Well I crossed the border into Peru 3 weeks ago and said ciao to Bolivia for good, what an amazing country. My last few weeks there were spent working at the San Juan de Dios orphanage in Sucre and living in an apartment with other international volunteers. I completely fell in love with 18 month old twin brothers, Michel and Jorge and would love to bring all the children home with me. The twenty five under 2s that I took charge of had mostly been abandoned or maltreated and I found it incredibly rewarding to monitor their progress even over a 4 week period. Despite spending every day working with the children and then taking conversation, cooking and salsa classes most days, I still managed to explore much of this wonderful country. The climatically challenged Uyuni proved to be one of my Bolivian highlights with a visit to the Salar, the world´s largest salt flat, at 3653m and covering an unbelievable 12,000 square metres. South America is home to many ´world´s largest´and Potosi (the world´s highest city at 4060m) was again unforgettable. Famous for its silver mines and the atrocious working conditions where millions have lost their lives, this was probably the most shocking experience for me. 3 hours walking through one of the mines was unbearable, children aged 14 are still working 12 hour shifts with nothing but coca leaves to keep them going, underground temperatures vary from below freezing to 45 degrees celsius and many miners die within ten years of entering the mines. The relief to get out in one piece was immense when all around explosions were taking place.
Sucre really did feel like home to me when I returned and I even managed to get to a local football match which ended in riot police escorting the referee from the pitch, South Americans really do take their football seriously.
So after saying goodbye once again to some great friends, I headed back to La Paz for a couple of nights and prepared for my journey through Peru. The border crossing was pretty easy despite a slight disagreement with the officials regarding my visa (thank goodness I can now converse in their language). After passing the Gate of the Sun we made our way to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca and visiting the floating reed islands of the Uros Indians will surely be one of the highlights for me. It´s incredible to think that these tribes live in such primitive conditions but are so content with their lives. We were welcomed with open arms, taken into their homes (one room reed huts) and introduced to their way of life. On to Amantani Island where I had the privilege of staying with such a hospitable local Aymara Indian family. They dressed me in traditional costume and I spent a wonderful evening dancing with the locals. My final stop on Titicaca was Taquile where we witnessed a large fiesta (the Peruvians are up there with the Bolivians for enjoying themselves). So after a fantastic few days on the huge Lake Titicaca, the old Inca capital Cusco, was my next stop. What a beautiful city with so many churches, squares and colourful markets. The increase in tourists was noticeable here as the stop off for visitors on their way to Machu Picchu. My trip to the Sacred Valley of the Incas started with the Pisac ruins and ended with a night in Ollantaytambo staying with another local family. I knew the Inca Trail would be a chellenge for me but after 4 days and 33km of some pretty tough walking, the sight of Machu Picchu from Intipunku as the sun was rising was unforgettable. My hotel back in Cusco was most welcome and a couple of days relaxing was needed before leaving for Chivay and a soak in the thermal springs. I was fortunate to witness a fabulous display from the condors at Colca Canyon, the deepest in the world. On to Arequipa, ´the white city´, perhaps my favourite in Peru to date. Beautiful churches and a lively square, overshadowed by the massive volcano El Misti and surrounded by some of the wildest terrain in the country.
Leaving the foothills of the Andes, we made it down to sea level at Puerta Inca, much appreciated by my body after nearly 3 months at altitude. On the way to Nazca we made a visit to the eerie Chauchilla cemetery with its ancient mummies with skin and hair intact. Despite my fear of flying, I braved a 4-seater plane and a pilot named Angel to take a trip over the unexplained Nazca lines and was amazed at the clarity of the shapes made thousands of years ago. Heading deep into the desert my next stop was the Huacachina oasis where I took the scariest ride of my life in the front of a sand buggy down almost vertical drop sand dunes, the only respite being stops to sand board down the dunes. After a night in Pisco sampling the wonderful seafood, I took a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands to view the colonies of seabirds, a real taste of what I can expect when I get to Galapagos.
So now I find myself in the capital city of Lima and a chance to get my breath back before heading up the coast tomorrow on the way to the Ecuadorian border with many exciting experiences still ahead of me.....
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