La Paz, Bolivia

Was only in this capital city for a brief amount of time so didn't manage to see a lot or get any photo's in the town centre. It is the highest capital city in the world and this is where the purest cocaine in the world is made out of the San Pedro prison. Everything in Bolivia is corrupt especially within La Paz. The prison guards take the ingredients into the prisons to make cocaine then help the prisoners get it out for a tidy profit. We were able to see the prison which is in the centre of town but were not allowed to take photos. You can go in and tour the prison and even stay the night in a cell but with only two of us we didn't feel so safe.
La Paz also had streets dedicated to the witches markets where they sold llama foetuses and dead cats. Apparently if you build a house you're supposed to put this sort of thing under them. They just had these hanging out on the streets. Pretty crazy.
La Paz is a cheap place to be and even though it was corrupt you felt pretty safe. Lived like a king all through Bolivia and spent hardly any money once you transfer it all into Bolivianos.

Lake Titicaca, Puno, Peru

Went adventuring around Lake Titicaca as part of the first tour I did which is the highest Navigational Lake in the world. It is about 3,800 m.a.s.l. and is split between Peru and Bolivia and is therefore manned by the two countries Navy's. It takes up an area of something like 8,500km squared. Its bloody huge anyway. We stayed a night on one of the many islands on Lake Titicaca called the Amantani Island. It was a painful three hour boat ride out to the island on one of the slowest boats I have ever seen. Here we stayed with a local family in there house and helped them with there everyday chores which took far longer than usual due to there simple yet effective way of living. All of the locals on the island speak the native language of Peru, Quechua, so it made communicating very difficult but we had a heap of fun even having to dress up and go to a dance with them.
We also visited one other island, Taquile Island, on the lake along with the Floating Reed Islands which were amazing. The Floating Reed Islands are just that, floating reeds. The native people of peru built these islands completely out of reeds and they have been anchored with rocks to stay in one place. Everything on the island is also built out of reed using there weaving techniques. It was very impressive what they could achieve.


Here is a picture of the Floating Reed Island we visited as we are being welcomed by the family who own it. They still dress in the traditional costume and also speak Quechua. There island had several houses on it and even had an area where they kept fish for fattening up to eat.


All of the locals got around on these boats that were also made out of Reed and a bit of wood but as time has progressed they also use 5,000 old milk bottles to make sure it stays afloat. Had a ride on it across from one island to another.

This is where we spent a night on Amantani Island. Was an amazing experience but could not live my life like they do everyday. The door on our room that you can see was no more than a meter high.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Walked the Inca Trail which was created by the Incas many many years ago. The Incas managed to do a lot over the 300 years they existed before the Spanish invaded and destroyed and conquered Peru. The trail was absolutley amazing and the scenery was incredible. At the highest point we were 4215 metres above sea level and it was quite a struggle to breathe due to the high altitude. All our luggage while walking the Inca Trail was carried by porters who were incredible people carrying over 25kg each. We lived like kings on the trail with four meals a day and a 3 course meal for every dinner.

Before we started the Inca Trail we stayed in a place called Ollantaytambo. Was an awesome little town which was very picturesque.

The view with the typical Peruvian Llama in the foreground.

The top of Dead Womans Pass. The top of the Inca Trail at 4215 m.a.s.l. It is hard to actually show in a picture just how steep that was to climb.

Starting the walk back down from the top of the inca trail.

Little Macchu Picchu which was 5 minutes walk from the last camp site. All along the track there were places like this leading up to the grand Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu. This city was massive and the view was incredible. In the background is the mountain called Wayna Picchu. Didn't get to climb it unfortunatly due to the limited number of people alowed to climb it each day.

Amazon Jungle, Puerto Maldonado, Peru

Went to the Amazon Jungle from Puerto Maldonado in Peru for 3 days. Stayed at the Eco. Amazonian Lodge in some amazing bungalows at a place with a swimming pool, bar and restraunt. Saw some amazing sights through the jungle including getting close enough to touch 4 different types of monkeys (Heard many more in the jungle but couldn´t track them down). Saw tarantula, a snake, cayman ( little aligators), turtles, condors plus a huge amount more. The place was buzzing with wildlife it was incredible. Got to go phiranna fishing out on a motorised canoe (unfortunately didn´t catch anything) and swum/gatored in the amazon with the gators and phiranna.

Looking down on the vastness of the Amazon Jungle!

A red tail boa that was outside our bungalow when we got up in the morning. Didn't move much as it looked like it was digesting a mouse or something.

Phirrana fishing with Mario! Check out the motor on the canoe!

This was one of the spider monkeys we saw. It came down to eat then took one of the groups water bottles undid the lid and sculled the whole bottle of water back. It was a champion sculler wouldn´t want to take it on in a race.

Lima Central, Peru

Got into Lima central yesterday after spending a lot of time in Mira Flores checking out the sites in and around the place. Went on an extreme bike ride around the outskirts of Mira Flores where you can ride on the footpaths and cause chaos everywhere you go. Me and Callum managed to get ourselves very lost on a motor way which is a lot busier than the usual NZ motorway. Think our lives were on the line for half the ride.

Went and visited an old ruin in Mira Flores as well called Huaca Pucllana. It was built by the incas between something like 300-700AD. The ruins are that of an old pyramid which had no purpose from what we could gather as it was filled in with rock. Apparently they just used to use it as a sacrificial ground for woman and children as in the inca religion they are seen as the most important. Bizzare!

Me and Callum got a bit of a pose on at the ruins. Don't know what my dirty smirk is about.

Were in Central Lima now which is no where near as nice as Mira Flores and feels a lot less safe. Some very nice buildings around though and parks in the middle of town with big government buildings and churches surrounding them. These areas they call Plazas and there is one in every town centre of Peru.

Went out for a walk around town last night and saw the buildings all lit up. Looked amazing. This is the big catholic church in the main plaza. The fountain is in the middle of the plaza and is made of copper. A lot of big copper doors and copper statues around here. Looking forward to moving on now and getting into the jungle. Hopefully get some awesome pictures to put up then.

Mira Flores, Peru

Arrived in Peru yesterday at 10:30pm after a long haul of flying from Auckland via Santiago. From the plane the recent earthquake devistation in Chile was not evident. However, when we entered the Santiago airport a lot of the airport was boarded up, the walls and ceilings were cracked and a lot of the ceiling had been removed. They were hard at work fixing the mess but there is a lot of work still ahead to get it back to a decent standard.

We arrived in Peru and decided to go and check the night life out for a quiet beer, which changed into a long night out in Mira Flores. The difficulty so far is not just the language but also the fact that people here know how to dance and you can´t get away with just waving your arms around on a dance floor as people point and laugh at you. The people have been very nice though and try there best to communicate in English with you.

Went for a walk around Mira Flores today. The town was just buzzing with markets, people and music. We saw bands play in the street and people everywhere enjoying the beach and parks.

We walked along the beach front and visited the markets and malls. This shopping mall is Larco Mar and has been built into a cliff face above the sea. What looks like sea mist or fog is actually smog. The main centre is not affected by this but it was everywhere near the sea ruinning what might be a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean. Very impressed by Peru so far very nice people and lots to see.