A year or so of Misadventure and fun

Post Lima gluttony we really thought we would put ourselves through some more altitude training and traipse back up to the Andes for a couple of day walks in the hills. In order to do this, we headed up to central Peru to a town named Huaraz, located in the Ancash region. The spectacular mountainous backdrop to this town is named the Cordilla Blanca and is the second highest mountain range in the world after the Himalayas. Another (perhaps) interesting bit of trivia - it also has the greatest number of glaciers for a tropical region. Yes, apparently, even though it snowed, we were in the tropics.

Thankfully we were not silly enough to sign on to the many four day walks available in the region, but opted for two shorter day trip activities.

Day one was a five hour round trip up to 4650 metres in order to visit Lake 69. The walk was tough but relatively short and we were rewarded with some amazing scenery.

Enroute to lake 69

A bit of weather coming in

Team shot in front of Lake 69 - snowing at this point

Great day for it

The next day trip we had planned was a bit more driving than walking which was a lovely change.

First stop was to see these pineapple type plants which only flower once in their lifetimes but can take up to 100 years to flower. Once they flower, they immediately die. They flower usually in May... Unfortunately as we were there in the first few days of June, we had missed the apparently spectacular flowering. The plants alone were very unusual to look at and massive!

Agua con gas

Big tumbleweed

Yep, that was a flower - weird innit

The drive then continued on until our final destination of glacier Postururi. This involved only a one hour walk up to a very rapidly receding glacier Postupuri. It was a relatively simple walk even though it was the highest either of us has ever been on land and as we now know, breathing becomes a tad more difficult as the air thins out. The glaciers were situated above 5000 metres but I think we must be acclimatising as we coped well (although there was a 64 year old lady who beat us up - she was a machine). The glacier was not big or even typical as far as glaciers go, but it was a good way to spend a spare day.

Ice ice baby

Ice melt

Following a very quick stopover in the surftown of Huanchaco, we have boosted it up to Ecuador in preparation for our trip to the Galapagos. This is where I will be seeing in my fourth decade. Eek.

So bye bye to Peru for now, it was a wonderful place and up there as one of the best to date.

This blog is going to cover two things.

1. Sand boards and dune buggies in Huacachina.
2. 72 hours of Gluttony in Lima

Of course as always we will include loads of photos.

1. Huacachina - what a really weird little place this is. Although it's an "Oasis", as in "a lake in the middle of a desert," upon arrival it appears that although very striking from afar, at ground level it is a dated, dusty town full of young travellers following the gringo trail. All good though, we got in amongst and had a good couple of days there with the hightlight being the sandboarding and dune buggying over massive sand dunes.

This was our attempt to walk to the top of one of the dunes - we stopped about 10 metres in. In fairness to ourselves, it was midday and really hot

The rolling dunes we were free to play upon

Our vehicle of choice for the dunes

This is a pic of the largest of the dunes which we boarded down - it was so steep and amazing. Thankfully the dune buggies retrieved us at the bottom so no uphill walk required

View of the "Oasis" from the dunes. Looks good huh?

Video of the Sandy exploits

Needless to say, after this adventure we had sand everywhere.... Like everywhere you could imagine. We are still finding sand in our pockets one week later.

2. Lima - I think we put on about 10 kg's (which we really didn't need) while eating our way around world class restaurants.

Let's talk about food, baby.

We haven't spoken a lot about food on the blog - because for the most part, it has been good, not great food. Sure there have been some highlights and good finds along the way, however, South America has not inspired our tastebuds as much as other regions. A notable exception and perhaps the home of the continent's best cuisine is Lima, Peru. Knowing this, we were not going to pass the opportunity by to indulge perhaps our favourite past-time; eating bloody good kai.

Restaurant 1: La Lucha (This also falls into Restaurant 5 as we returned). This highly recommended sandwicheria lived up to expectations with fabulous pork sandwiches and the best fries ever tasted. Side note for the spud enthusiasts out there: there are approx 3800 potato varietals in Peru. The fries at La Lucha were these white/red marbled numbers. Fantastic!

Restaurant 2: Astrid and Gaston. This restaurant recently made a jump from number 35 to number 14 in the world restaurant rankings. We were expecting big things.

The only booking we could get was for 10.30pm. It is actually quite difficult to maintain an apetite till this time, even for the likes of us who will eat at anytime of the day. But we went along planning to give it our all and devour a degustacion menu. We ordered only to be told that it was unavailable at this time. Still happy, we turned to the menu all in fancy spanish (we struggle somewhat with everyday spanish let alone trying to decipher a fancy spanish food menu) but we knew some key words so planned to just roll the die and hope for the best. A spanner was thrown when we were once again told that actually, the degustacion menu was still available. Perfect, two of those with matched wines thanks. Five minutes later found us perusing the menu again... Seems it was not available. After a couple of suggestions from the waiter we had chosen a few dishes which were found on the degustacion menu and could be ordered separately. Perfect.

The bread basket given to us before the meal deserves a special mention. It was full of a vast range of breads which were devine. It was quite large however and we were left feeling full before the proper eating had begun.

Still not 100% sure what this was but was artfully presented and tasty. We didnt order it - we think perhaps it came as part of the original degustacion menu??

l-r; 3 x ceviches & Guinea pig at the front, sexy seafood risotto, lumps of delicious beef


Incredible desserts; namely the apple basket thing (2nd) which was a caramelised apple in brandy snap case with amazing condiments

Tower of sweet given as a complimentary surprise at completion of the meal

Restaurant 3: Central. This restaurant is ranked number 50 in the world but with the previous nights' experience still fresh, we went not knowing what to expect. All our doubts were quashed immediately as we entered into a haven of fabulous service. We even got a rooftop garden tour and a visit from the head chef at the completion of our meal. Really and truly an amazing dining experience which we would repeat in a heartbeat.

The bread basket although not as extensive as A & G, deserves a mention for the fact that it came with butter (not margarine) which had been slowly burnt. It was incredible and a good sign of what was to come.

Entrees and mains consisting of (l-r); Tuna tataki, Seared fois-gras, Amazonian Arapaima, Suckling goat

Eucalyptus and dry ice

Desserts were a highlight as always

Cup of Peruan Chai to finish off

Our garden tour where they grow herbs atc

Restaurant 4: La Mar. This restaurant is part of the Astrid y Gaston stable. It is a more relaxed, lunch only cebicheria (place where the focus is on ceviche which is a peruan raw fish dish). We rocked up nice and early to beat the rush and had exemplary service and incredible food. We loved this place and it was really good to be back on the coast to have access to amazingly fresh and delicious seafood.

Degustacion of ceviche - five different ways to serve raw seafood. Amazing

BBQ tuna steak - yes please!

We topped our 72 hours of gluttony off by watching two movies back to back - fatties much? We loved our time in Lima and to be honest we saw very little of the city aside from the amazing restaurants. Seemed like somewhere you would not need to spend too much time though (unless you up for some weight gain).

One thing we did come across was a park which housed loads of cats. Super weird. They are all healthy and content so I do not know who is responsible for their upkeep but they do a good job. Dotted all around the park you can find people sitting in the sun on park benches with various cats on their laps.

Who told them we were coming?

The infamous Incan ruins of Machu Picchu are by our guestimation – on the top of the collective South American tourist’s to do list. This was no more apparent than in Cusco – the main launchpad to the ruins, where festy backpackers coexisted with fly-in, sanitised, polo-wearing types and entrepreneurial locals clamber to make a buck or three from them all.

Our game plan was to get on a tour doing one of a handful of alternatives to the Inca trail –“Salkantay”, a five-day tramp ending at Machu Picchu.

After locking in the trip with a local agent, we stashed our packs with chocolate, walking sticks and altitude tablets, all the while wondering why we were going to put ourselves through more inevitable pain and sleep deprivation at altitude.

Day one kicked off at 4:30 am with a drive to where it would all begin (after a hearty brekkie of course). Once we got started ambling up the valley to campsite #1, it became apparent that the previous 3 weeks at altitude had not provided enough in the way of altitude training. Our lungs were burning. In-lieu of an Armstrong-esque blood transfusion, we popped some altitude tabs and soldiered on, arriving at 5pm.

Views of where we were to attempt to walk

Day two was to be our Everest. The walk up to 4600m was certain to be no picnic. Unfortunately Hayley suffered a (conveniently-timed) gastro-upset before we kicked off, and was thus slung onto a mule for the ascent. As it turned out – the tricky part was the 6-hour downhill stretch down from the top, which resulted in jelly-legs and temper-tantrums. Nevertheless, a ‘refreshing’ cold shower and some argentine drinking games soon lifted the mood upon arrival at camp.

Mules are the only option for some people suffering from gastro

All safe at the top - only gets easy from here right? Wrong. Downhill is agony!

Very impressive mountain views

Well worth the hard work walking up (or mule ride for those too lazy to try)

Ice capped mountains make for stunning scenery but very cold breezes

Day three was far easier on the body – down to circa 2000m and an easy undulating stroll through the forest made for a cruisey day. The highlight though, was a few hours spent relaxing in some hotpools in Santa Teresa.

Nice down in the tropical valley only one day later

So lush and warm

Group playing in the hot springs

We mixed it up a little on day four – opting to spend a few hours zip-lining instead of walking in the morning, no doubt akin to how the Incas used to do it. The afternoon was spent following the train tracks to Aguas Calientes - the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. The walk was stunning and wound around the bottom of the towering mountains upon which the ruins sit.

Last day is a lovely walk along the train tracks. If real estate was this stunning next to train tracks at home I would love to buy next to the tracks.

Back view of Machu Picchu

Reacquainting with some old travelling buds Helen and Andy. (Andy's Mum also came along on the walk - super impressive feat from Lourdes)

Finally day 5 was upon us, as was another stupid-o’clock start. We clambered our way up the steps as the sun rose and were treated to that picture-perfect view with a smattering of morning fog. As we had decided a touch more punishment was in order – we walked up to Machu Picchu mountain behind the ruins in the mid-day sun. And as the punters promised as they past us on their way back down – it really was worth it.

Tiring walk up the inkan steps...

To finally arrive at the piece de resistance... So moody and covered in fog

Proof we were actually there

Picture perfect day

Our tour group on the terraces

View from afar

Woohoo. Made it up to Machu Picchu Mountain. Extremely gruelling climb up but so worthwhile

How do they cut these bricks so perfectly with no tools? Remains a mystery.

Touristy cusco street art

Another fabulous video for entertaining viewing

One thing we had been looking forward to since purchasing the GoPro video camera, was being able to attach it to one of our helmets and hoon down the world’s most dangerous road. We were hoping for footage that did not include either of us sailing over the handlebars and tumbling a few hundred metres to our deaths - which we achieved (hence the somewhat pedestrian account of the ride, apologies). This may make for a more boring video, but we were certainly happy to both come out the other end in one piece. (Mike we were inspired to be extra careful with your story in the backs of our minds).

We were expecting to ride down a very narrow gravel road but neither of us had anticipated that the ride itself would also be stunning. We descended from 4700 metres above sea level to just 1700. This drop lead to a dramatic difference in climate between start and end. At the top we were freezing our butts off, while at the bottom it was time for a refreshing dip in a pool as we had entered a tropical rainforest. Totally crazy.

Keep to the left - why? So I can fall over the edge? Scary! The rest of the country drives on the right but on the most dangerous road we are supposed to stick to the left - no sense!

Foggy roads

Geared up and ready to record

Many crosses along the way

Playing silly buggers - safety first.

Hayley the he-woman

Three of us on a precipice

The road from afar

Much deserved congratulatory beer at the end to celebrate being alive

We had a few days in La Paz to look around the city sights and recover from the ride. It is quite an ugly city at ground level but from afar is dramatic and striking as it is nestled in amongst mountains.

Witch doctors abound. These Llama foetuses are used to bless a new building

Cool colonial streets in Spanish section of the town

Shopping trip for Alpaca goods

Sweet buses

Something adding to the cities crazy atmosphere were the almost continuous strikes and protests. Various strikes had been underway for 90% of our four weeks in Bolivia, but previously they had been at the borders of the towns in the form of blockades. We had been quite removed from them in the past. In La Paz however, the protests and dynamite explosions were occurring right outside our bedroom window. Made for entertaining viewing even if it was a little scary venturing out in amongst it all. Now don’t ask us what the protests were about, everyone in Bolivia has a different story to tell and it is the land of little to no information after all so who really knows?

Protests as viewed from our hostel window

A quick video showing what we saw - not all the smoke from exploding dynamite!

We enjoyed our time here in one of the nations capitals (It has two) and perhaps it was because we ate well. Everyone is well aware of how much we both enjoy a good feed and they have been seriously lacking to date. There has been excellent produce used in South America, but for the most part there is little creativity when it comes to food. Remember the good ol’ days when we all lived on meat and three veg. We are living that right now. So boring!

Much to our delight, three weeks prior to our arrival in La Paz, the owner of the world’s (ex) number one restaurant (Noma in Denmark) opened a new restaurant in La Paz by the name of Gustu. Off we went with our buddies Jared and Marie to celebrate Jared’s 29th birthday to indulge in wonderfully prepared local produce. We had planned to get the 15 courses but upon arrival there was only an option for the 5 course with matched wines. Disappointed though we were, we tucked in merrily to our measly five courses. It was INCREDIBLE and so filling. We could not have handled any more courses so it worked out for the best. It was an incredible experience and we can’t wait to hit up Lima in Peru to indulge in some more gastronomic delights.

Amazing cocktails

The birthday boy pretty delighted with his gifts!

We have now entered Peru where we are gearing up for a 5 day trek up to see Macchu Picchu.

Peace out all

We wanted to take the tour with our pals Jared and Marie who we met way back on the Navimag in Chile, so it meant we had five nights in Tupiza as they made their way down to meet us. It meant plenty of time poolside during the sweltering days and devouring books and movies during the chilly nights.

Morning stroll through the wild west


Could not stop laughing at this chap

When our amigos arrived, we took a day tour around Tupiza – the ‘Triathlon’ aka Drive + Horse ride + Bike ride (or duathlon for those allergic to horses). The highlight was certainly the 17km bike ride down hill in the afternoon overlooking some phenomenal scenery, which would be a taster of what we would be treated to during our Salar tour.

The following day we (Santos – the guide) packed up our land-cruiser and headed for the hills.
Typically, we had been blinded by the much-hyped Salar and of course the amazing photographic trickery that can be achieved when perspective disappears. This meant we were pleasantly surprised for the first three days being treated to otherworldly landscapes – Lakes, mountains, canyons, towns, random rock formations and geysers plus plenty of llamas and flamingos thrown in.



Hayley teaches Agostina the heel click

Graceful as ever


Team shot

Arvo tea

Salty hotel

Our coca-chewing guide Santos and our cook Agostina spoke less English than we speak Spanish meaning basic conversation was the order of the day but still plenty of room for jokes. Santos enjoyed playing on the gringo faux pas – when trying to say one is hot, el gringo often mistakenly says ‘Soy caliente’. Whilst literally it stacks up, it actually means ‘I’m horny’. So for four days we all exclaimed how horny we all were much to the entertainment of Santos and Agostina. Fun with languages.

The final day of the tour was spent on the mind-blowing Salar itself where we had a ball in miniature.

Panoman at sunrise

Four days, no shower

Here is a motion picture of epic proportions to wow you all with our antics (It is actually very amatuerish but we love reliving the past week)

We write this from La Paz after a rough overnight bus and not a lot of zzz’s. Time for some R & R and (hopefully) some international cuisine.

Xoxox

Soph n Hayley