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Serena Abbott
Serena Abbott

Serena Abbott

traveled in 21 countries Read more
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  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Cape Town

    July 31, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Highlights:
    - Boulder's beach was beautiful and we saw so many penguins!
    - Kayaking in the sea with views of table mountain and encountering seals, dolphins, and penguins
    - Hiring a tandem bike and cycling along the coast on a beautiful sunny afternoon
    - Bo Kaap walking tour was really interesting and a colourful area to walk around
    - Visiting the aquarium which had some great exhibits, and more penguins
    - A day hopping on and off the wine tram visiting different vineyards and having plenty of tastings!
    - Visiting the district six museum and learning about the forced removal and history of that part of Cape Town
    - Going to see Barbie at the cinema when it was raining!
    - Starting our overland truck tour with a drive to lions head mountain - it was terrible weather when we arrived but it cleared up a bit so we could hike up in the end
    - A day driving around the cape, where we stopped at various places including Cape Point - the weather want fantastic but a great day anyway!

    Lowlights:
    - Serena's luggage didn't make it onto the plane, but luckily arrived two days later and got reimbursed £120 in clothes and toiletries!
    - Our Robben Island tour was cancelled due to bad weather for the ferry, and we couldn't rebook as it was sold out the rest of the days we were in Cape Town

    Food and drinks:
    - Fish and chips by the waterfront were delicious
    - Dinner and live music at Pigalle restaurant was a great experience
    - Dinner and drumming experience at Gold Restaurant, which had a tasting menu of food from different places in Africa
    - Afternoon tea at a fancy hotel was incredible - lots of savoury bites, scones, mini cakes, then a cake trolley! We also had unlimited tea with a huge selection so we tried 3 different ones each
    - Lunch at Seven Colours Eatery - traditional South African so good that we went twice
    - Dinner and traditional South African music at Marco's African place - we tried ostrich, crocodile, kudu and springbok    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    11

    Rio de Janeiro (Ipanema)

    June 25, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Highlights:
    - Chilling on Ipanema beach which was our favourite, and swimming in the refreshing sea
    - Heading back to Lapa for more drinks at our friend's hostel and a final night out, this time at a huge samba club which was incredible
    - Renting bikes and cycling the coastal path
    - Walking around the huge botanical gardens which were stunning, and seeing marmosets and capuchin monkeys, as well as other beautiful birds and toucans
    - Watching the football at the maracana stadium - a great match and atmosphere, and Josh enjoyed buying beers from his seat!
    - Spending our last morning at Ipanema beach in the sunshine and sea, reflecting on our adventures

    Lowlights:
    - Saying goodbye to our friend who we had travelled with since Ilha Grande
    - Leaving Central and South America behind

    Food and drinks:
    - More cheap meals, caipirinhas, acai and brigadeiros!
    - We had some yummy late night snacks after our night out including a coxhina (shredded chicken meat, covered in dough, moulded into a shape resembling a teardrop, battered and fried)
    - We ate at the restaurant where 'The Girl From Ipanema' was written a couple of times, which had really tasty food with massive portions!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    21

    Rio de Janeiro (Copacabana & Sugar Loaf)

    June 22, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Highlights:
    - Our second hotel was on the street next to Copacabana beach and had a lovely rooftop where we saw the sunrise and chilled in the evenings
    - Walking down the beach on a Sunday when the road was closed to cars
    - Walking around Park Lage which was a beautiful tropical park with paths and a lake, with views of Christ the Redeemer and monkeys playing around
    - Shopping and eating in the fancy Lebron neighbourhood
    - Seeing Christ the Redeemer up close (our third wonder of the world!) and seeing the views from the top on our first sunny day was incredible
    - Spending time relaxing on Copacabana beach
    - Finally being able to catch a gorgeous sunset from the rock between Copacabana and Ipanema, and watching the surfers in the water too
    - Seeing the sunset and views from Sugar Loaf which was absolutely stunning

    Lowlights:
    - Christ the Redeemer was so popular we could barely move! It was the first sunny day for about 5 days so that might be why

    Food and drinks:
    - Tried an Açai which is like a soft sorbet made from açai fruit and served with fruit and granola
    - We found a cheap sushi chain with really good food so ate at various locations for lunches
    - We had our first (and not last) brigadeiro, which is a Brazilian chocolate truffle    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Rio de Janeiro (City)

    June 18, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Highlights:
    - Free walking tour of the centre where we learnt about Rio and Brazil
    - The Selaron Steps, which is a set of stairs that an artist tiled over many years, were really cool, even if very busy with people!
    - A spontaneous night out with a friend and people from his hostel to the samba bar Beco do Rato (Serena was wearing jeans and a Galapagos souvenir t-shirt!) - the live music was incredible and it felt like proper Rio de Janeiro

    Lowlights:
    - The area felt a little dodgy and there were quite a few homeless people around
    - The weather wasn't amazing, with a lot of the days being cloudy and a bit cold

    Food and drinks:
    - Hotel breakfast was insanely good again, this one even had waffles!
    - We had a regular place for dinner on the corner of the street which was a local place with cheap and tasty traditional food
    - Serena tried Feijoada, which is a black bean and pork stew and it was delicious
    - Josh enjoyed a very popular soft drink in Brazil called Guarana (the drink is made from fruit from the Guarana plant)
    - Caipirinhas at our friend's hostel were incredibly cheap!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Ilha Grande

    June 14, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Highlights:
    - We slept really well on the night bus again (so much so we were the last ones on and the bus driver had to shake Serena awake who in turn woke Josh)
    - We managed to get the first speed boat to the island and check in straight away at 8:30am
    - Caipirinhas on the beach
    - Reuniting with our friend and going for dinner and drinks, then out with a couple more people we met
    - Chilling on various beaches that were in walking distance
    - Hiking across the island through jungle and seeing marmosets, and stopping at beaches and swimming - it felt like paradise!

    Lowlights:
    - A hungover day which we could have done without!
    - We both felt quite run down, I think as it was the first time we were relaxing for a while and we had in the back of our minds it was coming to the end of the trip

    Food and drinks:
    - The start of the caipirinhas! Brazil's cocktail which is made of cachaca, limes, sugar and ice - delicious
    - Lots of cheap meals which were mostly meat/fish with rice, chips and beans
    - The free breakfasts at the places we stayed were amazing    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Pantanal

    June 7, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Highlights:
    - On the drive to the pantanal we saw macaws, capybaras and emus which was a great start!
    - We were on the guided activities with a really nice couple from Germany
    - Seeing a caiman up close on the night boat tour which was cool
    - Seeing a baby anaconda on the road as we were heading to the horse riding which was crazy to see
    - Horse riding was more fun than expected, and we rode for an hour and a half through fields, deep water and woods - we saw caiman and lots of birds too
    - Boat ride on the river was relaxing although we only saw some monkeys and a few birds - the best part was the sunset on the way back, and the full moon in the lilac sky
    - The walking safari was fun, and we saw caiman, an armadillo, peccaries (wild pigs that we heard in the Amazon but didn't see!), coatis and monkeys
    - A capybara visited the lodge every so often and was completely unbothered by us being there!
    - Kayaking down the river was fun and we saw a tree iguana as well as some monkeys, and again enjoyed a beautiful sunset
    - Floating down the river with two pool noodles, and forgetting about the caiman, piranha and anacondas that were likely swimming with us!
    - Our guide at the second place was very interesting, and passionate about his job. He called himself 'jaguarman'!
    - Walking around the grounds of the farm where we were staying was really nice, and we had a great view of a pair of blue macaws, and saw a deer and a snake too, as well as bone remains from a horse that a jaguar had eaten!
    - We went on a night walk at 4am - we didn't spot any jaguars but we did see a crab-eating fox which was cool, and we saw a beautiful sunrise
    - There were so many toucans and macaws in the trees at the place we were staying, we enjoyed just watching them hop and fly about
    - We finally both caught a piranha when we went fishing!

    Lowlights:
    - A crazy long journey which included an overnight bus and a transfer and travelling for almost 24 hours
    - The dorm we arrived at was tiny and full with everyone's stuff on the floor, and the bathroom door didn't lock. Thankfully we were able to move to the dorm next door which was empty and stayed empty for the whole time we were there!
    - A lot of mosquitos - we got bitten quite a bit
    - We didn't see many animals on the jeep safari or walk at the second place we stayed, and no luck seeing a jaguar!
    - We had to take back to back night buses via Sao Paulo to get to our next place, which was pretty exhausting

    Food and drinks:
    - We had buffet breakfast, lunch at dinner at both places we stayed at which was really nice
    - A highlight at breakfast was toastie makers, which we discovered were a thing at all Brazilian hotels!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Iguazu falls (Brazil)

    June 1, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Highlights:
    - The views from the Brazilian side were unbelievable
    - We saw an acari (small toucan) on the trail

    Lowlights:
    - We got dropped at the Brazilian border to go through customs (which took 2 minutes) and had to wait an hour for the next bus to take us all the way to the falls!Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Iguazu falls (Argentina)

    May 31, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Highlights:
    - The boat trip on the river was really fun, and we went under the falls a little bit and got fully soaked!
    -.Seeing the 'Devils Throat' part of the falls which was an astonishing amount of water falling down, and the windy weather on the first day meant it sprayed onto us on the viewing platform which made it an immersive experience! The second day we went back and it was gorgeous weather
    - We walked along the quieter macuco trail which was a nice change from the busyness of the high trail
    - The lower trail had fantastic views and was where we could see the rainbow in the falls perfectly

    Lowlights:
    - We left the national park slightly early to try and get money out at Western Union, but it had ran out of cash by the time we got there (luckily we had some US dollars so we exchanged them at an unofficial exchange place that was actually a shoe shop)

    Food and drinks:
    - We ate some extremely inauthentic mexican food, but the place had sombreros and 3 for 1 cocktails so we were happy!
    - Dulce de leche ice cream - we need to source this back home
    - We went to a mate place where we learnt the proper way to make it and drink it, and Josh did a great job of giving it a go himself (we both weren't big fans of the drink though!)    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Buenos Aires

    May 29, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Highlights:
    - San Telmo market was a beautiful food hall to walk around, we went a few times!
    - Wandering around Boca neighborhood which was was really lively and colourful, and cool to see the boca stadium and the graffiti around the streets
    - Sitting in the back of a police car after being rescued from a dodgy area we accidentally wandered into was an experience
    - Our Airbnb was really nice, and had a pool and views of the city from the top floor
    - Really interesting walking tour of the centre where we learnt a lot about the history and current situation in Argentina
    - Watching a tango show at Café Tortoni was incredible
    - Walking around Recoleta cemetery which was like a mini city of graves was a unique experience, and we saw the grave of Evita
    - Josh went to see a football match (Independiente) which he enjoyed
    - Going to a Boca Juniors match was crazy, they won and the fans were singing and jumping throughout the match which made an incredible atmosphere
    - Visiting the beautiful Japanese Gardens

    Lowlights:
    - On our Uber from the airport to our hostel someone bumped into our car at the traffic lights - it was only a tiny scrape on the car but it took a while to sort (we got a refund though so that's a plus!)
    - Serena felt quite run down in Buenos Aires, but luckily it didn't last the whole time
    - We got the bus to the River Plate football stadium to try get tickets for the match but failed - we knew it was very unlikely anyway, and we still saw the fans and the atmosphere
    - It rained one day and it was a national holiday so lots of people were protesting in the streets, but that meant a lot of public transport was shut so we did a lot of walking in the rain!
    - We had a hotel for part of our stay opposite a club which played loud music one night until 3am - luckily it was only once
    - We had to get to the Boca Juniors stadium 3 hours early to guarantee entry (and we had paid a lot for the tickets!) so we were extremely tired by the end of the match
    - We went to visit the parks and free zoo on a day where they were all closed, our fault for not checking!

    Food and drinks:
    - We had at least one alfajor or sweet treat containing dulce de leche a day, we get the obsession!
    - We had choripan (pork sausage in a bread roll with chimichurri sauce) at Chori which was on Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix which was delicious
    - We managed to get into Don Julio (number 14 on the world's 50 best restaurants!) and had the best steaks we'd ever had
    - Flan with dulce de leche was delicious
    - We went to a fancy cocktail place where the barman asked us what kind of drinks we usually liked and chose a cocktail for us!
    - We went to a British Indian restaurant for curry, and had real poppadoms and mango chutney for the first time in the trip
    - Josh tried fugazetta pizza which he loved - it was thick crust, covered in loads of cheese, and topped with onions
    - We had ice cream from one of the best shops in the world apparently (Cadore) - we shared a dulce de leche which was insane, and a pomelo which Marie and Hugo would have loved!
    - Dulce de leche pancakes - definitely one to make at home!
    - Ice cream for breakfast one day, where we had dulce de leche with chocolate chips and meringue pieces - amazing    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1
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    Colonia del Sacramento

    May 23, 2023 in Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Highlights:
    - We stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool which we made the most of
    - Beautiful streets and a lighthouse that we wandered around and took plenty of pictures
    - Nice to visit Uruguay even for a short time, and really interesting to see their culture of drinking mate - everyone walked around with a special cup with a straw that was filled with herbs and a thermos filled with hot water
    - Walking down the beach and to the pier (cold weather though!)

    Lowlights:
    - Josh was particularly grumpy when we arrived as he wanted to stay in Buenos Aires, and it's more expensive in Uruguay (thankfully he cheered up when he saw how pretty it was!)
    - Josh's Tevas finally gave up on him and split apart

    Food and drinks:
    - We had the best alfajores so far, the dulce de leche was so thick!
    - Some yummy empanadas, including a sweet one filled with dulce de leche and nuts (I hope you can tell how obsessed Argentina and Uruguay are with dulce de leche from these posts!)
    - Pomelo is really popular here, we got some nice drinks!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Mendoza

    May 21, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Highlights:
    - Free wine at 8pm at the hostel (the quality was as you would expect from free wine!)
    - Renting bikes to visit vineyards for tastings, then having happy hour free wine at the rental when we returned
    - Staying at the most gorgeous house in the wine region where we had a suite, a bath and delicious breakfast everyday
    - Relaxing by the pool on the sun loungers reading books, Josh somehow managed a quick swim in the icy water too!

    Lowlights:
    - Having to visit 3 western unions before getting the cash we needed
    - Josh was ill for an afternoon, luckily whilst in the gorgeous house so he could just sleep and recover!

    Food and drinks:
    - More delicious alfajores
    - Steak and chicken from the grill, delicious
    - Tasting a lot of wine and having nibbles like empanadas too, as well as getting a cheese and meat platter
    - We had a great meal of empanadas, tasty meat pasta ravioli, bread and olive oil and balsamic tasting, rose wine, and a dessert platter that included alfajores truffles, lemon cake, and millionaire shortbread with dulce de leche - incredible!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Salta

    May 17, 2023 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Highlights:
    - Gorgeous (but long!) bus ride from Atacama to Salta
    - Getting a gondola up San Bernardino hill to wander around the park and see the views
    - Having drinks with friends in the main square

    Lowlights:
    - No meals on the bus to Salta so just had snacks and we were very hungry!
    - We had lots of errands to run, like pick up money from Western Union and get a SIM card
    - The free walking tour guide never showed up (which we had planned out whole day around!)
    - We were having so much fun at drinks that we only remembered to pick up our laundry at 9:30pm, at which time it had closed and we had a flight to catch the next morning. We messaged the owner begging for them to open again or early, to which they said they would get a taxi there now, but it turned out they owned a different laundrette and we had no way to pay for their taxi and our laundry was still locked away. Whilst at the restaurant we were waiting in a few doors down from the launderette, the kind waiter who was helping us with translation spotted the actual owner, who was incredibly drunk and happy on a night out with his family for his birthday, who assured us it would be open when we needed it to be the next morning! Thankfully it was, so a huge drama over nothing!

    Food and drinks:
    - An amazing tasting platter of traditional food, including various stews and empanadas
    - Our first of many alfajores, a bit like two shortbread biscuits sandwiched with dulce de leche (caramel made with milk)
    - Eating a traditional cake (meringue, dulce de leche, biscuit layers and nuts - potentially the sweetest thing I've ever eaten) and cheesecake in a beautiful patio looking at the church tower    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    13

    Atacama desert

    May 15, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Highlights:
    - We got there early and easily did all our jobs like currency exchange and withdrawing money which made a nice change!
    - We cooked for the first time in a while which meant cheap and lots of veggies
    - Learning about meteorites at the meteorite museum (which was more interesting than it sounds!)
    - Going on a stargazing tour and seeing the milky way and learning about stars was a really cool experience
    - Renting bikes and cycling through the desert and through incredible rock formations, then climbing up to a viewpoint with stunning views

    Lowlights:
    - All the offered tours were really expensive so there were a few things that we had to miss

    Food and drinks:
    - We had to have cheap food as Chile is very expensive so it wasn't great, and the pisco sours we had here were too sweet and not amazing like Peru!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Salt Flats

    May 12, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Highlights:
    - We had a pretty good overnight bus, and got picked up and driven to the office which had sofas, heating and a bathroom while we waited for the tour to start
    - There was only 5 of us in the group - one russian 60 year old man who didn't talk much, and a couple from Manchester and Ireland who were our age and we got on really well with which was nice
    - Seeing the 'train cemetery' - abandoned trains and tracks which we walked around and climbed upon
    - Learning about the salt process at a museum
    - Taking perspective photos on the salt flats was a lot of fun
    - Walking around an island in the middle of the salt flats with cacti and gorgeous scenery
    - Watching the sunset on the salt flats
    - Arriving at our salt hotel (walls, floor, beds made from salt blocks) and having hot chocolate followed by dinner
    - Walking around an abandoned town from the mining times
    - Walking around fields with llamas in and taking lots of pictures!
    - Climbing up rocks in the rock fields and posing for photos
    - Seeing flamingos at multiple lakes, including one that was red and stunning
    - Driving to almost 5,000m and watching the geysers go off and the mud boil and bubble
    - Seeing the milky way for the first time from our second night accommodation
    - Watching the stars from the thermal pools at night and having some beers with the others in our group
    - Seeing the 'Salvador Dali desert ' which looked so red and like another planet
    - Finishing with a final lake with reflections in the water of the mountains

    Lowlights:
    - Very exhausted after the trip, and customs took a long time to go through!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    La Paz

    May 9, 2023 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Highlights:
    - Taking the cable cars for views all around the city - really cool and really cheap!
    - We had drinks and played pool with our friend who we first met in Belize and continued to bump into all the way to Nicaragua - he had some tales to tell including being bitten by a dog in Bolivia and searching for a day to find rabies treatment!
    - We ate at a great restaurant called Popular Bolivian Food, which was fancy food at a low cost and delicious
    - We bought some warm clothes and sunglasses for the upcoming salt flats trip

    Lowlights:
    - Josh felt unwell for about half a day, maybe due to altitude but not 100% sure
    - We went shopping around witches market which we had heard was amazing but we were slightly disappointed with - Josh still got a funky jacket and Serena a cute headband, but it took a lot of searching!
    - We ran out of time to do the walking tour which was a shame

    Food and drinks:
    - We tried cinnamon ice cream, which is a local delicacy and for some reason pink coloured! Actually quite nice
    - A meat pasty with api (a hot purple corn and fruit drink, quite nice but very sweet!)
    - Serena had sticky toffee pudding from an Irish pub (not anywhere near as good as yours mum but it was still nice!)
    - Salteños (basically empanadas, but a sort of sweet dough with meat filling)
    - We stumbled upon the papa rellenas (mashed potato balls stuffed with meat) stall from the Netflix street food show - delicious
    - At Popular Bolivian Food we had passionfruit juice and a local lemon type juice, a starter of a soup and a cheesy salad, main of beef tongue and main of trout, and dessert of cheese pastry and api sauce and sorbet, and chocolate and banana dessert    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Cusco and Rainbow Mountain

    May 6, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Highlights:
    - Really nice small hostel, with our room looking out over Cusco, and free coca tea at all times which helped with the altitude
    - Josh went to watch the football which was a bit dead but he enjoyed, and he also enjoyed watching a lot of football on TV too!
    - Serena did a chocolate bean to bar workshop which she enjoyed, and kindly shared the finished product with Josh!
    - We got some tips off from a lovely local woman who used to be a tour guide before having her baby - Serena was handed the baby to help the woman get her on her back to be held!
    - Booking the Inca trail and Machu Picchu trek through WhatsApp and meeting the man in the park to hand over lot of money for it - felt very dodgy but worked out great!
    - Hiking up rainbow mountain which was our highest yet at just over 5,000m - we managed with the altitude surprisingly well and it was a beautiful mountain
    - Hiking the other side of rainbow mountain in the red valley which was absolutely stunning, and we had the trail to ourselves!
    - Free walking tour around Cusco which was interesting and we bumped into people we met a couple weeks before which was a nice surprise
    - We had dinner and drinks (pisco sours of course) with people we met in Costa Rica which was fun

    Lowlights:
    - We expected it, but rainbow mountain felt extremely touristy with a long line to take photos and lots of people
    - Not really a lowlight, but a very stressful time rushing around trying to buy lots of souvenirs to send home before the post office closed on the day we left!

    Food and drinks:
    - Some good menu of the day places where we tried some more local food, including quinoa soup which was so tasty and healthy, and definitely one to recreate at home
    - Delicious alpaca with a side of risotto for Serena and a wood fire cooked pizza for Josh one night, and alpaca stroganoff and alpaca in mushroom sauce another, both at a cost restaurant right near our hostel
    - We went to a nice cafe with views over Cusco and had hot chocolate and juice
    - Delicious crêpes for dinner (Josh was sensible and had savoury, Serena had banana, chocolate and coconut - when on holiday!)
    - We bought chocolate bars from a shop, one with cacao nibs and the other with quinoa that was like rice crispies - both really tasty
    - Serena had a sweet tamal from a street food stand which was delicious and extremely cheap, and we tried lucuma (a type of fruit that tastes nutty) chip ice cream
    - We ate shepherd's pie at an Irish pub which was not quite like home, but good enough to satisfy a craving!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Machu Picchu

    May 2, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Highlights:
    - Seeing Machu Picchu! Another bucket list item that exceeded expectations and was definitely a pinch me moment
    - Having another accidental private tour, and again our tour guide was fantastic
    - A great train ride which made a difference from all the buses!
    - A gorgeous walk along the Inca trail and not too difficult which meant we enjoyed the majority of it!
    - A quick stop at a waterfall where we cooled down and had a nice break
    - Seeing the Inca ruins of Winay Wayna as part of the trek and being able to wander around without any crowds
    - Seeing the first view of Machu Picchu from the sun gate was incredible and unbelievable at the same time
    - Taking pictures of the famous view and sitting down to enjoy it for a while trying to take it in
    - Visiting again the following day and our guide taking us round and telling us all about it for 2 hours, really interesting and great to see it twice from different viewpoints    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Arequipa

    April 28, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Highlights:
    - Our room was ready early after a night bus which is always nice!
    - Watching sunset from the roof of our hostel, and Josh winning table football (a lowlight for Serena)
    - Fantastic free walking tour, which included a viewpoint of the mountains and church, a chocolate tasting, watching ceviche being made and having a taster, trying queso helado (not ice cream made from cheese but named because it looks like cheese slices!), and visiting lots of cool places
    - Cooking class at Chira Fusion where we had eaten twice and by chance seen the poster saying about cooking classes. We had so much fun (again just the two of us and the chef) and made causa rellena to start, lomo saltado for main, and pisco sour cocktails
    - Watching the sunset over the monastery from a free rooftop

    Lowlights:
    - Visiting an insane amount of glasses shops and still not finding Serena sunglasses

    Food and drinks:
    - Eating variations of lomo saltado, one of our favourites!
    - Trying Aji de Gallina, which is chicken, potato, egg and olives in a creamy yellow lightly spiced sauce served with rice - delicious
    - Hot chocolate and brownie at a rooftop cafe with gorgeous views    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Colca Canyon

    April 27, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Highlights:
    - Seeing surrounding mountains from a viewpoint of 4,800m
    - Seeing so many condors from the viewing platform and being amazed at their size
    - Having the best guide Edgar (again a private tour) who was so interesting through the hike and brought a bottle of wine along to share with us for dinner!
    - Stunning views across and into the canyon across the 2 days
    - A refreshing swim in the hostel pool surrounded by the canyon after finishing our first day hike
    - Serena having the hostel dog hop onto her lap whilst she was resting and in a bit of a lull whilst hiking up the canyon early in the morning and having a boost (the dog also greeted us excitedly at the top!)
    - Not feeling the effects of altitude too badly on our 2,000m to 3,000m hike at 4am!
    - Seeing Inca style terraces and fields of corn as part of the scenery
    - Relaxing on hot springs after finishing the hike on day 2
    - Stopping at the side of the road to look over llama fields, and seeing loads of them cross the road which was funny!

    Lowlights:
    - A bit touristy before our hike started due to being on the same minivan as some who just went on a day trip

    Food and drinks:
    - Having a traditional breakfast that included a hot quinoa drink that we were skeptical about but it was actually really nice
    - Eating some tasty burgers when we got back to Arequipa as reward for our hike!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Huacachina

    April 23, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Highlights:
    - Dune buggy riding in the sand dunes which was like a rollercoaster
    - Sand boarding down on bums and fronts (and Josh attempted feet but got a nice leg bruise when he fell!)
    - Watching the sunset on top of the dunes
    - Chilling by the pool and enjoying some good food
    - Going on a pisco tour (private as we were the only ones booked on, the start of a pattern!) and touring 2 vineyards/factories and sampling quite a few different flavours
    - Walking around the oasis in the sunshine
    - Hiking up the sand dunes and catching the end of sunset, followed by a clear night sky full of stars    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Lima

    April 22, 2023 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Highlights:
    - Walking tour of the city was really nice with a great guide
    - Watching the sunset from the park above the seafront
    - Hiring bikes and cycling all along the malecon and back, stopping at a cafe with great views on the way back
    - Our first (and only!) fancy meal at Maido, one of the best restaurants in the world (according to one list)
    - We went shopping at h&m to restock on pants, and get some warmer clothes!

    Lowlights:
    - Going to the 'cat park' and it being closed for an event

    Food and drinks:
    - Trying different pisco cocktails including classic pisco sour, passionfruit pisco sour, and chiclano
    - Eating chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) and lomo saltado (Peruvian stir fry)
    - Getting the combination plate of seafood rice, fried calamari and ceviche at Al Toke Pez which is featured on the Netflix street food show
    - We got crêpes for the first time in a while - delicious!
    - Our meal at Maido - we had about 14 different courses, the majority we enjoyed (the sea urchin course was a big no!). Our favourites were the tempura fish with gravy dip, seared tuna which was prepared at our table, and the trio of desserts    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Huanchaco

    April 18, 2023 in Peru

    Highlights:
    - Nice family hostel, with 6 cats!
    - Lots of chill time which was needed
    - Another surf lesson where it was good to get a refresher and practice
    - Josh did great surfing and stood up a few times!
    - Beautiful sunsets watching all the surfers

    Lowlights:
    - An extremely long journey to get to Huanchaco, which consisted of a taxi, overnight bus, taxi to change bus terminal, 4 hour bus, 30 minute taxi!
    - A very sad Caesar salad, with oil as the dressing (nothing like the one we make if you're reading Marie and Hugo!)

    Food and drinks:
    - Delicious sushi and our first pisco sours
    - Yummy Thai food overlooking the sea
    (can you tell we haven't got used to the backpacker budget after the Galapagos yet?!)
    - We had Peruvian rice pudding which has some spiced fruit with it
    - We tried Peruvian donuts (picarones) for the first time, they're made from squash flour and have a sweet syrup served with them - yum!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Cuenca

    April 14, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Highlights:
    - We had a hotel for the first time in a while with a really comfy bed, and a hairdryer (!)
    - We managed to check in at 10am after our night bus which was so nice
    - We climbed a church tower for lovely views across the city
    - Having a drink and cake on a rooftop bar with views of the church roof and domes
    - Josh went to see a Mirador a little out of town and got a haircut after going without for a few weeks

    Lowlights:
    - We found a place online which had chicken pie on the menu so we both got massively excited, then arrived to find it had been taken off the menu - our biggest disappointment in a while!
    - Serena got really ill with altitude sickness again so had to book a cheap dorm bed for the afternoon whilst waiting for the night bus!

    Food and drinks:
    - Yummy American style brunch at a place full of expats!
    - Another great menu of the day, this one with soup, BBQ chicken, passion fruit mousse, and pineapple juice for £2.50    Read more

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