La Paz, Bolivia

La Paz is one of the most outrageous cities I’ve ever been to. Of course everywhere in Bolivia has to be “the world’s……..” something, and this capital reigns as “the world’s highest capital city” (elevation 3,660 meters/12,007 feet), despite that fact that it lies in a valley. A sweet, pollution trapping valley. When you arrive from the top of the canyon the first sight is buildings, houses and lights as far as your eyes can see. It feels excitingly exotic, and as you descend into the thick of it, you start to catch a glimpse of just how chaotic this city really is. There are indigenous people side by side with people in suits on every single corner. There is not one super market, and it is the 2nd biggest city in the country – only small...

Read more »

Lago Titicaca - Perú > Bolivia

I love the fact that everything in South America is so extreme, and what would be more fitting then to go from “one of the world’s deepest canyons” to “the world’s highest altitude lake”. Not only does it have a name worth snickering at, but Lake Titicaca also sits at 3,811 meters/12,500 feet and belongs to two countries, Peru and Bolivia. We first headed for the Peru side of the lake, via a town called Puno. In hindsight, it was a mistake, but hindsight is always 20/20. Puno is a hole. A nasty, boring hole with little to offer. Sorry Puno, but it’s true. We took a boat to the Floating Islands, aka, “The World’s Biggest Tourist Trap”. Ohh la la. At one point these islands were home to the Uros people and are completely “artificial” islands,...

Read more »

Canyon Country - Perú

In the trekking spirit, we headed south from Cusco to Arequpia, a city known for beauty and nightlife, with surrounding volcanoes and canyons for extra excitement. After renting a tent, buying a cheap sleeping bag and some necessary food items, the three of us (Douglas, Nicolas & myself) headed into the Colca Canyon with our gear and a crappy (free) map from a tour agency. The Colca Canyon is the second deepest in the world, second only to its neighbor, the Canyon de Cotahuasi. For some perspective, it is 3,191 meters/10,469 feet deep, or twice as deep as the Grand Canyon! After 6 hours on various forms of transport, we arrived in Cabanaconde, the nearest town to start the descent into the canyon. We put our tent in the garden of...

Read more »

Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

The Kingdom of Cusco was founded around the year 1200 and was the historic capital of the mighty Inca Empire. Although it’s been nearly 500 years since the Spanish conquistadors arrived to reek havoc on this amazing civilization, you can still feel the Inca presence everywhere. Nowadays, Cusco has the nostalgic feel of cobble stone streets and ancient buildings – but unfortunately many of those buildings are churches and the style is colonial, not to mention that the town is completely geared toward tourism and almost nothing else. However, it is quite lovely and the night life is downright rowdy, so good times were had both day and night. And then came Nipi!!!! Another great friend from our time in Amsterdam – the one and only Nicolas...

Read more »