Ciao Rio de Janeiro

After two months of travel, it's almost time to board my flight home. Carnaval has been amazing, and sitting on the reception couch has made me realise how absolutely drained I am. Five days of Rio Carnaval really takes it out of you!

During the past few days, no moment passed that you couldn't hear music on the streets, or the distant drum of a moving party heading towards you. Everyone was happy (and most likely drunk) and apart from a few unnoticed pickpocketing incidents, I felt very safe amongst the thousands of other party-goers.

For me, the highlight of Carnaval was Monday (the 4th day of Carnaval), during the day we caught the train with thousands of others to attend the Sargento Pimienta bloco (the Beatles party). This year over 250 000 people joined the festivities to sing along to Classic Beatles songs in both Portuguese and English. After a few hours of reggae Beatles renditions we were ready for the Sambadromo, the main feature of Carnival. The procession was spectacular, I have never seen more costumes, dancers and floats in one place! It's mind-blowing how many people are involved in the parade.

Enjoy the photos from some of my last days in South America, and wish me luck for the 26 hours of flying that awaits me...

Compulsory floral wear for Beatles Bloco  

Taking a break from the dancing crowds 

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22

Taylor's catchy pop song has somehow ended up as the theme song for Carnaval week, as much as we try to rid it from our heads, the tune reappears! But that's ok, because it's obviously a fitting song for the occasion :)

My 22nd birthday has been all I had hoped, plus much much more! Endless fun, surrounded by thousands of happy dancing people, beautiful beaches and great company :)

If you had of told me this time last year that I would be spending my 22nd birthday in Rio during Carnaval, I wouldn't have believed you for a second. Not to mention the fact that in the first 2 months of 2014 I have traveled more than my whole life combined. I'm so happy and grateful to begin the year like this, and can't wait to find out what else 2014 has to offer.

Our time so far at Copacabana beach has involved A LOT of alcohol consumption, a few terrible costume choices, a bit of sunburn here and there, plenty of tasty Brazilian food, and of course dancing amongst thousands of people in crazy street blockos!

The first night Zac and I arrived, we met up with Cheryl and Anna and joined a moving bloco, managing to find the front and stick with the music (a lot of the time it's impossible to see the front, or even hear the music). It was such an amazing atmosphere, and after a lot of dancing and beer, we ended up at the beach for a late night swim before a well earned sleep.

First night, first costumes! 

Amidst the Bloco! 

I spent the night of my birthday with a few travellers we have met along the way, we celebrated with especial Carnaval Chandon on our rooftop and attended a bando, where we danced with some skilled Brazilian girls until we were drenched with sweat. The band party was quite small compared to some events at Carnaval, but with great music and talented dancers all around us, the night was perfect :)

My Australian friends, equally as weird as me

Aussie girls are classy (our hotel had no glasses...)

Zac really went out of his way to dress up on my birthday

Force feeding Cheryl  

One Italian and a bunch of Aussies 

Country hopping

It's been a while since my last entry, partly due to the lack of internet access and also because the past few days have been non-stop. The end of my trip is creeping closer and so, as my title suggests, I have literally been racing across countries in order to reach Rio in time for carnival. Zac and I left La Paz on Monday the 17th, and the following day we began a three day tour of the Bolivian Salt Flats and Dessert. For the entire tour group the expected highlight was obviously the largest salt flat in the world, but the rest of the 4WD trip had so much more to offer. We were constantly surrounded by amazing scenery, whether it was red and white lagoons, pink flamingos, desert dunes, snow capped mountains, hot springs, rock forests, geysers, lightning storms, or the brightest stars I have ever seen (see the many pictures below!). 

Couldn't leave Bolivia without trying this

Geysers in the desert, stinky things!

Train grave yard or giant adult playground 

Flamingos feeding in a red lagoon 

Baby llamas frolicking around

The red lagoon! 

The view from our desert dorms 

Jot springs in freeing weather, watching the Milky Way and lightning storms!

At the end of the tour we were dropped off in San Pedro, Chile. We spent one night in a funky hostel that involved bar games, camp fires, more star gazing, Chilean hot dogs and tasty red wine. Unfortunately that was the extent of my visit in Chile, and the next day we continued by bus to Argentina with the added pleasure of 4 hours waiting in line at the Chile/Argentinian border. All I will say about that experience is that I will never EVER bus to Argentina again.

This backpackers was nicknamed cat packers for a reason, they wouldn't leave you alone!

Getting warm in San Pedro 

Finally we arrived at our hostel in downtown Salta, both Zac and I loved the feel of this little city, and I am certain I will be back to explore Chile and Argentina in the future :) In Salta, Zac and I parted ways briefly, I went on to fly to Iguazu and he opted to bus the entire way!

Needless to say, Iguazu falls was absolutely breathtaking! I was lucky enough to see the falls on a sunny day as well as enjoying the extra water mass that the current rainy season brings- definitely bucket list worthy!

The most stunning waterfall, so perfect 

Definitely one of my favourite waterfalls of Iguazu 

Just before the sun came out, amazing how much water flows over these falls! 

By total coincidence, I ran into Zac at the bus station in Puerto Igauzu and we were able to catch the same coach to Florianopolis (my last stop before Rio). Florianopolis is stunning, and our hostel is relaxed and crazy at the same time. We have teamed up with a couple of great Australian girls, spending yesterday and today getting a little too much sun and drinking a few too many Caprinhas on beautiful beaches.

Tomorrow we catch our very last bus to Rio, and Carnival begins!  I'm excited to catch up with the many people we have met along the way, that, like us, will end their holidays at the biggest carnival in the world! (Plus the little added bonus that I am celebrating my 22nd on the second night of this crazy party week)

Journey to Bolivia

 Goodbye Lima, Arequipa, Peru, Pisco Sours and Chilean boys with ridiculously good dance skills- it's been fun!

We have arrived safely in La Paz, after a 15 hour bus ride... I think I might start looking into some flights to Brazil and Argentina, even though they are at least 5 times more expensive, the time saved will be well worth the price.

La Paz is huge, today Zac and I plan to eat cheap food (9 Bolivianos for a meal = $1.20), explore, book a salt flats tour and try not to get lost! We will probably stay one more night in this insane party city, and possibly a third night depending on whether we decide to bike the Bolivian 'death road'... Zac is sold, but I am still a little hesitant, it's worth a google if you haven't heard the name before.

Watching the sunset in our last night in Lima

Zac's a little nervous about the pressure of finishing a famalia grande famalia size bowl of rice

I'm probably going to stray a bit off topic here, but I wanted to describe how travelling to South America has been more influential on my character than I ever expected. My time in Cambodia was life changing in a way that I was able to spend so much time with the kids at ABC's and Rice, and expose a world I had never seen, I guess that helped me skip the so called 'culture shock' of Peru. I really enjoyed staying in one city for a long period of time, but at the same time it has been interesting traveling at such a fast pace; seeing different places and people has been a totally different experience all together. I think, in terms of backpacking, my favourite part so far has been meeting people during their travels- knowing their stories, reasons for traveling, and just their general take on life and how smart, worldly and happy they are. It's refreshing to learn about people that I genuinely enjoy listening to, and I know what I take away from this trip will make me think and act a little differently at home in Australia (just as my Cambodia trip did, and I'm sure all my future travels will).

Being in South America has also made me realise how wrong the stereotypes and connotations tied to traveling here can be (or any country for that matter). Zac said to Gran and me from the very beginning that westerners need to calm down and relax in places different to their own, and he couldn't be more right. I realise I still have a little while left on my trip, but so far everything has ran so smoothly, the people are friendly and I haven't felt unsafe once. Obviously a little common sense doesn't go astray, but I have been pleasantly surprised everywhere we have been so far; and if being offered cocaine on the streets of Cusco is the worst thing to happen to me on this trip, then I can safely say I've had more trouble on the streets of Brisbane on a Saturday night.

Welcome to the Jungle

From Cusco, we flew to Puerto Maldonado and then headed upstream to our 4 star lodge! Normally our tour wouldn't have accomodation like this, but our previous lodge was waist high in water... The bungalows were stunning, and the entire lodge was environmentally friendly. The rooms consisted of a hammock, two beds, and absolutely no windows or doors- the most beautiful accomodation of the trip, not to mention comfiest beds, and best views! (We also had hot showers!!)

Our heaven bungalows

The first wildlife siting Gran and I saw from our window

During the three days spent in the jungle, we had perfect weather and saw more wildlife than either of our guides had expected. Within the first hour we saw vultures and howler monkeys, and in the afternoon we climbed a 37m tower above the trees to spot more birdlife and monkeys. The tower was amazing, visibility was perfect, and it felt as though you couldn't see where the trees ended. We were up the top for over an hour and it was pretty difficult to get us to come down, Zac and I would have camped out up there if we had the chance, it was such a strange feeling to be towering over treetops watching Macaws fly overhead.

37m up! 

Macaw watching...It's camouflage     

What happens when we get a little bored bird watching...

Clean up turned out to be a little more difficult than we thought

I rarely had the camera out over there three days. It was nice just watching the wildlife without worrying about fighting to get a picture (and honestly the animals move so fast I don't think I could have captured them on camera if  I tried!)

Zac's brilliant photography

The next day we travelled by boat to a lagoon where we saw a giant otter up close, the guides were  shocked to see him come so close to the boat and told us they hadn't seen one so near in 20 years of working. We were thrilled, it was huge and strangely graceful for its size. We saw dozens of birds, and also tried out piranha fishing- this activity was the only time our luck failed us. Other people caught piranhas, but Jules, Gran, Zac and I all missed. Although Zac did manage to hook a sardine! On the walk back to the river I finally managed to face up to my fears... Believe it or not I looked right at a tarantula!! Scariest looking thing I have ever seen, but I was proud to last the 15 seconds I did! (I was pretty jumpy on the walk home, assuming that each branch that brushed me was that tarantula attached to my shoulder...)

Zac's first ever catch, it's no piranha but it's better than my efforts :(

Spider talk aside, we also saw a tucan, more vultures and two woodpeckers- I had never realised just how loud their peck is! That afternoon gran and I watched a dozens of squirrel monkeys in a feeding frenzy right outside our glass-less window, and that was probably the highlight for both of us. The monkeys were so close, they would look at us then go on eating leaves and fruit or leap to the next tree, often missing the branch and panicking to grab on to a leaf as they fell. The last animal we saw was the largest rodent in the world, the capybara. They were pretty cute roaming around the lodge, and basically look like giant guinea pigs!

The best picture I managed to take of these speedy squirrel monkeys 

A squirrel monkey mid fall, Gran and I were entertained for hours

We arrived back in Lima, where the tour started, on Friday afternoon. We spent the weekend eating amazing food, drinking yummy cocktails, and doing some last minute shopping for Gran. On Sunday it was time to say goodbye, Gran's trip went way to fast and I wish she was staying longer. But after several attempts to persuade her to change her flights, Zac and I gave up and hugged her goodbye. I've babbled on about this before, but I will say it again, it was so great sharing this experience with our amazing grandmother; and even though this trip will be nearly impossible to beat I'm sure she will have just as much fun on her next trip with more crazy kids!

It's Monday 10th of February, Zac and I are still in Lima with some of his friends from Melbourne. They are awesome people, and it's been great drinking Pisco Sours and laughing till our stomachs hurt. Tomorrow night Zac and I will start our journey to Bolivia, which basically means more bus rides... But on the upside, we will visit Arequipa again, and I will have the chance to explore one of my favourite cities in a bit more detail.

Parting with showers and electricity... Again.

Thought I'd add a quick note, before we head deep into the amazon (3 hours by boat from the nearest town to be exact...)

For the next three days our little group will be getting back to nature. No phones, no internet, and no other tourists; and just like our home stay I know I will enjoy every moment of it. It's nice to be away from all the things we rely so heavily upon for a change (like blogs and Facebook haha).

We fly to a town in the amazon (the name of which is super difficult and has slipped my mind) around lunch time today, then head upriver to find our hidden bungalows where we will be staying. The next time I have access to Internet will be when we fly into Lima on Friday, marking the end of our fabulous tour of Peru.

The rainy season might limit some of our activities in the amazon, for example, I learnt today that piranhas don't like rain, and so piranha fishing won't be very successful- such a pity because I was really intrigued as to how we go about that. Despite the possible rain, Giscard guarantees us we will have plenty of opportunities to see wildlife, but one animal in particular worries me a little. Anyone who has ever met me probably knows my worst fear, I don't know what it is about them exactly that hits my weak spot, but whatever it is I can't shake my phobia. Give me a snake, or a bug and I will hold it with open arms, but put a spider within 20 meters of me and I will turn into a terrified child being chased by the boogyman. So you can understand my horror when my lovely tour leader tells me we will see tarantulas- I honestly went white sitting at the table. But I guess I will have to deal with that when it comes... And hopefully avoid fainting or passing out at the scene.

Wish me luck, or at least wish that I won't encounter one of those disgusting creepy creatures.
On a lighter note I will leave you with some pictures of our last night in Cusco.

Fab dinner, and Pisco Sour lessons!

Just like Spain Angela and Lauren!

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

First of all I would like to say a huge congratulations to my beautiful grandmother, who not only completed the trail like a legend, but also had the chance to celebrate her birthday in one of the most spectacular places on this planet. Zac and I are the eldest of 7 grandchildren, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say we are so proud to have you as our gran, and absolutely thrilled to be sharing this experience with you! I can only imagine what her next trip will hold, when she tackles a holiday with the two slightly younger and slightly crazier cousins, Tegan and George... Good luck Gran!

Gran celebrating her birthday in style! 

Getting back to trail specifics. I think the best way to break down this adventure is a day by day outline, so here goes...

Day 1 - Training Day
A 5am wake up call and a 4 hour minivan ride later, we arrived at kilometre 82, the starting point of the trail to Machu Picchu. With no hesitation our zealous guide Tomas alongside tour leader Giscard led us up the first section of the trek. We were pretty excited to visit our first inca site not long into the walk, and it was Tomas's first chance to enlighten us with some of his knowledge on the subject. The scenery grew more impressive as we hiked parallel to the Urubamba river, which was flowing madly, and soon enough we had our first taste of chef Luciano's cooking at lunch, which did not fail to impress. His cooking was made more impressive still when gran and I saw the kitchen, or lack there of... We were both amazed at the food he produces from a tiny gas stove on the floor and no shelves or benches for prep. After 13km of up and down hill we arrived at our first camp site, where our lovely porters greeted us with claps and congratulations. We were buggered, and after another  delish three course meal and proper introductions with the porters, we all slept like babies.

Our family, now let's see how many names I can remember: Giscard, Jesus, Santo niño, Juan, Juan, Enrico, Marcos, Francisco, Toribio, Nicasio, Luciano. Pretty good considering they called me 'blondie' 

Day 2 - Challenge Day, two passes and a whole lot of steep decent!

Another early wake up for an early start, a big day of 16km over about 8 hours, reaching a top of 4215m. We realised the altitude made hiking up hill ten times more difficult, but your recovery time is quick. So with lots of short breaks to catch our breath, we got through the hardest day much easier than we first expected. And Gran was pretty proud, keeping up with other hiking groups that were aged mostly 20-30, and puffing less than a lot of them. Honestly, I think she was fitter than half the people walking the track. The second day had some of the most beautiful rainforest and river views, and to Grans delight we saw a hummingbird and plenty of other birdlife that Tomas, the keen bird watcher, could explain. The rain came in the afternoon, but we weren't worried, a bit now simply meant less chance of rain on our arrival at Machu Picchu. Wet shoes and a cold face didn't stress us out too much, we'd all walked the Milford track in New Zealand and this rain was nothing compared to that. The satisfaction of completing day 2 was amazing, the hardest day was behind us and we were so close to the end highlight!

Reached the first peak! 4215m above sea level! 

Tent snack: Gran's and my favourite new fruit, a Peruvian passionfruit called granadilla

Day 3 - Gran's Birthday & Wiñaywayna
Our two cheeky guides played a birthday prank on Gran, pretending to crack an egg on her head that was actually hollow, her face was priceless! And after that the surprises kept coming :) The hardest part was over and the third day was an easy 9km over about 4 hours, though our legs were pretty sore which made it a bit harder. We were lucky enough to walk without rain to our last campsite where all hikers camp before heading to Machu Picchu the following morning. At the campsite Tomas instructed us to follow him for an extra surprise, we walked 10 minutes before Tomas made us close our eyes and led us a little further. When we opened we saw Wiñaywayna, an Inca site much bigger than any we had seen along the trek so far. Gran couldn't help but tear up when Tomas said this was his birthday present to her. I think I can speak for Gran as well when I say that, for me, this was the most special part of the trek. There were no crowds or pushy tourists, it was just us; free to roam and admire the inca site, and the surrounding mountains and waterfalls. The site was thought to be a place for nobles to experiment with farming and undertake religious rituals. And let me just say that none of the photos do this place justice, not to mention how high we were sitting when we ventured out onto a ledge that overlooked the valley and several waterfalls. After a long time relaxing at this peaceful place, we went back to the campsite for dinner where he chef had prepared a birthday cake for Gran, everyone sang along and Gran was pressured to take a bite straight from the cake, as a Peruvian tradition (this was hilarious)! We also said farewell to the porters and chef who would be leaving early the next morning, their work is amazing and it's hard to believe these little people carry 25kg and basically run the whole trail. It was nice to be able to share lollies and snacks with them as they overtook us each day after breakfast and then again after lunch.

Birthday hugs from our cheeky guide! 

Tomas's birthday present to Gran, Wiñaywayna Inca site, Gran was teary so the sunnies came out

Enjoying her birthday in peace (minus me taking her picture a hundred times)

Chef Luciano made gran a cake from his tent kitchen stovetop, I was forbidden to put photos up of Gran's face being smashed into this cake...

Day 4 - Machu Picchu
We were happy to wake up at 3am the next morning so the porters could catch the bus back to their hometown, we knew today would be a lot more crowded than the last few days because everyone was heading for the same destination. We lined up and then walked with our sore legs to the sungate that looks over Machu Picchu- we couldn't see a thing. The clouds were so thick, but we were early and so we patiently waited and our patience was rewarded. The clouds slowly moved away, exposing the famous Inca site, it was absolutely breathtaking, and our guides couldn't stop telling us how lucky we were to see this in the wet season. And our luck didn't run out, for the rest of the day we had perfect weather exploring the different sections of Machu Picchu. The crowds were a little off putting and we held a bit of a grudge toward anyone who hadn't walked the trek, Tomas called them 'the cheaters', but they didn't take away from the greatness of his place. We spent a few hours exploring and then met back up with Giscard and Tomas for a celebratory Pisco Sour! Again, my cheap digital camera does not begin to do this place justice!

Zac was born in June, the dry season, and so he was 'the chosen one' who could control or 'blow away' the weather. This was our first view of Machu Picchu...

Entering Machu Picchu from the Sungate

Walking toward the highest point of Machu Picchu, the astronomy lookout

Pisco sours all round, Zac almost didn't survive 4 days without alcohol

Urubamba river is insane in the rainy season