday, February 24th. We took a cab into San Telmo (main downtown area), found a hostal, and got drunk. (We will keep you posted with regards to how things unfold in Buenos Aires).

Expreso Transamericano

We will be travelling to Buenos Aires, Argentina from La Paz, Bolivia today at 1:00PM. The bus ride will take 48 hours in total. We will be making the trek with the following argentinian busline:

EXPRESO

TRANSAMERICANO

Servicio directo desde: Villazon, BOLIVIA hasta: Liniers, La Noria, Vilja Celina, Escobar, F. Valera, La Plata, ARGENTINA

Wondering La Paz

Imagine a prehistoric canyon, at 3660 metres, almost filled to the brim with houses, sky rises, cobblestone streets and people. Phil and I, for the past two days, have enjoyed La Paz´s spectacular scenery and amazingly busy streets filled with markets, music, food, and cars/buses/micro-vans. Yesterday, after arranging our 48 hour bus ticket to Buenos Aires, we wondered the streets first visiting an artisan market, where Phil found another lovely instrument, a Quena, a traditional Bolivian wind instrument, made from bone and wood. Next we wondered through the Mercado de Hechiceria, a witch craft market, which lead into a handful of other markets (where we enjoyed a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice) along our way to the Museo de Instrumentos Musicales. This museum had an amazing collection of traditional and modern Bolivian instruments, as well as a collection of international pieces. After this we headed to a little café to collect our musical thoughts, over a te con lemon (and a local liquor), delicious! The rest of the day was spent wondering from a main square to a look off, where Phil learned some Quechua (the language of the Incas) and I made friends with a little girl who graciously accompanied me down a large slide. In the evening we tried to catch some music at a Peña, a local folk-music venue, but by the time we had to head back to our hostel (we had a curfew) the main band was just going on. Although we did get entertained for a couple hours by choreographed dance numbers representing different groups in Bolivia (very touristy, but interesting), and a lovely solo artist on classical guitar. We look forward to exploring La Paz again in a month, but for now it is on to Argentina! Many thanks for the comments, great to hear from you!

La Paz, Bolivia

After arriving in La Paz, we took a taxi to our hostal. We were greeted by a friendly fellow behind a thick orange door adjacent to a busy downtown street. We checked in, went for something to eat, and returned, amidst a thunderstrom, to our nice dry rooms.

Casa de Huespedes

ARTHY'S

Guesthouse

Av. Montes No. 693

Tel. (591-2) 2281439

arthyshouse@gmail.com

http://arthyshouse.tripod.com

A morning in Puno

We woke up in Puno after a very cold night. After getting on the bus in Arequipa, we noticed that many people were wearing winter jackets and were covered in thick wool blankets (we now understand why). The hostal thankfully had three heavy wool blankets on the bed and we stayed very warm while we slept. We got up early and took a rickshaw to the main bus terminal. We looked around for tickets to Tacna, but nothing was leaving until late in the evening. As we did in Arequipa, our route took a sudden change and we booked an afternoon ticket to La Paz, Bolivia. It is lovely to have the freedom to make these whimsical decisions. After booking a place to stay, over the telephone, upon arrival in La Paz, we explored the streets of Puno. We stopped at a small artesians market and found some great hats called "choclos?" (cone shaped felt hats typical of this southern region). We wandered up the hillside with our hats on and took in a panoramic view of the city framed by hills and the shores of Lake Titicaca. We went to the main square and helplessly had our shoes shined by 8-10 extremely enthusiastic boys for s/. 3 (our shoes sure look good). And we had a delicious lunch on a balcony; asparagus soup, fish, chicken, desert, and pisco sours. We left Puno at 2:30PM and drove along the southern shores of Lake Titicaca. The afternoon was beautifully lit by the sun, the scenery was stunning. We crossed the Peru-Boliva border late in the afternoon with no problems and arrived in La Paz at 10PM.

Puno, Peru

After a day spent trying to figure out how we were going to escape Arequipa by bus, train, plane or any suitable means, we finally decided to head west. We changed our originally course slightly to avoid the road blocks and violence along the Pan Americana and ended up in Puno, Peru (located on the western shore of Lake Titicaca). We arrived at 3:00AM at the following hostal:

Los Pinos Inn Hostal

Jr. Tarapacá 182

Puno, Perú

Tel. 51-367398

reservas@hostallospinosinn.com

www.hostallospinosinn.com