Hello all!

So since our last blog entry we have been keeping very busy as always. First we went to the capital of Bolivia, La Paz. It was such a busy city that we couldn`t stay for too long. Also we wanted to get out before we got sick from the uncleanliness of the place. Parts of the city were very strange with shops owned by witch doctors who sold llama pheotuses along with various other strange herbs and remedies. So we decided to make our way to the highest lake in the world, Lake Titicaca.

The town on the Bolivian side of the Lake (its part in Bolivia and part in Peru) was called Copacabana, due to its resemblance to Rio de Janeiro`s Copacabana beach. From here we took a boat to Isla del Sol (Island of the sun), where the Incas believed was the birth place of the sun. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place, as far as the eye could see there was just sparkling blue water. The villages on the islands were idyllic, and the locals seemed to know it as they were friendly and peaceful people themselves. That night on the island we sat under a perfectly clear sky and watched a storm over the Peruvian side. The next morning it was back to Copacabana and then bye bye Bolivia and hello Peru.

Our first stop in Peru was the town of Puno, which is the main starting point for exploring the Peruvian side of this huge lake. That night we went out for a drink and ended up playing cards with a Peruvian couple in their late fourties, the man kept on proposing to the woman....I dont think she was interested though! The next day we visited the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. These were surreal, they are islands made out of the reeds of the lake and the loacals live on them. They have done for hundreds of years. They even make their houses out of these reeds, and what is most funny...if they have an argument or a falling out with a neighbouring family they will cut the island in half and float away! This community seemed worlds away from anything you could find in England. We took photos that we will try and upload tomorrow. We also spent a night on another of Lake Titicaca`s islands and stayed with a local family and ate local food, along with a Swedish guy and a Spanish girl we met on the boat. The next morning we visited our last island and then returned to the mainland.

From the town of Puno we got a bus to Cusco (a very historical city and the starting point of many treks into the Andes including the Inca Trail) but left again early the next morning for Nazca. We arrived in Nazca at 04:30 but didnt stop to sleep, instead we got a 45 minute plane ride over the Peruvian desert to see the Nazca lines. These are thousands of lines and shapes that were made in the sand around 1000 years ago by the Nazca civilization. When they were first discoverd about 60 years ago people were certain they were markings from aliens. The thing people don´t understand is why this civilisation created these images that can only be properly appreciated from the sky. Its a mystery! That day we also visited a 1500 year old burrial ground, where we got to see lots of skeletons dressed up in what they thought as really fashionable...lots of photos of this of course aswell! The next day we spent chilling out by the pool, having a hard earned rest from all the stressful travelling....mmmm.

Then it was back to Cusco where we payed our last installment for the Inca Trail and then had a few days to spare before we left. We spent this time around the Sacred Valley, which is made up of many little Andean villages and lots of Inca ruins. The first village we visited was Pisac, which was a beautiful place nestled in the mountains. It got very touristy during the day but we got to see it without the daily influx of tourists by staying the night. The next morning we left early and hiked up to many of the Inca ruins that can be found near by. Most of the afternoon was spent in small minibuses packed with locals that we took to get to some of the other villages in the Scared Valley, but its a wonderful experience being the only two none Peruvians on a bus. After two nights in the Sacred Valley it was back to Cusco for a third time, where we packed and left for the Inca Trail.

Our group was really good and so was the company, we realised it was one of the best companies you can get. The views along the Inca Trail were spectacular, some of the best mountains we have ever seen. As the trail progressed the landscape changed and we descened into high jungle and cloud forest which was the start of the Amazon and an incredible experience. The second campsite we were at was so high 4200 m that we were above the couds. Our two guides were really great and gave us alot of information which made the ruins on the way to Machu Picchu look like more than just a bunch of rocks. Some of these ruins were even more spectacular than Machu Picchu itself. Nevertheless reaching Machu Picchu was a wonderful feeling. As we first arrived in was covered in fog but within an hour it all emerged and then so did our cameras! We climbed Waynapicchu which is the big famous mountain behind the ruins in the photo. Not all the group decided to go as it was very steep but those of us that did go had our photo at the top. It was certainly woth the extra effort to see the surrounding mountains and Machu Picchu from so high up (it looked so small). Our last day our group chilled out in the hot springs and then in the evening we all went back to Cusco on the luxury train. The following day all the guys of the group (including our guide) went to play a game of footy...we wont disclose the score! And the girls went to eat cake. We`ve now said goodbye to all the friends we made on the trail and are now in Lima, awaiting our bus to Huaraz, which is in the Cordillera Blanca (the second highest mountain range in the world after the Himalayas).

Putting photos of all of this on ASAP

Love Tom and Beth XXX