Cape Town
Well, i am now in South Africa. Fucking yes! The flight took me up to Houston, then onto Newark, before heading down to Africa. I checked in at Buenos Aires, and because it was operated by ONE airline, i got all three boarding passes as i hoped. So from now, it would only be a refusal in Africa. In...
Sao Paulo
Tried to tack down a doctor or health centre to get a yellow fever vaccination, but as it was the weekend they were all shut. I decided to head back to Buenos Aires, as Argentina was not on the yellow fever list. So booked a bus. In the meantime, i just got drunk as i was still pissed off and shell...
Brazil
The flight was from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo, Brazil. So got taxi to international airport and got on BA flight to Brazil. So that part went well. Had a six hour layover before next leg, so had lunch and a few pints, and generally just mulled around. Went to check in, and BOOM: "Yellow fever certif...
Buenos Aires
Boarded bus at 8 am. Nice sunrise. Managed to get a picture of the mountains and lakes that surrounded Bariloche. Journey across was getting very westernized still. Got into Buenos Aires around one in the afternoon. Had to wait an hour before i could check in, so went for a cup of tea. Buildings and...
Bariloche
Three nights here to work out the next leg. And, what a surprise, the bus services have changed again. Took me a day to find another to get me back on to Buenos Aires. This town was a larger version of Pucon - tourist orientated i thought. But a very nice ride in past the lakes and the mountains. In...
Osorno - i think!
Sorry, but its been a bit of a mad few weeks and i have not updated my blog at all! So these next few posts are going to be very short! After leaving the very torn up Puerto Montt......i headed back North on the bus to Osorno, which i passed through to get to Montt. After god knows how many more hou...
Puerto Montt
Five and a half hour bus trip. Raining when i left, which eventually turned into mist for most of the way. Pity. So no photos. Got into Montt about half one in the afternoon. Looks your typical sea side town. Bus station was really busy! Go to hotel and checked in, then put some washing in laundrett...
Pucon onwards?
Just a quick update. Two days it has taken me to find ONE bus that goes into Argentina. After about thirty tries! There is supposed to be one that goes from Puerto Montt (my next destination?) to Punta Arenas. Montt is about as far South I can go in Chile, before I have to cut through Argentina to g...
Pucon
Twelve hours on the bus, but the countryside has changed dramatically. Unfortunately it was dusk and i couldn't get any decent shots. Some of it was derivative of Australia, and some was America. Houses were beginning to look like houses. Manufacturing was everywhere. This was beginning to look like...
Santiago
That was a long bus journey. Mind you, saying that, although it was 29 hours, it was not that bad. Santiago looks like your typical capital city - tall buildings, cars everywhere, looks and feels like a shit hole! It took me about twenty minutes to get to the hotel. I wish i stayed on the bus! My ro...
Arica - welcome to Chile!
Went to the bus station in Tacna, but had a problem getting a bus. Simply, my passport had not been stamped on entry to Peru and everyone was like, "uh-uh. No." Shit. I thought someone might forget to check, so went around asking. In the end, i ended up in a shared taxi with four others. Next thing...
Tacna
I am now in Tacna, pretty much as near to the Chilean border as i can get. Unless i rough it! But from here they run regular bus services over the border to Arica, and even to Santiago. There's an affidavit to fill in within 48 hours before crossing the border, and an identity declaration which has...
Arequipa three
With all the churches in this city, it's no wonder Sunday is dead. Most of the shops are shut and there's hardly any traffic on the roads. Woke up to catch the end of the Tottenham game against Burnley. Up to us guys tomorrow then. Better be a good bloody birthday!! Enjoyed the West Ham Vs Man City...
Arequipa too
Temperature says 22C, but once again feels more late 20's! Hot! Concrete jungle i guess. Headed back down to Plaza for lunch. Maccy D's was open, but then noticed opposite they had Pizza Hut, Kentucky's, and Burger King! Why not, I've been eating the local cuisine since I've been here. Well, apart f...
Back in Arequipa
The bus to Arequipa was a steal - S50! And a nice view of Puno in all it's glory as we headed up the mountain road. But the bus journey was shit. It was once again just views of scrubland. For six hours! At S50 though, i ain't going to complain too much. So here i am, back in Arequipa. Booked five d...
Back in Puno
Left Siquani on the Monday, being as there were no car taxis in town, i ended up in a tuk-tuk to get to my bus stop. [youtube=1VTPGUDaBYc] The only bus i found that did a direct route to Puno was this Inka Express, which runs between Cusco and Puno. Cost me the same price (£40) as it would have done...
Siquani
Finding food around here is a bit troublesome i find, as a lot of the ones on Google Maps are shut. The best places are in town but even then they are few and far between to find a decent one. I did pop out the front of the hotel around dusk yesterday to have a cigarette, and about thirty feet away...
Cusco to Puno - Siquani
That was hard. In leaving San Pedro, i left something behind. Maybe the lifestyle i could quite easily live with. You know, get myself a job as an odd job man, or rubbish clearance, something like that would go down well there. But, it was time to move on. Had to get a bus in the end to Siquani. I a...
Peru Hop - Lake Titicaca
I cannot believe i missed out this part of my trip! I was just going back a few posts and discovered this was missing. I won't place it in the right order (between Peru Hop - Puno and Peru Hop - Cusco). My bad. Anyway, from memory, we got to Puno harbour around half seven in the morning and boarded...
San Pedro
Well, time to leave this little town. It's been so great here. Such a chilled vibe, friendly people, good food. I am truly going to miss this place. I recommend it for anyone passing this way, especially the hotel. The owners are top draw, and will do anything to accommodate. I even had breakfast an...
Cusco to Puno
Well, made it to the end of leg three on day three! But by god, my toe (and my feet) is killing me. I think i broke down in tears very briefly at some point. My mind says yes, i can do this. My age says yes, but slow it down a bit. Until you're able to train again, take it easy. And my feet are "for...
Manu Park
Four days, three nights, in the jungle. I was picked up at six in the morning, stopping off just the once to pick four more people up from another hotel. We headed out of Cusco and after about half hour, we turned off the main road to Puno and headed into the mountains. Up and down we drove, zig-zag...
Machu Picchu
What a shit ride in. Two hours in a goddamn shuttle bus! It's a shuttle bus, not a bus bus! And to prove what I'm saying, it broke down half hour from the end of our journey. That driver tortured that bus. Anyway, transferred to another bus within fifteen minutes and made train station with ten minu...
Peru Hop - Cusco
Another all nighter on a coach. Still, this is the last time. Maybe... Got into Cusco at half four in the morning. Got taxi to near the hotel - the streets were all cobbled and narrow, and the taxi couldn't go any further. But i found the hotel, only at five in the morning, no-one answered the bell....
Peru Hop - Puno
Well, second times a charm. Got into Puno around 11am. Dozed most of the way. Checked into Sol Plaza Hotel. Result, picked a winner here. Went out for dinner and had an animal I haven't had before... Alpaca! Very nice too. Stuffed, grabbed a bottle of coke (I must live on this shit) and went back to...
Still in Arequipa
Well, here's the shitter. Woke up at half three. All packed I went downstairs to meet the others and lo and behold, my hotel was all locked up!! I couldn't get out! Supposed to be 24hr front desk but all lights were off and not a soul in sight! Typical. Nothing I could do but message Evelyn for Peru...
Peru Hop - Arequipa
Pulled into the bus station about 11 am. We jumped onto a mini van and were dropped off at our hotels. Early start tomorrow, 4 am pick up, so won't be doing a lot today. My hotel Ayenda La Posada Del Sol is opposite the main meeting point. One night, 25 quid. Decent enough hotel. Had a quick shower....
Per Hop - Nazca
Well, that was awesome. Bus not only late, but driver did not know the way to the viewing tower so next thing we know it's 7pm, dark, and at Nazca town centre. This is turning out to be a shit 'tour'. We left Huacachina at half three in a taxi to God knows where. Got dropped off and that was it. We...
Peru Hop - Huacachina
Im at an oasis. An oasis literally. In the middle of a desert! This is amazing. And fucking hot, as one would imagine being a desert. I have the night here in a tent. Yep, a tent, in an Eco Camp. Something entirely different. I even have my own hammock. Checked in a dumped my stuff off before hittin...
Peru Hop - Paracas
Early start - up at half three in the morning. Walked ten minutes around the corner to the meeting hotel, and we are off on another bus trip! Bus soon packed out. Had five hour bus trip to our first destination - Paracas. A sea town. Very, very nice. Had two hours to kill before we met for lunch, so...
Welcome to Peru!
Short flight compared to what i spent on Greyhound. Four hours to Panama (through what i call the colon, as in medical), four more to Peru. Touched down and got out the airport half twelve. Bang, it was packed outside the airport. Loads of people getting out and loads of people waiting for those peo...