More extraterrestrial landscapes...

Today we woke up at 7:30 ready for our 8am breakfast of a stack of toast and cup of tea each. Our minibus arrived 20mins late (typical Bolivian style), for our adventure to chacciltaiya and the moon valley. 

We soon began our hour and a half drive to chacciltaiya, we drove out of la Paz and across fields and hills until we got to the foot of the mountain. Chacciltaiya, was the worlds highest ski resort, but had to close due to global warming. We began to climb the mountain on the narrow rocky tracks, Edwin was a top driver! Once we reached as far as the car could climb at 5400m above sea level, we all climbed out to trek to the second peak. 

The trek took around 30mins, we felt extremely unfit with the shortness of breath due to altitude :/ however the views along the way were definitely worth it and the sense of achievement as we reached the top at 5530m above sea level, the highest both of us had ever been! 

We sat for around 15 mins and gathered our thoughts before venturing over the next peak. Yet more incredible views of orangey-red mountains surrounded by puffy white clouds with sploges of green and blue below.

Once we'd had our full of the brilliant scenery we strolled back down to the van whilst chatting to our new Canadian friend Sal. We bumped our way back down the mountain and through the city centre to the moon valley beyond. 

The moon valley was not a lunar landscape but certainly looked like something from another planet. 

Sediment had been eroded by wind and rain to form unusual shapes which filled a valley. We strolled around these interesting features for around 45 mins before returning to the van to take on la pax' traffic and make our way back to the centre. 

After packing and showering we popped out for some street food just a few paces down the road. A very smiley woman served us burgers with onion and pepper and one complimentary chip each, all for just 50p. Delicious. 

We're now packed and ready to say our final farewell to Bolivia tomorrow and continue our adventure into Puno, Peru. 

From desert to city!

We awoke to feel the extreme cold hitting us, so we wrapped up in every layer we could. The sunrise was incredible as we brushed our teeth. For breakfast we had cold pancakes with dulce de leche, which went down well. We soon packed up the cars and headed off into the vast desert once again. 

The first sight we came across was Salvador Dalis desert, an almost perfect desert with a few scattered rocks and a mountain range behind. It was a nice view, however after hearing that Dali hadn't even visited South America we found this a bit of a disappointment and just another nice view, the weather was still so cold, so we quickly got back into the cars and headed to the green lake. 

However once we reached the green lake it was frozen, due to the time of year, so not green at all, but it was an incredible spot as we could see the borders of Argentina and Chile from our spot in  Bolivia. 

Here we said our good byes to some of our new friends as they headed off into Chile to continue their adventure. We headed back to Uyuni, with a lunch stop at a farm house, where we had tuna, rice and a range of fresh vegetables. 

Just before we reached our destination of uyuni we stopped in a little town where they were celebrating their anniversary with brightly coloured costumes and lively music. 

Once back in uyuni we collected our bags and were informed that we no longer had space on the luxury bus so would be given BOB70 (£7) instead as the new bus wouldn't provide us with food. We used some of this to get pizza from 'the best place in town' with Margret from our tour. 

Once we arrived at the bus stop we realised why this company was cheaper, the first leg of the journey was on a cold, uncomfortable bus. One of the windows was smashed, which left a breeze throughout the bus. However at around 12:30am we were moved onto a bus which was much more comfortable with bed like seats and was very warm! We arrived into la Paz very early, at around 6am. We were relieved to see our big rucksacks once again.

We walked to our hostel Arthys, which was luckily open, here we sorted out stuff and caught up with emails, before venturing around town to buy a leather handbag each and a gift for each of our brothers. 

We got meat empanadas for lunch, with an apple each. After this we headed back to the hostel to check into our room, here we showered and sorted out stuff, and relaxed a little as we were exhausted! 

We then headed back out to town with dinner on our minds, we choose a small restaurant which was very cosy over 3 floors, here Hannah had a quinoa burger and I a llama burger. The burgers were delicious with homemade fries. We sat in the restaurant for a few hours before heading back to the hostel for an early night, ready for our adventure the next day! 

Watts up on the desert?

We woke from a cosy nights sleep and crawled out into the chilly morning, warned slightly by tea and scrambled eggs with ham and cheese rolls. 

Once packed up we set off across the dusty red desert stopping off in a few local villages with very cute children and dogs before taking in a view of bolivia's only active volcano, which it shares with chile. Hannah was very excited by this and the geothermal activity to come. 

Another large lunch, consisting of chicken, quinoa and plant and, was laid on for us by a frozen lake; very chilly! 

From here we drove across a Mars like landscape to a windblown rock which slightly resembled a tree. 

The next stop was the highlight of the day; a naturally bright red lake, surrounded by mountains and filled with flocks of 3 different species of flamingoes; incredible. 

We climbed yet further in our 4x4 to 5000m, luckily we weren't affected by altitude sickness. Here Hannah was delighted to find plopping mud, steaming fumaroles and an erupting geyser. 

We dropped down to 4700m where our hostel for the second night was located. Whilst tucking in to our soup followed by succulent steak and cold spaghetti we carefully planned our dash through the freezing night to the hot springs below. 

After much debating we finally plucked up the courage to don our bikinis and run through the -10 degree temperatures to the delightfully warm hot springs; well worth the trouble. 

Watts up on the salt flats?

The last 3 days have been out of this world. We've driven across what seemed like an endless expanse of white salt flats, taken hundreds of photos of flamingos and llamas, stood in awe gazing at a blood red lake and taken a dip in natural hot springs. All the while meeting and making friends with a bunch of lovely people. 

Our fears about the night bus were calmed when we took our place on chairs that fully reclined with fluffy blankets and the bonus surprise of hot dinner followed by quinoa chocolate and our first taste of coca tea (very refreshing). We bumped our way across the salt flats as the usual road to uyuni had been blocked by protesters. 

We met our 'red planet' tour at uyuni and joined a group of really friendly people in a 4x4. 

First stop was the train graveyard where bolvia's first locomotives have been left to rust. 

After this we headed out to the salt flats where we stopped off at a salt factory to learn how table salt is produced and packaged. Here we sat around salt tables for a chicken and vegetable feast. 

Back out onto the salt flats to visit a hotel made entirely of salt which was interesting but slightly underwhelming. 

From here we left the army of 4x4s to find a secluded spot to take numerous perspective photos. 

Next stop was what the tourists call 'fish island'. This was a volcanic and fossilised coral island jutting out from the 12000km squared expanse of salt. The island was home to hundreds of towering cacti and from the top we were able to take in incredible views as far the eye could see. The island felt like something from another planet. 

By the time we'd finished wandering around here the sun was beginning to go down so we drove towards our hostel, making a stop on the way to photograph the sunset. The colours were fantastic and lit up the mountains a wonderful warm pinky orange. 

Our first hostel was made of salt, including the tables and beds. After settling in we tucked into our hot chocolate and cookies before being served a warning vegetable soup followed by an odd Bolivian meal of cold chips topped with meat, vegetables and boiled egg. 

Had a chilled evening playing cards with our new friends. 

Views of La Paz

 Today we had a chilled start to the day, with a late breakfast which included a cup of tea, orange juice and a mountain of toast and jam. Luxury! 

We strolled up to the first cable car in the north of the city where we took in the views across the sprawling city of la Paz and the mountains beyond. 

At the top we found a quiet, secluded sun trap where we could look down on the city in peace. 

Once back down we took the back roads toward the second cable car and discovered that Saturday is market day in la Paz so the streets were filled with people and cars crisscrossing all over. 

From one of the many fruit stall we purchased a couple of red bananas which were very much like the regular variety but slightly denser. 

From here we continued down the street and were met by a brass band and an array of dancers in a colourful array of traditional dress. At the front of the procession was a small group dressed in in black carrying a box of smoking ashes so we think it may have been a funeral. Behind the mood was more celebratory. 

After puffing our way up a very steep hill at this high altitude we made it to the second cable car. This was at the southern end of the city which was a complete contrast to the north. Here the brick buildings were replaced by glass and concrete tower blocks and the traditional dress replaced with modern clothes. 

Under the suggestion from an American Peruvian man we caught the cable car to both sides of the city; a 2 hour round trip! 

We were supeised to see a more modern area of the city over the hill into the next valley; la Paz is a lot bigger than we thought. 

We finally made it back to the original cable car station and walked the long road back under the intense sun to our usual square. Here we wrote our diaries and then set out on a food hunt. Dinner tonight was less than inspiring as we had a dry, family empty empanadas followed by an even drier scone like flavourless bread, yum yum. 

We're now preparing for the 12 hour night bus to the salt flats. Once there we may not have internet for a few days, don't miss us too much! 

Even further south...Bolivia!

4am start to get to the airport for our 7.45am flight. The taxi was faster than expected so we had a while to wait in the tiny Arequipa airport. 

After much panicking that our flight would be delayed so we'd miss our next flight to la Paz and everything would go wrong our flight arrived on time and we made it to cusco fine. On the way we flew over a degassing active volcano which was pretty cool and many more impressive mountains. 

We were told we couldn't have and liquids or any food in our hand luggage so decided we would have to buy a bite to eat. However once through security there was no means of satisfying our hunger so by the reached la Paz we were rather peckish. 

The flight from Cusco to la Paz was on a tiny plane, just 12 rows and 4 across. 

Yet again we found the pickup service to be very unreliable so had to catch a random taxi to our hostel. On the way we took in breathtaking views across la Paz, the highest capital in the world. A sprawling city nestled between towering mountains. 

Once we had settled in to Arthy's Guesthouse' we head out in to the bustle of la Paz. 

The city is worlds away from Arequipa. It's so full of colour and very fast paced. We can't decide which place we prefer because they are just so different. 

We strolled through narrow streets lined with jam packed markets with yet more tempting colourful items and alpaca products. 

Popped into a shop to buy a banana as we were pretty ravenous by this point. Libby then did a sketch of San Francisco church from the busy square where we were offered numerous strange looking ice creams and items of clothing. 

For dinner we found a quirky little restaurant off one of the narrow streets; managed to pull Libby away from the steak and ale pie in the English pub. The walls were lined with all sorts of clocks, keys, mirrors etc. 

Here we tried llama steak and omelet washed down with lemon and banana juice (a slight miscommunication led to this strange concoction and we almost ended up with 2 steak and 2 omlettes!)

The llama was delicious, like beef but with a stronger taste and more close knit in texture. 

Having had a good full of great food we returned to Arthy's to organise our stuff for the salt flats trip starting tomorrow evening. 

Churches, museums and alpacas

After a good 13 hour long sleep we felt refreshed and ready to rumble. 

Started the day on the roof terrace for complimentary breakfast with a 360 degree view of Arequipa and its surrounding snow capped mountains...idyllic.

We head out into the sun, with all our valuables strapped to us, to visit the many ornate churches and museums of Arequipa. 

Many of the churches here are made of a white volcanic stone so have a light airy feel but others are full of intricate gold displays. 

Once we'd had our fill of churches for the morning we stopped off at a bustling food market where an array of exotic fruits were piled high on numerous stalls. 

To eat our oranges from the market we sat in the sun at the Plaza de Armas. 

Here Libby did the first of her sketches while Hannah attempted to learn some Spanish to make communication a little easier. 

Yet more churches, museums and the city courts followed by a typical Peruvian lunch of cheese and meat empanadas (the meat was our favourite and was like a spiced Cornish pasty). We then crossed over the river to the more modern side of the city via a bridge with incredible views. 

Found our first alpacas so now feel like we're truly in Peru. 

Libby navigated us up to the 'spy point' to take in the views across the city and of the surrounding volcanic peaks. Hannah geeked out looking at the volcanic features. 

We then made our way across to the next top 'tourist location' which turned out to be a shopping centre. Not too excited by this we made our way back across to the old part of the city and had a look through numerous market stalls with a range of tempting alpaca products which we vowed to return to. 

Libby sketched another church in a courtyard surrounded by purple blossom then we head back to bothy hostel to shower before it got too busy. 

Temptation got the better of us and we returned to our favourite (the cheapest) alpaca market to purchase a couple of cosy jumpers. 

After a meal and more scrumptious passion fruit juice we retired to the hostel for an early night before our 4am start tomorrow. 

We have reached our destination... Arequipa

After 33 hours of travelling, 3 long flights and 6 aeroplane meals we've made it to Bothy hostel in Arequipa. 

All flights went smoothly and we were glad to finally touch down at 1.45pm finding both sets of luggage had arrived. As we flew in to Arequipa we took in a fantastic view of the crumpled Andes mountain range with snow capped volcanic cones and deep valleys cutting through. 

Our first slight hiccup occurred when our pickup didn't arrive at the airport so we had to find another jolly taxi driver and battle the language barrier to be taken directly to our hostel. 

Bothy hostel is basic but has a certain, colourful charm. Warm showers and a private room make all the difference and the artwork really cheers the place up. 

Once we'd settled in and finally had a wash we head out to explore the surrounding streets. Upon the first shop we came to Libby fell in love with the alpaca products and now has a list the length of her arm of jumpers and ponchos she wants to buy. 

To finish off the evening we found a quaint little Italian restaurant for some yummy pizza and scrumptious frsh fruit juices (passionfruit and our first taste of purple corn). 

We're feeling really at home here and are loving the locals, the culture and the Peruvian fashion so far. 

2 down 1 to go

Hola! We've made it to Peru, currently sat in Lima departures with our luggage which we were very thankful to see. 

Managed to catch a few winks on our last flight as we had a bit more leg room but we weren't feeling the chicken and pasta at 11pm us time, 5am back home. 

Just a 7 hour layover and 1 hour flight until we reach out first destination, Arequipa! 

Howdy partners!

Just arrived at Dallas airport, made it through us customs surprisingly quickly, even with our excursion through the back maze. 

Our flight went smoothly; our expectations of a good nosh up we're met with chocolate icecream, apple crumble, a chicken and rice dish, a coconut muffin and a pizza wrap. We had little luck with our tvs, had to move seats as neither of us had sound then our  new screens were the only two to turn green. However we still managed to watch numerous films. 

Feeling rather tired now even though its just 5.42pm here. Onwards to Lima where we'll check in with another food update (if we can get wifi!). 

Watts out! We're on our way...

So this is it, after many months of hectic planning we're finally about to begin our South American adventure! 

Currently sat at heathrow, already had our first taste of Pimms (classic students).  First stop Dallas, hope there are plenty of good films and tasty nosh to keep us entertained. We'll update once we touch down in the USA. See y'all later (we're tucking in to our sandwiches).