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Peru and Brazil
  • Kristyna Collins
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  • Kristyna Collins

Peru and Brazil

Follow along as we adventure into new places! Okumaya devam et
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    🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 38 and 39

    24 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Day 38
    Today we travelled to Rio from Belem- short flight only about 3 1/2 hours!

    Day 39
    We started this morning at Rio’s botanical gardens which were pretty impressive. The tallest palm trees I’ve ever seen and lots of fountains and trees with huge roots. We also managed to spot and get quite close to some monkeys! Sadly it was raining so not the start to Rio we had imagined! After this we headed down to Ipanema to wander around and we found a market where we picked up some fruit. We accidentally bough 4kg of apples rather than 4 LOL! Not sure how we are going to get through all of those!! We also bought a Brazil top each!

    I then headed off to a Churrascaria which is basically unlimited beef and meat on tap. They bring around these huge skewers of various different cuts, all seasoned and cooked differently. As someone who has stupidly expensive taste in steak for a 21 year old this was my idea of HEAVEN!!! I have eaten my body weight in meat I think. I also got a glass of wine (Malbec!!) on the house for befriending one of the waiters so I’ll take that!! Keira not being a big meat eater stayed back at the air bnb to chill out. A fun first day in Rio!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    Day 37

    22 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Today we had our boat trip which was AMAZING! We met our guide and thankfully the group was incredibly small- only 1 other person!! We then boarded the speed boat and headed off to Combu island on the edge of the Amazon. We went down various estuaries enjoying seeing the local way of life. Small houses perching on stilts - certainly a much simpler way of life! We saw the locals going about their day, zooming up and down in small speed boats. The shores lined with palm trees, and mangroves protecting the houses from erosion and extreme weather. We then “docked” although feels like a glamorous word to use for clinging on to the side of the building and trusting some very creaky old wooden stairs.

    Arriving in a local merchants shop we taste tested locally grown chocolate, including 100% dark chocolate which was too much for me but Keira loved!

    Moving through the shop we began exploring the island seeing the local primary school. Then headed deeper into the forest to meet a family. The leader- an 83 year old man, welcomed us and headed into his house to grab something. He then produced the larger machete I have ever seen!! He proceeded to show how he uses it to open the large seed pods that contain Brazilian nuts. I watched slightly worried he might lose a finger! Keira had a go to crack it open too! Once we got it open we tasted the nuts which were delicious! He then waved for us to follow him around the back of his house where he showed us two green parrots! Completely wild and able to fly to and from the house as they please. He has been looking after them since they were born and they were very friendly- we got to hold them!

    We then headed deeper into the forest for an hours walk with our guide Jeff. He explained so much about the rainforest, showing us various different plants along the way and thier medicinal purposes. We ended the tour at a HUGE tree- 450years old and sky rocketing into the canopy it’s hard to put scale on it!

    We then headed back to the speedboat to get taken back to Belem. An incredible experience we absolutely LOVED it!!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    1

    Day 36

    21 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Today we explored Belem. We started at some botanical gardens where they have basically preserved the rainforest flora and fauna which is very cool. The trees were incredibly tall, huge roots, massive leaves etc. sadly it was also a zoo set up with exotic birds and animals from the rainforest in cages which both Keira and I are very against. We did manage to see two wild green parrots and another parrot which was really special. Sadly I didn’t have my big camera lens with me so the pictures aren’t great but a nice spot! We also saw some Cuatis wild too.

    We then had our pack lunch before heading down to the docks and the largest air market in Latin America! It was selling everything from trinkets to fruit and veg to live animals. Guinea fowl and turkeys in cages, we also saw some parrots in cages too which was sad. Not sure if people would buy them as pets or to eat ?? The docks themselves were lined with fishing boats and surrounded by small vultures eating the fish remains and rubbish that was on the shoreline.

    We then went on a bit of a side quest when I saw a tiny kitten trapped in an electrical box. Keira managed to get it out but with no mother cat around if we had left it it was sure to die. So we managed to find a vet who eventually found someone who could adopt her!!

    We then grabbed a drink before heading back to our air bnb. Boat tip tomorrow!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 34 and 35

    19 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Day 34
    Welcome to the long travel days! This morning we got the bus at 8am to head back to Sao Luis. Then we had a5 hour wait at the bus terminal before our 16 hour overnight bus to Belem. We thought about heading out into the city but the bus terminal is quite far away and with our big bags we decided it wasn’t really worth it. So we ate our pack lunches and settled in for a long wait.

    Eventually we got onto the bus and set off towards Belem. It’s another double decker bus which we are at the front of again with a big window which is nice.

    Day 35
    Finally arrived in Belem at about 11am. We actually have an air BnB booked here and they gave us an early check in which was really nice so we could just arrive and crash. We both had showers, and called our families for a while and then headed out to lunch. We stumbled across a restaurant that is focused around using ingredients from the Amazon. So we both had rice bowls mine was duck and in a sauce from an indigenous root from the Amazon. It was really yummy and VERY filling. We then went to a supermarket to pick up some supplies for the next few days and headed back to do a wash and have some dinner. Not much to report but looking forward to exploring Belem tomorrow.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    1

    Day 33

    18 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After some research we discovered there is nothing to do here bar the lagoons! So we did some admin this morning and booked a few remaining bits and bobs. Then headed down to the river side for some lunch and enjoyed a £3 cocktail. We then went for a walk along the river front and found a market to browse in. We also tried Açai for the first time after we discovered it’s traditionally Brazilian. It’s like a sweet paste which you then load up with cream, fruits and various toppings. It was quite nice but not sure it’s something I could have regularly. We then wandered the high street before retreating to our hotel, we also saw a huge iguana on the walk home! We have a long travel day starting at 8am tomorrow! We are getting the bus back to Sao Luis to then get another overnight bus to Belem!Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 31 and 32

    17 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Day 31
    Today we just travelled to Barreirnhas which took about 5 hours. We checked in and headed out to get some dinner. We then went to pay and the restaurant wouldn’t accept any foreign cards! I went to pay in Real but realised I didn’t have enough! We ended up having to go back to the hotel to get dollars to pay - what a nightmare!! We then went on a cash mission but none of the ATMs or banks accept foreign cards or even exchange our dollars!! Such a pain but hopefully once we get into Rio it will be more set up for tourists!!

    Day 32
    Today we headed to the national park of Lencois Maranhenses which has been something I’ve been looking forward to for ages!! We got picked up at our hotel in a safari style jeep and headed off! I can’t put into words how beautiful it was. White sand, fresh water lagoons, and the expanse went on genuinely as far as the eye could see. It was mesmerising. We went to several lagoons to swim in and it was so much fun. It did get busier throughout the day but it is so much quieter than we were expecting, definitely feels like a hidden gem, but then I think the whole of North East Brazil is! Seems to only be domestic tourism really. We then headed to see where the national park dunes meet the ocean and swim in the sea.

    We then went to a small fishing village called Atnis for lunch. No real roads, just sand tracks, and no local cars! We stopped with a really beautiful view with the fishing boats. However the menu was SUPER expensive so just ordered the cheapest items!

    After lunch we had one final lagoon stop which was particularly special as we had it all to ourselves for about 20 minutes before other people arrived which was really lovely. We then got dropped back off at our hotel, really special day and a lot of fun!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    1

    Day 30

    15 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After having a lie in we headed out to explore Sao Luís. It was pretty bizarre, it’s so Portuguese and colonial it genuinely feels like we are in Europe. The whole vibe of the place transported us. Tiling on all the buildings and colourful extravagant decor lined the streets. It was really pretty and a nice vibe. We then found a market to walk through, enjoying the various trinkets they were selling. There was also a lot of Jamaican influence I’m guessing from the slave trade. We then found a spot for lunch and enjoyed some beef and fish for Keira. After this Keira headed back to the hostel feeling she could do with a rest and relax post bus as she didn’t feel 100%. I stayed out longer to wander around and take some pictures of the buildings. I also went into a church that I think is still an active monastery of some kind as it has a lovely courtyard surrounded by worship rooms etc. I then headed back to join Keira at the hostel and get an early night as we have a bus at 7am tomorrow!Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 28 and 29

    14 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Day 28
    We checked out today leaving our bags in storage and headed to the centre of Fortaleza. We found a HUGE market, 4 floors of hundreds of stalls. Apparently the area is very known for its lace and leather, this became very apparent when the stalls were lined with leather shoes, wallets, bags, lace, dresses, table mats etc. some really lovely pieces and we really enjoyed looking around but nothing really grabbed my eye enough to buy. I did find a lovely dress but definitely got a tourist price and didn’t think it was good value. After this we got some food and headed to the bus station to get on our 21 hour bus!!!

    Day 29
    This bus went on forever. Keira managed to sleep for maybe 6 hours on and off, I think I got 2 hours. It wasn’t awful we were expecting it to be pretty horrific but it still wasn’t great. We arrived in Sao Luis at 3.30pm and got to our hostel at 4.30pm. This one has a pool which is such a treat so we dumped our stuff and went for a dip before crashing for the rest of the evening and grabbing some food. Feeling super tired but glad we have made it! Not sure the plan for tomorrow as Sao Luis was mainly used as a stop before our next place so we might just go for a wander and see what we find!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 27

    12 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we went to a different beach- Pico das almas. This beach was absolutely stunning, white sand and palm trees for days. It was also a beautiful temperature and the beach was almost completely empty. No vendors, no bars, no shops, just the beach! It was lovely and we also managed to have a dip in the sea! It was really nice to chill out the last two days as tomorrow night we start our 21 hour bus- sounds pretty horrendous so hopefully it’s comfy!Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    1

    Day 26

    11 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ 🌬 29 °C

    Today we spent the day at Cumbuco beach about an hour from Fortaleza. This beach was beautiful, a little busy being a Saturday but we walked away from the main crowd to find a nice spot. Various vendors selling everything from food to phones and sunglasses wander past you and we couldn’t help but wonder if those phones and be stolen! Despite this felt very safe and enjoyed the beach a lot, we also got a Caipirinha for £2.50!!Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 24 and 25

    9 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Day 24
    Today we checked out of our hostel leaving our bags in their storage and headed to the beach! Thankfully the weather was warm and sunny today so a good day for it. Arriving we headed to a food vendor who is the first person we have met who speaks English! He had lived in Ireland for 2 years. We think we meant well but very aggressively asked if we had “accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour”. Understandably Keira let me take that one but still was a bit intense! Heading off to find somewhere to sit we decided to stay in the main hustle and bustle as don’t know how safe it would be to walk further down to be on our own. There’s a system where if you eat lunch you get 2 chairs so we decided to do this and they brought us fish, meat and fries and also a few cocktails for free. They were VERY cheeky as all the prices were per person not in total so we ended up paying a lot more than we thought we were, a good lesson to learn but pretty annoying!! We are finding coming from Peru where we spoke decent Spanish to Brazil where we speak no Portuguese very difficult. It’s a lot harder to communicate as we were hoping people would speak a little Spanish but definitely not!!

    Having said that a Brazilian lady on the beach befriended us and despite having no idea what she was saying proceeded to talk to us for the next few hours! Using Google translate we just about got by! At one point Keira left to use the bathroom and this lady decided to try match make me with some of the locals, pretty mortifying particularly when I don’t know how to communicate with them very well! Everyone is very friendly but what we have learnt so far is that even when it becomes obvious you don’t understand what they are saying, they keep talking anyway!

    It started to get dark so we headed back to the hostel to grab our bags and chill out for a while before our overnight bus tonight. This one is 14 hours wish us luck!

    Day 25
    The overnight bus was probably our comfiest one yet, it was a double decker and we were right at the front on the top level so also got to enjoy a very large window. We slept on and off so not bad really! We arrived in Fortaleza around midday and we have a treat this stay- a hotel!! We arrived early and thankfully our room was ready so we dropped our bags and went to find something to eat. Buffets seem to be all the range in Brazil but we aren’t super keen on them as don’t know how long the food has been sitting there! Eventually we found a small place that did really good pasta that filled us up. Next up was to go to a pharmacy to stock up on some toiletries and to head to a super market as we have a small fridge in our room so bought some fruit and bits for lunches. By the time we had done all of this it was around 4pm and we were feeling pretty tired to headed back to the hotel to chill out for the rest of the day!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    1

    Day 23

    8 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today we decided to explore a small town near Recife called Olinda based on our flight attendants recommendation yesterday. About 30 mins from Recife it is a small colonial town with more colourful buildings and pretty architecture. Due to the heat yesterday we didn’t check the forecast so when it started raining we were a bit surprised and hid in a cafe for some brunch. Thankfully it cleared up and we wandered around the cobbled streets taking it all in. We were shocked by how empty it was. No tourists and barely any locals. Considering this is one of THE things to do it was bizzare! It was really beautiful and we also had a walk along the sea front but there really wasn’t much to do. So we headed back to Recife to walk through the markets once more. Feeling a bit hot and tired after a few hours we headed back to our hostel to grab some dinner and chill out. Feel like we’ve done Recife now! It’s not really a “do” place more of a walk around and get the vibe which has been nice. We have an overnight bus tomorrow to Fortaleza so our plan is to hopefully spend the day at the beach!Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 20 -22

    6 Temmuz, Brezilya ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Day 20
    Had a super leisurely start to this morning with a lie in to recover from the 5am wake up calls on the Inca trail. We all went out for brunch and Keira and I treated ourselves to a laundrette wash of our clothes before waving the boys off to the airport as they are flying back today.

    Spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through photos and repacking bags for our flights tomorrow! It was nice to take it super chilled and relaxed as we have 3 flights tomorrow so going to be a long day!

    Day 21
    Woke up to have a quick breakfast before heading off to the airport this morning. We got there quite early as we hadn’t been able to check in online so wanted to leave plenty of time for us to figure it out at the airport. Just as well as they didn’t think we had paid for checked luggage when we had! So we had to sort that out and then she wanted to see our boarding pass for our flight back to England which we obviously didn’t have as the flight is over a month away. She eventually settled for proof we had bought the ticket and we checked our bags in and went through.

    Our first flight to Lima left an hour late but we have 6 hours to kill in Lima before our next flight so that wasn’t an issue. Landing in Lima we grabbed some lunch and settled in for a long wait.

    Next flight was Lima to São Paulo which was only 3 1/2 hours and I managed to sleep the whole time with Keira sleeping on and off. São Paulo airport is pretty big and transferring here was not super fun at 4am.

    After what felt like forever we finally got onto our last flight to Recife. We’ve somehow done very well as the first and last flight we have had the emergency exits despite not paying for seats, and on the middle flight we had a spare seat in between us! On the last flight the flight attendant took a liking to us- I think mainly Keira and got us lots of snacks and drinks!

    Day 22
    Landing at 11.30am in Recife we immediately felt it was hotter and drier than Peru. Heading to our hostel we luckily managed to check in early so got changed and headed out to grab some food. We found a small restaurant and tucked into some lunch whilst the locals watched the Argentina vs Egypt game. Interestingly everyone was rooting against Argentina with active cheers when Egypt scored. We had trouble paying with the card machine not accepting our revolut cards, luckily I had cash and hopefully this is not a reoccurring issue.

    We then wandered through the historic centre and streets lined with brightly coloured buildings and beautiful architecture. We stumbled across a huge market which was bustling with life. People shouting from stalls selling mostly clothes but also fruit and food stands. We navigated through the narrow busy streets soaking in the atmosphere and browsing some of the shops. Brazil feels very different than Peru already. Less traditional but not less authentic. Just different. The people don’t seem to give a toss we are here whilst in Peru Keira and I definitely got more stares. It’s quite nice actually to fly under the radar a bit more. We haven’t seen any other tourists yet so definitely feel we have found a little “spot”! Our hostel is pretty quiet but a nice vibe with a very comfy hammock!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    1
    1

    Day 19

    4 Temmuz, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A very early start today, had a light breakfast and then torches in hand as set off! My legs and feet are KILLING today so very glad we haven’t got too far to go. After 10 mins we arrived at the check point and had to queue for the gates to open at 5.30am. The gates opened and we headed off with the rest of the people from the Inca trail. This is the first time it has felt very busy on the trail. 6km of up and down and 5 minutes of the most treacherous stairs. We had to go up on hands and knees to make sure we didn’t fall. And then, we made it to the sun gate. We were really lucky it was incredibly clear and got a great view of Machu Picchu. We settled down to watch the sun creep over the mountain, illuminating the ruins and framing the scene beautifully. Lots of groups sped down towards Machu Picchu I guess to beat the first train in but I really enjoyed having the time at the Sun gate. After a while we then headed down to the ruins which took us another hour to go down. We got to the classic “post card” spot and took our pictures. Then taking a seat Miguel explained to us about Machu Picchu. He then gave us a tour and we saw the queens house, kings house, and other ruins. It was really interesting and the fact we had hiked for 4 days to get there made it way more rewarding. I think if we just took the train it would have been cool, but a bit disappointing. It was very busy with LOTS of Americans it was quite hard to get away from them. I do think the Inca trail is more about the journey than the destination, even though the destination is beautiful.

    We then had a quick lunch before heading back on the long journey to Cusco    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 16-18

    2 Temmuz, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    Day 16
    The alarm blared at 4am this morning so we got up packed our bags and got ready! Quickly called my parents as it’s my 21st birthday today!

    We headed down to the hotel lobby and met our guide and loaded up into the van. We sped off towards km 82 which is the official start of the Inca trail. We stopped briefly for some breakfast and then went to the starting centre. Had our passports checked, and our guide Miguel gave us some information about the Inca trail including the many different types of ecosystems we would see along the way. Then we were off!! 12k to complete. It started off pretty relaxed, following a river that meandered through small villages. Within 5 minutes the views were spectacular!! Half way through we stopped for lunch and were given a 3 course lunch!!!! One of the dishes was fish but I was too hungry to care!

    We also took some time to enjoy some Incan ruins. Some far away in the valley but some that we could walk right through!

    We then headed off for the second half of today, with 2 sections of pretty steep by the time we got to base camp I was pretty tired!! And this is meant to be the easy day- worried for tomorrow!

    As we arrived our porters clapped us in, it really feels like we should be doing the other way considering they carry 25kg on the trail and beat us to camp every time!! The tents were already set up when we arrived all very civilised. We enjoyed sitting back admiring the view from our campsite of the amazing Andes mountains and took a trip to the local village to get a coke and the boys had a local beer! This is our only night in civilisation so need to make the most of it. Apparently 500 people hike the Inca trail everyday so I expected it to be heaving. Thankfully to my surprise when you are on the trail you don’t see that many other people at all, only really at the designated rest stops!

    As we got in around 3.30pm we had some time to kill so went and explored some Inca ruins at the top of the hill. Completely empty you could wander right through them it was very cool. We met two young boys playing there and Keira and I proceeded to play a kind of hide and seek game with them. The language barrier didn’t matter, it was just fun!

    Finishing off the evening with a warm dinner with the group we headed to bed early to try get lots of rest for the 5 am wake up call tomorrow! Really enjoyed being in nature and easing into the hiking today.

    Day 17
    Slept pretty well last night bar the donkeys and dogs making noises at 3am! Got woken up with some coca tea which was nice and warm, last night was t too cold but i was slightly on the edge. We had breakfast which consisted of bread and porridge. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the food so far but have to say the porridge was very watery and not great but finished it up as needed to fuel up for the day. As we had breakfast the Sherpas packed up our tents, really is Luxor’s treatment!

    I’ve been dreading today as this is dead women’s pass- clue in the name! It’s over 1,100 metres of elevation gain over 8km. That might not sound too bad, it was. There was no flat at all, it was just up the entire way. We split it into three chunks taking a 20 min break in between. The first section was not too bad, it was 2km and took us an hour. Then the second section was pretty hellish for me. The heat was pretty immense at points and I just felt crap. It was just stairs and stairs and slope, it was never ending. This was 2.5k and took us just under 2 hours. Now the final push 3.5k!! The air is so thin as you go above 4,000m above sea level that you can never catch your breath, at least not unless you are stopping for 10 minutes. Our guides advice was take a one minute stop only. At the back of the group I pushed on, stopping every 100m or so to try breathe deeper. Jacob kindly walked with me for the uphill knowing I needed some company. Doing this whilst still recovering from a cold with reduced lung capacity was HARD. Jacob started to feel ill, we think the effects of altitude so we both took it slow falling about 5 mins behind the main group.

    We saw a snake slither past and also a dear up on the cliff face. We then somehow saw the summit ahead of us. Wanting to take another break as my lungs were burning I pushed on as I heard cheers coming from the top. And then WE WERE THERE! I collapsed and ate half of my snacks feeling defeated but also feeling amazing and on top of the world. The views were incredible. Huge mountains and valleys it was insane. What was also nice as there were only maybe 5 people at the top who weren’t from our group so felt very personal. Reassuring everyone that my sense of humour had now returned we took so pictures and soaked in the view. Sadly there is no rest for the wicked with Miguel saying it was time to start the decent. This was a 4km decent and took us 2 hours due to the fact it was Incan steps the whole way. As we started the decent the clouds moved in which was very evocative but with them came the rain. Putting on our coats and bag covers we carried on down. The steps were now lethal from the rain, with every step feeling like I might slip I took extra time choosing every footing. We went from 4,250m to 3,500m. My knees by the end were so sore that when I saw base camp I cheered with relief. We arrived to a hot lunch which we gulped down enthusiastically. Trying our best to not get the inside of the tent went we laid down and took a long needed nap!

    The rain only got heavier and having just got dry and warm I couldn’t think of anything worse than going out of the tent for dinner. Jacob went having not had much lunch and kindly brought me soup to have in the tent. Trying to peg our tent out more to keep the rain from getting into the edges we settled down for another night.

    Day 18

    Another knock at the tent with coca tea woke us up this morning. Blurry eyed we climbed out the tent and settled in for a nice omelette and a coffee and then it was go time. The beginning of today consisted of the final mountain pass of the Inca trail. We had to hike back up to 4,000 metres which, when my legs were sore from yesterday was harder than it should have been. Thankfully it only took us 2 hours to get to the top where we had a quick snack break. Then we had to go all the way down the mountain the other side, I asked Miguel is the Incans knew how to build tunnels and he said yes, I don’t think they utilised them as much as they should have!! We then proceeded to climb up again and walk along a mountain through the rain and cloud forest. This was really beautiful with so many birds and plants it’s the most diverse we have seen so far. Sadly the chronic illness pain started to kick in about an hour before lunch which made this hour pretty hard work. Once I got to lunch I drugged up and felt a lot better. The porters and chef presented us with a cake for “completing” the Inca trail! Bless them! They have been so attentive and friendly this whole trip.

    Now for the “gringo killer”. Over 1,000m of de-elevation of almost entirely Incan stairs. This was exhausting and my legs were absolutely shaking by the end. Half the group sped off which means I walked most of this alone but it was actually quite nice as I just enjoyed the view and took pictures on the way down, as well as having a chat with some porters in very dodgy Spanish. Part of the reason we chose G adventures was due to the fact that they treat their Sherpas well. Decent pay, maximum 25kg to carry, and new walking shoes and clothes every three months. Talking to these Sherpas from the other company they were wearing sandals and flip flops with one of them pulling their sole of their shoe back to show me how broken they were. This was really shocking as i cannot imagine having to do this trail in bad shoes.

    Eventually made it down to enjoy some Incan ruins before the last 20 minute walk into camp. We arrived a bit later today around 4pm I think so sorted out our stuff and then had our last dinner. We had an amazing three course meal and then thanked the cook and the Sherpa and gave them our tips. They have worked unbelievably hard and absolutely deserve it.

    Early to bed tonight as up at 3.30am to do the final hike up to Machu Picchu. I can’t believe the Inca trail is coming to an end, it’s been exhausting and amazing at the same time.

    Going to do another post for last day as have so many photos!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 15

    30 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Today Jacob and I went to lunch and some restaurant his head chef had recommended, it’s all centred around locally sourced and grown ingredients and working with local communities. It was really interesting and they showed us how the different foods were used, gathered and made. Every dish was so colourful and thought through.

    We then packed up our stuff and headed to our meeting for the Inca trail! We met our guide and he spoke us through how the next 4 days will work, what the distances are and what the altitude is. Looks a little intimidating! We are a small group- only 8 people!!

    We start hiking tomorrow until the 4th of July. I likely will not have any signal so the blog and all communications from our end will hit pause for a few days. Hopefully next post I do will be with great stories and great photos of the Inca trail!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
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    Day 13 and 14

    30 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Day 13
    Having arrived back from Lake Titicaca this morning we had a power nap before getting up for the sacred valley tour! We met our guide near our accommodation and headed off out of Cusco.

    Our first stop was at a local weavers workshop, where a lady gave us a talk about the different dyes and wools they use as well as various indigenous products. She spoke incredibly quickly in Spanish, I think if she had spoken at a normal speed I would have been able to keep up! We then were shown into their workshop where they have weaved alpaca jumpers, rugs, and toys. There were some really beautiful pieces in there and massively ranged in price due to the fact baby alpaca costs so much more! Which Tom found out when he accidentally almost bought a jumper for £120!!

    We then headed to Moray which is an ancient Inca sight which was a garden. It was terraced with rocks and was pretty impressive! We walked around it to get the full view.

    Lastly we visited a huge salt mine where they use the best and evaporation to mine the salt, and one well can produce 200kg of salt a month!!

    A really interesting day seeing some impressive sights! Upon return we made up a new card game which proceeded to take us three hours to play.

    Day 14
    A more leisurely start to this morning and then wandered into Cusco. Our first stop was the three monkeys cafe, voted in the top 20 coffee shops in the world and the coffee and pastries were very good!

    We then found some more markets to walk through- food and products. We then stumbled across a huge procession with music and dancing, it was very cool and we followed it for a while! We aren’t entirely sure what it was for but looked like something to do with the Catholic religion. Our last activity of today was the cooking course in the centre of Cusco. We made Ceviche for starter, which despite being raw fish, was pretty decent! It’s made with a lot of lime juice and spice, apparently if it isn’t spicy it isn’t ceviche! We then made Lomo saltado which is a national dish of Peru. It’s basically stir fried beef but you use Pisco to smoke the beef too and get a large flame. It was pretty intimidating! A really fun day !    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 12

    28 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Day 12
    Jacob and I arrived in Puno at 5am this morning to visit lake Titicaca. We arrived with no real plan and planned to make it up as we went. After some research we learnt you have to visit the islands guided due to them being protected and limiting visitor numbers etc. for those who don’t know Lake Titicaca is home to man made floating islands with indigenous communities on. Collections of islands are made of different families and every island has its own president. The president is swapped every other year.

    We managed to join a tour leaving the bus terminal and after getting some breakfast we hopped onto the bus and headed to Puno port to set off to the islands!! We first visited Uros. This is a collection of Islands closest to the shore and they rotate which islands you can visit so that only two tourist groups visit each island per month. The islands are made of totora reeds which float and they put wooden supports amongst them. They then use the dried reed to build layers to increase the stability of the island and lastly they anchor it. The islands have a lifespan of around 30 years and then they sink and must be rebuilt. Most of the people that live on these islands have lived here through generations.

    We arrived on an island in Uros and the president greeted us and gave us a demonstration of how the island was built and introduced us to his family. They do speak Spanish but not as a first language Aymara, and Quechua are their native languages. They also showed us inside their house which was very modest and made of wood and reeds. They also do a lot of tapestries- all the women do this and they are absolutely stunning, I bought one as wall art/ a table runner!

    The president then came up to me, noticing i was ill and wrapped a plant around my head with the guide translating that it was for fever. Feeling slightly taken a back I thanked him and interestingly it did help!

    Next up we visited Taquile island which is much deeper in the lake and nearer the Bolivian border. This is one of the last Incan communities left in the world. You arrive in a small port to a truly beautiful place. Stunning beaches and scenery with no people. There’s no cars, bikes, or roads and they get all their supplies that they don’t grow from boats. Then the people carry up to 40kg of supplies home. It’s insane. We walked up to the top of the island and were greeted by a group who performed a dance for us and sang a local song. They also showed us the natural shampoo they use and we got to see the ladies using the old looms to weave their works. We learnt that there is no police on this island and that there is only three rules- don’t be lazy, don’t steal, and don’t lie- simple but effective I guess!!

    We then learnt that men who are married wear red hats and single men were red and white hats! And that once you get married, the women cuts her hair and weaves a wig for her husband !! They also don’t have wedding rings but sometimes have wedding belts. Weaved by the wives often depicting the calendar seasons. They had so many amazing pieces, Jacob bought a weaved belt to hang on the wall!

    We then had a lunch with live music and local foods. This was the end of the tour so we arrived back into Puno. However we had one last thing on the agenda today- a fishing tour! The air bnb hosts we were meant to be staying with kindly moved our fishing tour today today and they picked us up in their speed boat and headed back out into the islands. Here we met Gina who took us out on a traditional boat. They don’t use rods in lake Titicaca only nets which she had laid two nights before. She took us out onto the lake and checked the nets and we did manage to “catch” two fish! Not quite the fishing trip we had imagined but wow was it amazing. The lake was so peaceful. All the tourists had gone home and it genuinely felt like it was just us on the whole lake. Not a single bit of wind, just the occasional bird. The islands and houses framed by looming mountains and sparkling waters is a sight now etched into my memory forever. As we watched the blue sky turn orange and pink it cast watercolours across the lake that danced amongst the ripples. I was pretty impressed with how good my Spanish was, managing to have a pretty long conversation with Gina about her family, the lake, and what it was like to live there.

    After this we headed back to grab some dinner and then get the overnight bus back to Cusco to meet up with Keira and Tom. This was such a special day, I think one of my top travel experiences ever !    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 11

    27 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Day 11
    Jacob and I were supposed to go to Lake Titicaca this morning but to our dismay the bus left 30 minutes earlier than it was meant to??? Pretty annoying so we’ve booked onto the over night bus tonight as they only run twice a day. Instead we spent the day exploring Cusco. We wandered through the historical centre and neighbourhoods with cobbled streets. Small shops lined the sides of the road selling ponchos and all sorts of incredibly colourful products. We can definitely feel the altitude so taking it very slow and getting humbled by any sets of stairs or hill. We found large markets selling more interesting food such as lamb head soup and bamboo juice! Still not feeling 100% recovered from food poisoning i headed back early to chill for the rest of the afternoon but a nice day getting orientated in Cusco. Then headed to the bus station for our 10pm overnight bus tonight Lake Titicaca.Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    1

    Day 9 and 10

    24 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Day 9
    Most of today was spent on the bus, which was very very long! Thankfully we stopped twice to stretch our legs and I’ve been trying to focus on enjoying the journey than just wishing it to be over! We’ve driven up and through so many mountain passes and isolated small towns it’s been nice to look out the window, Peru is so much more varied than both of us expected. However we did feel like we were on a boat with all the swaying it was quite the experience. Arrived in Cusco shattered and got to our air BnB - what a nice change from a hostel!! Grabbed some food for dinner and chilled out.

    Day 10
    Sadly I came down with food poisoning last night so a very rough night for me. As a result didn’t do anything today apart from the boys arriving and they were quite tired so we just chilled out today. Hoping I’m fully recovered tomorrow as going to Lake Titicaca 🫠    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 8

    23 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    I am happy to say last night was the first night that both of us slept through the whole thing and despite the alarm going off at 6.45am we both felt refreshed.

    We are up so early to meet our guide to take us to Nazca to do a flight over the Nazca lines! We had a bit of a worrying start when he didn’t turn up for 20 mins and started to get worried he wasn’t going to show, but thankfully he pitched up and we headed to Nazca. Upon arrival at the airport (although feels a little glamorous to say airport as I don’t think it’s used for anything but Nazca lines flights) we checked in and got ready. They sneakily make you pay an additional two “air tax” fees, not sure how you can tax the air but heyho!

    We excitedly boarded a small micro flight plane and took off into the sky. It was a little bumpy but that was to be expected considering the size - only 6 passengers! We then flew over the Nazca lines, it was so impressive that you can see them so clearly from the air with them being 80-130m big! They are shrouded in mystery but people believe they were created as rituals to encourage rainfall due to the environment being so arid. Sadly I couldn’t take my camera so the photos on my phone don’t do it justice but it was spectacular. There are various different figures such as condors, humming bird, monkey, and much more! It was really fun to see them from above as not sure you would be able to take in the scale and full picture if you visited them on the ground. A brilliant experience despite coming down feeling a little nauseous due to the turbulence! Feeling a huge spike of adrenaline and excitement we boarded the bus back to Ica feeling rather jaded!

    Now preparing for the 18 hour bus from Ica to Cusco, wish us luck!!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    11

    Day 6 and 7

    21 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Day 6
    Not a huge amount to report today due to the fact we both slept terribly so didn’t do too much today as we were exhausted.

    We headed to our final neighbourhood we wanted to check out in Lima- Barranco. This is known as the colourful art district. Lots of street art and colourful buildings it felt very bohemian. Again a very different feel from the other places in Lima we have been, it does feel as though every district is a different city! Barranco has definitely been catered to tourists more than elsewhere I would say with cafes and restaurants lining the street offering more western meals. Still a nice place to wander around and spend a few hours before heading back for a needed siesta! Tonight’s agenda is packing and getting ready for tomorrow as we are leaving Lima and going to Ica to see the desert!

    Day 7
    After 3 hours of sleep the alarm going off at 6.45am was not hugely welcomed if I’m honest. Nonetheless we packed up our stuff and headed to the bus station to catch the 8am bus to Ica. Thankfully it was only a 5 hour bus which passed pretty quickly, we then walked 30 mins in 25°c heat to our hostel so we arrived pretty hot and bothered. Quickly had some food, checked in and got ready to visit the Huacachina oasis in the desert roughly 15 mins drive from Ica. This is the only natural oasis in South America. We loaded into a car and headed out.

    Words cannot begin to describe how amazing this place was. It genuinely felt like off a movie set it did not feel real at all. An oasis surrounded by towering dunes it was INSANE. We all loaded into dune buggies and headed off into the desert for one hell of a ride. Keira has actually lost her voice from all the screaming!!

    We then went to various different sized dunes and Keira sand boarded with a snow board while the rest of us used body boards. It was pretty terrifying but a lot of fun!!!

    We then went up to the very highest dune to watch the sunset and it was absolutely stunning, the scenery was spectacular and genuinely think this has been our favourite thing so far. Truly incredible!!    Okumaya devam et

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  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins
    2

    Day 5

    20 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We started today with breakfast with our roommate Grettle who is Peruvian. We spoke to her lots about Peru lifestyle and interestingly how their fuel has also increased massively with her saying it’s doubled over the last month! She is training to be a software engineer due to it being the highest salary which is shockingly only $30,000! But I guess when food costs £5 it balances out?!

    We then wondered through the park near our hostel and watched a group dance battling which was quite fun before heading to our meet point for the food tour!

    We met our guide Samira and she talked to us about the history and culture of Peru pointing out churches and important buildings as we walked through the historic centre. The first food stop was fried corn with beans and sauce, this was actually pretty good I’d give it a 7/10. We also got to try juice that is made from boiled purple corn water- this doesn’t sound appealing at all but it was delicious!

    Next up was cow stomach and heart! I’ve never eaten an organ before but decided I needed to be brave and we both found them delicious! Although the concept of eating a heart was a bit freaky! We then had a fried doughnut made of pumpkin and potato drizzled in honey which was surprisingly nice despite the fact I don’t like pumpkin!

    She then took us to this underground market which was ENORMOUS. Not a single tourist in sight, this became apparent with the bewildered looks we got as we entered and hearing Gringo more than once. The first thing we saw as we walked in were skinned Guinea pigs for sale! There was also every part of the cow and pig. Hung up at various stalls were tongues, tails, stomach lining, testicles, and hooves. It was pretty shocking and gory and I have to say made our stomachs turn slightly. It’s very interesting as lots of little Peruvian kids were in the market complelty unfazed. I think it’s very much a know where your food comes from and local approach which I approve of. We then tried what I had been dreading - Ceviche! For those that don’t know I don’t really eat fish so raw fish is always a bit daunting. This was increased by the fact this ceviche had “baby shark” in. To be fair, I didn’t hate it which is saying something, Keira said it was incredible so two very different perspectives there hahaha.

    We then tried various tropical fruits that we had never seen or heard of before I can’t say they were all a big success, with some having very strange textures. She then offered us the “spiciest pepper in all of Peru”. Feeling that we had to eat it for the experience we ate them nervously. I don’t know WHY we felt we had to eat them because they absolutely BURNED I have never experienced pain quite like it with Keira looking like she might pass out with our guide moving between laughing and concerned.

    To finish off the food we headed to China town existing after a huge migration of Chinese in the 1850s and I had a dumpling full of red bean paste which was very good and Keira had pork dumplings. Feeling absolutely stuffed we headed to our final stop- pisco sour making! A really nice guy showed us how to make the best pisco sour and kindly made me one without egg. We also tasted a pisco with pomegranate which was delicious but lethal at 43%!

    We were shattered after this, an incredibly authentic, overstimulating and amazing day!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 4

    19 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    A more leisurely start to the morning after a rocky night sleep due to loud music being pumped at 6am!

    After breakfast we travelled 30 mins to Miraflores which is known as the more touristy area right on the coast. We were both surprised of how different a vibe it was. Suddenly falling down and shabby buildings were replaced with sky scrapers, gated communities, and fancy cars. A large tennis club with a view of the ocean right in the middle and a beautiful park that ran all the way along the coast. Genuinely felt like a different city- perhaps all the money is being pumped back into tourist areas?

    We enjoyed walking along the coast and looking at the various statues and parks along the way. We then had a quick bite to eat- a chicharron which is a famous Peruvian pork sandwich and it was absolutely delicious! Then we were picked up by our guide Benjamin for paragliding. He took us to the site and we chatted lots in broken Spanish and English along the way. We then received an extensive safety briefing by another guide and then it was go time!

    Keira took off first, looking a bit nervous then I climbed into the apparatus and off we went! I was a bit nervous at first especially as I don’t LOVE heights but it was so worth it. The views along the coast were amazing and I felt like a bird soaring in the sky. Felt completely safe and was a very stable flight. This has definitely been the highlight of Lima so far for me what an incredible experience!!

    Afterwards, we visited Huaca Pucllana a set of ruins that had been used by three different societies- Lima, Wari, and Ichma. It was very interesting, got to look at burial grounds where, of course, they sacrificed women to bring them more fertility in the soil!! They only discovered it in the late 70s so it’s still be excavated and estimate another 40 years until completion! Even so it was really interesting to see how they had built the walls with a more vertical formation in order for the buildings to be flexible for earthquakes rather than static. Super clever!

    Heading back to the hostel now for some dinner and a drink at the rooftop bar!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • Kristyna CollinsPeru and BrazilKristyna Collins

    Day 3

    18 Haziran, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After a semi decent sleep last night we were both up super early as we aren’t quite adjusted to the time difference yet. We started the morning with the free breakfast on the hostel rooftop - eggs, bread, jam, and coffee not bad for a £15 a night hostel. We then tried to head into central Lima on the bus and this was quite the experience. Let’s just say I’m VERY glad I never have to drive here, there seems to be no rules at all and the sound of Lima is definitely honking cars. After about 10 minutes the bus driver proceeded to kick us off as we didn’t have a locals bus pass which seems impossible to obtain unless you are Peruvian! We walked into the centre from where they left us and enjoyed taking in the city. It’s not what I expected at all. I expected the capital to be more developed- skyscrapers, finance districts, guys in suits. It was the complete opposite, we only passed one sky scraper today everything feels much more under developed. A plethora of small stalls line the streets selling street food and fresh juices, battered cars line the streets and what’s nice is everyone has been super friendly.

    Arriving in the centre we walked past a protest, which we later discovered was about the elections in Peru with one candidate suggesting there has been dodgy vote counting. Making sure we stayed clear of the protest and large presence of police we wondered into shops and stalls looking at various goods. That’s when we met Luis the owner of an art stall. Having lived in Lima his whole life he now has a small studio which he also lives in and sells his art for a living. He enthusiastically showed us articles from local newspapers that he had featured in that he had cut out and stuck up proudly at the front of his shop. His work was beautiful, watercolours depicting various scenes all over Peru. Keira and I were too tempted and both bought a watercolour of Machu Picchu each. He then pulled out his phone and asked for a selfie which we then also did on my phone. He was such a lovely man, neither of us spoke very fluently in the others language and yet we felt we connected with him.

    We continued to meander the streets of Lima coming across another friendly store owner keen to give us recommendations of where to eat and what to do. We have been pleasantly surprised with how friendly everyone is so far, coming from grumpy England it sure is a change!

    We then took a tour of the Basilica and convent of San Francisco. Really interesting history and Spanish influence with Spanish tiling and architecture in the courtyard. It also housed a very impressive library with books 500 years old. The tour also took us down into the catacombs which were very creepy. They estimate 25,000 are buried there. It sits directly underneath the cathedral as apparently some like to be buried underneath a holy site as it is seen as sacred ground. Sadly no photos were allowed on this tour so I only managed to get one sneaky one.

    We then grabbed some late lunch before heading to a supermarket to pick up some bits to make lunches for the next few days. Having been out since 8.30am this morning by the time we got back at 3pm we were pretty tired so took a couple hours to chill out.

    We then headed up to the rooftop bar for a pisco sour making lesson- the national cocktail of Peru. They kindly let me make one without egg in! I can’t say it was particularly nice but a fun experience and met some more people staying at the hostel!    Okumaya devam et

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