Day 99 - Today after a brief stroll about town in the morning I went back to my room, still feeling a little ropey, and found that my flip flops were missing. Stink. Therefore I needed to go buy some newbies. There was also a new guy in my room called Jude, great name. He was from down south but had gone to uni in sheffield. He was a good lad and came about town with me. Turns out we like a lot of the same things, bonus.

That evening Jude was going to go meet some girls that he’d gone to spanish school with and I was going to go but was still feeling very delicate. Instead we decided to go see the new Indiana Jones. Saturday night at the cinema, calm down, stop it. What a hardcore night. When you first get a glimpse of the man himself all the locals started clapping and cheering. I still don’t get the clapping in a cinema, even at the end of the film. Raro. The best bit was seeing the Iguazu falls… Who has been there?
Day 100 - Sunday = massive sleep to get over the illness. And then went for lunch/dinner with Jude. We then went around to the girl’s flat. They are two american girls called Eve and Steph. We just sat around chatting and having a couple of drinks. Then a couple of good films came on so we watched them. I was pretty glad to be honest because I didn’t fancy going out so soon after being ill. Somehow it still ended up being a late one.

Day 101 - Lunes (part of our joint learning). Basically today was a day dedicated to the español. I had my lessons in the afternoon and then when I was back atthe hostel I had a little nap to prepare myself for the super heroes themed party that evening. However it turns out I was tireder than I thought and I slept until 1.30am. I went down to the party then but didn’t last long as I was a little behind everyone else…

Day 102 - Martes. Today I met Marion, a friend of Jude’s who he’d met whilst volunteering in the favelas of Rio. Again the day was dedicated to aprendiendo español. However in the evening I finally manage to pull myslef together.

Jude and I plus the 3 girls went to a milonga, which is an old school tango hall. They have tango lessons in the early evenings plus show type things later. The place was pretty cool,. It was an old hall that looked like it was falling a part with furniture that looked like it had been cobbled together from a antique junk shop. The walls were covered in tango related pictures and other cool arty things. Hanging from the roof was a huge sculpted heart was was a little weird but cool all the same. I think it was suppose to represent the fact that tango is in the hearts of the people acá.

After the milonga we went to an Irish bar for a couple of drinks.

Day 103 - Today was a very important day in Buenos Aires, Boca Juniors had reached the semi finals of the champions league equivalent and everyone was preparing for the big game. We managed to get tickets ourselves which was good. Unfortunately there were playing in Racing’s ground due to their continuing punishment for bad fan behaviour. It took over 2 hours to make a ten minute journey before the game, ridiculous and not particularly fun when you have crammed 5 into a 4 man taxi…

The game itself was amazing and we were down in the terraces with the diehard fans. It was class. And if it wasn’t for a clanger from the keeper Boca would have beaten Fluminiese 2-1. 2 away goals was far more than they deserved. Boca could have won 4-1 if their finishing had been better…

After the game we had to wait in the bitter cold for over an hour until we could find a libre taxi. Thankfully once found we were back in the warmth of the hostel in less than 10 mins.

Day 104 - Jueves. We have started flying through the tenses in the spanish classes which is good because I will have all the theory when I go home so that I can continue it. Pretty hard though. There are more tenses in spanish than english…

That evening we went to a really cool bar called Le Bar. In this place the seats are sunk into the floor and generally it is a really cool arty place. We really did like this bar. It also served amazing cocktails (tragos). My tipple of choice was a kiwi, ice, ginger and vodka all whizzed up. Brilliant. Not only was it a nice drink it also helped with my 5 a day. One whole kiwi per drink…

We were also joined in the bar by Marion’s room mates, all of whom were Brazilian.

Day 105 - Viernes. Today we carried on apace with the learning. I do often get tired towards the end of lessons because it has been a long time since I had to engage my brain constantly for this extended period of time.

In the evening the american girls came around to the hostel where we drank before going to Sunset. Sunset is one of the biggest clubs in Buenos Aires and is where Maradona regularly goes. I don’t know why! I did have a good night but not because the place was good. Firstly it is mile away and takes a long time to get there. It is huge and must be hard to get it packed out, and finally the music wasn’t great… Still didn’t get back until 7am, but did find a new late night food place, selling empanadas and milanesas. Perfect and much better than the dodgy burger joint…

Day 106 - A slow start to the day was had. I think we surfaced around 1pm, which isn’t too bad considering the hour at which we returned. Feeling hungry but ropey we thought it would be good to go get some healthy food. Jude knew about this very nice all you can eat vegetarian restaurant. Just what the doctor ordered. We then went to she how the american girls were doing. I was suppose to go pick a few things up from the shops but instead I opted to nap on the girl’s sofas for a while. The vegetable intake shocked my body so I needed to rest…

That evening was a repeat of the night before with drinking at the hostel and then out to a club. This time the club in question was Pacha and it was amazing. Huge, packed and good music. Jude and I may have thrown some shapes on the dancing podiums…

Day 107 - Domingo. What a sad day today was. Jude left us to head up to Lima. We all wer devastated. We did cheer ourselves up by going to the San Telmo market and having a nice lunch. We then popped along to La Bombonera and got tickets for 24 pesos or 4 GBPs to Boca Vs Arsenal that evening. It was a great game with Boca winning 3-1 with a team mainly consisting of reserve players. Great watch.

Then Marion, Phillp and I returned to the hostel and watch a couple of films until the early hours. During this time I had to fend off the temptation to go out with this american guy Ryan trying to persuade me… I managed to stay at the hostel.

Day 96 - Finally back in Buenos Aires after a very good bus journey on the cama bus. Not much was achieved today but I did get back into the swing of things and sorted out the regular spanish classes with Carlos.

That evening I watched the champions league final in the hostel bar where I ran into the two brummie guys I had met the week before. After the game we went to the Des Nivels Parrilla restaurant in San Telmo. After finishing our huge steaks the waiter just walked by and dumped an extra, huge steak on one of our plates. Two of the guys were too full to have more so me and Adam tucked into it. Mighty fine.

We then went back to the hostel, had a couple of drinks and played the quiz. We joined a team of american guys that need some help. Name the two countries that have the most stars on their flags? We then decided to head out to Rumi, which is supposedly one of the biggest clubbing nights in Buenos Aires. The music is pretty hardcore trance music but a good night was on the cards.

On our return we accidently found a hamburger place still open at 6am. Bonus.

Day 97 - Turns out that that burger place wasn’t a good thing to find. Apart from going to a lesson, I was in bed all day apart from regular visits to the bathroom. The hot flushes weren’t fun either…

Day 98 - Still really ill today, one sip of water = trip to the bathroom. Fun fun fun. I manage to make it to my lesson though. Thats dedication. Not sure how often I have felt worse that this. For that reason all fun things that follow are going to be put in a different post. They shouldn’t be tainted!

Day 92 - Arrived in Cordoba and managed to bag a triple room for no more than the price of a dorm which is always a nice bonus. It also had cable, however the picture was a verde (green), meaning the only things that were watchable were sports like the football and tennis.

After a nice meal in the local square we napped to pepare ourselves for the evening. Tom and I then made use of the hostels kitchen and rustled up a feast. Of which Claire ate none because she was feeling a little ill. She missed a treat.

We then went out to experience the city, “that comes to life at night.” Firstly we went to a couple of Tragos bars and then a couple of bars. All of which had out door areas because of the sweltering heat. It was nice to be back in a place that was boiling. It was also odd because we hadn´t come that far north. It was welcomed all the same.

We then went to a club that didn´t have any music on, weird. Also ment that dance and hence staying awake wasn´t an option…

Day 93 - Claire was a little ill today so we had a rather large sleep. We were conserving energy for because that evening we were going to the biggest all you can eat restaurant in Argentina…

Later in the day with Claire still in bed ill, Tom and I went to the nearby square and had a couple of drinks, watched the Boca Juniors´game and caught up properly. During the game Boca fielded a reserves team because of their participation in the Copa Libertadores. One guy caught the eye and could well be seen in Europe in a few years. Look out for Ricardo Noir… Bit of a show pony but good all the same.

We then headed out to the restaurant and were the first in at 8pm. Supposedly we eat mas temprano for the Argentinians. The restaurant was great, it had an indoor water feature and mini river running through the middle of it. It then had a ridiculous amount of choice for food. It had different counters - as large as the whole counter in most all you can eat restaurants - one for each type of food. A salad section, fish, meat, pasta, starters, chinese, fried food and desserts. All this also cost us 24 pesos a head or 4 GBPs, bargin. Needless to say we left there a few hours later a few pounds heavier…

Day 94 - Probably won’t need to eat today after last night. I still can’t get over how good it was and how much we managed to stomach. Being a lovely hot day we decided to head to the canal and then to the park.

Firstly the canal was dried up do not much to see there, it wasn’t even a particularly nice area of the town, which we had been led to believe. Anyway it just meant that we headed to the park earlier. Whilst walking through the huge park we stumbled across a Zoo and thouhgt we’d have a gander. It actually turned out to be fun, however there were a few animals that were alone which was a shame. The elephant looked very bored…

After the tiring walk around the zoo we went and bought super panchos and sat in the park for the rest of the afternoon.

That evening we had corn on the cob, fantastic! And then went out for a few drinks. For a student city it certainly get quiet during the week. Most of the bars were quiet and only one of the clubs was open, and a tiny one at that. However the barman did look like jabba the hut…

Day 95 - A very relaxed day sorting out bus tickets and hostels. We then went for a nice lunch and then to the cinema to kill some time before our respective overnight bus journeys. This time I decided to upgrade myself to fully cama and it was well worth it. Bigger seats and no one next to you. Better food and better drinks and generally better services. Although it was weird bidding farewell to Tom and Claire knowing I was going to be completely alone from now until I return home in many a week… Oh well we will see how that turns out. Excited but a bit cautious is how I’d describe my feeling ahora.

Day 85 - We arrived far too early in the morning, around 7am. And just for good measure the hostess on the bus woke us up half an hour before arrival just to give us a morning biscuit. Cheers. Bright lights and a biscuit is much better than 30 mins sleep…

We had a little nap once checked into the Millhouse, again. Then we went about town and got some grub. Tom was still feeling a little ill so we didn´t do much. Mid afternoon whilst we were watching TV James and Alice returned to BA too and found us in the hostel.

We then went for a very nice steak for Tom and Claire´s last meal in BA. After a wee game of cards Tom and Claire went to bed because they had to catch a plane to Patagonia the following day. The other three of us decided to have a couple of drinks and head out to Pachá. This is supposedly one of the biggest clubs in the world and is a relative of the famed Pashas in Ibiza, London and somewhere else. It was a pretty impressive club and well worth it. A great night was had.

Day 86 - Today we paid for the good night we´d had the night before. Although once we did finally surface we headed out to the market in San Telmo. I had been before but this time we went to the antiques area in Plaza Dorrengo(I´ll check the spelling) and watch some street tango and a street band. Both of which were very good.

That evening still rather tired from anoche (last night) we went to the Cinema, for a double bill. Thats how exciting we are…

Day 87 - Today we explored a bit of the city and I sorted out more spanish lessons. I found a tutor called Carlos, that could offer me one-to-one classes for a very reasonable price. I´d definitely concentrate more on my own, no need to play the class fool…

That evening the Hostel threw a party and that night I really did find my dancing shoes. Shapes aplenty were thrown!!!!

Day 88 - With lessons during the day the number of activities I could take part in were less. Today I returned after the lesson to find James and Alice suffering from the night before and from getting up early to go on the walking tour to Recoleta Cemetry. Therefore we went for a nice dinner and then went to play Bingo. It was pretty fun trying to pay in spanish but it was doable. Needless to say, none of us won a single game. Although a woman on our table did win 500GBP… Not at all jealous.

Day 89 - Again nothing but lessons during the day. However a great night was had. Straight from the lesson I went to watch Boca Juniors play in the Copa Libertadores quarter final. Instead of being at their home ground, La Bombonera there were playing at an alternative ground due to the poor behaviour of their fans in the previous game. There were playing at Velez Starfields ground which is on the other side of town so took along time to get there which wasn´t fun. The game itself was awesome. It ended up finishing 2-2 with Atlas (the opposition from Mexico) equalising in the last minute after Boca had dominanted and missed chance after chance. They should have had the tie wrapped up after this first leg.

Once back from the football we entered a quiz in the Hostel and did pretty poorly. They were stupid questions!!!! Don´t blame the questions…

After have a few drinks before, during and after the quiz we decided to head out. At least that was the plan until James decided that he was too tired on his last night in BA… I ended up going to Rumi with a couple of Brummy guys called George and Ben.

Day 90 - Today was James and Alices last day in BA so they had alot to sort out so we didn´t do much. Once they had finished sorting everything out and had a last steak they still had a couple of hours to kill before their bus to Mendoza. Therefore we just went to the cinema, once again. It was late afternoon so any last sightseeing or similar was out of the question really.

They then left and I was on my tod for the first time. Should be interesting. Luckily I went straight back to the hostel and meet 2 very nice English girls just starting their gap year. So that was a bonus.

Day 91 - My first day alone was action packed to the max. Firstly I had to check out before going on the hunt for a suitable Español a Ingles dictionario. I needed an extensive one but one that had grammatical explanations in English. Then I headed off to my lesson. See absolutely none stop…

After my lesson I arrived back at hostel to find Tom and Claire there. I was suppose to meet them on the bus later on but their plane from Patagonia was early. Hence a less boring afternoon waiting for the bus was had. That evening we caught the bus to Cordoba, which is Argentina´s University city - it has 7 of them.

Day 81 (Cont) - We arrived pretty early in the morning and went straight to our hostel called Wincas. It was a very nice hostel, a little smaller than most and quite quiet, which was nice after the bustle of Buenos Aires. Luckily we also were allowed straight into the dorm (which we then had to ourselves), so were able to listen to Spanish by Michel Thomas and have a little nap.

Once we finally got up we had a chat to the tour operator and sorted out our plans for the days we had there. First things first, we arrived a winery and tasting tour for the following day.

We then explored the town and sat in the main square in the swelting sun. We then went and tried a Mendoza delicacy. Wine sorbet. It tasted exactly like red wine (obviously) but was surprisingly pleasant and refreshing. I would probably sum it up as interesting. Claire seemed to enjoy it…

That evening with Tom feeling a tad ill we just went to the cinema.

Day 82 - We had a bit of an early start today when we got picked up for our winery tour. We visited 2 different wineries in the Maipu area of Mendoza. We visit a industrial sized one and a family run one to notice the difference between the two types. At each place we were able to taste numerous wines produce at the respective winery. We were also shown how to taste the wine and what to look for.

We then visit a licor making place and saw how these were made, and again were able to try a couple. We tried Grapa and an orange one…

We then went for lunch with the tour and this was incredible. We got there and there was a huge table piled high with all sorts of foods for our starter. There were numerous cheese, salamis, and dips. There was different anti-pastas, etc. There was just loads. Plus it was as much wine as you would like and even if you didn´t want it they would fill your glass up anyway.

Day 83 - Today we had a very nice relaxing day. Mendoza is called the sunny country and so it was proving to be so today. For that reason we headed up to the large park to the north of the city. We had met a girl that had raved about it. To be honest once we were there we were a little disappointed. It was the best kept park and we couldn´t really see why that chica had liked it so much. Never the less we still had a very nice afternoon doing nothing.

That evening we went to a restaurant recommended for it lomitos, otherwise known as steak sandwiches. We were well informed. They were great and cheap. We then went bowling in the most basic bowling alley I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. There were two guys standing down the other end rolling the balls back to us and setting up the pins after each throw. Pretty amusing.

Day 84 - Today we were up early to go Horse riding in the local hills. I was a tad apprehensive as I´m not the biggest fan of sitting on horses but Claire was very excited.

At first we got taken to a proper ranch where we got our horses and set off. Our tour guide was a classic Gaucho in his cowboy boots and hat etc. His horse was an absolute beast, it was huge. Tom´s on the other hand was a little special and looked a little funny. Mine was a beauty, I named him bullseye and we formed a formidable partnership. One that will live with me forever… The trek/ride was amusing too. At times we navigated some dodgy land, including some rather steep declines. Also the weather was cracking so that was a bonus.

Once back at the ranch, a little sorer than before the other Gauchos put on a lovely BBQ with amazing steak and so so much of it. They also had plenty of Malbec on offer.

That evening we caught the night bus back to Buenos Aires and experienced yet another weird thing on the bus. This time there was nothing on for the first two hours, then they put some music on. Five minutes after that they put a film on and left the music on. Weird and very annoying…

Coming soon; Back in Buenos Aires con James and Alice.

Day 77 - Am I not suppose to be home now? Oh thats right I am staying out here for another 9 weeks, hehe. I got into the hostel at ridiculous o´clock, just past 5am after having to pay a whooping 75 pesos for a taxi from the airport. Obviously I went straight to bed for a bit.

Tom and Claire came to find me in the morning and we then went out for the day. Being a Buenos Aires pro I showed them a few of the hotspots. Firstly we went to Caminito in La Boca, which is where the coloured corragatedIron buildings are situated. Here also is the location of the Bombonera (aka Boca Juniors stadium), therefore we also tried to get tickets to the Boca River game. However they were completely sold out. Fortunately we met a waiter in one of the local restaurants who reckoned he could get us tickets for 250 pesos if we just came on the day. That was better than nothing but a little on the pricey side. Or so we thought until we found out that the hostel was selling them for 500 pesos.

After a wonder around we headed to Puerta Madero, which is the high class neighbourhood that has just been renovated. Here we had a late lunch and took in the sunset (see below). 

It was then nap time until we went out. We went to a local restaurant were we had the local dish called Asado. Asado is basically the restaurant´s BBQed specialality. In this case it was ribs which were ok. I didn´t have a steak because I knew were planning to go to some of the best ones in the next few days once Alice and James had arrived. We also decided to have a night on the local red wine called Malbec, which turns out to be pretty nice. After dinner the three of us hit a local club called Kika.

Day 78 - After a later start we finally left the hostel and caught the subte to Centro. Here we visited the very impressive Galaria Pacifico, which is the shopping centre with the fountain inside. Tom was being a bit of a cranky pants so we didn´t stay here for long but long enough for me to get an amazing chocolate brownie. Very very good.

We then decided to visit the Recoleta Cemetry. This is the place where Eva Peron is buried and is the location of all of Buenos Aires wealth (well the dead ones at least). Inside of the cemetry it is like its very own little town of impressive buildings and statues. A plot of land here costs more than the majority of the houses in Buenos Aires so it really is for the society elite. Also owners of the plot have to keep paying an extortionate maintanence fee and if they fail to pay this then there staute and hence tomb is ripped out, and the plot sold. Here is a picture;

Just as we were about to go out for dinner at 10pm James and Alice finally arrived at the Hostel. Therefore we all went out to a Parrilla called Desneivels. This restaurant is in San Telmo and looks very shabby inside however they serve incredible steaks and generate a very welcoming and fun atmosphere. I had a whooper of a Bife de Chorizo. After that feeling rather stuffed we went out for a couple of drinks in the trendy Palermo Viejo area.

Day 79 - Today we had a walk around the park filled area of Palermo and visited the Rose garden where there is a huge metal rose sculpture that opens up at sunrise and close at sunset. Most people believe that it actually works via light sensors but it actually works via a hydrolics system. It is impressive all the same.

We then went to one of the many craft markets there have in Buenos Aires. This time I managed to restrain myself from buying anything…

After a very nice steak dinner with fried egg, salad and chips we went back to the hostel. For a “party” hostel there wasn´t much of a vibe so we just bought some drinks and entertained ourselves in the room.

Day 80 - We had to get to Boca for 11am today so that we could get the tickets therefore we thought we had best get up at 10.15. Alice had set the alarm the night before and came and woke us all up. Turns out her phone was wrong and she actually woke us up at 9.15. I honestly could have done with that extra hour. Not impressed.

In the end we meet the waiter in Boca and he introduced us to the guy that had the tickets. It turned out that the guy didn´t have any tickets but that he knew people that would allow 2 people through the turn style on one ticket. Obviously 100% legal… We did manage to get through but all it ment was that we had no seats which didn´t matter because there are just concrete steps anyway, so the same as sitting on the stairs. The game was ok and Boca ended up winning 1-0, but the atmosphere was insane. It was so much better than any of the other games I had been too. Ridiculous. When the Boca players first came out the crowd went crazy and started throwing streamers and the like. There throw so much that the whole River goal was covered with streamers and the officials had to spend about 15minutes trying to get the pitch playable. Pretty amusing. After the game the River fans got a little upset at their lose and started ripping up the plastic backs to the seats and started throwing them down on to the Boca fans. They also started mini fires in the ground with anything they could find…

That evening feeling a little beat from the footy we just went for another steak which definitely was one of the best I have had. The meat just melted in your mouth…

Day 81 - I felt a tad ill today, I´d had a cold since Lima and I thing it finally started to catch up with me. Not much was done today as the other 4 had jobs to attend to. I just did a bit of Spanish.

That evening we all caught buses to our repective destinations. Alice and James to Iguazu, and Myself, Tom and Claire to Mendoza - the wine country.

Day 73 (Cont) - After the stresses of the Inca Trail and the mammoth climb up the overlooking mountain we left Machu Pichu and went down to the local town called Aguas Caliente or Hot Waters in English. Here we had a farewell buffer dinner with our super trekkers group and then once almightly stuffed we went to the hot springs to relax the aching muscle for the afternoon until our train back to Cusco arrived.

After catching the train the trip that had so far run smoothly hit a little snag. For the final part of the journey we were suppose to get a bus back, however no bus turned up and 40 tired people were not best pleased. In the end we just paid for a local mini bus to take us back and got the tour company to pay for it. Once back I could not have been looking forward to a bed anymore…

Day 74 - Big old lie in today but once I was up I was rather sore. I wonder what could have caused that?

Today we caught a flight to Lima. Originally we were going to get the bus but that took 20-27hrs. One what kind of estimation is that, and two no thanks. Three days left so lets spend at least one whole one on a bus. Once in Lima we paid an extortionate amount to a taxi driver to take us into the city and booked into the Loki Hostel, which has a very nice roof top terrace area with a bar and table-tennis facilities.

It was very nice to finally be back at sea level after over a month. We all felt pretty energetic being able to walk down the street without getting out of breathe. It was also nice to be back in constant heat. Lima was boiling!

That evening was the evening of truth. I was finally going to get the tickets that had caused so much agro. If only the silly air company used e-tickets as we are in the 21st century after all. I met Fr Jonathan, the priest Mick knew in Lima - as you do, who doesn`t know a priest in Lima? - and he gave me the tickets, which were correct. Very relieved! We then had a couple of beers before I went to find everyone else so that we could explore the bright lights of Mira Flores in Lima.

Day 75 - Big bad Ellis` birthday. In the morning we went to a giant market were they sold everything you could think of. All the stuff was really and bargains could be found, with time. Unfortunately I had already accumulated enough rubbish from this trip to fit anything else in my bag, and we also didn`t want to spent too long there because we wanted to watch the Man U Barca game.

After the game we went for some afternoon birthday beers and then ended up not getting back to the Hostel until around 8pm. When we had returned we met alot of people that we had encountered on our travels, all of whom had come to celebrate Ellis` birthday - arrhhh… A super super super night was had by all. Oh yes.

On my way home form the nights fun I decided to pick up a McDonalds breakfast. Outside the place was a little homeless boy sleeping, or at least trying to but the policia were moving him on. Therefore I invited `Daniel` into Maccers for a good old breakie…

Day 76 - An emotional day if ever there was one. It was the final day of the trio`s travels. For his last day Jonny had a grande pizza from Pizzahut for his breakfast. It was his little treat. On the whole we just chilled out today and watch Liverpool unfortunately lose to flucky Chelsea. Oh well.

We also had one last nice meal together and then said our goodbyes to everybody and to each other. I`m sure Ellis had a tear as Jonny and I headed off to the airport. He was joining the Irish girls in a bus trip up to Ecuador where he was flying to Panama to meet his girlfriend Catherine.

At the airport Jonny and I parted ways with him going back to England, and me heading back to Buenos Aires - wooo wooo. 

Day 70 - The start of the trail. A 5.30am start!!!!

The first bit was a little bus journey to the start of the trail, where we had breakfast. We then gave our stuff to the porters and kept nothing but our day bags. We then had to queue as the permitted 250 trekkers passed through the first check point and got there passport´s stamped! We then entered the land of the Inca´s, oooh…

To be honest the first day was a complete doodle. 13kms and only the last bit up hill. We also stopped at regular occasions which broke the rhythm. Lunch was incredible, three courses in a tent that the porters had already set up by the time we had arrived. Brilliant and not at all expected.

Jonny somehow got cramp on the first day, 10 mins from the campsite, haha. The campsite was between two mountains with a view of a snow topped one…

Day 71 - This was the big day. We had to scale the dead woman´s pass. It was around 4500m high and was very steep. It was also the task after walk to it for 3hrs. For this we used the Ipods to motivate us and carry us up. Obviously the album of choice for me was the Rocky soundtrack, and it worked a treat! Especially towards the end when needing another break the song playing had the lyrics - “the body says stop, but the heart crys NEVER” - brilliantly written :) This allowed us to push on and reach the summit first whilst passing numerous porters…

The next 2km - still before lunch!!!! - were downhill. Mainly large steps built by the Incas. It was a wee bit treacherous. Ellis and I decided the best option would be to let gravity be our friend and run down, and it was working perfectly until it started raining making the steps slippy. Oh well we still ran and got to the lunch camp in time to have a little nap before the food.

After lunch there was another ascent to another pass, although this one did have some impressive ruins on it. It was then a few more km until the campsite and on route there was a larger set of ruins reachable via a very narrow staircase against the cliff face.

Day 72 - After the gruelling second day where we did more than the other groups we had an easier 3rd day. Only the 9km and not too much uphill. There were also spectacular views of the mountain peaks including one named the Puma´s claw. Towards our camp we took a detour and visited a very impressive set of ruins and Inca terraces. This was made better by the fact the 3 of us were the only people there at the time.

That evening in the camp we got to use shower facilities for 8mins each. Possible the best shower I have ever had…

We also visit some other nearby ruins which were huge compaired to some others we had seen. It had once been a working farming village for around 200 Incas.

That evening we thanked are porters and had what you could call an ending ceremony…

Day 73 - Up at stupid 0´clock. 4am to be precise. We had breakfast and then left the camp at 5am. On the edge of camp is the final checkpoint before the city. This checkpoint opens at 5.30 so we had to queue. Makes sense!

Once open we walked for 2hrs until we reached the Sungate. From hear you can look down and see Macchu Pichu for the first time. Well you could if you werent in a cloud!!! We thought our luck had turn and we were going to have terrible weather on our last day. Stink.

Fortunately on the path down to the ciudad the cloud and fog started to disperse and the city slowly became visible. It was a spectacular event seeing the mist slowly unveil the mystic city in the mountains.

I must admit after seeing all the ruins we had seen already I thought that I might be a little disappointed with Macchu Pichu after all the build up. I could not have been more wrong. I was brilliant, and a lot bigger than I expected. It was huge.

Once we arrived we had a 2hr guided tour around the city. This was fantastic, it let you really appreciate all the different parts of the Inca´s world.

After the tour we had free time to do as we wished and explore. I decided to climb wynnapichu which is the mountain next to the city from which you can see a birdseye view of the whole place. Jonny and Ellis opted not to after the strenuous 4 days - bad desicion. It was one of the most difficult 30mins of my life. It was so steep and very narrow and winding. But it was certainly worth it once I reached the top. Spectacular…

I stayed up there a while trying to recover. The trip down was just as bad if not worse… 

Day 60 - Today was our first day in Copacabana. Firstly we explored the town and found out what activities we could do. The main one was to go to the Isla del Sol and trek across it and see some Inca ruins. We decided it wasn`t worth it seen as we are doing the Inca trail. Instead the 5 of us hired a motor boat and went fishing on the lake. Between 4 of us fishing for 2 hrs we caught nothing!!! Not even a nibble. Most disappointing…

The sun was out the whole time we were fishing but it wasn`t that hot. This resulted in me now having stupid tanlines on my arms. I now need to be extremely careful when choosing a t-shirt to wear. We do not want these lines to be visible…

Day 61 - This morning we got the early bus to Puno in Peru. Puno is the second city of Peru, and is the location of the floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca. At the border crossing we had to wait for awhile for another bus to come pick us up. While we were waiting a local Peruvian boy came up to us to asking to polish our shoes. Obviously with flipflops on this wasn´t going to happen, however he also had a 2 pound coin which he couldn`t change because you can`t exchange coins. Therefore I gave him 30 Bolivanos for it and he was made up. He went off and started showing everyone how much money he had…

Later that day we arrived in Puno and booked ourselves straight onto a tour to see the reed islands. We went on the tour and it started well with the guide giving us a lot of useful information. However when we got to the islands we were a little disappointed to find that they were more like floating markets, and they were using their shildren to sing etc and then ask for more money. It was all about money, money and money. However I´m glad we saw them, they are a Lake Titicaca must…

Day 62 - Today was a travel day to Arequipa. Unfortunately we experienced a South American timing classic. We were told to check in at 12pm for the 12.30 bus. When we arrived we were informed that that bus had decided to leave early so we would have to wait for the next one at 2.30pm. We therefore had a fun 2 hour wait in the bus station…

We arrived in Arequipa late on and we were impressed to find that it was a rather stylish city with many grand buildings built with stone from the surrounding volcanos. It also had a plethora of nice restaurants around the centre.

Day 63 - Because of how late we had arrived the night before we hadn`t been able to book a tour for today so we decided to have a bit of a chill day. Whilst exploing the centre of town, including a very impressive square, a couple of Peruivian women came upto us and asked if they could talk to us to practice their english. We were on our way to book some tours so we spoke briefly and arranged to go out for a drink with them.

We went to book a tour to the Colca Canyon but we had a bit of a stinker. The only tours were 2 or 3 days with the 2 day one not being worth it seen as the canyon was over 6hrs away. We did not know this before, we were led to believe that it wasn´t far from Arequipa. STINKER!!! This meant we couldn´t fit it into our original schedule. We need to be in Cuzco in 2/3 days.

That evening we had a pleasant drink with the Peruvians and tasted some local drinks which I won`t recommend…

Day 64 - Disaster stuck today. Poor Adam was ridiculously ill. One sip of water and he would be sick. He looked terrible too. A highlight of the day was Jonny having to empty the bin because it was full of sick. Nice!!! I also used my best spanish to get Ellis some medicine from the chemist…

That evening we got the night bus to Cuzco. The bus company we went with were the most full of themselves bus company I have ever come across. Firstly they had a departure lounge in the bus station - that was a bonus. Then when we were aboard they showed a promotional video highlighting the fact that you could also buy model replicas of the bus!!!! During boarding and leaving the bus they played what can only be described as fairground music. The whole experience was very surreal…

Day 65 - We arrived in Cuzco at 6.30am and booked into a hotel which turned out to be cheaper than a 10 man dorm in the hostels(?), strange. Obviously then I had a little nap. I managed to bag my own room - brucie bonus… We were pretty tired from the bus so not much was achieved today although we did have a walk around the city.

Day 66 - Today we went on the sacred valley tour where you are taken to numerous Inca sites around the immediate area. Because it was a sunday we also went to numerous markets around the local villages. All the sites were amazing, including one where a face had been carved into the side of the mountain - it represent the mother earth god watching out for them! The buildings are all impressive too, huge carved rocks used for the walls without any mortar. They just carved a hole in one and a pertruder in the other and each was perfect. So secure that the spanish build there colonial buildings on top of the inca foundations. They are all earthquake proof too.

Day 67 - Ellis was still feeling a little ill so we again didn´t do much today. He needed to recover in time for the Inca trail. So today I had a monster internet session and call everyone…

That evening we went to meet the Irish girls off our salt flats tour after they had finished their inca trail. We found a very nice Irish pub that did awesome home cooking like shepards pie. Mmmmm.

Day 68 - Liverpool Chelsea today. Pretty gutted we drew to be honest. We battered them. Silly Riise… That was pretty much it for the day.

Day 69 - Today was a day to take snaps of Cuzco itself, very nice and prepare for the Inca Trail. We did this by buying lots of snackies for the trip, unsure what the food quality will be like! They we took in the Man U Barca  game before an early night. We were meeting the tour group at 5.30am. Not good.

Day 51 (Cont) - Turns out that we didn´t stay in Uyuni for a night. Buses out of the place only run at night so we would have been stuck here with nothing to do until the following evening. Therefore we decided it would be best to make a move that night. We also decided to follow the rest of the groups we´d met on the salt flats to Potosi - the highest city in the world! Or so we have read…

We had to get a 5 hrs bus in the freezing cold, and it turned out the only bue was a rubbish local bus that was small and cramped and was falling to bits! It also had no toilets and we all know how bad I am when I´m told I can´t go to the toilet! Also some of the windows were stuck open so it was like sitting in a freezer. I was wearing flip-flops too!!! Oops. I am extremely glad I slept some of the way because being awake on this death trap as the driver overtakes on cliffs around blind corners does nothing for the heart…

Arrived 1.00am but had booked a hostel already, although the guy on reception seemed to have forgotten.

Day 52 - First day in the highest city. Walking around was a big problem, well it certainly was when you tried to combine it with talking!

We went on a “downhill” bike ride today. 25kms out of the city is a hot spring which we decided to combine with a bike ride to take in the scenery. The tour intially was a shambles! 10 of us wanted to go but they only have 7 bikes. Then they managed to get 2 more but it meant we had to keep swapping and one person had to sit in the minibus behind. On route one of the bikes broke. Not good!

Also the statement about it being all downhill was a complete lie, there were numerous uphill bits including the final ascent which was huge. You just try cycling at 4000m, it is not fun…

Once at the springs it was fun, the sping wasn`t boiling but it was fun seen as there were 10 of us. For once the included lunch was impressive too. Corn on the cob, llama steaks, veg, salad etc.

Well rested after the bike ride we all went out for dinner. We went to a pizzeria and were served, both the food and drink by a kid no older than 12. He also had issues taking more than one order at a time. We were there a long time, I think they could only fit one pizza in the oven at a time.

Just a little note about Bolivia, some of the toilets require you to scoop water, from a vat next to it, into it to flush it. Not the nicest!!!

After dinner we went to a nice local whiskery…

Day 53 - A good old chillax day was had. Couple of films plus an internet sesh and a walk around the city. We caught the night bus to La Paz, but only just because it seems that Bolivians don´t understand what 3 taxis are… Our driver also just put our bags in the boot and left it open as he drove. Interesting tactic!

Day 54 - We arrivd in La Paz after another ropey bus journey at 6.30am. At least the seats reclined in this one.

We tried to get into the Loki hostel but failed so we decided to go a bit more up market and stay in a hotel. Firstly we tried the 5 star Hotel Precedente but I don`t think they thought much of slacks and flip flops! Anyway across the road was a nice hotel called Hotel Gloria. It cost less than what we were paying for a hostel dormitory in Brazil!!!!

After a nice lunch at Wagamamas - although we al,ost didn`t make it because the taxi driver`s here are terrible, he didn`t know where it was so just took us somewhere random!!! - we found a nice “local” bar called Oliver`s Travels. Surprisingly it was completely full of travellers. Here we watched the masterful display by Liverpool against Arsenal. Its fair to say a joyful day and night was had…

Day 55 - We were suppose to move to the Loki today but that didn`t happen. Cable TV, hot showers and bidet where just too tempting!!!

We had a slow start to the day. Little internet, laundry and a burger king lunch whilst watching the footy, but to be fair it was siesta time so there wasn`t much else to do.

In the afternoon we went to the La Paz markets. Having no warm clothes and with it being freezing this high up I thought it would be best if I bought so clothes. Therefore we all bought authentic ponchos!!! Smooth.

The things they sold in the market were incredible. Anything you wanted you could get, including llama fetuses, stuffed caymen, toads and dead cat skins. It was called the witches market but even so.

Today I also thwarted some scummy Bolivians that tried to mug me. Their mugging ploy is to firstly spit in the side of your face making you put your hands on your face and making you turn to see where it had come from. At this point others push into you making you lose your balance. At which point they swipe your wallet and/or bag. This happened to me however I kept my hands over my pockets and stood my ground. Shortly after the tourist police moved them on. Now I`m now sure how reasuring that is because if they had taken my wallet the police would have just moved them on with my wallet in hand. Also isn`t spitting at someone assault in England??? Ahhh the uncorrupt Police force…

In the evening we went to the Indian and James ordered the vindaloo. It was insane, basically a bowl of chillis. Needless to say he couldn`t eat it and had to order another. Maybe the look of shock on the waitress` face when he ordered it was a slight give away. We also found out that in the last 12 months only 4 people had finished it…

Day 56 - Today we did finally more to Loki. On moving a packed my bag with all my clothes at the laundrette yet it still required me to sit on it to close it. Possibly need to send some stuff home!!!

Jonny went to do a bike ride whilst Ellis and I did 3 hours of spanish. It was actually pretty good. The first hour and a half was with a very good teacher indeed. The second teacher was not so good but still ok.

After the lesson we went to the dvd market. All dvds 50p each. Brilliant. I bought lots. May aswell seen as I`m sending stuff home anyway.

That evening the family reunited had a few drinks in the hostel bar. Yet again we encountered the South American way of a spirit with a drop of mixer. Pretty pointless having any mixer at all…

Day 57 - Somehow up at 8am 6 of us went on a tour to Chiccalakka. A mountain on the outskirts of the city. We drove up to 5300m and then to reach the summit we had to walk another 100m. I have never been so tired, we all almost failed to reach the top. Literally every 5 paces a rest was required. Stones have never been so comfortable!!!

In the end we did make it and the views were spectacular. You could see Lake Titicaca faintly in the distance.

Day 58 - Today we had another day exploring the city and it`s markets. I also spent many an hour trying to phone the Airline!!! Not fun.

That night we went to a Japanese restaurant seen as it was the last night with everyone from the salt flats together. Well hopefully only until Lima. The meal did turn out to be a bit of a disaster because the starter James ordered contained peanuts and it didn`t say on the menu. He was pretty sick.

That evening we went to a club called the Hard Rock which only had Israelis in it. Very strange. At one point they lit the bar which was entertaining. On the wau home I was able to use my new found spanish skills to direct the taxi driver.

Day 59 - After a long morning trying to send som stuff home we set off for Lake Titicaca and Copacabana. On route the bus has to cross the lake at a narrow point. At this time all the tourists and only the tourists on the bus had to get off and pay to go across the lake on another boat. Classic tourist scam!!!

Anyway we arrived in a very quaint place called the Copacabana which is right on the shore of the lake.