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Serena and Josh's Travels
  • Serena Abbott
  • Josh Crew
  • Serena Abbott
  • Josh Crew

Serena and Josh's Travels

A 272-day adventure by Serena & Josh Read more
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  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Cocora Valley

    March 8, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Highlights:
    - Riding in a jeep called a Willy, and hanging off the back on the return journey!
    - Bumping into a friend who thankfully told us that we were going the wrong way right at the start of the walk
    - Beautiful views of the palm trees and a lovely 4 hour walk through forest and down a river
    - Sheltering from the rain at a farm and having hot chocolate

    Lowlights:
    - Rain again! And quite a muddy path so harder to walk    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Salento

    March 9, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Highlights:
    - Lovely family run hostel
    - Wandering around the colourful streets especially Calle Real (it's apparently the place that Disney's Encanto was based on)
    - Playing Tejo (a game where you throw a stone at some bits of paper with explosives inside stuck in clay)
    - Josh had a great time downhill mountain biking (despite falling off!) whilst Serena enjoyed a brunch and hot chocolate (and mostly peace and quiet from Josh!)
    - Hiking up to the Mirador and looking over the town and valley

    Lowlights:
    - It rained quite a bit, and Josh got very muddy on his bike tour, so our clothes and ourselves were quite soggy the whole time!

    Food and drinks:
    - We both had trout as it was the speciality there - Serena's was grilled with garlic, Josh's in a cheese sauce with garlic and mushrooms
    - Hot chocolate and chocolate fondue at Sueño de Fresas was delicious    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Guatape

    March 14, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Highlights:
    - Climbing the rock was fun - all 650+ steps of it!
    - Beautiful sunny views from the top (very lucky as it started raining as soon as we got down!)
    - A live band and dancing in the square
    - Wandering around the colourful streets - all buildings had paintings on them

    Food and drinks:
    - Finally trying bandeja paisa, a national dish of Colombia - it was absolutely massive and we should have shared one between us!
    - Serena tried mazamorra, which is a milky corn drink. It was not great but worth a try!
    - Josh had more luck with a Colombian craft beer - tres cordilleras    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Medellin

    March 16, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Highlights:
    - We experienced our first earthquake! Woke up at 4am to shaking, luckily no damage done
    - Really good tour of Comuna 13, which used to be a really dangerous place but now is safe and has graffiti, escalators and amazing views
    - Josh had a night out with a friend, which included a bar with a ballpit!
    - We went with a group of friends to watch the football, which had a great atmosphere but unfortunately ended 0-0!
    - We had a fun night out after the football with the group, and we were also joined by a couple people from our San Blas boat which was really nice. We went to a couple fun places and got back at 6am!
    - We did another good free walking tour around the city
    - Another night out with the some of the same group which was fun too, and thankfully not as late!
    - We went to the Memory Museum which was about the conflicts in Colombia which was really interesting but sombering at the same time
    - We visited the Minorista fruit market which was really busy and overwhelming but good to walk around!
    - We went to the botanical gardens which was really nice, and saw lots of iguanas and ducks, a strange combination
    - Met with a friend we met in Nicaragua for a drink just before we left to get our night bus

    Lowlights:
    - We had a bad time with the hostel which should have been really nice and the owner was lovely - the fridge broke, the water cut out on and off for 3 days, and our laundry was delayed due to the water outage. We cut our time short there and moved into a nice Airbnb instead - the first hot shower in 3 days was incredible!
    - We didn't suffer hangovers, but suffered severe lack of sleep so didn't get to do everything we wanted in the daytime
    - We spent too long at 2 different decathlon stores trying to prepare for the next part of our trip!

    Food and drinks:
    - Some great Mexican tacos
    - We cooked for a few times which made a nice change!
    - We tried buñuelos, which are fried maize balls with cheese inside - very unhealthy but delicious!
    - We got the last 2 empanadas from a place that was just closing - lucky us!
    - had really cool, long cyclindrical sushi rolls
    - We had our first fancy meal in a long time at the botanical gardens. Josh had bone marrow to start and steak for main, Serena had chicken bearnaise with passionfruit, and white choc mousse for dessert, also of course coconut lemonade    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Bogotá

    March 18, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Highlights:
    - Not a terrible night bus! We arrived a little sleepy, but we were able to have a shower straight away so could get on with our 1 full day in Bogotá
    - The gold museum was quite cool, lots of shiny things in cabinets!
    - Going to the Irish pub for St Patrick's day and meeting with Gabby (who is Irish) and Will for some green beers and a Bailey's for Serena!
    - The Botero museum was really good, and not too big so we didn't get bored!

    Lowlights:
    - It rained a lot which scuppered plans like a cycle tour and going up the mountain for views across the city
    - We spent a chunk of time shopping as we had to get some more clothes for the coming weeks

    Food and drinks:
    - Serena tried the famous Colombian combination of hot chocolate with cheese and an almojaban (maize dough ball) - it was nice but sticking to the pure hot chocolate from now!
    - Josh got a croissant with chicken and mushrooms from a french bakery which he loved, and we chatted to the french baker (in a mix of English, Spanish and French!) and he gave us a croissant for free
    - We ate a few buñuelos - these were sweet ones like donuts, filled with chocolate, caramel, and guava jam
    - Ajiaco - a chicken and potato soup which is a typical Colombian dish
    - Pan de bono - another Colombian food which is a bread roll made with yucca flour and cheese
    - Our final arepas - sad to be leaving them behind!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Quito

    March 19, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    A quick stop here in Quito before our Amazon trip! We spent most of our time planning, doing laundry, packing, getting cash out, getting a local SIM etc. We did have a great view from our hostel though, some fantastic arepas and the best hot chocolate so far!Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    The Ecuadorian Amazon

    March 24, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Highlights:
    - Seeing pink river dolphins multiple times (including on the journey to the lodge!)
    - The lodge was really nice (even if very rustic) and we both enjoyed being off grid and off our phones for 5 days
    - Going on 2 night walks and seeing so many insects and animals on each one - very scary though and Serena had to overcome her fear of moths!
    - Seeing the parrots at the clay lick - we waited 30 minutes for them to come down from the trees but it was worth it
    - We had 3 treks into the jungle, all different trails, and saw animals and learnt about loads of medicinal plants
    - We went in motor canoe a few times down different parts of the river, and paddle canoe once down a narrower part
    - We tried catching piranhas but with no luck, although Josh got a fish on his rod before it managed to escape once out of the water!
    - Paddle boarding on the lake was a great experience, although knowing there were caiman and electric eels in there made it a bit less relaxing!
    - Watching the sunset whilst seeing the dolphins, and went up on a sandbank with a beer with the group
    - We went in the motor canoe at night twice and used torches to scan for eyes in the water and in the trees which was really fun but again a bit spooky
    - We went on an extra trip out on paddle canoe at night and watched one of the local staff catch 3 fish using a spear which was an unforgettable experience
    - Hearing the 'marching' of soldier wasps once we shouted and made them think there was an attack
    - Watching sunrise from a tower built around a tree and seeing the canopy from above
    - Tracking wild pigs (peccories) and hearing them squeal and run away when we got close - unfortunately we only glimpsed the movement of the leaves and not the actual animals!
    - Having many pinch me moments including watching monkeys swing from trees as parrots flew overhead, and seeing the bright blue butterfly on the cover of journey to the river sea floating next to our canoe!

    Lowlights:
    - The overnight buses followed by 2 hours in a minivan and 3 hours on a boat were very tiring both ways!
    - We were scared to sleep the first night with all the bugs and sounds of the jungle, but luckily our sleep masks and ear plugs helped us

    Food and drinks:
    - All the food at the lodge was really nice and better than we expected
    - Breakfast was some kind of hot dish like eggs or empanadas with a side of fruit
    - Lunch and dinner were a soup followed by a main (different every day!), and at dinner we got dessert too
    - Every meal was served with some kind of local fruit juice, and there was unlimited hot chocolate too (although we could only have them really early or late due to the heat!)
    - We got a juice coming back from the late morning activity, and juice and snacks before the afternoon activity    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    The Ecuadorian Amazon - Animals!

    March 24, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Bonus post - animals we saw!
    - Insects: Tarantulas, scorpions, spiders, crickets, praying mantis, stick insect, butterflies including glass winged, leaf cutter ants, bullet ants, termites
    - Reptiles/amphibians: poison dart frog, smoky jungle frog, tree frog, toad, lizards, caiman, yellow spotted tortoise, whip tail snake, baby pit viper, other snakes we don't know the name of!
    - Birds: ospreys, hawks (including one attacking a monkey), ringed kingfisher, Amazon kingfisher, toucans, parrots, macaws, vultures, woodpeckers, stinky turkeys, and a few others
    - Mammals: river dolphins, red howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, saki monkeys, wooly monkeys, black tamarins, night monkeys, kinkajou, giant otters    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
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    Quito again

    March 26, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Another short stop in Quito, this time we managed to fit in some sightseeing! We went on a great free walking tour that ended with chocolate tasting, then went to the 'middle of the world' and stood on the equator lines and did some fun experiments like the water going down opposite ways. We booked a last minute Galapagos tour in the evening which is very exciting but also terrifying spending so much money! Hopefully it will be worth it, but first Cotopaxi.Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
    1

    Cotopaxi

    March 28, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Highlights:
    - Feeding the llamas! They loved banana skins and dandelions
    - We had a hot bath which was incredible
    - Sitting in the jacuzzi with views of Cotopaxi volcano
    - Very relaxing hostel stay with no WiFi, lot of reading and playing cards
    - We had a log burner in our room and we toasted marshmallows and kept cosy and warm
    - Hiking for a couple of hours to some nice waterfalls and some lovely scenery, although it was very muddy and we got wet feet walking in the river despite wearing wellies!

    Lowlights;
    - The altitude was a bit of a struggle again, but not too bad
    - We said goodbye for probably the last time to friends we met in November and met up with in lots of different countries

    Food and drinks:
    - We finally tried canelazo which is a hot drink made from a fruit similar to an orange, spices and rum - delicious!
    - Unlimited bananas and banana bread at the hostel (got to feed those llamas!), and hot chocolate too    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Quito yet again

    March 29, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    A very short final trip which involved visiting cash points to pay the last installment of the Galapagos cruise, getting Ecuadorian fast food, and heading to the airport to catch our flight!

  • Serena and Josh's Travels

    Galapagos pre-cruise

    April 2, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Highlights:
    - Seeing so many sea lions, crabs and iguanas as soon as we got into the town on San Cristobal island by the seafront and feeling like we were in a nature documentary!
    - Seeing our first blue footed booby on the first day and not believing it was happening
    - Spending our second day walking along a trail and stopping at various points to snorkel - the visibility wasn't great to start but the last place was amazing and our first time swimming with sea lions, and our first turtle and shark spotted
    - A visit to the interpretation centre to learn about the history of the Galapagos islands
    - Diving at kicker rock was an incredible experience as we got to swim with hammerhead sharks, other sharks, sea lions, a school of rays, and massive schools of fish
    - Snorkeling with a marine iguana and watching it feed and swim using its tail like a fish, then snorkeling with a huge turtle, and blue footed boobies dive bombing right next to us
    - Swimming at Tortuga bay on Santa Cruz island and seeing baby reef sharks and stingrays in the shallows

    Lowlights:
    - Our first hotel had stray dogs in the next street marking their territory so we had to take the long way round to get places!

    Food and drinks:
    - Managed to find cheap lunches for when we were fending for ourselves in San Cristobal!

    PS photos are of all Galapagos!    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
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    Galapagos cruise

    April 9, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Get ready for the longest post yet...

    Highlights:
    - Really nice boat, crew, guide and other passengers - a real mix!
    - Watching the sun rise from the top deck almost every morning and feeling incredibly lucky
    - Walking along bachas beach with its white coral sand and seeing sea lions, crabs, iguanas, birds and turtle nests
    - Watching sharks from the back of the boat at night - big ones the first two nights and baby ones some other nights
    - Walking on mosquera island, a tiny island with more of the same animals, and also a scorpion and a whale skeleton
    - Swimming with sea lions again and seeing lots of colourful fish near mosquera snorkeling
    - Searching for land iguanas in the hopes of seeing one and ending up seeing about 13, including a baby!
    - Cruising through the sea and watching sunset whilst seeing birds dive for food
    - Getting up at 6am to catch the last hour of our sea crossing and seeing sea lions, turtles and birds, then being incredibly lucky and seeing 3 whales (1 orca very briefly, then 2 fin or sei whales) in the distance, then closer, then one swam right next to the boat feeding which was insane
    - Hiking at Tagus cove across different landscapes and seeing a lake, the ocean and lava fields
    - Snorkeling with penguins, flightless cormorants, turtles and fish
    - Cruising to Fernandina island and watching rays jumping out of the sea and turtles bobbing their heads up from the top deck
    - Walking at Espanoza point and seeing hundreds of marine iguanas (this was where the baby iguana vs snake scene was filmed!)
    - We also saw sea lions, lava lizards, and crabs, and many sea birds including an oyster catcher with eggs, and learnt about rope lava, lava cactus and mangroves
    - Walking on Isabela island and seeing giant tortoises plodding along, something we had hoped to see but weren't sure we would
    - Being interrupted at lunch by a huge pod of dolphins riding the waves at the front of the boat and jumping along for about 20 minutes
    - Going on two dinghy rides through the mangroves and seeing schools of golden rays, a spotted eagle ray, so many turtles, baby black tipped sharks, marine iguanas, as well as more penguins both swimming and on rocks
    - Snorkeling with more turtles and seeing our first ever seahorse and octopus!
    - Driving up into the hills of Isabela and seeing a different side to the Galapagos - farms of fruits, vegetables and animals
    - We hiked up Cierra Negra and saw a lava cauldron which was really cool and perfect weather, and also a Vermilion flycatcher!
    - Seeing the tortoises, from baby to adults, at the tortoise breeding centre
    - Walking into the town in Isabela island and seeing some pintail ducks and one lonely flamingo!
    - Walking across beautiful white coral beach on Floreana and seeing stingrays in the shallow water and turtle tracks from the nest to the sea
    - Seeing around 60 flamingoes in a lake, then watching blue footed booby pairs dance, fight, and give each other gifts of stones and sticks - like watching a documentary
    - The best snorkeling ever at Devil's Crown, where we saw so any different types of fish, some turtles, white tipped reef sharks, a stingray and spotted eagle ray, and 3 hammerhead sharks
    - Finishing the trip with a sunrise cruise around Daphne island where a study of Darwin's finches took place

    Lowlights:
    - Having to take a bus, boat, bus to the meeting point for the cruise at the airport then finding the people getting the flight would be an hour later than we were told to meet which was annoying
    - Leaving!

    Food and drinks:
    - Buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner - all delicious and we ate as much as we could!
    - Snacks after morning excursion and afternoon excursion, and a different hot drink every day after snorkeling
    - We learnt how to make ceviche which was a fun experience

    PS photos are of all Galapagos    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
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    Galapagos animals

    April 9, 2023 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Animals we saw!

    - Mammals: Sea lions, whales, bottlenose dolphins
    - Birds: Galapagos penguin, blue footed booby, nasca booby, Darwin's finches, lava gull, flightless cormorant, vermilion flycatcher, mockingbirds, herons, pelicans, flamingoes, frigatebirds, oystercatcher, pintail ducks
    - Reptiles: Land iguanas, marine iguanas, lava lizards, giant tortoises, green sea turtles
    - Fish: Hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, white tipped reef shark, black tipped reef shark, pufferfish, seahorse, parrotfish, many other fish we don't know the names of!
    - Others: Sally Lightfoot crab, octopus, starfish

    PS photos are of all Galapagos    Read more

  • Serena and Josh's Travels
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    Baños

    April 12, 2023 in Ecuador

    Highlights:
    - Really nice hostel that was incredibly cheap - we originally booked for 2 nights and extended another 2
    - A chill time with lots of cafe trips for hot chocolate and cakes
    - Visiting Casa de Arbol which was a little tacky but a lot of fun for an hour! It featured a few insta posing places, a small zip line, and best of all a massive swing. A worker offered to push us and we got more than we bargained for when he was leaping up with the swing to push it and spinning us around as we went!
    - White water rafting was terrifying (especially as 2 of our 7 fell out in the second rapid and it was chaos) but we had so much fun in the end and it was a very cheap place to try it out!
    - Relaxing in the thermal baths, including hot and very hot pools!
    - An easy bus ride and short hike to a stunning waterfall which made for a nice afternoon stop

    Lowlights:
    - We had a bit of a fiasco with bus tickets for the next place as it was supposed to take 7 hours but due to a landslide now took 10, so we changed our minds from a day bus to a night bus - all worked out in the end!

    Food and drinks:
    - The best chocolate cake we've had in a long time, paired with yummy hot chocolate!
    - More delicious and cheap 'menu of the days' - our favourite was soup with fried plantain ball to start, llangipocha (which is...) for main, an orange juice, and a square of something similar to pannacotta with pineapple for dessert (for the equivalent of £3 each)
    - We went for a proper Indian curry (twice...) - it was so nice and made us miss home!    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

  • 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

    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

    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
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    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

    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
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    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

    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

    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

    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

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