On the Loose in South America

Sightseeing in beloved 'BA'

vegemite_vagabond — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 08:52:00 GMT

The last two days have been spent avoiding the shops like a plague (to salvage my bank account!), and sightseeing in Buenos Aires.

Yesterday, Flee and I took a 5km walk through BA to the cemetary of the rich and famous - Dating from about 1600, and featuring its own streets and up to 5-metre high memorials, this is not your typical cemetary. In fact, it more resembles a small town.

Most of the 'gravestones' (or memorials) of the dead are marble/stone edifices the size of a small bedroom. The majority are clear glass at the front, allowing you to se the coffin and decorated area inside. The coffin aside, it feels like you are looking into the window of a foyer. Some 'gravestones' even feature small stircases inside that descend to additional coffins for other family members.

A spot in this cemetary comes at a huge expense, and therefore, it is only the rich and famous buried here.

We managed to track down Evita (Eva Peron)'s family grave, as well as those of many famous influential politicians and wealthy aristocratic families.

It is a shame I am not filthy rich, as I would be quite partial to my own little reservation in such a cemetary for a future date. ;)

Then again, I think I would rather spend the money whilst still alive, as I dont know how much I would be able to appreciate when six feet under!

After our visit to the Cemetary, we took a walk around the city, admiring the beautiful old colonial buildings, and lunching in the leafy Plaza de Mayo, where the bright pink government building stands.

We also managed to see a lively protest in the Plaza. These apparently occur on a weekly basis. For those who dont know, Argentina's recent history is rather controversial.

Ill give you a little summary:

In 1976, in a well-planned coup, the Argentine armed forces overthrew the government of President Peron (1931). Then, between 1976 and 1982, a three-man military group, led by General Videla, took charge and began a ruthless campaign against all opposition. Anyone suspected of favouring opposition was subject to arbitrary arrest, and those who had illegally profited from the former corrupt government were prosecuted. People were kidnapped on the streets and never seen again; the prisons overflowed with so-called political prisoners, and torture was common; there were no trials, and legal process was ignored. An estimated 11,000 Argentines disappeared between 1976 and 1982.

With the return to civilian government in December 1983, Argentina's newly elected president Alfonsin announced plans to prosecute the nine military leaders who ruled during this "dirty war,". After an eight-month trial in Buenos Aires, Videla and his navy commander, Admiral Massera, were found guilty of homicide, illegal detention, and other human rights violations and were sentenced to life imprisonment.

However, In January 1991, Argentina's President, seeking to quell discontent in the military, issued pardons to imprisoned military personnel, including Videla. This resulted in much public protest and outrage, which still pervades today. Furthermore, there remains large numbers of 'disappeared' persons whose murders during the regime have never been recognised. Other offenders who have never been brought to justice still walk the streets of Argentina. The protest we witnessed, comprised partly of families of victims, aims to publicise and rectify these injustices.

After the fairly sobering experience of seeing the protest, we headed back to the hostel for a quiet night in. With my curiosity aroused, I spent the evening researching more about the dirty war on the hostel's computer.

The following day, I tried to find a book on this period, either in Spanish or English, but failed miserably. Unfortunately, it seems this controversial period is still too recent and too controversial to be documented in books sold publicly.

Tomorrow, I fly back to England to see Dan for two weeks. We are planning a jaunt to Berlin to visit friends Nicky and Phil, and then a few days in romantic Rome, before returning to England. In two weeks' time, I will then fly back to Buenos Aires, beofre continuing on to Australia. Sounds like a lot of jetsetting? You are not wrong! Will let you know how I cope with the jetlag!

Shopping wallet free

vegemite_vagabond — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:49:00 GMT

Hello all!

So I am still relishing life in beautiful Buenos Aires, despite the fact I had my wallet stolen this morning! Flee and I stopped off for a morning coffee, I paid the bill, returned my wallet to my bag, and half an hour later it had vanished. It seems the pocket pinchers of Buenos Aires are indead very practised at their profession! Never mind, thankfully I did not have a lot of money in there, and once I had cancelled credit cards, the situation was basically dealt with.

I did then consider spending the afternoon sulking at the hostel, but figured there was no point in punishing myself......So, I went on a shopping spree!

In my opinion, the clothes-shopping potential of Buenos Aires is unmatched worldwide. Shopping here is practically a national sport (One I partook in and enjoyed, even though I traditionally dislike shopping!). The boutiques are typically located in beautiful tree-lined streets (although there are also shopping malls), and the clothes are stylish, good quality and most importantly, REALLY cheap!

However, I may have negated the cheap aspect by overbuying! In truth, I dont think I typically buy in a year the number of clothes I purchased today! However, given my normal aversion to shopping, and the fact I could not afford the clothes in pricey England, it was high-time for a new wardrobe (as my sister will agree!). More surprisingly, due to my love of a bargain, and the beautiful setting, I actually really enjoyed my shopping day! Maybe I am a convert, and will now WANT to join the masses in Melbourne scouring the clothing shops for designer bargains during the January sales......!

So, the score at the end of the day was:

Minus one wallet;

Plus a suitcase-worth of new clothes!

I think my closets will require a spring-clean when I get home!

To avoid returning to the shops tomorrow, I am planning a day of sightseeing - Will let you know what wonders I discover!

In love again

vegemite_vagabond — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 01:37:00 GMT

I may have only been in Buenos Aires for 24 hours, but it is already official - I am in love!

BA is the most liveable city I have ever come across, surpassing even my beloved Melbourne. It has similarities to London, yet with more hospitable people, much more reasonable economically (in fact downright cheap), and despite a large population, manages at the same time to never feel overcrowded.......even on the subway!

It features beautiful old buildings on wide, tree-lined boulevards, a wonderful cafe culture, and ridiculously good shopping opportunities (which may be my downfall!). In addition its beauty is a mountain of things to do and see, including every imaginable type of museum, wonderful tango shows, street performers, theatre, and an extremely lively nightlife. In fact, Portenos (people of Buenos Aires) do not even consider eating dinner until 10:30pm, and as for going out, one would not make an appearance at a club before 2am if they wanted to maintain any semblance of 'cool'. Typically, a weekend night finishes at approximately 7am the next morning. I am hardly a nightowl at the best of times, so it is requiring a little adjustment on my behalf!

Well, I am now off to sample the best of Buenos Aires boutiques (a dangerous activity), so I will let you know how many unnecessary purchases I make!

Picturesque Rosario

vegemite_vagabond — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:40:00 GMT

I arrived with Flee in the town of Rosario ( south of Buenos Aires on the River Parana)in the early hours of the morning. We caught a taxi direct to our hostel, and attempted to check in. Unfortunately, the hostel, whilst recommendable, is an HI hostel, and as such, has rather draconian rules. We were told that (even though our beds were free), we could not check in until 12 midday, and not a minute earlier. Exhausted after a night's bus trip, we found some beanbags in the bar, and had a 4- hour nap!

When we finally did check in, we were still rather tired, and so spent the afternoon kipping and relaxing in the hostel. That night, we hit the town with a few Irish guys, only to find that nothing was open. It seems that, despite the majority of Argentines being nightowls, Rosario differs slightly to the norm, and bars close at approximately 11:30pm weekdays. So, we returned to the hostel for a quiet drink before bed.

The following day, two american girls invited us on a sail boat along the Rio Parana. Given the lovely blue sky, the lack of any other concrete plans, and our desire to sunbathe, we accepted. Not only did we enjoy a peaceful sail along the coastline of the city, but I also learnt the basics of sailing, including hoisting the main sail and steering the boat! I have decided sailing is a thoroughly enjoyable activity, and I therefore shall buy myself a sail boat in the future.......Ok, so maybe it is not quite that simple, but there is nothing wrong with the occasional pipe dream!

The following day, I had the chance to properly see the extraordinary beauty of Rosario. I hired a bicycle, and took myself for a cycle around the city, along the riverfront, and through the beautiful green parks and boulevards. The city features gorgeous old colonial buildings, a well-designed riverfront, and many beautiful esplanades surrounded by greenery. It is the greenest city I have seen in Argentina so far, and as such, would have to register as the current favourite.

The only problem with the city is it lacks the liveliness of other Argentine cities, particularly during weeknights. Actually, there is one other problem - Many of the intersections do not feature traffic lights. They act similarly to a roundabout.......just without the roundabout! Therefore, there is a kind of who dares wins mentality, and so intersections can become rather hectic. I was not quite so daring, and so it often took me the equivalent of three light changes to pluck up the courage to toddle across the intersection on my bicycle! Whilst it was a little frustrating and time-consuming, I figured that those who love me would appreciate the cautious approach!

The following day, our last day in Rosario, I spent wandering the pedestrian shopping streets, and resisting the temptation to splash out in the beautiful clothing boutiques. The only justification for this was that I would shop till I dropped in Buenos Aires instead, before my flight back to London. I also visited Che Guevara's birth place - a small apartment in Buenos Aires, that is now privately occupied. There was not a lot to see there, but I still managed a few photos, and had the satisfaction I had seen his first residence.

That night Flee and I cooked a delctable dinner, and relaxed in the hostel, before our much anticipated journey the following day to Buenos Aires.

Iguazu Falls

vegemite_vagabond — Tue, 7 Nov 2006 00:37:00 GMT

I must begin by apologising profusely for the delay in updates. To all of my diligent readers (basically that refers to my mum, granny and Dan!), I am very sorry, and I will attempt to be more organised from now on!

The long-distance bus trip to Posadas, in the region of Missiones, was surprisingly pleasant. It helped that the bus came complete with effective air-conditioning and reclining seats, screened newly-released films, and featured hostesses that served breakfast and dinnner......Not your typical australian bus I´ll admit!

I arrived in little steamy Posadas, a town of 200,000 surrounded by rainforest, in the early morning, and found myself a basic hostal in which to stay. I spent the day relaxing, and taking a stroll along the riverside esplanade, which was very pleasant. However, Posadas as a town had little to offer in terms of other activities, and so I boarded a local bus the following morning to Iguazu.

The bus, which lacked air-conditioning, and whose windows were sealed shut, was an absolute sauna, given the 35C heat outside. It was comforting, however, that even the locals didnt cope well with the heat, and spent the 6-hour trip fanning themselves with newspapers, and complaining to the driver.

We finally arrived in Puerto Iguazu (the small town closest to the falls on the Argentinian side), after a drive through humid tropical lowlands and rainforest. I was thrilled to find the hostel I had selected had a large swimming pool, and so spent the afternoon by its edge with my trusty book. The hostel was the most resort-like backpacker haunt that I have ever seen. It came complete with a large pool set in landscaped gardens, with a restaurant, pool-side bar, and beautiful resort-like reception building. However, it still offered all of the benefits of a hostel - Free internet, a fully-equipped kitchen, and a basic free breakfast. Furthermore, it was absolutely packed with travellers. (Speaking of which, given there was only two computers for approximately 100 backpackers, and one was temperamental, this partly explains the delay in journal updates!).

The hostel also featured its own small travel agency, and so I paid them a visit and booked a trip the following day to Iguazu Falls (on the Argentinian side). The following morning, I met my travel buddies for the day - an australian ex-rugby player called Garv, and a lovely enlgish girl called felicity - and headed for the falls.

The infrastructure of Iguazu Falls was very impressive, and the area included small shops, information centres, brilliantly maintained trails through the surrounding rainforest, and many viewpoints for the falls themselves. We spent the morning walking the trails and viewing the breathtaking falls from all angles and heights, as well as spotting some local wildlife. In the afternoon, we boarded a speedboat, which took us directly UNDER one of the largest parts of the waterfalls! I was expecting to receive a little spray, but was not at all prepared for the absolute soaking I received - Neither were my clothes, which I was still wearing over my bathers! The boat under the falls was a thrilling experience, and really demonstrated the power of these natural wonders. However, given the humidity, I could not get my clothes dry.

In the later afternoon, it then started to rain, first lightly....then extremely heavily. I was already walking around in very uncomfortable wet clothes, and the minute the rain started pelting down, and the sun disappeared, I felt akin to an ice-block. There was only one solution - take off my wet, cold clothes......and walk around Iguazu falls tourist park in my bikini in the rain - So thats exactly what I did. The local groups of Argentine school boys seemed to appreciate it, but im not sure how many others did. At least I avoided hypothermia!

We returned to the hostel late afternoon after a brilliant day at the amazing waterfalls and rainforest, and discussed our impressions over a nice meal and a few drinks. There was a great group staying at the hostel, and I got on particularly well with Felicity, the english girl on my Iguazu tour.

The following day, we awoke early, and boarded the bus again, this time for a visit to the BRazilian side of the waterfalls. This side was also impressive, although much smaller, and offered more an overview of the waterfalls, rather than an up-close expeience. It did however, feature a fantastic tourist bus which escorted you through the surrounding rainforest, as well as some brilliant boardwalks that took you over the surrounding rivers and up close to the base of the waterfalls.

There was one other advantage of going to the Brazilian side - I got another stamp in my passport - It is official....I have now been to Brazil!.....for approximately 5 hours! ;)

From what I have heard though, Brazil is a brilliant country with a huge amount to see and do, so I dont plan on that being my only passport stamp into Brazil. However, that will have to wait for a future trip.....

That night we again returned to our resort-like hostel, and enjoyed a late afternoon swim, and a few drinks, not to mention a home-cooked pasta meal. Felicity and I realised that not only were we heading in the same direction after Iguazu, but that we were both flying out to London on the same day! (although admittedly on a different flight). We were getting along brilliantly, so we decided to travel together for our remaining two weeks in Argentina. Having seen most of what the Iguazu falls had to offer, we booked an overnight bus to Roasario for the following day, thus beginning the journey South to Buenos Aires.

Argentine Arrival

vegemite_vagabond — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:12:00 GMT

Hi all!

Just a quick update to let you know I safely crossed the border into Argentina (thankfully reasonably hassle-free this time!), and have spent the last three days exploring northern Argentina. The area is a maze of tiny villages set in countryside very similar to the wild west of the United states. In fact, I travelled through the very setting of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (The area bordered a lovely little town called Tupiza).

The Argentine people in these cacti-surrounded villages are the friendliest I have come across on my entire trip. I need never sit alone sipping a local mate tea, as there will always be a friendly local who approaches for a chat. I even managed to make a friend at the local ice-creamery yesterday, who offered me spanish lessons for $1 an hour, and spent 30 minutes planning me a route around the small town to see all the main attractions! Unfortunately, I had to leave the next day, so no cheap spanish lessons there for me! :(

Last night signified the end of my Argentine desert explorations, as time is running short, and I had to head back to the city. I stayed the night in little Cafayete, one of the larger semi-desert towns, and spent the afternoon frollicking and sunbaking at the local swimming pool with a couple of Austrians who I met the day before. Complete with a large waterslide, free of charge, this swimming pool was a fantastic find, especially given it was 33C!

Tonight, I am in the city of Tucuman, in Northern Argentina. Although a perfectly pleasant city, with very friendly locals, I must make tracks tomorrow if I am to reach Iguassu Falls in comfortable time. Tomorrow night, I am therefore boarding a night bus to Posadas, in far north-east Argentina. Right now, however, my stomach is calling, so I am off to dine in a nearby eatery for what will be, by argentine standards, a VERY early dinner (8pm!). Hasta Luego Amigos!!!!

Change of Plans- Potosi Mines

vegemite_vagabond — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:29:00 GMT

Ok, so I was having a great time in Sucre, Bolivia, but after a bit of serious thought, I have decided to continue my travels down through Argentina, about which I have heard great reports. I have also decided to fly back to England in late November to see the boy (Dan) for two weeks. I will then return to Argentina to continue my travels, before heading home to Australia for Christmas.

Given the above, I have under four weeks to make it to Buenos Aires for my flight to England, which is little time for such a vast continent. I therefore decided to leave Sucre after just under two weeks, and head south in Bolivia to Potosi. At over 4700m above sea level, this little city is supposedly the highest in the world! (This is however according to the Bolivians, who are a little too keen on their superlatives!). The main attraction is the mines nearby, where Bolivians survive treacherous conditions to mine and sell silver, zinc and lead. So, in accordance with the tourist trend, I decided to partkae in a mine tour, despite hearing they were not overly safe or pleasant. I did, however, book it through a very reputable organisation.

The mine tour was a truly eye-opening few hours, and I will never again complain about working in a restaurant, shop, care industry or otherwise!

The safety standards in these suffocating, intoxicating, and sweltering mines are non-existent. Even if not claimed by a mine collapse from misplaced or forgotten explosives, miners rarely live beyond 45 years; Noxious fumes and other harsh realities of the atrocious conditions make miners susceptible to every form of heart, lung, respiratory and otherwise disease. To enter the mines, one must crawl on hands and knees through tiny dark holes, surrounded by intoxicating gases and with an almost complete lack of oxygen. Despite having an oxygen mask (which the miners dont), I still found it extremely difficult to breath at times, and was also dripping with sweat from the stifling humidity. These mines are still very primitive, and lack any modern technology - Huge carts weighing many tonnes are still pushed, pulled and manually filled by the overworked miners, who work with little aside from a shovel. Miners also develop severe back problems due to the demanding physical labour.

Possibly the worst aspect of these mines is the age at which men start work. Miners are typically the poorest Bolivians, as no-one with other options would choose to work in such surroundings. Sadly, many begin in the miens at 13-15years, as orphans or very poor children who have no choice but to do so to survive. Many work for 15-20 years, before dying an untimely death due to the factors above. A miner typically works a 10-12 hour day, with several breaks in between. In that time, they must remain in the mine, as entry and exit is too time consuming. However, because of the noxious fumes etc that can be fatal, they cannot eat whilst underground. Therefore, they chew coca leaves to suppress their apetite and give them energy, and drink water, which they must carry on their backs. They use rudimentary lamps which are operated using a ctalyst and water. However, as water is a precious commodity that must be carrried, they often dont have enough to operate the lamps. So, they ´recycle´ the water by lighting the lamps with another bodily fluid.

Miners also carry and drink liquor which is 96% pure alcohol, and very cheap. I was offered some myself, but didnt think it wise at such an altitude, and being such a lightweight!

The mines are a co-operative venture, and miners work in small groups to mine and sell their produce. Work is completely performance-based, so if one has a bad day and doesnt find any material of value, they earn no money. Most miners therefore have to work a 6 or 7 day week to earn enough money to support families/themselves etc.

After 3 hours in the mines, I was exhausted, shocked, filthy and dripping with sweat. And I wasnt even working! Imagine how it would feel for those who toil for three times as long every day, without the luxuries of oxygen masks, protective clothing, and food in the stomach. To support the miners, we all brought them some explosives and catalysts, and water and soft drink. It must, however, have been a small consolation for them.

After the tour, I returned to the hostel for a long hot shower, before heading to bed for an early night.

Sucre Antics

vegemite_vagabond — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 20:12:00 GMT

I am still thoroughly enjoying my time in Sucre, and had a very busy last few days, between voluntering at the centre for disabled children, to working at the after school program for poor country children, to teaching english at the language academy.

I have had a few interesting english lessons. On thursday, I was waiting with the class for their official teacher to turn up. When she eventually did, she gave me a piece of paper with instructions for a 5-minute game to play with the teenagers, then told me she hadnt had her lunch yet that day, so she was going to do so. And with that, she walked out of the class, leaving a rather bewildered and unprepared Kate in charge! After the game finished, I had to think on my feet, and managed to come up with a few more activities in english and spanish to fill in the hour. I actually quite enjoyed the challenge, but a little advance warning would have been appreciated!

Then I had my university class. They were presenting speeches on the person they most admire in the world. One said Ronaldinho, another her hardworking father etc. However, I got a bit of a shock when my last student stood up and spoke for a good 10 minutes about his admiration and love for Hitler! Apparently, he thoroughly admired his intelligence, his ability to relate to the people, and his military strength, including the fact he never lost a battle! - I didnt think it wise to point out that was in fact incorrect, and it took all my willpower to hold back any of my own thoughts, and limit myself to correcting his grammar and pronounciation!

I spent Saturday visiting the children in the country, and sunday involved a trip to Tarabuco, a small town nearby with a much talked-about market. The market was alright, and the prices were very reasonable. However, the highlight was sitting in the central plaza and talking to the incredibly friendly locals, which I did for most of the afternoon. I had a chat to one man for an hour about Bolivian politics and the future prospects for his country, which proved extremely interesting. I was also thrilled that my spanish has reached a level where I was capable of having such a discussion and understanding almost everything! There is however still a long road ahead to fluency!

It is now sunday night, and we are going out to the ´gringo´ bar to watch the film Motorcycle Diaries and have a few drinks.

Until next time, Adios!

Beautiful Sucre

vegemite_vagabond — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 01:58:00 GMT

I awoke on the bus at dawn, as we were driving through some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. Huge rolling green hills, surrounding little valleys of green palm trees, fruit trees and flower beds.

WE arrived in Sucre at 8am, and I caught a taxi to the hostel. I fell in love with this beautiful old town in less than a day, and found some great people to socialise with at the hostel. I have decided to stay in Sucre for a month, and have spent the last two days arranging some spanish lessons, and volunteer work. Today, I began volunteering at a type of orphanage for kids with all forms of social, physical and mental disabilities. Whilst not strictly an orphanage, 70% of the children do not have identifiable parents, because in Bolivia, a disabled child is, in the majority of cases, an unwanted one. Therefore, they are shipped off to this hostel, where they are given medical treatment, education, a home, and food. The kids are absolutely lovely, and it is heartbreaking to think that most have parents out there who never want to see them again. I volunteer there between 9am and midday, helping with feeding, socialising, playing games, and just generally being an extra pair of hands for the overworked, underpaid staff. Then, in the afternoons, I usually have a spanish class, and enjoy a break of a few hours to eat lunch, do my spanish homework etc. At 4pm, I visit another orphanage for girls aged about 2 yrs to 15 years, who are orphaned, abandoned, or kicked out of the house. There are two girls there who are 13 and have just had their first children, but have no money and nowhere to go. Both have been sexually abused by relatives, and have run away from home. Sexual abuse is unfortunately a common denominator amongst most of these girls.

Then, at 6pm, I go to the language academy, where I help to teach two clases in english. The first is a small class of young teenagers, learning rather basic english, and the second is a class of uni students or postgrad students, who for their own reasons want to learn english. This class is a lot of fun, and the students are really easy to relate to.

At 8pm, I have finished my voluntary working day, and usually return to the hostel to cook dinner, relax, and socialise with other hostellers. The majority have already become good friends, and are doing various volunteer programs and spanish classes in Sucre for various periods.

I am really enjoying being in Sucre, and its so nice to have a base, after being a nomad for a month. If I had more time, I might even consider staying longer..........unfortunately, I dont!

La Paz to Sucre

vegemite_vagabond — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 01:45:00 GMT

We arrived safe and sound in La Paz the folloeing morning. However, getting our refund for the bus tickets wasnt so straightforward. Our agent tried to tell us that the bus company only refunds half of the fare, and insisted there was nothing she could do. So we asked she call the company, so we could talk to them. First she refused, then she called them and told us they were too busy to talk. We refused to accept this, and called them ourselves. As it turns out, it was our agent who was keeping the rest of the money, because she charged us double the legal price for the tickets, and tried to get away with keeping it!!!! We were furious, and managed to call in the tourist police who, after lots of explaining and heated arguing, made the agent give us back our money. The whole episode took 2 hours, but it gave me a good opportunity to argue in Spanish!

I spent the afternoon relaxing, reading and buying some cheap DVDs, not to mention gorging myself on another rather sizeable icecream!

That night, I bid my farewells to La Paz, and boarded a night bus to Cochabamba. Given the bus trip was 7 hours, I was surprised at how cheap the ticket was, even by Bolivian standards. However, it made more sense when I saw the dilapidated old bus; Even more sense still when I watched the bus driver loading my luggage into the bus toilet cubicle, because they had run out of room in the bus storage! IT was quite entertaining when the toilet door flew open halfway through the night, and everone´s luggage came pouring out into the isles. Ah, Bolivian transport is a wonderful thing!

I arrived in Cochabamba the following morning, but only stayed there half a day. This big bustling city has a lovely plaza, some nice shops and tasty cafes. However, I had my heart set on continuing to Sucre, and so continued the journey that evening by bus. This time, I forked out a little more for a cushy bus cama, and got a great nights sleep!

Salar De Uyuni

vegemite_vagabond — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 06:58:00 GMT

We arrived early at Uyuni, in the South of Bolivia, to begin a four-day tour of the Salar de Uyuni (Salt flats) and surrounding areas. Our jeep comprised a spanish-speaking driver (fine by me, as allowed me to practice my spanish), the Danish pair, a New Zealand girl and her English fiancee, and another Australian girl from....Warrandyte!!!! (for those who dont know, that is a whole 10 minute`s drive from my house in Australia).

We set out across the blindingly white salt plains in the jeep at 8:30am. Our first stop was Isla de Pescadores, an `island` in the middle of a vast white salt flat, which is covered in giant Cacti! I have never seen such huge cacti! Some reached to 10metres high, and were aged at roughly 1000 years!

Following this, we stopped off to do what had enticed me to visit the salt flats in the first place; Take photos of optical illusions. Given the vast, flat, crystal white terrain, it is impossible to perceive depth, so you can creat amazing optical illusions on camera. For example, standing on the top of a coke bottle, or standing in the hand of another person who is 10x your size! It is hard to explain in words, but the pictures will make it clearer.....when I eventually upload them!

We then left the salt flats, and headed through bumpy, hilly terrain, to our first overnight stop; San Juan. This small town, standing alone in the middle of harsh inhabitable terrain did not have a lot to offer, so we bought some beer from the local shop, and sat down to a pre-sunset drink. The beer comes in 1 litre bottles here, and given the altitude, it only took such a bottle for Kate to become a little tipsy! We all had a great night, sitting around, laughing and chatting, then hit the pillows, exhausted, for a good night`s sleep.

The following morning, we were up in and in the jeep by 8am, to continue our trek towards the Chilean border. Today was the `lake` day. We visited four amazing lakes, dotted throughout the rugged landscape. The first featured more flamingos than I have ever seen before, and I spent a good half an hour just trying to creep up and get as close to a flamingo as possible! (They are rather shy!).

The following lake also featured flamingos, but more interestingly, the lake was an amazing red colour, which is apparently caused by bacteria (algae) in the water. We stopped off for lunch, and I had a fight with the `toilet` man over the price of the toilet. He tried to charge us 5 bolivianos (5x regular price) to use a toilet in the middle of nowhere! We eventually refused, and marched off up the hill to find our own toilet spot. He actually began chasing us, yelling something in spanish, but he realised it was futile, and gave up, leaving us to `go` behind the rocky mountain in peace!

After lunch, we visited another few picturesque lakes, some also featuring giant llamas lazing by the water`s edge, co-habiting witht the flamingos and other bird species. These llamas were extremely woolly (necessary given the altitude), and double the size of those seen in Peru).

We eventually reached our overnight stop, a dumpy `hotel`in the middle of nowhere at an altitude of 4,500m above sea level. Once the wind picked up at night, it was FREEZING. But unfortunately, there was little to do, and no electricity, so we lit some candles, bought some mroe beer off the locals, and sat down as a group to what was another great night of laughter and chatter. Maybe electricity should be cut off on certain evenings in our society, as doing so is brilliant for social interaction! There is something to be said for the days of candlelit, TV-free dinners and gatherings!

The final day, we rose at 4:30am, and were in the jeep and on the `road` by 5am. Given the altitude of 4,500-4,900 metres, the hour of the morning, and the strong winds, it was RIDICULOUSLY FREEZING. I personally have never felt cold like it! However, it turned out to be a day of amazing sights, so I was able to overlook the discomfort. First we visited some incredible blowholes (geysers), then we arrived at the hot springs, our breakfast stop. Given the feezing temperatures, and the fact the natural hotsprings are a cosy 37C, I was the first one in my bikini, and in the closest hotpool! It must have looked quite funny, a figure running to the pool in a bikini when the outside tempertaure was about 0 degrees celcius!

Following this, we visited Laguna Verde, a huge tranquil lake that appears a brilliant green colour, due to the wind and reflection of the light. Once again, the scenery made for some great photos. This was our last stop before the gruelling 9-hour jeep trip back to Uyuni. Unfortunately, the group Ipod (provided by English guy) ran out of steam, so it was a rather long and tedious trip. However, it gave me a good opportunity to catch up on some reading, and work on my spanish.

We arrived back in Uyuni at 6pm, two hours before our bus was due to leave for the return trip to La Paz. However, when we went to pick up the tickets, we found that due to road blocks and strikes in La Paz, our bus had been unable to make it to Uyuni to pick us up. This is not good news when youre in Bolivia, and have a pre-paid ticket! However, we were assured we would get a refund upon our return to La Paz, and so had to settle for buying another ticket with another company. We boarded the rather basic and crowded bus at 8pm, and began our nocturnal journey back to La Paz.

Ice-cream in La Paz

vegemite_vagabond — Mon, 9 Oct 2006 06:34:00 GMT

As for the flight from Rurrenabaque back to La Paz, it was far less eventful, which, according to the whole 13 people on the plane, was a good thing!

However, upon returning to La Paz, at almost 4000m above sea level, I suffered for the first time, the effects of altitude sickness! For those who have not felt its effects, it is not pleasant. I felt completely out of breath, very nauseous, had a raging headache, and had no energy. Needless to say, I found a hostel and went straight to bed!

Having improved a bit by the afternoon, I headed out with Michael and Gitte (Danish friends) for lunch. The sandwiches were nice, but it was the ice-cream that really stole the show! The ice-cream and cake shops in Bolivia really are incredible, and, being a dessert lover, I have trouble not drooling on the display cabinets! Furthermore, the taste is not matched by the price-tag, so a giant double cup of ice-cream costs only US$0.70! Amazing value!

After my hugely satisfying ice-cream (if that was not clear from above!), we visited the Coca museum, which houses displays and commentaries on the history of the Coca leaf, and how it progressed to become cocaine in the western world. For those who dont know, Coca plants are perfectly legal, and the leaves are still chewed today by local south american people, for their energy-boosting effects and suppression of appetite. They only contain 1% cocaine, and are actually quite good for you. They also help curb altitude sickness. However, it was westerners who took the leaves and produced cocaine, extracting only the 1% pure cocaine from the leaves. Also, did you know that Coca Cola contained cocaine up until 1985, and the US Coke company still imports and adds coca leaves to coca cola for flavour today?

Following my coca education, I ate yet another delicious and cheap meal in La Paz, then headed to the bus terminal to take a night service to Uyuni.

Despite the rather cushy bus, the 11-hour ride to Uyuni was by far the bumpiest bus trip I have ever taken! It seems that the route is unpaved, and requires travelling across a very rocky terrain. At first, it was an unpleasant surprise, then it just became amusing, and eventually, I managed to ignore my vibrating body, and get some sleep!

The Amazon Jungle!

vegemite_vagabond — Sat, 7 Oct 2006 02:42:00 GMT

The flight North to `Rurre`, in a plane seating 14, was rather eventful. Whether it was the size of the plane, the weather conditions, or the pilot, I dont know. However, at least three people were sick, and another 10 terrified. In fact, it seemed I was the only one unfazed, and I actually managed to sleep through much of the one-hour flight, much to the horror of other travellers!

When we arrived to the `airport` in Rurre (a wedge of grass in a small clearing), it was a balmy 32C, and I was thrilled. After the chilly Altiplano (highlands), I was happy to lap up the warmth and humidity. I then caught the local bus to the centre of the small town of Rurre, to meet the group for my jungle pampas trip. Luckily, we had a fantastic group - A Danish couple (Aged 25), and german motorbiking pair (28), and another slightly older German guy (40+). We enjoyed a couple of `meet and greet` drinks at one of Rurre`s three bars, and all got on very well.

The following morning, we boarded a jeep for the 3-hour journey to our hollowed out canoe on the river, which was to be our jungle transport. It seemd we scored the fastest jeep driver, given the number of other jeeps we flew past, the speed at which we travelled on an extremely bumpy road, and the number of huge fractures in the glass windscreen!

Despite a two-hour delay in boarding our canoe (I think the guides were operating on `Bolivian time`), we began our motorised canoe trip down the River towrads our jungle huts. The trip took three hours, and I saw more alligators, caimains, capibaras, and birds than Ive seen in my whole life up until now! Two hours down the river, we stopped off to observe and swim with pink dolphins, which was fantastic! (Apparently, despite the huge presence of alligators and pirahna fish, neither posed us any threat (I took our guide`s word for it!).

After a fantastic river trip, we arrived at out quaint jungle hut in the early evening, in time to see the last of the sunset.

The following day, we rose early (despite the unexpected torrential rain!), and headed out to find Anacondas! After walking for three hours, we eventually spotted on in the hollow of a tree. Despite not being able to catch it and pose with it around our necks (which we were all kind of hoping for!), we were able to watch it for a decent period, and grab a few photos, before heading back to camp.

After a very satisfying lunch (as were all the meals on the trip, to my surprise), we headed back to the boat for some pirahna fishing! It was great fun, and it was fascinating to see and hold a real pirahna fish. I knew their teeth were large and sharp, but was still a little taken aback by the size of them - I certainly wasnt tempted to dip my fingers in the water after seeing one! The results of our fishing, however, were hugely varied. Our tour guide managed to catch between 8 and 10, the german guys caught a good 12 between them, and I managed......a measly one! Says something about my reflexes I think! However,I did also manage to catch a catfish, and to soften the blow, the poor Danish pair (Gitta and Mike), didnt manage to catch any. I felt quite sorry for poor Gitta, who was the most persistent of all of us, and `fished`continuously for three hours...to no avail. It was great fun though, and our guide brought our catch back to camp to cook it for dinner (Luckily for me, the non-seafood eater, there were also other choices on the menu!).

After an ealr dinner, we jumped back in the boat, and headed down the river for the ideal sunset viewing spot. Once the sun set, we then grabbed a footbal, and had a game of football on the local pampas football pitch. So yes, Kate played her first ever game of football! Not only did I play football, but I did a brief stint as goalie, and managed to practically knock myself out saving a goal with my head! (Dan, you should be proud - I really used my head!). I ended up with a bruise on the temple, not to mention a covering of mud, but it was worth it! Great game, and am looking forward to playing some more when I get home.

Our third and last day in the jungle began at 4:30am. We boarded our canoe at 5am, and headed up the river to enjoy the pampas in semi-darkness (before sunrise). This was a fantastic experience, and the sounds of the jungle at this time of the morning were fascinating. We returned to camp for breakfast, then heade out for an hour hike to view some local flora. Our guide provided some fascintaing information about various medicinal plants, not to mention those used in the past for torture!

After an early lunch, we packed up our small number of belongings, and headed back to the canoe to make the journey back to Santa Rosa (to board the jeep). We got another opportunity to swim with the pink dolphins, which was great, but unfortunately for Gitta, there was no meat, or time, left for further pirahna fishing! We also stopped ashore to feed some of the local monkeys some bananas, which was brilliant, as they were far from shy. At one stage, I had five monkeys on my arm, all attacking the banana in my hand!

Once again, we had a bit of a wait in Santa Rosa, before our jeep arrived to take us back (It was running a small 3 hours late, even though there didnt seem any real reason for the delay!).

We arrived back in Rurre in the early evening, rather hot, smelly, sore and tired, but with memories of a brilliant three days in the Bolivian pampas.

La Paz- Worlds highest capital!

vegemite_vagabond — Thu, 5 Oct 2006 23:12:00 GMT

Ok, so apologies again for the delay in updates. Have been in the jungle for the last four days, which will tell you about shortly. We left Copacabana in the early afternoon, after spending the morning breakfasting, relaxing, and wandering around the town (rather small, so didnt take a lot of time!).

Our bus took us to La Paz, which at approximately 4000m above sea level, is amongst the highest cities in the world, and the highest quasi capital city. Not only a colorful and lively city, but a ridiculously steep and hilly one, La Paz is a great place to explore for a day or two. However, with the liveliness come the abundance of polluting cars, the persistent beggars, and the pickpocketers.

Regardless of this, the three of us spent most of the day walking the city, visiting the `old`and `new` quarters. La Paz dwellers are highly religious and spiritual, and not only read people`s fortunes with coca leaves (those used to produce cocaine), but also practice witchcraft! Many streets feature stalls of dried and preserved llama foetuses, and other forms of taxidermny, which can be used in spells etc. Fascinating, but cant say I was tempted to buy!

For dinner, we managed to find a small upstairs restaurant, part Bolivian, part Israeli, whereby the price of food is based on its weight! And so, Mum Dad and I piled up our plates with meats and salads, then took them to be weighed - quite an interesting practice, and it actually seemed to work very well!

The following day, I bid my farewells to my parents at the airport, and watched them head to their plane bound for Chile. As for me, I boarded a plane to Rurrenabaque, in the amazon jungle!

Across the Border & Into Bolivia!

vegemite_vagabond — Mon, 2 Oct 2006 23:38:00 GMT

We woke unhealthily early this morning to travel out by boat to the Uros Islands, which are based on Lago de Titicaca, and hour from Puno. These floating, unsecured islands were originally made by a group of local Uros people trying to escape the Spanish pillage during the conquest in the C16th.

However, they are now occupied by a group of PEruvians who remain seperate and detached from the rest of the Peruvian mainland and society by choice. The Islands, which are handmade using water reeds, are approximately two metres deep, can feature communities of over 100 people, and can float around huge Lake Titicaca (150km by 70km) at will! The houses on the islands are also make from the lake´s reeds, as are the handicrafts which you can buy on the island. As there is little to do, days are spent fishing, cooking, socialising, and making amazing crafts and tapestries from the lake´s resources. VERY occasionally, these islanders visit the mainland for food supplies etc.

Following this amazing visit, we boarded a mini-bus for the Bolivian border. On the way, we stopped at a huge cattle-trading market, which supposedly supplies all the cattle for western Bolivia and Peru. I have never seen so many livestock in one place at one time! A couple of cows, however, had obviously decided to make a run for it, and we passed them walking along about 5 km further up the highway!

During the drive, we also passed an incredible number of combi vans crammed full of locals, likely travelling to and from the border for trade etc. Not only were they sandwiched inside the vehicles, but some were also perched on the roofs!

After a reasonably smooth border crossing, and a thorough checking of our bags for marijuana, we arrived in Copacabana. This Bolivian town, set on Lake Titicaca on the bolivian side, is the closest Ive seen to ´The Med´in South America. It caters for two things: Tourists, and....pilgrimmages! Apparently, the town is the home of the Virgin Mary, the ´Virgin of Copacabana´. I am not sure why exactly, yet the Bolivians obviously know, as they travel from all across the country to visit the little town. However, it is not only they who come to be blessed. They also have ceremonies where they decorate their cars in flowers, and a local priest comes and very solemnly blesses the cars! This includes saying a quiet prayer whilst touching the car, then dousing it with ´holy water´. However, the craziness does not end there. Locals also buy miniature toy objects from stalls which represent what they desire to have, and then put them in a holy shrine at home, and pray to them! Such toys include plastic money (for wealth), plastic taxis (for those who want to drive a taxi), plastic doll-houses (for those who want their own home, and tiny tiends (shops) made of paper and plastic, featuring even miniature groceries on their shelves (for those who want to own a store)! There were many more such cheap kitschy trinkets, including tiny suitcases with foreign money, miniature passports, mini visas etc (for those who want to travel) - Mum actually bought one of those for amusement value. I contemplated buying a miniature imitation university diploma, as I wish to study on my return to Australia. I couldnt, however, bring myself to do so with a straight face, and did not wish to offend the locals, who take this custom VERY seriously!

Another method of praying for something at Copacabana is by entering the Catacombs next to the church, which feature a small kitschy shrine to the virgin mary. You then light a candle, and, using the melted wax, paint a picture of what you want on the walls, whilst praying. Therefore, the catacomb walls are COVERED in wax images of houses, taxis, pregnant women etc. - Absolutely fascinating, as I have seen nothing like it before! Given my non-Bolivian-Catholic beliefs however, I had great difficulty taking the whole town and its strange rituals seriously. To Bolivians, however, including our well-educated tour guide, such sacred rituals are key to their quasi-Catholic faith.

That day, we also visited by boat, the Isla Del Sol, named so by the Incas who settled here for a brief period. The Island, which is inhabited by 3,000 people, divided between three small towns, was fascinating. Ancient traditions and the pace of life remains as it did 300 years ago, and old women with donkeys and huge packs full of grains and mais still cart their produce up the islands steep hills to trade. We were also lucky enough to witness a huge fiesta on the island, which involved locals dancing joyously in elaborate animal costumes to traditional music. It was a Sunday, and practically the whole island population was there! When we asked what the festival celebrated, we were a little surprised by the answer. This year, six students had passed their final year at school, as opposed to four the year before, and this was cause for an absolutelyt mamoth, expensive and breathaking festival! I was impressed to see, however, that education is valued.

Nevertheless, this does not prevent teachers, and all other professionals and workers in Bolivia, from striking over the most trivial thing. Bolivians are highly politically active, and have seen 6 presidents in the last 6 years, due to civil unrest. Our guide told us that High school consists of 202 school days. Whilst it is supposed to finish in early November, the school year finishes anywhere up to late December, depending how many teacher strikes there are in any given year. That means a possible of 1 1/2 months worth of strikes!!!!!!

After a fascinating and eye-opening day, we enjoyed a buffet dinner at our lovely hotel, Rosario Del Lago.

Cusco to Lake Titicaca

vegemite_vagabond — Sun, 1 Oct 2006 23:00:00 GMT

Today, we boarded the Inca Express bus to the shored of Lake Titicaca, in South-Eastern Peru. We visited the Inca remains of Wiracocha temple at Racchi, a small highland town. As with previously seen ruins, these displayed all the usual impressive characteristics of Inca architecture. Interestingly, the Incas used a misture of mud, llama hair, and cactus gum to glue together the giant stones of their temples! Sounds a bizarre concoction, but it certainly did the job, as much of the temple and housing still stands today!

We also visited the ´Peruvian Sistine Chapel´, supposedly featuring C17th fresco-style paintings and murals. I couldnt, however, see many similarities, and remained un-awed. We then travelled through the highest region of the Peruvian altiplano, which was extremely cold, but humbling. Life at such altitudes is extremely harsh and lonely, and we passed what seemed to be many hapless locals carting huge packs and parcels across the endless sparse plains in the freezing cold and rain.

We arrived in Puno late aftrenoon. Although considered merely a transit point to Bolivia, the town did feature a pleasant pedestrian street and nice restaurants, and we were greeted by locals dancing in the street to see in the new month.

Picturesque Cusco on foot

vegemite_vagabond — Sun, 1 Oct 2006 08:02:00 GMT

Friday was spent exploring the beautiful Inca city of Cusco. We began with the ornate churches and cathedrals around the central plaza. With their 100% gold-plated altars, they were a little OTT for me, and the silver-plated alter looked more like something you would see at a primary school fete. However, they serve their purpose of displaying enormous wealth to the locals, who put all of their Catholic faith (and too much of their little money) into the Catholic church. They are so pious that, when an earthquake struck in the C17th, the locals carried a statue of christ through the streets to save him. When the earthquake stopped (as they all tend to do after a period), they assumed that Christ had quelled the earthquake. And so, christ is also, in Peru, a protector against earthquakes! The other thing I noticed was the graphic and gory nature of their depictions of the Crucifiction. They all feature blood ´spurting´from christs body, and symbols of self-flaggelation at their feet. Maybe the Peruvian catholics have some links to Opus Dei?????

Today, Saturday, we are off to Puno, the main Peruvian city on Lake Titicaca.

The highlight, however, was a large mural of The Last Supper, featuring a small roast guinea pig, legs in the air, on the central silver platter - Clearly an Inca interpretation of this religious event, given that guinea pigs were a sacred Inca culinary delight!

Our next stop was the Inca site of Qoricancha, partly destroyed, then built upon, by the Spanish after their conquest. Interestingly enough, during the 1950 earthquake that hit Cusco, the Inca walls remained intact and upright, whilst the spanish cathedral collapsed, and had to be rebuilt - A testiment to Inca architecture!

After soaking up enough history and culture for the morning, Mum and I hit the local markets. There were so many beautiful local textiles, carvings, crafts and artwork, yet I unfortunately had so little free room! If only Id had an extra three backpacks, and a donkey to carry them! I did however, manage to get palm off my counterfeit Peruvian money to some persistent local aretists. I figured this was justified, given they would be able to use the money themselves, and they were overcharging me!

That evening, we attended the Cusco school of art and culture for a display of traditional Peruvian dance. Despite being a little like a school production in the local hall, it was rather sweet, and gave an insight into Peruvian dance. Lets just say, however, that it is not the most delicate,or energetic, of dance forms!

Machu Picchu - Well worth the hype!

vegemite_vagabond — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:08:00 GMT

Today, we visited Machu Picchu, which is everything its supposed to be and more. The Inca ruins are in brilliant condition, lacking only the straw roofs of 500 years ago, and the location is truly breathtaking. Perched on an extremely high peak between the Andes and the start of the Amazon, it is an amazing location for an ancient village. Incredibly, the giant stones that were used to construct the Inca buildings were often carted up from the valley, or from nearby mountains, by the Inca men! Considering the endurance that the four-day Inca trail walk takes, this was an incredible feat! Furthermore, this village was linked by Inca trails (paths) to other Inca villages throughout Peru and Bolivia, and the villages traded frequently in food, textiles, labour etc. Given this, many incas also frequently carried produce from their villages 100s of kms away, through the valley, and up the 2700 metre-high mountain of Machu Picchu! And we think we are overworked! Furthermore, the Incas wree an extremely intelligent and resourceful race. Using primitive objects, they were able to work out the Sun´s rotation, and build temples with 2 small windows, through which the summer and winter soltices shone! Their calendar was superior to ours, as they only lost one day every 13,000 years, whereas we lose a day every four years! We were given an extremely informative and interesting tour of the ruins for three hours in the morning, then spent two hours walking the ruins independently. We found a small area to eat lunch (bread and cakes I had hoarded from the buffet breakfast!), and were joined by three Llamas. They were fantastic to watch up close, as I had never seen or touched one before. Their coat was actually surprisingly soft! The weather for our day on Machu Picchu was near perfect, despite a brief spurt of rain, and we returned to Cusco in the evening by train. The train trip both up to Machu Picchu and back was extremely scenic, and ran practically through people´s backyards. It gave a brilliant inside into the lives of the local Peruvians. Despite concern I might find Machu Picchu overrated, given all the hype it receives, I was far from disappointed. Apparently it has recently been voted the first wonder of the world - Whilst I havent seen all of the other 6, I think its primary position is justified.

Cusco and the Sacred Valley

vegemite_vagabond — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:50:00 GMT

Apologies for the delay in updates, as I have been rather busy! Wednesday, our first day in Cusco, was spent touring the Sacred Valley. This included a visit to the small indigenous market town of Pisaq, where the interesting market and pretty surrounding valleys far surpassed the tragic toilets (which I had to pay for!). The following stop was outside Pisaq, where we had our first ´Inca Ruin´ experience (there were many more to come!). The well-maintained and largely intact ruins sat atop a hill about 3500 metres above sea level (rather chilly!). We were able to see the layout of the village, including the rooms housing the most intelligent and and attractive virgins that the Inca (King) selected to produce heirs to the throne. There were also sacred bathing rooms, the room of the Inca, and those smaller rooms of labourers and workers etc. The Incas, which ruled much of South America between 1430 to 1530, were a fascinating, intelligent, and resourceful bunch. DOnt have the time now, but I will write a journal entry explaining some of their culture at a later stage. This visit was followed by a smorgas borad lunch at a local village, which was, to my suprise, really quite decent! Following this we headed to more Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo. Planted once again on the peak of a mountain, these were not so easy to reach, and the endless steps really tested my fitness! Was a fascinating visit though, and learnt more of the Inca culture. Lastly was a visit to Chinchero, which had an incredible cathedral that was a blend of Inca and Catholic religions (which became intertwined when the Spanish conquered the Incas). An example of this was the paintings of Christ, that featured a rather ´tanned´christ on the cross, with a bright, Inca style skirt! The rest of the church was decorated with similar objects, along with a ridiculous amount of gold plating - The excessive use of gold looked rather kitschy and OTT for me, but I suppose it was a sign of wealth, and I wouldnt be opposed to having such quantities of gold at my disposal! We then returned to Cusco with our bilingual guide (When I say bilingual, I mean more spanish and spanglish- speaking. It was fine for me, as I could understand the spnish, but not great for my parents; I frequently had to translate his Spanglish into English for them!). He was also a rather outspoken guide, and was not impressed with me when I took a photo of a local women, and paid her about 30cents for it. Apparently, whilst I was taking the photo, he was telling the rest of the tour how such photography encourages the women and children to be lazy, and is an embarassment to his culture. Woops! That evening, we dined on another ´Turistico´ menu in the centre of Cusco, which again proved ridiculously good value!

Lima to Cusco

vegemite_vagabond — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 19:46:00 GMT

Meeting up with my parents in Lima all ran to plan, and we spent the following day sightseeing in Peru´s capital.

I still wouldnt describe it as a beautiful city, although there were several old and intricate cathedrals, palaces and churches, particularly those centred around the central Plaza de Armas.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the Museo Larco, which featured pottery, war instruments, and other daily artifacts dating back to 1,000 B.C. More interestingly though was its Museo ´Erotica´ wing, which housed ancient pieces of pottery dating from late B.C. to the 15th century. These pieces VERY graphically displayed the explicit sexual practices of the ancient Incas and their descendants. Artifacts featured men, women, animals and skeletons, in any combination of the above! Highly amusing, if not maybe a little confrontational for my mother! Oh, how life was different before (and shortly after) Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit! I will upload some photos from the museum so you can see for yourself the ´experimental´ and explicit nature of the ancient Peruvians!

Following this, we enjoyed an early dinner at China Wok, a small asian restuarant close to the hotel. We then hit the sack for an early night, given the 3am start the following day!

After an early wake-up call, we packed up, enjoyed a 4am breakfast, then headed to Lima airport for out flight to Quito.

The flight arrived safely, and we made our way to our hotel. As is typical upon arrival at Cusco, we were given ´coca´tea, which is supposed to prevent the effects of altitude sickness from setting in. (Altitude sickness is a frequent problem in Cusco, given the town sits 3,400m above sea level).

After a morning sleep (which is again recommended to limit altitude difficulties), we ambled the streets of beautiful old Cusco. Although the entire city itself is extremely picturesque, the Plaza de Armas is the focal point, with its lovely green square, surrounded by ancient palaces, churches, restaurants (and of course, travel agents!).

However, I had to rug up and overlook my issues with the cold, as despite being spring, Cusco has had an unexpected bout of cold, wet weather. We are hoping it clears before we head up to Macchu Picchu on Thursday.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner at a restaurant overlooking the grand plaza. Although originally offered the A La Carte menu, as all tourists are, we requested, then demanded the Turistico menu, which my parents had become aware of through a fellow traveller. This ´Turistico´menu, which exists covertly at many restaurants, is the same price as one entree, and includes a starter, a soup, a main, a dessert, and a drink! However, the restauranters are not keen for tourists to discover it, as it is meant more for the locals.

This morning, we are heading into the Sacred Valley on a day tour. Will let you know how it goes!