I woke to the sound of the Chilean driver asking for my name at the hostel reception "Arry? Donde es Arry?" It was 45 minutes before my scheduled pickup! Luckily for him I am a bit of a speed demon when it comes to putting my clothes on (though not as fast as I am at taking them off, #ladies). In 5 minutes I was in the van and after waiting a good hour for the other tourists we were packed in like "sardinos" on the way to the Chile/Bolivia border. Border formali...

Whether it was the altitude or the late night pre-bus schnitzel I ate, (I suspect the latter) I hadn't felt that sick in a long time. After the border crossing from Argentina to Chile I cut loose and fed the bus seat in front of me enough spew to sink the Titanic. There wasn't even enough time to race for the bathroom. Now, truly at my worst, I was half naked, with my clothes and face full of vomit. To be fair, the altitude did beat the s*** out of me, we reached...

Myself and Michael (still groggy) made a beeline for the bus terminal the next day bound for the small town of Tilcara, 4 hours from Salta. This place is like nothing I've seen before. Guaranteed to make any geologist wet their pants with excitement. It is set at the bottom of a cluster of multicoloured mountains known as the Quebrada de Humahuaca and included is a river running through the town as well as a few cobbled streets. It has the feel of a desert but is...

At first glance, it seemed as though school was out for the summer in Salta, with school children, music and shredded exercise books all through the streets (ahh the memories). But here is where things really start to get tropical, the scenery changes as do the people. The proximity to Bolivia starts to show in peoples faces, and I was excited to see cultural dress being worn by the women. It makes things feel more authentic. After sneaking my first peek at a de...

The first of what was sure to be many low points. As the bus pulled in to the terminal at 5am a horrible feeling of dread passed over me. My illness, together with the bleak Mendoza weather meant I wanted nothing more in life than to be asleep for an undetermined period of time. My wish soon came true, and after standing in the terminal for an hour I was asleep in a hostel reception, desperate to fight off anything holiday-ruining disease. I awoke the next day r...