I thought I should finally update this to give me closure (I'm seriously missing travelling).......

So I kind of gave up updating this in South America, simply because I had a diary I updated on the long bus rides, and every time I tried to update this in a back street internet cafe something would go wrong and I'd lose 30 mins worth of some of the best travel writing on this earth.

So I'll keep 6 weeks of travel brief. We moved onto Bolivia, where I found Belly growing a patchy ginger beard. Good night out before he took the death train to Brazil. It was really weird to see someone from home out there, but a nice reminder of the friends I'd be going back home to.

Bolivia was a stunning country, with some of the most varied landscapes I've seen anywhere. Mountains, deserts, salt flats, snow, jungle, a crazy altitude almost everywhere and very small people even by my standards. I loved it there and would go as far as to say that anyone that doesn't fall hopelessly in love with the country's randomness has no heart or imagination. We met a great bunch of people on a tour of the salt flats (which was one of the most surreal and astonishing places o the trip), and we spent a great 2 weeks travelling with them. It was good to spend time with like-minded, easy going travellers (and guys if you are reading this, I think the reunion in Amsterdam should happen soon!) but the different joys of S America eventually meant we went our separate ways.

The highlight of Bolivia for me was cycling down El Camino del Muerte (death road). It was one of my reasons for wanting to travel, and it rekindled my passion for mountain biking (I've recently been again in Wales which was great but not quite the same type of experience!). The views were mystical with the fog hiding the road ahead but giving us a clear view of how far we'd fall if we strayed a few meters to our left.

We then went onto Peru which was more touristy, but for good reason. Some of the places like Machu Picchu, Huacachina and Arequpia seemed to exist just for travellers to find places that they couldn't imagine being at. There were a few disappointments like Lake Titcaca. it was beautiful but didn't live up to it's magical reputation, and we moved swiftly on. Peru did have a slightly melancholy feel at times as it was our last month and final country, but the whole way through we knew we were moving towards to huge highlights, the Amazon jungle and Machu Picchu.

The jungle was fantastic, with an unbelievable humidity. I didn't expect to see may wild animals as we were at a genuine research & eco-lodge that didn't do anything to try and attract (trap) animals for tourists. I was so pleased to see parrots, macaws, toucans, snakes, turtles, giant otters, 2 types of monkey, a snake(!), 2 tarantulas (!!), tree frogs, and countless lizards and other birds. I left wishing we had more time, and headed back to Cusco.

Cusco was really cool, and the city was buzzing as it was building up to Inti Raymi. We met up with the Salt Flat guys for a very British pint and a game of arrows. The next day we headed for Machu Picchu.

I'm so glad we made it the last thing we did, as it made us forget about going home and focus on trying to trek to an amazing place at high altitude. The trek itself was as good (if not better) than the ruins themselves for the views, the challenge and the people we met on the way. We spent most of the trek with a great couple from Leeds who I hope to see again soon. The site itself felt very busy after the relative calm of the trek as it was full of tour groups and 2 week holiday makers, but it was stunning none-the-less. Looking down on it from the Sun Gate at sunrise is etched into my mind forever.

We're back home now, and settled in Manchester with new jobs. It really feels like a new beginning after what genuinely was a fantastic trip which has altered my perspective on a lot of things. While I'm not going to go in for all that 'travelling was life changing' cheesy hippy crap, I will say since I bought that plane ticket I've got engaged, found an orphanage I'm going to support forever (in Cambodia, a country I will always be drawn back to), made new friends, developed fantastic memories and started a new life in a new city. It's impossible to do all that and not have a different perspective on a few things in life.

So thats the end, and I still miss travelling. Something tells me that this trip is not the only time I'll be disappearing off with a backpack and a head full of ideas........