Our next destination is the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. In order to get there from Arequipa we have to fly north to Lima, then south to Santiago, then north again to a tin-pot airport called Calama, or spend 26+ hours on a bus. Going to Santiago is actually a bonus for us, since it […]
Archive | September, 2009
Condors and Colca
A 9-hour overnight bus stretched out ahead of us requiring some steel and determination to ensure that we were not going to arrive in a completely wrecked state. So armed with some food, warm clothing and books we settled down into our ‘beds’. The bus only travels overnight because Arequipa bus terminal is regarded as […]
Sunshine in the desert — warm at last!
Departed Lima in the rush hour, our conclusions are: Debbie indifferent about Lima, Sven reaching a view that he quite likes the place. It’s yet another very heavy, overcast day. We wonder if Lima ever sees the sunshine! We’re travelling south and the drive down was a complete surprise. Beyond the beaches which are popular […]
Deepest, darkest Peru — home of Paddington Bear
We arrive at Lima Airport, Peru. The airport is in the north of the city and we have a 40 minute taxi ride south to the area called Miraflores where we are staying. Our first impression is how Americanised the city is. This is a place that McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks and other US chains […]
No hay lugar como Galapagos!
Our trip to the Galapagos has been a magical and unforgettable experience. The islands are renowned for the fearless wildlife that roam and swim about but no amount of knowledge can prepare you for the endless encounters with the wildlife here. We are guests in their home – it’s very humbling. We’ve been snorkelling with […]
Following Darwin’s Footsteps
Friday found us stepping off the aeroplane onto Isla San Cristobal (formerly Chatham Island) in the Galapagos like a couple of excited children. Here we are in the most important zoological area of the world in the bi-centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin. We are ready for further education and enlightenment. We want to […]
Travelling south through Ecuador
It may come as a bit of a surprise that despite us being away we still have a lot of ‘administration’ to do – emails, phone calls, banking and even haircuts. Our ventures out into Quito before we headed south required us to find a bank that accepted our cards, a hairdresser for Sven where […]