Edwinas Travels 6. South America

Highlights: Salt flats, Bolivia Machu Picchu, Cusco Huachina, dune buggy riding in the desert sands La Paz, riding the cable cars between the mountains in this vibrant city. Unique awe inspiring experiences, all of them, with many more alongside, Peru and Bolivia are fantastic countries to visit. Memorable moment: Bus crash.  Never take life for granted. I still can't believe I walked away relatively unscathed. Bonuses Kind, generous people, keen to help everywhere. The weather: I'm between seasons, officially it's still the wet season but I've been lucky, no rain anywhere bar Cusco, and it always rains in Cusco. No crowds. As it's low season nowhere on the tourist trail has been too busy. Even Machu Picchu. And finally: Traveling independently is never easy but it's been surprisingly OK in both  Peru and Bolivia. Full marks to Peruhop and sister company Boliviahop for excellent bus service. I#d 💯 recommend them, easy to log in/ b

Saturday in downtown Lima. Manic markets, heaving crowds , music blaring from every corner. I love the buzz of this frenetic city. Um. Sooo many dialects/ languages..so much history in this diverse country My body is also buzzing, having worked out its back at sea level! Despite my post crash bruises I feel surreally energised. I didnt have any real altitude issues when up high  but I can sure tell the difference now I'm back down. I'm also staying in a hotel not a hostel😀. It's not expensive, as its cheap to stay downtown because it's not fashionable. Tourists tend to head for trendy (and admittedly fab)  Miraflores so I'm treating myself with a clear conscience. It's bliss, hot shower, a good fan (Peru air con 😏), comfy bed, plus a yummy buffet breakfast. The heat here has come as a shock after the chill of higher climes but it's grand, I'm a fan of sun! Today  I've wandered the streets admiring the architecture, sat in local parks am

Never fly star Peru! That I made it to Lima at all, let alone with all my body parts intact after a furious baying crowd tried to dismember me for my flight ticket, is a minor miracle. Turns out the reason this flight was the cheapest is because a) this company has the oldest planes known to man and b) most of them don't go! 75% of the scheduled flights are cancelled as the planes aren't equipped with modern technology to deal with altitude issues such as , well, cloud... Fortunately I knew nothing of this when I arrived at Cusco airport at 9 am on 27th for my 11 am flight. Then to  my horror  as I entered the terminal all I could see was a sea of shouting, angry crowds, pushing, shoving, screaming.... Fragile after the bus crash, I simply burst into tears. At which point a security guard and two smashing Canadian chaps took me under their wing. Fighting a path through the chaos they got me to a check in desk where, to my amazement, I found out my flight was actually due

Grateful thanks to kind hostel staff in Aqua calientes, who spoke little English but were so caring after the bus crash. That night they brought me up cup after cup of tea ,bananas, extra blankets, and next morning said I could stay in the room until my perurail train at 3 pm. They even carried my rucksack to the station for me. Highly recommended By then I'd stopped crying, stretched until my stiff muscles unwound, and generally pulled myself together (ish).  Heading back to Cusco post bus crash. Covered in white antinflamatory cream ( clinic have it to me, it's good stuff) which helps conceal face bruises 😉 The sacred valley is magical: up here in the cloud forest it's impossible to be low, it lifts the spirit. Gazing up into the sky towards the summit where Machu Picchu sits I know I'm glad I came, despite the bus crash, because the place is so special. Incredible views in sacred valley Traveling back to Cusco via perurail through the pheno

A truly phenomenonal, awesome place. Far far better than I'd expected, certainly up there with my most unique experiences.  Despite (or maybe because of the rain) the site was uncharacteristically quiet, the guards, notoriously aggressive, were charming, helpful and happy to let me wander at will regardless of one way signs. No pressure to have a guide, fine to take a picnic inside (normally a no no), all of which helped make this a magical day. I hadn't got up for the sunrise, the forecast was too bad, a wise move as it was apparently completely obscured by cloud. Instead I got the bus around 9 am, when the dawn crowds had vanished. It's a hairy, scary, 30 minute climb twisting and turning up the mountain to the summit site. And coming down I came as close as I ever have to dying.. But at the time I knew nothing of what was to come.  Rain showers came and went as I trekked up to the Sun Gate, an hour's steep climb with very high rocky steps, but worth it to be

Perurail certainly surpasses British rail. I had no idea, having booked the relatively cheap Expedition train, that it would be luxurious travel, at least by my standards. Carpeted steps onboard, wide, padded seats, free coffee, biscuits and juice, clean bathrooms..OK, so the main attraction was the unique journey,  but it certainly helped to see the views in such comfort😀. On the train - ready to depart Superlative scenery as our train trundled along its narrow tracks following the gushing river down through deep valleys, past ancient sacred sites, terraced farms on the lush  hillsides, local villages, a modern dam today providing much of Peru's electricity. Wild orchids along the riverbank flash splashes of bright colour. It's only a 90 minute journey from Ollantaytambo, a shame as I could have stayed on this train forever. Scenery through the valley Tonight I'm in Aqua Calientes, the bustling town serving Machu Picchu, my destination for tomo

First sight of the sacred valley from the collectivo bus took my breath away. I wasn't prepared for the sheer scale of the valley, the brilliant greens, the ruins dating from hundreds of years ago dotting the slopes glinting yellow in the sun's rays. entering the sacred valley on the bus Getting the bus was a challenge: I had to run the gauntlet of aggressive taxi drivers determined to force me into a cab. I literally had to swing my backpack at them to force my way pass and onto the collectivo. Once on, it was fine, and at 10 soles (£2.50) for a two hour ride, amazingly cheap. I'd opted to spend one night in Ollantaytambo to have time to explore the vast archaeological ruins here. Despite being Sunday, when Peruvians go free, I had the place blissfully mostly to myself for hours. Peering down into ollantaytambo Pre inca observatory, the sun shines through the niches... Sacred place where first rays of sun enter each morning This place is home t

One final day in Cusco before heading off to the sacred valley and machu Picchu. In theory. Slightly apprehensive that my independent online train /bus combo and day ticket to Machu Picchu may not work out... Fresh fruit juice stalls competing for trade. Less than £1 for a litre jug, seriously. Peruvian deserts Only in Peru! The workman digging the drains ensured even I, who love street food, gave San Pedro market a miss for lunch Meanwhile I continued to get lost in Cusco, dropping down into the manic market of San Pedro, sitting in shady cloisters admiring the architecture, then climbing high above the city to the Christo Blanco, the white cross. Looking over towards saqsayhuama from Christo blanco View of Cusco from the cross Courtesy of my boleta touristica I visited the city's historic museum, which turned out to be an unexpected gem.  The halls are full of genuine art, paintings from the Cusco school. The style is over the top religious, as it