Peru

So far Peru is the only South American nation I have visited (aside from 8hours at Santiago airport), but it definitely made me want to see what the rest of the continent has to offer. Peru is place of great diversity. On one side of the you have the heights of the Peruvian Andes, the Inca trail, and Machu Picchu, while on the other side you have the lowlands of the Amazon jungle.
In 2004 I spent a month traveling through Peru with a couple of cool English lads and lasses, and a slightly annoying American couple. Beginning in Lima we headed to Pisco where we took a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands to see some Sea lions and more birds then you will see in a BBC documentary. From here we traveled out to Nazca to see the famous Nazca lines, which I personally found more amazing as photographs than when you see them up close. Next stop was Arequipa where we visited the Santa Catalina monastery and dined on the traditional Peruvian meal of the Guinea Pig! After chilling out in picturesque Arequipa we headed to Lake Titicaca where we visited the reed islands of the Uros people and did an overnight homestay with some very short Peruvians. The night on lake Titicaca was one of the coldest nights I've ever experienced, and although it was a beautiful place it was good to be heading on to the famous city of Cuzco.
Originally built in the shape of a Puma, Cuzco is the starting and finishing point for the Inca trail, and is one of the coolest city's in the world. The nightlife in this little gem is some of the best you will find in the world, not because the pubs are anything special but because the vibe is so positive. We would be back to Cuzco in a few days, but for now we were off to do the Inca trail.
Day one of the trail was relatively easy and was mostly spent admiring the amazing scenery of the Andes. On day two of the Inca trail it snowed down heavily on us all morning and we were told it was the first time it had snowed in this part of Peru in fifteen years. At lunch we were also told that if the snow didn't lighten up we might have to abort the trek, but luckily for us the rest of the day was cold and dry. Day three of the trek was for me the most enjoyable, and i managed to spend most of the day walking with no one in sight in front or behind me. Day four is the big one, Machu Picchu. Starting out at 5am I ran the entire the distance of the days trek in the dark. My hope was to make it to the sun gate before the sun had risen, but to this effect I failed. I did manage to be the first of the trail to see Machu Picchu however, and to see this amazing place completely empty of tourists. After spending the rest of the day exploring the ruins and climbing Wanu picchu, it was time to head back to Cuzco...
We arrived back in Cuzco just in time for Inti Rami, the festival of the sun, we we drank corn beer, played soccer amongst Incan ruins, and saw some locals with an anaconda skin. I thin we all could have happily stayed in Cuzco for a few more days, were we not on our way to the Amazon Jungle.
The first thing that must be said about the Amazon is that it is exactly like you see in all the documentaries. There are animals everywhere! From Caimans, to Macaws, to Tarantula's and monkey's we saw it all. My only regret for the Amazon was that we couldn't stay longer... it's a place I simply must return to. Unfortunately, the end of my time in the Amazon also meant the end of my time in Peru, and after a day or two in Lima I was on a flight a home.