Loja, Ecuador by Kev and Mel
19–27 Okt 2025, Ekuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Our last stop in Ecuador! Loja!
To get there, we took a bus from Cuenca. It is normally a 4-hour bus drive. But there were protests and some roads got blocked. They are protesting the decision of the government to lift the fuel subsidy. Life seems to be already hard for some people here in Ecuador and I can understand that paying more for petrol, will make it extra hard for them. I don’t know the whole story, but it seems again, that a government is trying to please big company and not the people who live normal lives.
Anyway, for us, it meant that instead of spending 4 hours in a bus, we did just over 10! The bus had to take the long way around! We had enough of the bus by the evening!
This week has been a bit off for me. I think the fatigue of organising where we stay, what we do, making sure the kids are doing enough schoolwork, where do we eat, keeping up with the blogs… is getting to me a little bit much. I love traveling, but it does require a lot of planning and it sometimes can get a little bit much. After nine months of it, this week I was a bit off.
We still did a fair few things but we also had several rest days doing not much. I’m not going to do a day to day recount of it, just tell you the things to see in Loja.
By the way Loja is in the very south of Ecuador and is known as the music capital of Ecuador.
There is a music museum to visit, which we did. We were expecting musical instruments, but it was mainly about the history of music in Loja, which was written in Spanish, so we didn’t got much of it.
This city has several churches obviously. We visited a couple. There are still a lot of murals everywhere. But there is also a lot of colours: different buildings with different colours. It makes the place very lively.
We visited the botanical garden which is supposed to be the oldest one in Ecuador. It was a bit disappointing: it is old and could do with a bit of TLC. It was still nice seeing plants and Emma was happy as there were a few bonsais. She really wants to have a bonsai when we come back home… great! I mean ‘Yeah!”
We visited the ‘Puerto de la cuidad’ which is the gate of the city. This is a pretty recent monument inspired by medieval fortress, which feature inside, art from local artists and a small archaeological museum.
There are also a few arts galleries to visit around and we found some art we really liked. Apparently, it was a 5.5 earthquake, 90 kms away.
We went to a big park which has a lot of play equipment. It was also a bit old and could do with some TLC too! The kids had fun and swung, climb, run and got silly. There were paddle boats and a big plastic ball you could get in and got on the water with it, so obviously the kids did that.
We also visited a wind farm. It has a tourist centre with a lot of explanations about how they built the wind turbines and how they work. It was in Spanish but thanks to Kev’s app we spend some time and did the translation. It was interesting and prompted a wordschooling lesson about electricity. It is always better to learn on the go!
At some point, we felt a small earthquake. Well small... still the biggest we have ever felt! It was a bit scary! We were inside our apartment, and the furniture wobbled a bit. It didn't last very long, but still!
We also find a local brewery of course, where we had to try all their beers (in small amount) and played a few board games in the mean times.
My favourite thing we did was a free concert in a church by the Loja symphonic orchestra. With them was Daniel Castro, a brilliant vibraphone player. He did 2 pieces, and it was mesmerising! The music was amazing. They covered a few ‘classic’ classical pieces but also what I think, was a lot more south America classical music. It was with a faster beat and a musicality a lot more Latino. The concert lasted one hour, and it was a fantastic hour. I could have listen to them a lot longer!
And also on Saturday night, we were looking for live music in a pub or something. We found a few things online and wanted to check them out. Turned out, no pub with music was found, BUT: we stumbled upon a free festival out in the open: beer stalls everywhere and a stage with rock and metal music being played!!! We spent some time right in front of the stage soaking the music and enjoying a few craft beers. It was awesome!
That is pretty much it for Loja (we did a few things at the end!). There is a little bit less to do than in Cuenca, but it is still a nice city to visit, and it gave us time to rest a bit, catch up on things we had to do and reset for the next adventure: Peru!!!!
See you there!
Mel
19.10.2025. We got up early and headed to the depot. Tickets were organised and a 9am departure estimated. We grabbed a couple things for the ride, not knowing if we were going to stop for lunch or not. The person behind the counter told us, we think, that the trip would take 8hrs, putting us in Loja at around 5pm. That'll do I suppose. It is normally a 4 hr trip, but since the local government has dropped a diesel subsidy recently, raising the price from $1.80 per gallon to $2.80 per gallon, there's been quite a few protests. Some of these protests block the highways. While I can understand their reason to protest, the price has risen by almost a third, it's a pain in the arse for us. We did stop for food eventually, at around 4pm. Mel and the kids ate, I had their leftovers. Wasn't that hungry as I had a bag of chips on the bus, ya know, at around lunchtime. Oh I wish we had gotten to Loja by 5pm, that would have been great. We arrived at the bus depot a little after 7. I have to admit that we saw some fantastic scenery on the way, but bloody hell I'm over this bus. A short taxi ride, because we couldn't be arsed walking, and we were at our stay. We got let in and went upstairs. Then I declared “free time”!. Do whatever you want for 30mins to unwind, then off to bed! Goodnight!
I'm not gonna do a day by day here, couldn't be arsed. We visited some museums and cathedrals. There's lots of cathedrals here, surprise surprise. We watched some locals practising traditional dances in a public space, that was kinda nice. We ate some good food. I cooked some semi-decent food in an ill-equipped apartment. One frying pan, seriously wtf! We went and organised our next bus tickets. These tickets are to cross the border into Peru. It's overnight and will probably be nothing short of horrific, but I guess we'll see. We went to a church and watched an orchestra and a soloist. Some of the most amazing music I have ever heard. I'm sure there will be a video, check out the solo guy. With only a couple days left in Ecuador, we are planning on just enjoying it, as it ends in just a few days.
Bring on Peru!
KevBaca selengkapnya
Génial 👍🏻 [Dada]
👍🏻 sympa 💕 [Dada]
Our thoughts about Ecuador
27 Oktober 2025, Ekuador ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
Here are my thoughts about what we saw and did in Ecuador.
Ecuador was a really good surprise for me. I enjoyed the country, the people, the landscapes and the colours of the place. It will be a country I would be very happy to come back to.
Before coming here, we were reading about Ecuador and one of the things we read a lot was: be careful with your bags and wallet, there are a lot of pickpockets. And I am sure there are some, but we never had an issue. We never felt unsafe once. Obviously use common sense, but don’t let the warning you see written about this country, scare you. This is a wonderful country to visit.
We started with the Galapagos, which are amazing. The blue of the ocean, the green of the vegetation and the black of the volcanic rocks made such a striking combination. The animals we saw there: tortoises, turtles, sea lions, blue footed boobies and so much more. I would like to come back there in a few years to do some diving with the kids. I love diving and the Galapagos seem a great place to do so. Obviously, it is not the cheapest place to go, but I think it is worth it!
Mainland Ecuador is another place altogether. We didn’t go to the coast side of it. We did the Andean area: volcanos, mountains, waterfalls and valley everywhere. We took a lot of buses to go around, which is not the most comfortable way of traveling, but it was ok. And while in a bus, you can admire the beautiful scenery all around you.
The cities we visited: Quito, Ambato, Cuenca and Loja are all amazing in their own way, but my favourite was Cuenca. I am not sure why: the streets with a mix of Spanish influence and Ecuadorian style, the murals making the place so colourful and just the atmosphere of the city.
Ecuador is also a place where you can do zipline and paragliding. I knew zipline, but paragliding was a new and fantastic experience. I am so glad we all did that. Emma has developed a taste for adrenaline activities. Not as much as Andrew, but she can so much more than at the beginning of the year! I am so proud of her.
As for the food, it is not my favourite (Indian and French are hard to beat), but there are some really good things: cheese empanadas, tamales, kimbolito (a sweet bread), ceviche and juices. It is not as vegetarian friendly as some other places, but they tried to come up with something if they can. I ate a fair few eggs and cheese meals!
I enjoyed learning words (mainly food related words!) in Spanish and I want to learn more, to be able to understand my way around a lot better next time I come back to south America!
To sum up, I loved Ecuador and I really hope I will be back one day, maybe several months at a time to truly live an Ecuadorian life, who knows!
Mel
What are my thoughts on Ecuador? Well, where do I start? You can't compare the Galapagos to Peru, you simply can't. The Galapagos are set up for tourists, so long as you stay on the main path. If you stray however, you will quickly find something a little more local, Ecuadorian. The shore front of Santa Cruz island is lined with bars and restaurants. The kind foreigners are looking for. I'm not sure if other travellers are looking to have an adventure, but with a familiar feeling, but I'm not. Maybe I just say that because I'm on a budget. If money wasn't a worry, would I be overly comfortable at the expensive places on the beachfront, or would I still be happy with cooking at an apartment and finding the local eateries in the back streets? I'd like to think the latter, as I have come to learn that these back street places have the best food. Not just cheaper, but just, better. I don't know what they put into the food, spices, msg, lsd, I dunno. But as usual, when you get the courage to try local street and small restaurant food, you are rarely disappointed. This can be said for everywhere we went in Peru. My favourite word in Spanish is almuerzos. It means lunch. Almuerzos here consists of a soup, a main (usually rice and beans with some salad and meat) and a juice. Every small local restaurant's almuerzos is different. You never get the exact same thing twice. While a few of us have gotten a little over rice and beans, I love it.
I have tried lots of local beers here. Some really good, some less so but still worth trying. I was happy to stumble upon a small bar that sold beer made locally. Especially if it was a dark beer. IPA’s are not my favourite beer and after trying a few here, they're still not.
The countryside here is something else. Like nothing I have ever seen before. It is beautiful. Huge mountains, flowing rivers and plant life all over. I love it.
We read a bit about precautions to take while here. Be worried! Watch your bags, hide your things, cup yourself with both hands! From our experience, it's all bullshit. Maybe we're just lucky, or not stupid. We have had zero issues in Ecuador/Galapagos, while seeing locals leaving bags and phones here and there. Maybe there was a time when Ecuador was less than reputable, but not now. We noticed a big police presence in Quito and other places and feel that they know tourists bring in lots of dollars, so let's not piss them off. Of course if you're stupid and leave stuff lying around someone will take it. That's gonna happen in Townsville too ya know. Overall, I have not felt unsafe for any moment here, even when walking back a little late with the kids. I have found the people here to be friendly and helpful. Even when getting a taxi, we haven't felt the need to “haggle” over the price. Unlike India, everything seems more fair here. They don't just see tourists and double the price. That may seem a little unfair to India, but the reality is that it was a fight for everything, everyday. Anyway, back to Ecuador. We enjoyed our stay in Ecuador, very much so. The food, the culture, the landscape. Not so much the wine though, it's very hard to find an Ecuadorian wine. Mel liked Cuenca so much that they wanted to move there. I have to agree it is a lovely place.
With Peru now in my sights, I will miss Ecuador. It has been a fantastic place to visit and I would recommend it to all. Walking along the streets, visiting museums or monuments. It has been well worth coming here. I will be sad to say goodbye.
Kev
This is my sum-up for Ecuador. My favourite place was by far, the Galapagos. There were so many cool animals there making it an unforgettable experience, there were so many amazing stuff to see. Most of the animals were under water so we did some snorkelling and it was really fun (but cold). The landscape was really beautiful with lots of volcanos and plants, it was awesome. Baños was wonderful because that’s where I went paragliding, paragliding was a mind-blowing experience with stunning view, up in the paraglider there’s nothing in the way so I could see everywhere. There’s so much to do in Baños and I could have stayed there for ages but unfortunately, the bank account didn’t agree with me. Quito was huge and the people where pretty nice, there was lots of mountain around it, well actually everywhere in Ecuador had lots of mountains. There were some really cool stuff to see. The hotel we stayed in was in the historic part of Quito and in that area when we were walking in the streets, we ether walked up or we walked down, no even road it was that hilly. Ecuador was lovely, pretty much everything was good (well the earthquake was a little scary, it was the biggest one I’ve ever been in), but other than that I loved it. Well, goodbye Ecuador and hello Peru.
Andrew (10 years old)
These are my thoughts of Ecuador. I really liked seeing all the animals in the Galapagos. That was a big highlight. It was extraordinary to swim with fish. But I really liked the ziplines and the paragliding in Baños. That was the first time I truly enjoyed ziplines. That was mainly because mum was with me. But I also liked the view. The paragliding was just purely amazing. When I think about Ecuador, I think of mountains and little stalls on the side of the street. My favourite museum we visited in all of Ecuador was a hat museum. I loved how they made the hats. It gave me a thrill when I learnt some new words in Spanish. And that thrill makes you want to learn more. If you want to see splendid views, go to Ecuador.
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Ecuador to Peru by bus, by Kev
27–30 Okt 2025, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
27.10.2025. I think. So we left Loja on a bus, bound for Piura, Peru. We had to check out at 12 mid-day and didn't get on the bus until 23:00 that night. Lots of time spent in the bus station. Finally, 23:00 arrives and we get on the bus. We're off, it's late so let's try and sleep. They put a movie on! Some Richard Gere and a dog thing, dubbed in Spanish and pretty bloody loud. Great, I'll try and sleep through that. Somehow I did manage it, because I don't remember the end of the movie. We stopped at the border and hopped off the bus. It's around 2:30am and we're not sure how this is gonna play out. The guy in the Ecuadorian booth stamped us out and we moved the whole 6-7 metres over to the Peruvian booth. He spoke some English and seemed pretty nice. We got another stamp and were welcomed to Peru. Back on the bus and off again. We arrived at Piura around 8:39 in the morning, though all the details are a bit blurry. We had a quick walk to our new apartment and got checked in. Hungry? Yes we are. We headed out, found an ATM, got our hands on our first withdrawal of Peruvian Sol. Lunch was bought and devoured. We then did a quick hit and run on a supermarket. We decided while we were out, that we would sort out our next bus tickets. We found the bus station and after a while and some google translate, we sorted some tickets. We had planned on being in Piura for two days, but the bus is overnight and our next stay is a key one. So we decided to leave Piura a day early. My first impression of Peru? It reminds me a lot of Cambodia and India. Lots of rubbish blowing about. Cracked footpaths with holes everywhere. Obvious poverty, all about. Tuktuks everywhere. Very similar but smaller than the ones we used elsewhere. They call them mototaxis here too. Anyway, we tried to get one to take us to an art place. After some confusion and them seemingly not wanting to take four people, as I said they seem smaller here, we gave up and went back to the apartment. We played some games, I made some pasta, we watched a movie and we went to bed. Bring on tomorrow!
29.10.2025. You may have noticed I skipped a day, very astute of you. The last entry covered two days, this one probably will too. We walked across the street to a little restaurant for breakfast. Emma got a lovely bowl of fruit, cereal and yoghurt. She couldn't finish it, so Mel and I got some. We headed back to our apartment and waited. All packed and off again. We headed back to the bus station with all our gear. This bus was one of two today, and it leaves Piura at mid day. Oooh it was a comfy one, with plenty of leg room. Three hours later we were in a place called Chiclayo, for a changeover. We grabbed some dinner across the street from the station then went back and got on the next bus. It's 7pm and we're off again. This time headed for a place called Pedro Ruiz. We need to get to Chachapoyas, but the guy selling us the tickets only gave us until Pedro Ruiz. It's another short trip after that to get to Chachapoyas. We'll sort it out when we get there I suppose. An uncomfortable night for all, we stopped at Pedro Ruiz and hopped off and started grabbing our bags. We asked the guy how we get to Chachapoyas. After some English/Spanish discussion and several failed google translate attempts, we think we managed to understand that we should just get back on the bus. So we did, thinking maybe we would pay extra later or something. We got back on and eventually made our way to Chachapoyas. We got off, grabbed the bags and wandered off towards a place for some breakfast. The guy never mentioned anything about more money, not that I would have understood anyway. We had a few really sucky days on buses. As usual, the kids were great, they are good travellers. We're in Chachapoyas, we're exhausted and hungry, but we're here. Chachapoyas is in the Amazon rainforest, and we hope to do a few tours here, relax and have some fun.
KevBaca selengkapnya
Ils auront fait la tournée des jeux pour enfants du monde,c génial 👍🏻❤️ [Dada]
Chachapoyas, Peru by Mel
30 Okt–5 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We are in Peru!
After several days in buses, we finally arrived at our first proper stop in Peru. We are in Chachapoyas, the capital of the Amazonas region.
Chachapoyas is the small ish city (32 000 inhabitants) at an elevation of almost 2500m above sea level.
We arrived here on Thursday the 30th of October just before 6am. It was very quiet as everything was still closed. The owner of the place we booked here, messaged me a few days prior, saying to message him when we arrive, but I didn’t really want to message him so early, so we walked around the city, looking for a place to put our bags down and maybe something to eat. We arrived on one of the main place, with a lovely white church. We found some benches and sat there, admiring the view of this big open place, with the view all around of magnificent mountains. A little bit latter a type of bakery opened and we got some sweet things to nibble on. I messaged our host and he came to pick us up. We got to our place and it is lovely as: always a good surprise! We rested a bit, as none of us slept well the night before in the bus.
After a few hours of rest, we went back in the city as we wanted to book some tours for the next few days.
I said before that I am not a big fan of tours, but it has its good point: you don’t have to organise anything!! And at the moment, I am fine with that. We found a tour company and booked tours for the next 4 days! Yeah!
We walked around the city and it has a great atmosphere. This is relax and calm to walk around, yet lively enough. The buildings are often white with wooden carved balcony. The streets are small ish, but not suffocating. The few big places have some garden in the middle and there are a few playground for the kids. We stopped at one of them for the kids and they climbed and swing. At some point, they played with a young girl, who seemed very interested in Emma. Not speaking the same language, they couldn’t quite understand each other, but they played and swing together nonetheless.
We found a delicious vegetarian restaurant, which was nice, as they eat a lot of meat in Ecuador and Peru and I had to work around that for the last month, so it was nice to have a menu where I could eat everything on it! Back home not too late, as we have a big day the following day.
The next day, we visited Kuelap. Kuelap was built by the cloud warriors, the Chachapoyas people, a pre-Inca civilisation. It is located on top of a mountain, 3000 meters above sea level and was built between the 6th and 15th centuries. Most of the ruins we can see now are from the 10th to the 12th centuries. It was a fortified city, with walls all around it up to 18 meters high. This fortified city was once home for around 4000 people. It has around 450 round houses and some bigger buildings thought to be either temples or place for the people to get together. There are still a lot of unknowns about the cloud people, as they were invaded by the Incas in the 15th century, then by the Spanish the following century. Kuelap is still being studied right now, and we can see people working on the place when you go to visit. On the day we visited, they apparently found a full skeleton under one of the houses (as they were buried there by the cloud people) and we could see it. That was pretty cool!
To get there, we had to take a bus for one hour, then another short bus to a cable car! Yep, another thing up high in the air! I am getting use to it though! The cable car is a 4 km long cable car taking you from 2000m high to 3000m high. It takes around 20 minutes to do the trip one way. On the way, you just sit and admire the views of the mountains and the valley around (and if you are like me, you don’t look down too much!).
Visiting Kuelap was amazing. We love visiting ruins. It is amazing to see how people used to live centuries ago. Also Kuelap being located on top of a mountain, the views all around it are spectacular.
Emma added to the growing collection of plush toys that has been following us since the beginning of the trip. We have now, Alex the alpaca with us!!! It was an amazing day.
On the evening, it was Halloween. We didn’t have any dress up, because it is a bit hard to organise when you traveling! But we walked in the streets of Chachapoyas, watching a lot of kids dressed up going from shop to shop with their little basket to ask for lollies. It was raining a fair bit, so we didn’t do that very long, but it was fun. We bought the kids a few lollies as they were a bit shy to ask in the shops: not speaking the language and not having dress up, didn’t help!
The following day, we visited the Quiocta cave. We have visited caves before, so nothing new, but it is always impressive to see nature’s masterpieces. Some of the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave, formed ‘castles’ and ‘villages’: I know it sound weird, but it really looked like castles with houses all around it: look at the pictures! There is a massive column (when a stalagmite and a stalactite meet, it forms a column) at the end of the cave that was pretty impressive.
After that, we visited the sarcophagi of Karajia. They are located in the Utcubamba valley, 18 km north east of Chachapoyas. The sarcophagi are 2.5m high and located on a cliff several meters from the ground. Inside the sarcophagi, are mummys, ceramic and gifts for the afterlife. They have been dated from mid-15th century, before the arrival of the Incas. They are several groups of sarcophagi in that area. The main one has 7 (use to be 8 but one fell during an earthquake) sarcophagi and is the most visible. But there are other groups less visible or less grandiose. This was amazing seeing those: the location and the size of them, made you really wonder how they managed to put them there! It was another great place to visit.
We finished the day at a restaurant in town, but it was not the best. It hasn’t happened often in this trip!
On the Sunday, we did another tour. This time we were the only one in the tour, so a car (instead of a van) came and picked us up with our guide and took us for a 2 and half hours drive on pretty bad roads! This is another thing that we often take for granted in richer countries: good roads!!! The roads we took were covered with holes over kilometres! It was NOT a fun ride!
Anyway, we arrived at the Revash Mausoleum. The mausoleum differs from the sarcophagi we saw the day before as it looks like little houses. The similarity is the location: in the middle of a cliff on a mountain. The reason why all those mausoleums and sarcophagi are there is to be hard to access and to be closer to gods. Those are only assumptions as a lot more research need to be done and not a lot of other information come to help understand those civilisations. Here again, the mausoleum was built in the 15th century before the Incas arrive. The mausoleum is in shape of small house with red painting on it. It was use as a collective tomb for important people.
And again, we were in awe of the view: the mountains and nature around, with this well made and well preserved construction on the wall of the mountain, was incredible to witness. Traces of civilisation now lost, are always incredibly moving to observe. People living centuries ago, with different way of thinking, different traditions, different customs, yet similarities to us: the will to honour the dead, the love of creativity and art... and I am sure much more. If you are in the area, make sure to visit this place: it is worth it.
We had lunch where Kev and the kids tried cuy again (guinea pig) and apparently, it was delicious: way better than the last one they tried (read Kev’s blog, I think he’ll talk about it!).
I forgot to mention that from Revash, we drove another 1 and a half hour to get to the village of Leymebamba where we had our lunch and then visited the museum.
This museum was built surprisingly by using Austrian funds! Another big mausoleum with over 200 mummies and artefacts was found in this area and the Peruvian government refuse to raise fund for studying and protecting them. An Austrian museum asked to have some of the mummies exposed in their museum for 6 months in exchange for funding to build the museum. And it is what happened. There were some really interesting objects there. For example, how pre-inca use to send information: on a big piece of strings, there were adding smaller pieces of strings with different colours and different knots, which each means something! Look at the pictures (it will make more sense!). We also got to try blowing in a shell to make some music and we managed to do it: a big loud deep sound. We saw the mummies, certain were completely wrapped in the fabrics, some were open. The mummies in this area were made in the foetal position. There was a room full of them that you can only see through a big window as they need to keep a perfect temperature to protect the mummies. It was an interesting museum.
Almost 3 hours back in the car and we were exhausted!
The following day was a physically challenging one. After finding a delicious breakfast in a tiny restaurant in the market across the road, we got picked up by a van and other tourists. On our way to one of the tallest waterfalls of the world (the size has been disputed several times and nobody is sure which waterfall is the tallest!): the Gocta waterfall. The track to get there was hard!! It took us 2 hours with some pretty hard slopes: when it goes down, the knees hurt, when it goes up, the lungs struggle!! There is no winning there!!! But the result was worth it. The waterfall is beautiful. Nursed between green mountains, the waterfall falling from 771 meters high, making a lot of mist at the bottom, is a real price after 2 hours of hard walking! After taking pictures, enjoying the views and finding small fossils of shells, it was time to walk back. It took us a little bit more than 2 hours this time, as there were more slopes going up than down. Both kids did absolutely amazing. They walked bravely all the way with no complaint whatsoever! We were very happy to arrive back at the small village where we got some food and an ice cream (we deserved it!) and drove back to Chachapoyas.
On the 4th of November, it was our 10 months on the road. Only 2 months left… I am not looking forward to come back, I have to be honest. I love this life of traveling. I could very easily see myself living like that. I just have to find a way to finance it! I love the experiences we are having together as a family. Discovering new places all the time is wonderful. But I know Kev and Emma are missing home and we need to cater to all of us. I am already very lucky to have a husband who accepted to follow me in this crazy gap year and I am very grateful for that.
On that day we left Chachapoyas for Lima, the capital of Peru. This means a 24-hour bus ride!!! We bought some luxury bus tickets, and it was nice and comfortable. We slept well and arrived not as broken as I thought we would!
Chachapoyas was a great surprise and a must do when in Peru.
Our next post will be about Lima. See you then!
MelBaca selengkapnya
Chachapoyas, Peru by Kev
30 Okt–5 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
30.10.2025. We finally arrived at our next destination, at around 6am. Where are we, you might ask. Chachapoyas is the name. A small town high in the mountains of northern Peru. It has an elevation of almost 2,500m above sea level and has a population of around 32,000 people. It was founded in 1538 and is the capital of the Amazonas region.
It was a bit cold and seemed deserted except for us people getting off the bus. We said “no gracious” to the waiting taxis. The owner of our next stay said they would pick us up, but it's a bit early. So instead we grabbed our gear and headed towards an open square area on GMaps. We walked a few streets of this small quiet town. Narrow, mostly one way streets with small footpaths. We found the square and a bakery. There were some seats outside the bakery, so we waited for them to open. I walked over to an ATM and topped up my wallet while we waited. There were a few joggers and dogs wandering around, but as the day grew later it got busier. School starts at 7am here so it wasn't long before there were kids and parents moving about. The bakery had opened and we all selected something to eat. I chose a pie looking thing that I believed to have fruit mince in it. I was right and it was delicious. We sent the owner, Louis, a message. Soon after that he picked us up and dropped us at our apartment. We headed away from the nice clean straight streets of the centre and headed towards the outskirts. Here the roads are more broken and dirt. Overgrown vegetation and tin fences. We weren't sure what we were getting into. The photos when we booked, looked nice. Rightfully so. We entered the yard and got shown to our apartment. Spacious, two bedrooms, big kitchen. Yep this will do. I was never worried. We got settled, then I went for a nap. After I got up, I found Mel on the couch, not wanting to wake me. I sent them to bed and made myself a coffee. In the early afternoon we headed out to visit the town and maybe book a few tours. We found a tour company and organised our next four days. They guy was helpful and spoke English (YAY!). We had a bit more of a look around, stopped at a supermarket for a few supplies, then headed back. I made dinner and we relaxed. Off to bed early as the last few days have been hectic and we have a tour tomorrow.
31.10.2025. Today we're heading to a place called Kuélap. A fortress city on top of a mountain, up in the clouds. We got picked up by a taxi and taken over to a bus. The bus got going and we headed out of town. An hour later we stopped and they took our lunch orders. Another stop very shortly after that and we hopped off the bus, onto another bus, and headed for a cable car. Peru's first cable car, one that would take us up onto the mountain. We were in the cable car for about 20mins. The views were amazing. Once on the mountain we hiked for 25-30mins to the site of Kuélap’s ruins. During the hike, I noticed the rock formations on another mountain. I have never seen rock bend, but that's what this looked like it had done. At some point, millions of years ago, the ground looked like it had been squeezed horizontally. Then at some point later, the whole thing was thrust up into the air. The amount of raw power this would take, truly boggles the mind. I find it absolutely amazing and beautiful. I may have commented on it once or twice, possibly annoying the others. But I don't care, it was something truly astounding to see. Anyway, onto the ruins. Construction started in the 6th century by the local people, the Chachapoyans. They built here and ruled the region, until the Incas overthrew them in the 16th century. Only to be colonized by the Spanish not long after. The Chachapoyans built Kuélap to be a fortress city, and it’s believed between 3000-4000 people lived on this mountain. As we walked up to the city, there was a lot of restoration work going on with the huge retaining walls on the outside. We entered the city through an entrance designed to narrow at the top to only allow one person at a time. I feel maybe this was in case of invasion, as it bottlenecked and there were defensive positions above. Once inside we saw the city. Round dwellings with old grind stones, guinea pig areas and food storage places. It was awesome to walk around this site. The old buildings, pathways and the view. They built retaining walls almost all the way around, stopping at one spot because there was a natural drop off that served the same purpose. On our way back to the main entrance to make our exit, a fresh excavation was pointed out to us. Human bones, found in a burial site beneath the floor of a house, had been unearthed. We were told that they had been found just today, and that the team had been carefully uncovering them most of the day. To see from a short distance, someone's skull and other bones was kinda special. Someone who may have been buried for over a thousand years. We then walked back down the mountain to the cable car, and rode it back to the bus. Our next stop was for “lunch”. Lunch? It's 4pm! No wonder I'm hungry. Emma had been grumpy and nibbling on me the whole way down the mountain. It all made sense now. We had our “lunch”, then back on the bus to Chachapoyas. We got back around 6:30 and asked to be dropped close to the centre. We needed to get some money out and since it was Halloween, Mel wanted to get the kids some lollies. We found some lollies at a small place that also sold beer, two birds, one stone. We had a quick walk through the town to see how they do Halloween. It was peeing down, but that didn't stop them. Kids were out and about, all dressed up. Some shops were decorated and were giving away sweets. Our kids were too shy to go get any. By the time we got back we were all pretty wet. One by one we hit the shower. More tomorrow.
1.11.2025. Today we have another tour booked. This time we're heading to a cave, Quiocta Caves to be more precise. We were picked up by the bus and we set off. We arrived at the caves, got out helmets and went on in. A stainless steel walkway has been installed the whole length of the cave, so you don't get mucky. There are lights set up strategically along said walkway. Where these lights are, there is greenery growing. Small ferns and moss. Our guide said “look, in this environment even plants grow”. Righto mate, that's because you don't turn the lights off. This far into caves there isn't much natural light, none actually, the only reason there is any green is because of all these lights you leave on. He pointed out some bats, when asked about them, he said that lots had left the cave because of the lights and people. Oh yeah I feel great about coming here now. The cave itself was spectacular. Stalagmites and stalactites all over the place. Huge open areas and water running past the walkway. I really like caves and this one was pretty cool. I just wish we'd been given torches instead of lights being on all the time. People may not like bats, but they are a crucial part of any environment, and to have just driven them out seems a bit short-sighted. Back to the bus and off to lunch. Lunch today was at a reasonable time of around 1pm. Afterwards, we headed off for our second outing of the day. We had a smallish hike down and around a mountain. What would we discover? Sarcophagi is what we found, placed high up on the mountain. It is believed that these were important people as to get them where they are would be dangerous and time consuming. They're not sure if they were built up there or carried up after. Either way, one slip and you get fitted for your own sarcophagus. Unless you weren't important of course. There was a group that we first saw, then another one by itself that had been damaged, and was pointed out to us. When we walked across the face and looked from the other side, we saw the last sarcophagus. This one looked a bit more covered and seemed relatively intact. The guide informed us that these sarcophagi were from the 15th century. I saw a few other places of interest also. There was another excavation near the main group. In here, there seemed to be a part of a sarcophagus. I asked the guide and he didn't really answer me, except to sort of say no. When we looked at the zoomed in picture from Mel's camera, it was definitely a broken sarcophagus. There was also another spot I saw, and when zoomed in, there was something in there. Again the guide didn't really answer my question. We did our walk back, up and around the mountain, back to the bus. It was now time to head back to Chachapoyas. We got back late, a little after seven. We hit the ATM again and went over to the tour office to settle our bill. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant the tour guy suggested and had dinner. The food was average, the prices not so. Mel's stir fry was more like a soup. My food was barely enough to feed me. Emma got lasagna, seriously, lasagna in Peru? Apparently it wasn't that great. Really? But Peru is world famous for its lasagna. No wait, that's Italy. On the upside, we got a Peruvian bottle of wine to share. It was a little sweet, neither of us like sweet wine, but it was ok. I wouldn't drink a second bottle tho. We wandered back and hit the sack.
2.11.2025. Today we're doing yet another tour. Tour 3 of 4 to be precise. We hopped into a taxi with our guide, no bus today as it's just us, and off we went. Today we're heading to see some mausoleums. After a fairly long taxi ride up into some mountains, we arrived at a small village. We then had a hike down and around the mountain to the place where these mausoleums were. On the way, we had some pointed out to us across the valley on the other side. Apparently, around 200 of these mausoleums were found in the area during an archeological study. We visited 2 today, and saw the one across the valley. Up close they were smaller than I expected, but no less impressive. To have survived centuries of weather on the mountain side and still be here, mostly intact, was a testament to the people who built them. After we'd had our fill of looking at mausoleums, we headed back to the taxi. I thought we were going to have lunch in this little town but no. We headed to our next stop, near a museum we are to visit and had lunch there. No complaints from anyone, as the food here was superb. I had cuy (guinea pig) for the second time. The first time was in Quito. The meat was a bit dry and the skin was a bit tough. At this little restaurant tho, the skin was done perfectly. A bit like thin pork crackle (drool), and the meat was juicy and tender (double drool). I shared some with the kids and they wholeheartedly agreed with me, it was fantastic. We ate our fill and then went to visit the museum. The museum itself was filled with 219 mummies and over 2000 artifacts from a nearby mausoleum. It was decided to build a museum and bring them here as they believed that now it had been found, the mummies would not be safe there anymore. They could not get any help from the government in regards to how to fund a museum. A group in Austria had heard of the discovery, and gave $500,000usd to build the museum. In exchange, 6 mummies would be sent to Austria to be displayed for 6 months. The mummies were then sent back to Peru. Inside we saw most of the mummies, kept in a room. We learnt how they used to send communications, with different coloured strings and knots. Finally, on the outside of the museum, we ate some of the forest fruits that our guide found for us in the small garden there. Our next stop was Chachapoyas, about 3hrs drive from here. Time to sit back and try not to fall asleep.
3.11.2025. Our last full day in Chachapoyas. Our last tour for the place. What are we doing today? Hiking to a waterfall. Not just any waterfall, Gocta waterfall. With a drop of 771 metres, it is the 18th tallest waterfall in the world and can be seen kilometres away. When we booked the tour, Mel asked if it was ok for kids to hike, or would it be too hard? The operator said it would be no problem for children. Alright then let's do it. We'd already walked a couple hundred metres to where you get tickets to enter. Here it said the waterfall was a 5.5klm walk. Our guide said it will take around 2.5hrs to get there. Sweet, what are we waiting for, let's go. We made it to the falls in a little under 2hrs, so we set a good time. We walked past many good spots to get a picture of the falls on the way. I noticed it got greener, more overgrown and obviously wetter the closer we got. Once there it was worth the walk. It is absolutely huge. A massive dead end with water pouring down it. The force of the water causes a constant wind and mist. After getting kinda hot on the walk here, it was nice to cool off. I put my jacket on because I was getting cool and wet. We spent some time here, looking around and climbing. We also found some fossils amongst the rocks. After some time at the Falls we started our way back. This time it took a little more than 2hrs to get back. Everyone did really well doing an 11klm hike, up and down through the jungle. We got back to the place we were to have lunch and grabbed a Powerade, well the Peruvian equivalent anyway. We got our “lunch”, it was 4pm again. Smashed it, grabbed an ice-cream and smashed that too. Then, with no mucking around we were back on the bus and off back to Chachapoyas. My feet and knees were not happy with me. I know they will be even grumpier tomorrow. Once back, everyone showered, no dinner. Went to bed.
4.11.2025. We had breakfast at a nearby market area. Bloody delicious, as you would expect. Back to the room and pack. We're off again today, headed to the capital, Lima. We loaded up our backpacks and headed out. Once we got there, early, we unloaded and Mel went to grab some supplies. Mel returned with some chips, bananas and mandarins. At midday we boarded our bus and for the next 24hrs that'll be us. See ya later.
10 months on the road!
Bloody hell, 10 months already. Before long it'll all be over. Which I'll be a little happy about to be honest. I am in two minds right now. While I am still enjoying discovering South America, I am missing home more and more. Being with my family 24/7 is still my favourite part of the trip. I am really gonna miss these people when we get home, and back to our day to day. My thirst for adventure has been quenched, my cup is running over a little. However, there have still been amazing sights, with more to come, so I shall carry on. Also, there are still so many beers left to try. Next follow up on my mental state in one month. Stay tuned.
KevBaca selengkapnya
Chachapoyas, Peru by the kids
30 Okt–5 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
On the 30th we arrived at Chachapoyas after days of buses, Chachapoyas is 2,483 meters above sea level and has around 32,100 people, the average annual temperature is 15.6 Celsius. We got to our hotel and we put our stuff down and then went out to visit the place. We booked some tours and then we went to walk around, it is a nice city. We then went to a park mum and dad talked to each other while me and Emma played, we then went to a shopping centre, got some food and went home and had a movie night. Then we went to sleep.
On the 31st we went to see the ruins of Kuelap, it’s a fortified city that when it was still standing held 3-4000 people. Here is some information about it, it was made between the 6th century and the 16th century so that means it is older than Machu Pichu. It was inhabited by the Chachapoyas also known as “Warriors of the Clouds” they stopped building it when the incas arrived and took over. The incas are the people who built Machu Pichu and they ruled most of Ecuador and Peru before the Spanish arrived. The wall around Kuelap stretches 600 meters and gets up to 20 meters high in some places, there is about 500 hundred huts in the city and each held about 8 people. Most of the huts were circular but some of them were rectangular, the guide said the reason of them being round is because of Viking influence, I’m not that sure that’s true though. There were three entrances and the main one is 70 meters long with high walls. Now this is the end of my information. We took a bus from Chachapoyas to near Kuelap and then we took another short bus to a cable car and we took the cable car to another mountain where we hiked up to the top of the mountain because that’s where Kuelap is. We went in through the main entrance and there were lots of carvings on the wall and it was amazing. Right at the end of the entrance there was a small gap that we had go through to get in and when we saw the city, it was spectacular. With all the part destroyed houses, it was indescribable. Inside the houses there were a grinding stone, a hole to store food and a little enclosure to hold guinea pigs in. We walked around a while just looking at stuff, then we saw some cool patterns on the wall the guide said they symbolised the eye of the Chachapoyas, the patterns were only on some houses and I guessed it was for important people. Apparently they normally bury the dead under the house but sometimes they bury them in other places. When the visit ended we went out, went back home and went to sleep.
On the 1st we went to visit a cave called cave Quiocta. It had some huge columns (columns are made when a stalagmite and a stalactite meet) that were like 1.5 meters thick and 8 meters tall, we saw lots just looking around, there were also some bats to. When we got to the end of the path the cave still went on so I asked the guide how far it went on and he said he didn’t know because nobody’s ever gone that far. After that we went to see some sarcophagi, they were on the side of a cliff. Back when they made them the guide recons they climbed up the cliff with the stuff on their backs carved a bit out of the cliff and then put them there. It was really cool, after that we went home and went to sleep.
On the 2nd we went to Revash sarcophaguses, there not really sarcophaguses, there mausoleums. It was a long hike down but when we got there it was absolutely fabulous, they were on the side of a cliff and they had paintings and walls, it was like a miny house. I think they were like two meters tall. After that we went to have lunch we went to a little restaurant with the guide and the other people on the tour, dad got a delicious bit of Cuy (in English: guinea pig). Me and Emma got to try some and it was exquisite, the skin tasted like pork crackle and the inside was still a bit moist which made it like taste like a mixture of pork and chicken. After that we went to a museum that had some old stuff from a mausoleum. There were lots of flowers out the front and they were very beautiful. When we got into the museum we saw some of the stuff they got buried with, the room after that had some of their history about the people and some instruments. After that we looked around saw some mummies there was over 200, it magnificent. After that we went back to the car went home and went to sleep.
On the 3rd we went to Goctar waterfall. When we got there we could see it in the distance because we were going to walk a bit to get there. The walk was two hours, so we started walking, we walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. Then we got there, it was an absolutely spectacular sight. The water fell so far that it was more like a mist than a water by the time it got close to the ground so it didn’t make that much of a splash when it hit the water. The water made a really strong wind so you had to be careful, me and Emma climbed up a bit of a slope and then we went back up the path to get back. When we got back we went to the car went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 4th we didn’t do much we just stayed home till mid-day and then when it was mid-day we went to a bus station hopped on to the bus, got comfy, then the bus started driving. The bus was a 24-hour bus that would take us to Lima, the capital city, we would arrive on the 5th at mid-day. The 4th is our 10th month on the road anniversary, now I’m going to do a quick talk about how I feel. Traveling has inspired me, I’ve seen so many cool stuff and now I don’t want to stop, we’re coming back in two month, I’m sad. This year has changed my life, my career (well see when I’m older) right now I feel like this is how I want to spend my life. In the bus I went to sleep.
Andrew (10 years old)
On the 29th we took a bus to Chachapoyas. It was a really long trip.
On the 30th we arrived in Chachapoyas. We had some bread things for breakfast. Then the person that owned the place came to pick us up. We got to our stay and rested for a little while. Then we had lunch and booked some tours. After that we played a bit at parks. In Chachapoyas, I thought tourism was the main thing but apparently, they also count on agriculture and livestock. Chachapoyas, in the Quechua language means cloud forest and the people that lived there were called cloud warriors. It was a nice day apart from the bus.
On the 31st we went to Kuelap. First, we took a long bus, then a short bus. We arrived at a cable car that took us to Kuelap. It was an amazing view. Kuelap is sometimes known as Machu Picchu of the north. Kuelap was built by the Chachapoyas people 600 to 900 years before Machu Picchu. The houses were round, and the guide said that was because of the Viking influence. When you look out over the landscape, all you see are mountains. Then in the evening it was Halloween and we walked through the streets looking at all the costumes.
On the 1st we went into a cave that was filled with stalagmite and stalagtite (stalagmite goes up and stalagtite goes down. I remember that because of the m and the t. m for mountain which goes up and t for titanic which went down). Then we saw some sarcophagus. A sarcophagus are things that you put dead people in. The first one was easy to see. The second one was really hard to see. The third one was easy to see but the fourth pretty easy to see and my favourite one. It had a really well done face. Then we had dinner. I had a lasagna. It had way too much cheese in it. No offense mum.
On the 2nd we hiked again. We saw a mausoleum. We weren’t allowed to go in which was a letdown. It was really old. It was filled with mummies. There were drawings of stuff on the outside. Then we had lunch. Dad tried guinea pig again and it was much better than first one. After that we went to a museum. It was an interesting museum. It had mummies in it as well. There was also a shell that we could blow into. Then we went outside to the garden and picked some tomatoes. I did not like the sweet tomatoes, I only liked the sour tomatoes.
On the 3rd we hiked to Gocta waterfall. But first we had breakfast at a market. We had a long walk ahead of us. So, we started at a good pace. It took two and a half hours to get there, and then another two and a half hours to get back. There was a lot of trees. I saw no animals whatsoever. It was really quiet. Its official Spanish name is Catarata Gocta. La Chorrera is its local name. it was a beautiful waterfall.
On the 4th it was our tenth month on the road. I can’t believe how quick it is going. I’m still enjoying traveling, but I am also happy that we are going home soon, because I am missing everything there.
On that day, we took a bus for twenty-four hours.
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Lima, Peru by Mel
5–10 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Ola from Lima!
Lima is the capital of Peru. We arrived there on the 5th of November after 24 hours in a bus. We did buy the most expansive tickets, so the bus was pretty comfortable and it didn’t seem as long as we thought it would. We slept pretty well and arrived relatively rested.
We stayed 4 full days in Lima and did a fair bit. I won’t do a day by day recap, but I will tell you about the things we visited.
The city has different districts. We stayed in the historical centre, which is very nice. It is organised around the main place with the cathedral and the palace of the republic of Peru. The best time to see this place is around sunset. With the lights and the colours of the sky, it is magnificent. A lot of the buildings around the place has massive wooden carved balcony, which make them impressive. There are 2 others districts were tourists usually stay: Miraflores and Barranco. Those are lovely areas where you can see there is more money. But if you only see those districts, you miss a lot of Lima. If you visit Lima, make sure to move around the city. We were told again, to be careful in Lima as there is crime, but we didn’t have any issues whatsoever. We walked from the historical centre all the way to Miraflores and it was absolutely fine.
Now to the places we visited:
First thing first, being in the capital, we had to find a Pandora shop for Emma. She got her charm for Peru. Surprisingly, in Ecuador and Peru, Pandora is pretty expansive! More than in Australia!
We did the Pucllana site, which is sometime called the Pyramid of Lima. We found out that it is not a pyramid: it is a long construction made of bricks which was used for cultural and religious events. They called it a pyramid, as when it was discovered, on the side it looked like a pyramid. The construction started around 500AD by the Lima people (a pre-Inca civilisation). The construction used a technique of laying bricks made of clay, sand and shells vertically with a small space between each, which was more resistant to earthquake. During the 8th century, a new civilisation, called the Wari people used the site as burial place. You can see holes where bodies were buried with object and sometimes, human sacrifice (often babies!), to honour the dead. The 11th century was the time of the Ychsma culture, who instead of doing human sacrifice, buried statues of people with their dead (a bit nicer if you ask me!). When the Inca arrived, they made the Ychsma people buried the whole place and it was only rediscovered centuries later. It was a great visit. We had to do it with a guide and he had a lot of information to give us. This is one of the oldest ruins in Peru and really worth a visit. They also have a few llamas, alpacas and guinea pigs. Emma got to pat a llama.
A few days before arriving in Lima, we watched a documentary about food in Lima. They talked about a restaurant called Al Toke Pez, so we went there for lunch and the documentary didn’t lie! The food was delicious and at a reasonable price. The kids loved the fact that we saw the place on tv and then went there!!
We also tried picarones: those are donuts type sugary things made with wheat flour and sweet potatoes covered with syrup. It is delicious!!! The only issue is we ate some at a park, and there were bees all over it in a few seconds! We had to eat them fast!!!
We visited the Saint Dominic Priory of Lima, which was built during the 16th century. The building in itself is beautiful with arches around the cloister, a beautiful library and different chapel dedicated to the 3 Peruvian saint: Saint Rose of Lima, Saint John Macias and Saint Martin de Porres. As I said before, I am not religious, but I always love visiting places of prayer and trying to understand the history of religion.
Another thing I liked in Lima (and other places) are the murals. There are a lot around Lima, well especially in Barranco. We walked around that district to try to spot as many as we could.
There is also a lot of Volkswagen beetle in Peru! Some are really well maintained, some less! But I love those cars, so it is always fun to see them around the city.
We walked as well in the ‘cat park’. A while back, there were to many rats in Lima, so cats were brought in to chase them. It worked very well, and since people bring food and built shelter for the cats in that park, and they are everywhere! If you like cat, this is the place to be!
Another park was near the historical centre and has goats, llama, alpaca, rabbits, guinea pigs and some birds. Emma had a ball feeding the goats. She could have stay there all day!!!
We visited the modern art museum. We saw some photographs, paintings, and installation from Peruvian artists from the 20th and 21st century. It was very interesting to see modern views on their history and culture. The museum is not massive, but it has 3 big rooms and is worth a visit.
We spent a bit of time on the beach, as Lima is a costal city. The kids always loved that. We usually do that on a whim, so we have no towels or changes of clothes… which mean the kids usually walk the rest of the day, with sandy and wet clothes. Ha well! They don’t mind apparently!
We spend one evening in a park in the centre of Lima with fountains, light and music show. It was awesome. It was magical, truly a very nice evening. There was also a flower competition: centre piece, fairy garden type presentation, hats, dresses and bags with flowers… It was great to see so much creativity.
The last thing I will talk about it the Opera we saw. The name of the story is Ollantay. It is a classic impossible love story. A brave Inca soldier from a poor family fall in love with the daughter of the king and she loves him back, but obviously the king doesn’t want this union. It was originally written in Quecha language (form central Peru), and the most widely accepted theory is that the story is of Incan origin and was preserved through oral tradition until it was adapted for theatrical presentation in colonial times. But they are not 100% sure! We read about the story before the Opera, to make sure we would understand some of it (as it was sung in Spanish obviously) and the original story has a happy ending. But in the version we saw, the story has a tragic end and the 2 lovers poisoned themselves as they are not allowed to be together (very Romeo and Juliet!). The opera was good, but all the songs were on the same rhythm with a lot of drama. I could have done with a few songs a bit more upbeat! But it was nice to see a classical Peruvian story, with Inca costumes and dances.
I think I covered most of the things we did in Lima. It was not my favourite city, but there are still a lot of great things to do there. Some of the things we did or visit, we truly very much enjoyed.
On the 9th of November, we took yet another night bus to go to Arequipa.
I’ll see you there!
MelBaca selengkapnya
Lima, Peru by Kev
5–10 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
5.11.2025. The bus trip continues. Mel had shown me some pictures of Lima, and their excitement was obvious. Mel is a big city person and Lima is a big city. Around 11 million people call this place home, not including tourists. As we rolled into the outskirts of the city, there was one thing I noticed. Rubbish. I thought I was back in India for a bit. Tuktuks (Auto taxi here), broken sidewalks, powerlines running everywhere, half dodgy looking houses and rubbish. Once off the bus we grabbed a taxi and headed to our apartment. As we got closer to the historic centre, it got a lot nicer. Our apartment was strategically picked to be close to the historic centre, as that's where the stuff to see is. Bags got chucked into the room and we headed back out on our usual supply run. We went for a walk later that evening around the main plaza near the central cathedral. At night it is a beautiful place.
6.11 to 9.11.2025. We walked a lot of the city. We visited cathedrals and museums. We walked the historic centre and visited areas like Miraflores and Barranco. We had read a few other people's writings on their trip to Lima for some ideas. They suggested to stay near Miraflores and the likes as it is a “newer” area. That they felt safer there. More touristy is more like it. We never ventured out into the slum areas in the outskirts, but not once anywhere we went did we feel uncomfortable. I preferred the historic part more. The older architecture has got this new stuff beat hands down. It very seldom rains in Lima, so the streets don't get a flush out very often. Lots of places stank, piss everywhere. From dogs or people or both. Lima was definitely not my favourite place to stay. There's lots to see and do. Like the opera for instance. There's more museums than you can count, and bars and restaurants and music everywhere. I did enjoy my time here, but I felt I was let down a fair bit in my expectations. Anyway the 9th came and guess what? We got on another bus.
KevBaca selengkapnya
Lima, Peru by the kids
5–10 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
This is a blog about Lima, I wanted to do a day to day one but my parents said no, this just going to be a blog about the highlights of what we did. One of the best thing was when we went to a restaurant called al toke pez, the food there was really yum. I got a platter that had ceviche, calamari and rice with prawns. In Lima there’s lots of murals, so everywhere we went we saw paintings. Another highlight is when we found a little stall that was selling picarones, there a type of donut that is traditional to here, it’s covered in honey and it’s delicious. We also went to a park that had lots of fountains, there was also lot of rides, I went on a big spinning one. The rides where cool but the fountains where outstanding, they had lights shining on them and then sometimes the fountains would start producing mist and a projector would start and it would show some traditional stuff like masks. Another highlight is when we went to an opera. The opera was in Spanish but they still had acting and it was interesting. This is now the end of my highlights, now just some advice, if you ever go to Lima, spend about a week or more to see lots (because there is butt loads to see).
Andrew (10 years old)
I will not be doing a day to day blog this time. I will only be telling you the highlights of Lima. First, I pat a llama. Its wool was really rough. It was like touching a mat. But at the same time, it was an amazing experience.
Second, we went to a restaurant called Al toke pez. We went there because we saw it on a Netflix show. It was delicious there. There were calamari, some fish thing. It was just marvellous.
Third, we ate picarones. They are doughnuts with syrup. Superb. No icing whatsoever. We also saw them on a Netflix show. We got them from a stall in a park. They were one of the best doughnuts I ever tried. But there was just too many BEES.
Fourth, we went to a cat park. There were millions of cats. I pat one of the cats. All the cats were cute. There were cats on the walkways, cats on benches, cats in flower gardens. SO MANY CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fifth, we went to a place where there were goats we could feed. There were two babies, a few young ones and some adults. I fed all of them. There were some long grass that you could feed to the goats. It was a cool experience.
Sixth, we played on the beach. Andrew made a big hole filled with water and I made a collection of seaweed. I ran out every time I saw a piece of seaweed. It was really fun. Eventually I had a pretty big pile of seaweed, so I sat down for a lit bit.
Seventh, we went to a park with a musical fountain and some rides. We did a couple of rides. There was a flower completion, so we had a look at that as well. There was some really beautiful stuff. Purses with flowers on them, dresses with flowers on them, hats. And there were just some flowers in pots. The fountain was awesome. It made arches out of water, different colours. Different patterns. They even played a film on the water.
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Arequipa, Peru by Mel
10–14 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
We are in Arequipa!
Arequipa is a the second most populated city in Peru. It is located toward the south of Peru and has an average elevation of 2,328 metres.
To arrive there, you guested it, we took a bus (this is the main transportation in Peru). We left Lima around 10.30pm and arrived in Arequipa around 9am. It wasn’t a bad trip. We managed to sleep ok. At the bus station, we bought our tickets for the next stop, so we don’t have to worry about it, then we took a taxi to our place. It was a very nice appartement in a lovely area and it was quiet! That is nice, because one thing to know about South America, it is loud! Maybe not as noisy as India, but still! So having a stay in a quiet place, is a very big positive!
We dropped our bags, rest a bit, and went explore around to find lunch and do our shopping. The afternoon, we caught up a bit with blogging and did some research on what to visit while we are here. There is a fair bit to do!
The next day, we found a tour operator to book a 2-day tour: again, I looked at buses and how to get to where we wanted to visit outside of the city and it sounded too complicated. If only I could speak Spanish, it would be so much easier. Might be a goal for when we come back to Australia: learn more languages. Spanish is a good place to start.
After that, we visited the massive cathedral of Arequipa. The city was founded on the 15th of August 1540 and the cathedral construction started on that very same date! Being in Peru, several earthquakes and volcanic eruptions destroyed part of the cathedral, and it was rebuilt several times since. The last time was after an earthquake in 2001, where both towers were damaged and rebuilt. To visit it, you need to have a guide. It was extremely interesting. The inside of the church is neo-classic with a lot of things imported from France, Spain and Belgium. One of the most interesting things to see is the pipe organ: it has 1218 pipes!! It is the biggest in South America. I wish we could have listen to it, but it plays on Sunday, and we would be gone before as we are only staying a few days. That was sad! When the towers fell in 2001, some pipes were damaged, but luckily they have been replaced since. Only 3 people know how to play that organ, but students are being trained. We went on the roof of the church and could admire the surroundings all around the city. Volcanoes and mountains everywhere. It very rarely rain in Arequipa, so the sky is very blue with hardly any cloud! It is beautiful. We could also look at the bells for the towers (the biggest one weight 5 tonnes). We could go under it and that was pretty impressive.
After that, just a few streets away, you can find a nunnery (I like that word for some reason!). In the 16th century, the construction of a monastery was started and in 1579, Doña María de Guzmán, a young widow with no children decided to live and shut herself in the monastery which was still in construction. She became the first abbess of it. Since then, women who wanted to live in silence and peace and exercise their love for God, could pay 100 pesos and bring 25 items (clothes, bed linen and such) to become nuns. The family also had to paid to build the lodging, which was constituted of one bedroom, one kitchen, one room for washing. Depending on the amount paid, the lodging would be more or less ‘luxurious’. The nuns lived secluded, mostly in silence and praying. The monastery only opened its doors to the outside world in 1970. Nuns still live in one part of the monastery, but the biggest part is now open to the public to visit and it is well worth it.
It is massive (a lot bigger that we thought) and beautiful. The colours of the buildings, red, ochre, blue and white are striking. There are flowers everywhere and it is quiet. The kitchen where you can see the soot of the fire used, are great to visit. I can understand why you would want to live there (but the never getting out part is a bit extreme!)
The monastery being 20 000 m2, it was a long visit! There are lots of streets to visit. It is a city inside the city, isolated from it by a solid wall of 4 meters.
After this long visit, we went to see some alpacas and llamas. There is a place called ‘Mundo Alpaca’ where you can learn about those 2 species and the other 2 camelids that live in South America. Llama and alpaca are related to camel and are domesticated now. There are 2 species that are wild and protected, which are the guanaco and vicunas. Emma loved feeding them as always and Andrew is still not very comfortable next to big animals! We learn about how they get the alpaca fibre (wool) and sort it. There is explanation of the history of those technics, which comes from pre-inca time. There is also a shop where you can buy hat, gloves, scarves and clothes made with alpaca fibre. We, obviously, bought a couple of scarves, because you know, it is alpaca fibre!
We finished the day at the ‘Nowhere’ bar with a couple of drinks and a lovely sunset.
Wednesday the 12th of November, was the first day of our 2 day-tour around Arequipa. We got picked up by a van with other tourists and went on our merry way to our first stop of many! At every stop, there were abundance of local selling souvenirs, pictures with llamas, speciality teas and more. It was fun at the first few stops, but it ended up being a bit much by the end of the 2 days.
The one thing I want to mention is the local who have their kids with them to take pictures with and ask for a bit a money. I saw a lot of tourists taking pictures of/with the kids. WE SHOULD KNOW BETTER!!!! If the kids are here, they are not at school! Stop taking pictures of kids. As long as tourists are paying for it, some people will take their kids off school to do that. I understand them: they don’t have a lot and they are getting money. But tourist should know better. This is child work, and we are depriving them of opportunities as they are not at school!!! Please think before you take a picture. Rent over.
We saw vicunas in the wild, we stop to pat some llamas and alpacas (against a small fee) and drunk Inca tea (made of coca leaves which are legal in Peru, Andean mint and another plant which I can not remember the name off!). We stopped at a very high mirador: 4910m above sea level!!! It was hard to breath! I felt dizzy and light-headed. But the view was amazing. There were thousands of rocks stacked on each other as gifts to the mountains. It was inspiring to see, as well as all the volcanos and mountains all around us. Andrew made a little rock stack, Emma stayed in the van as she was felling a bit crooked.
The next stop was the best of the day. We went to some thermal bath! Being a very volcanic region, there are several hot springs. It was so relaxing! The 4 of us really enjoyed the experience.
After that we got dropped to our room to rest a little bit. Then we had dinner at a restaurant with traditional music and dances. It was very tourist oriented, but well this is what we are! It was fun though. Me and Andrew got pull out to dance a bit. Andew loved it. I took Emma back to our room as she was a bit under the weather. Andrew and Kev stayed until the end of the show and apparently, it was fun.
The next day, we did a couple more stops. The first one was around the main square of a tiny town where locals are selling things for tourists and what annoyed me the most, was school aged girl dancing around the fountain. It was still early and they were there dancing for tourists. I would have preferred them getting ready for school. I asked the guide about it, and he said they go to school after. They dance for a couple of hours, then go to school. Great… Tourism is not always what is best.
From there, we could see one Peru’s most active volcano, which is very often smoking. It is a little bit unnerving to think that at anytime, one could erupt…
We then went to the Colca canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world. We could see culture in terrace, which was started in this area by the Inca. The scenery, here again, is magnificent. Green and brown of different shade, valleys, hills, lagoons and cultivated areas made some truly beautiful images that will stay in our memory for a long time.
In the Colca Canyon is also the place to see Andean Condors. They wait for the air to warm up to soar on it. In the morning, a lot of people come to see that. We got lucky as we saw one gliding on the wind right over us. Andean Condors are vultures who live in the Andean range. Their wingspan can go up to 3.3m wide and weight up to 15kg. They fly using warm courant of air and hardly flap their wings. They are magnificent to watch flying. Those birds are endangered as they have less and less area to forage for food and get poisoned by farmers because they accused them of attacking livestock. This doesn’t make sense as Condors feed on carcasses. We were lucky to see one of those majestic animals.
As a lot of tourist are there to see it, a lot of locals come to sell their gear and you can also take pictures for a fee with someone dressed in a massive condor suit. That was interesting to see…
On our way back, we did one more stop at a viewpoint where we tried cactus fruit juice (sancayo) and a Colca sour (made with sancayo and pisco, the local alcohol). The fruit is very sour but with sugar, the juice was delicious as was the Colca sour.
We drove all the way back to Arequipa and rested at our place on the evening as it was a busy 2 days.
The following day, we took another bus (a day one this time) to our next stop in Peru: Puno near the Lake Titicaca.
We’ll see you there.
MelBaca selengkapnya
Your Peru journey is bringing back so many memories. I was there 18 years ago and Arequipa and the Colca Canyon were 2 of my favourite places. Watching the condors rising on the thermals from the canyon was magical. I’ve done that overnight bus to Arequipa - it was memorable! Enjoy Peru! [Cheryl 😎]
Arequipa, Peru by Kev
10–14 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
10.11.2025. Ah buses! They suck. I have not travelled by bus in Australia for a loooooong time, and hopefully won't for a loooooong time, or ever again. The buses here are more comfortable than any I have ridden in before. In my opinion they still suck, but they're kinda your only option in Peru. There are some planes, but we are trying to travel as cheaply as we can. While we were at the bus depot we bought tickets for our next destination. Ok then, time to grab a taxi. We went out the front and while Mel was loading up our stay on GMaps I noticed 4-5 taxis take off all of a sudden. What's all this then? Haha here comes a traffic police on a motorcycle. Those guys obviously weren't licensed taxis. I am absolutely positive we have ridden in some unlicensed taxis, and while it is advised to never do that, we haven't had any trouble, yet. I reckon all the taxis that are left are legit, so let's grab one of those. Straight to our stay, and only 10soles, way cheaper than Lima. We met the people at our apartment and they showed us in. An older couple who seemed really nice and the place was great. One of our best stays. We'd had another roughish night, so we mucked around a bit and rested. Later we went out and grabbed some lunch and then supplies. Onto tomorrow.
11.11.2025. Today I had organised a walk around to see the city. The first stop though was a tour agency. We'd decided to do a tour out to Colca canyon, and we only have a couple days so let's get that sorted. In the end we booked a two day tour, as the 1 day tour started at 3am and was jam packed. They fit the same amount into the 2 day tour but you just have more time for everything. That's sorted, let's continue our walking tour. First stop, the cathedral, which was about 100m away from the tour agency. When we went in they told us the cathedral was closed, but you could book a tour with a guide through the cathedral and its museum. Fine, let's do the bloody tour with the bloody guide. Turned out pretty good. The guide was funny and switched between English and Spanish very easily. We saw lots of gold religiousy stuff in the museum. The highlight was getting to see the back of the largest pipe organ in South America. 1218 pipes, 12 metres high and only 3 people who know how to play it. We walked around the back of it on our way up to the roof. They had replaced the back with glass so you could see most of the pipes, some were made of wood. We then went up onto the roof, where we saw a massive bell. Weighing in at 5tonnes and rung with a huge 200kg clapper. The kids got to hit all the bells lightly with a small steel ball. I couldn't imagine being up there when they rang the big one. We walked back down and headed out to the next stop. We wanted to see the mummy Juanita. A 12 year old Incan girl who was sacrificed and placed atop the Ampato volcano back in the 15th century. She was found in 1995 after an eruption melted some of the snow at the top. Unfortunately Juanita was away for restoration or maintenance or something, so there was a replica. None of us really wanted to see a replica so we gave it a miss. Nevermind, on to the next thing. We headed to a still operating monastery, where nuns still do their thing. The place was huge, it took way longer to visit than we thought it would and there was so much information. Young girls would be placed here by their families. They had to pay 100 pesos and bring 25 items with them. Once they were inside, that was pretty much it, there was no getting out. There were lots of rooms for the nuns, called “cells”, yep cells. Sounds nice doesn't it? Every cell had its own kitchen, bed, table and a few other things for them. Basically if you could afford to pay more, your daughter could have a bigger room with more stuff, while secluded from the rest of society. My favourite discovery here was a water filter, made from volcanic stone. It was shaped like a funnel, with no hole, and the water would slowly trickle its way through the porous rock. We stopped and watched for a bit. One drop would pass through about every 19-20 seconds. That's the kinda thing I'm interested in. I always wonder how and when did people discover this sort of thing. We had taken so long in the monastery that it was well past lunch time. Luckily they have a cafeteria here. Our visit after lunch got a little faster, as we were getting over it. As I said the place is huge and there's lots of info. After that we went to Llama world! Which was kinda small, but it did have some Llamas and alpacas. We got to feed them and didn't get spit at once. There were some posters with info on the way in. I did not know that all the Llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and the rest are related to camels. Camelids they are all known as, originating in Northen-America, they moved both west and south, evolving as they went. We visited the shop after, it's bigger than the museum, and bought some scarves for the kids. I know it takes a lot of effort to make this stuff, but bloody hell it was expensive. After the excitement of Llamas had died down, we walked to a bar in the oldest neighbourhood in Arequipa. A bar called Now Here. I thought it was Nowhere, but we worked out, it was now here. A couple of their craft brews later we headed back home. That's it see ya tomorrow.
12.11.2025. Our two day tour starts today. We got picked up by the bus and headed out. Traffic in Arequipa is quite terrible. It took us a while to get out of town and on our way. We'd been travelling for about an hour when everything stopped. Apparently there was an accident during the night and they were still cleaning it up or investigating or I don't know. We were stopped on the highway, and so was everyone else. We got going again after sitting there for about an hour. We had several stops today, starting with one to see the vicuña. Several other stops along the way, most of them to see Llamas or alpacas. Tourist stops our guide called them. We either stopped to take a photo with an animal, or we stopped in a small town square to see some dancing or buy shit. After lunch at a buffet, an expensive buffet that was not included in the tour price, where Andrew ate so much I thought he was gonna pop, we headed to some hot springs for a soak. Now this is what I like. Soaking in hot water like a big piece of potato. Then I saw a woman in our group come back with some beers. Yep that's me. I grabbed one for Mel and I and my experience only got better. We spent a little over an hour at the springs, then we got dropped at our hostel. We later went to a restaurant that had some local music and dancing. Mel took Emma back early as she was knackered. Andrew and I stayed until the end. Andrew didn't want to leave, he had a ball and at the end got up and joined a “conga” line that finished with people doing the Macarena. Couldn't wipe the smile off his dial. We walked back and hit the sack. More stuff to do tomorrow.
13.11.2025. Up at 5:30 so we could have breakfast before getting picked up again at 6:30. Today we're off to see Colca Canyon. The second deepest canyon in the world and home to the Andean Condor. Of course we had some stops on the way. We had thought one stop was to see an active volcano that was smoking. The stop was really just another “tourist” stop in a town centre, where we saw girls who should be in school dancing for the tourists and lots of trinkets for sale. Now we're off to the canyon. As we got closer, Andrew and I got off the bus with the guide and did a small hike to the viewpoint. Mel and Em stayed on the bus as Em wasn't feeling great. We met up with them at a big viewpoint. There were people everywhere. We were all there in the hopes of seeing a condor. Once it has warmed up they are supposed to leave the nest and ride the thermals looking for food. Condors are scavengers and don't hunt their prey. Someone sang out and we all looked in a certain direction. There's one! It flew away from us at first, then circled back around and sticking close to the side of the canyon, flew directly above us. It was a huge bird! They have a wing span of 3-3.5metres. It later flew past us again and away, off looking for food. We never saw another after that, but I assume, once they take off they have a look around the nest, then go in search along the canyon. They may have to look all day to find something to scavenge. Back on the bus, we had a couple more stops. One stop we tried cactus fruit, bloody sour! Once blended and mixed into a pisco sour it was quite nice. We had a stop at another town centre, pretty over this by now, then stopped again for lunch. Now it was time to head back. We got back to Arequipa just after 4pm. Back at the room, we rested. It had been a long two days for everyone. We packed our bags again tonight, as we're off on another bus tomorrow. Dinner and bed.
14.11.2025. Morning came too soon, I was having a good sleep. Got up and made breakfast for everyone. The guy came to get the keys to the apartment at 8:30 and we headed out in search of a taxi. We waved a couple down, but once we said “terminal terestre” they said something in Spanish and buggered off. Mel had the idea that maybe they weren't licensed taxis and didn't want any trouble like the guys the other day. That would explain it. A taxi did eventually pick us up and take us to the bus depot, thankfully. We already had our tickets booked from when we first arrived, but we went to the counter to check with them anyway. They took our tickets and printed out new ones. Our bus was for 10:45, now it's 11:15. Eh it's only half an hour, little did I know that was just the start. We sat and waited, because you know, we're always early. Finally it was time to hop on the bus, yay. It's not especially hot here, but when a bus full of people doesn't have a/c, you're not in for a good time. The trip is supposed to take around 6hrs, and hopefully it will cool off soon enough. Arequipa is a city that is growing and fast. Which means there's a lot more traffic without the necessary infrastructure upgrades. In other words, the traffic was horrendous and it took us 2hrs just to get out of the city. Alright now that we're on the highway we'll get going. Somewhere near the middle of our journey, the bus stopped. It just stopped on the highway. Oh crap, maybe there's another accident. We sat for a few minutes, then the driver opened the door and turned off the motor. Oh this just keeps getting better. Well let's get out and stretch our legs and see what we can see. Cars, trucks and buses is what we can see. All lined up along the highway until they disappear from view. I was thinking “that's it, we're spending the night here”. Thankfully, it was more like 30-45mins, not the whole night. Not much more after that. It got dark and cold. We finally made it to Puno at around 8:30. Found a taxi and got dropped at our stay. The lady was there waiting for us thankfully so we went straight in. Emma has been a bit crook so she went to bed. I made a quick dinner with what I had in my “kitchen” bag. Potato, cabbage and lentils. It turned out pretty good, or maybe we were just starving. Bed time, see ya in the next blog.
Kev.Baca selengkapnya
Arequipa, Peru by the kids
10–14 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
On the 10th we arrived at Arequipa by bus, it was a long trip. We went to our hotel and put our stuff down. We then went to have lunch and it was yum. Then we went out to have a walk around the area. It was very pretty, there was lots of city squares and a basilica. After that we went home and went to sleep.
On the 11th we went out and booked some tours (boring), then went to visit the basilica. We had to take a guided tour to go in but it covered the basilica, the museum and the roof. We first had a look in the basilica. There was a pipe organ that came from Germany and it was humungous, 12 meters tall and 1218 pipes, it’s the biggest in south America. Lots of things in the basilica where from either France, Italy, Spain or Germany. After the basilica we went to the museum, it had lots of gold stuff and gems, there were crowns and relic holders, it was stunning. After that we went up to the roof where we could see for ages. The way the roof is bumpy it makes it look like cement sand dunes. There were also some bells up on the roof, the biggest one was 5 tonnes, it had a deep tone. After that we went to a monastery, a monastery is where nuns live. The one we visited is the most famous in Peru, it’s 20,000 m2, in other words it’s ginormous. When we got in, we walked through different places where nuns lived, it was very small. There was a really long alley that had little rooms along the side, it was interesting. After that we went to a lama place that had information about lamas and alpacas and there were some real lamas and alpacas too. They showed the way they sheered them and what the wool feels like, it feels really soft and nice. After that we went to the gift shop and bought some scarfs for me and Emma and then we went to a bar. Mum and dad got some drinks and I got a ginger beer, it was nice. After that we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 12th we started the tour we booked yesterday, it was a two-day tour and we were going to see view points and stuff. We hopped on the van, it was a long drive but once we got to the first stop it was worth it. We could see lots of vicuñas. Vicuñas are from the family of Camelidae, (which means they are very far off related to camels like your related to baboons) they look sort of like a miniature lamas. There was lots of them like over 20. After that we took the van to a place where mum and dad got some Inka tea, there was lots of stuff in it including coca leaves and mint. After that we went to a place on the side of the road that had hundreds of lamas and alpacas, it was so cool. There were also lots of people there too, mum took a few photos. Then after that we went to a view point: it was 4910 meters above sea level, it’s the highest we’ve been on our travels (besides aeroplanes). There was lots of rock stacks everywhere I looked, it was unbelievable. There was also a big statue of a condor. After that we went to a hot spring that had lots of baths around it, the baths were like 36-40◦C. It was lovely. We stayed in there for a while but then something sad happened that always happens, we had to get out. Then we drove to the hotel and waited there a while till we went to a restaurant that had dancers there. I participated in a few dances because most of the dances involved people from the crowd. It was fun. After that we went to the hotel and went to sleep.
On the 13th we were on the second and last day of the tour. We started out on a town square that had a market, and we could see an active volcano. The guide said the last time it erupted was in 2016, and it erupts very often like the one before that was in 2015, and before that it was in 2014. After that we went to the terraces, there like bit of land cut out of the mountain and there used as farm land, the terraces were started by the Incas. After that we stopped at a path that would lead to a place where we could see condors. The people who wanted to do the path (me, dad and a few other people) got of there, while the people who didn’t want to do it stayed in the van and got drove to the place (lazy). The place that we could see the condors was in Colca canyon: so to walk there, we had to walk on the side of the canyon. There were so many good views. When we got to the condor place, we stayed there for a while looking around, and then we some people were pointing at something so I looked and I saw a condor. It was far away but I could just see it, then it flew up and around: it was spectacular, marvellous, absolutely stunning. Then it flew out of sight, but we only waited a little bit because it flew back and then it changed directions and flew right over top of us, it was still like 10 meters up but it looked awesome. After that we didn’t see it again, we went to the van and it took us back to Arequipa, we went to the hotel and slept.
On the 14th we packed and took a bus to Puno. It was a long trip and it was late by the time we got there so we went straight to the hotel and went to sleep.
Andrew (10 years old) absolute genius with brain power of Albert Einstein. He has won many awards and is a role model to many people. (mum edit: or so he says!)
On the 10th we took a bus from Lima to Arequipa. We got there at around 9am. We bought bus tickets for our next stop. After that we took a taxi to our stay. We rested a bit then had lunch. We did a bit of shopping after. Then blog. After that we had a little walk around the city. Then in the evening, we had a movie night. Yay.
On the 11th we booked tours for the next two days. Then we visited the church of Arequipa. It was a guided tour. I don’t really like guided tours, but I have to admit that this one was good. We paid the guide twenty sol (sol is Peru money). Twenty sol is about nine dollars Australian. There was a massive organ that had 1218 pipes. It had metal pipes and wooden pipes. It was amazing. Then we went to a place where nuns live. When you became a nun, you couldn’t see anybody, you couldn’t talk to anybody, and you couldn’t leave. So, when you became a nun, you became a nun. In their room, they had a bed, a kitchen and a little room to wash yourself. If you were willing to spend money on your daughter, you could get her a nice room. It was massive. The thing that interested me the most was a giant kitchen. It had so many pots. After that we went to the world of llamas. There were a few llamas. We got to feed them. There was a baby that was still getting fed by milk. We saw it happen. Then we bought scarfs. They are really comfy. Then we went to a bar. You could call the bar these two names. Now here or nowhere. Then we went back home.
On the 12th it was the first day of our two-day tour. We did several stops. The first stop was to see vicunas. They are like llamas. The vicunas are safe, and you can’t have them as pets, but the alpaca and llamas you can. The second stop was to try inca tea. I didn’t like it. it was full of leaves and tasted disgusting. The third stop was to pat llamas and alpacas. Their wool was slightly rough. The fourth stop was the highest point. It was 4910 metres high. I felt sick so I stayed in the bus. If you want information about it, go to the other three. The fifth stop was the hot baths. We changed into our swimsuit. It was so nice. Mum, Dad, Andrew and I had our own big tub. There were other people in other baths. It was easily the best time of day. Then we had dinner in a bar that had music and dancing.
On the 13th we did a couple of visits but the thing that I liked the most was seeing a condor fly above us. We went to a condor sighting place. Here are some facts about condors. Condors can weigh up to 15kg. In a single day condors can fly 300km in search of food. Instead of making nests, they lay their eggs on the edge of a cliff. It was truly magnificent.
On the 14th we took a llllooooonnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggg bus. It lasted the whole day. I hated it.
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Puno and the Lake Titicaca by Mel
14–18 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Hello from the Lake Titicaca.
We are still in Peru, in the south, in the city called Puno, right near the Lake Titicaca.
We came here from Arequipa, by bus. It took for ever!!!! When we got at the bus station, we got told the bus will leave 30 minutes later than planned, then once in the bus, it took forever to leave Arequipa as the traffic was horrendous. Once we were truly one the way, the Aircon in the bus wasn’t working, so it was really hot in there. Then we stopped on the road, because I don’t know, accident, roadwork, traffic jam… Something anyway that made us stop for maybe 45 minutes. Anyhow, we arrived early evening, got straight to our new place and after a quick dinner, straight to bed.
The next day (Saturday 15/11/25), we went in our regular search for food! We had nothing to cook, so breakfast out and shopping. Then back to our place to catch up on blog. As we did a lot a tour lately, we had no time to write about our adventures, so we caught on that for a bit, then went out in town.
Puno is located on the shore of the Lake Titicaca. This lake is the highest navigable lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake in South America. It is located between Peru and Bolivia. The origin of the name is still being debated. I don’t care where it came from, I like the name!
There are several islands on the lake and we will visit a couple in a few days. Andrew is excited to be on a boat!
The town is lovely. There is a large square with the cathedral on one of its sides. In both Ecuador and Peru, lots of the cities and towns have a big square place with the important buildings on it and decoration and greenery. There are several squares like that in Puno. While we were walking on one of this place, we saw what we thought was a wedding coming out of the church on that place. They were dancing in front of the church with a band playing live. Then just around 30 minutes later, we saw a funeral coming in that same church with music being played as well. We came back that way later in the day and we saw a party in front of that same church, which we didn’t know what it was: a young lady (16 maybe) in pretty dress surrounded by people dancing around her. So either Peruvian people party a lot for a lot of reasons, or it was a special day that day? We’ll never know!
We walk to the lake, where some souvenirs shops can be found and some small restaurants. There is a walkway which would have been very lovely when new, but it is getting old and need some TLC.
The next day, we did some well needed laundry while the kids did some schoolwork. Not having a washing machine is getting old! I’m not a big fan of hand washing clothes! This is something to be grateful for when we go home!
After that, we went to visit the cathedral, then walk to a viewpoint. It was what feel like a thousand steps to get there! It had a statue of a condor and a wonderful view of the town and the lake. The view was worth it but it was hard!!!
The afternoon was dedicated to more blogging, and we are almost caught up!
Board games evening and night night!
On the 17th of November, we did a tour on the Lake Titikaka (I’m not sure what is the proper writing: with c or k as I saw it written both way). A van picked us up in the morning with other tourists as usual. Direction the lake, we climb on a boat and sail (well it was a motor but sail sound better!) toward some floating islands. 500 years ago, when the Inka were getting closer to this area, the Uros people living here, to avoid the Incas, decided to create floating islands out of the Totora reeds and roots (a plant that grows everywhere in the lake). Everything is made out of this plant: the islands, the houses, the mattress they sleep on. They even eat the plant and make tea out of it! Today they are still people living this way. Each island has around 5 families living on it. Each month a different family is in charge of the island. Today it seems that they live from tourists coming to visit the islands and float on their traditional boats. Those boats are visually striking. They often have heads of puma decoration on it and are very colourful. They are also made of the Totora reeds. It was interesting to see how they live and to see their craft: they do a lot of fabrics and souvenirs (made of the reeds) for people to buy. This was the highlight of the tour.
After that we went to one of the natural islands of the lake, Amantani island, for a small trek to the centre of the village. Nothing extraordinary there, outside of the fact that it is hard to breath!!! Just walking for a few minutes uphill was hard! We went back for lunch and the kids got a few minutes to put their feet in the cold water of the lake.
We got back at the end of the afternoon and started packing again, as we are on the move again tomorrow, nice and early!
We are going to Cusco! Getting close to Machu Picchu!!!
See you there!!
MelBaca selengkapnya
Cc a tous 😘,sa fait super plaisir de vous voir en vidéo, très bon voyage et gros bisous 🌞🌞🌞🌞 [Dada]
Bridsons of the worldOui on peut mettre des videos. Je vais essayer d'en mettre plus.
Puno and the Lake Titicaca by Kev
14–18 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
15.11.2025. After one of our best bus trips ever yesterday, we had a bit of a sleep in. A little after that we went out for some breakfast. Found a place not far from the apartment and ordered. Andrew, true to himself, wanted to order the most expensive thing on the menu. After being told no he settled for something more reasonably priced, and huge. He had soup to start, then steak with rice and vegetables. Followed by a small bowl of fruit. He almost finished the lot, I don't know where he puts it all. After that we did a supply run. Once back at the apartment we all blogged a bit. Later in the day we went out for a walk around. Saw a wedding, we think, followed by a funeral. We then walked down to have a look at the lake. Which lake you ask? Why lake Titicaca of course. I remember thinking that was a funny name when I was young. Who knew one day I'd be looking at it. It's the largest lake in South America, being around 8,300 square kilometres. It is around 3,800 metres above sea level and has the border between Peru and Bolivia running through it. There is a bit of a nice walkway around the part where Puno is. You can see mountains all around and we think we can see Bolivia way, way over. Unfortunately, I can also see the influence of people. Rubbish in the grass and reeds near the walkway. Smelly water runoff from the town. Once again Peru reminds me so much of India. Not just the tuktuks, but what seems like a total disregard for the environment around them. As in India, the people here use what they have available to them to survive. That means everything is put in plastic as there is no alternative. As always, a developing country's problem, and if the government doesn't do something to help this, it's not going to get better. I have read of protests against the government here, young people wanting a better life for all Peruvians. We saw a very small protest while in Lima. That protest was just a few people and was shut down almost as soon as it started. How lucky we are to be able to peacefully protest, where others are silenced. The lake and its surroundings, when you look past all that I just spoke about, is truly magnificent. Later, we walked back towards the big square in the middle and saw another wedding we think, happening at the same church. Busy Saturday it seems. Back to the apartment, dinner and boardgames.
16.11.2025. Today, for something different, we're visiting a cathedral. Nice architecture, carved stuff all over the place and some paintings. We had a walk around the outside as well. It's funny to see where plants take root. There were flowers growing on the outside of the cathedral, between the stones. I dunno how they grow there without dirt, but somehow nature manages. We then decided to do a small hike up a hill to see a big condor statue. Turned out to be a buttload of steps. I thought we were gonna lose Emma on the way. Finally, we got to the top. The view from the top was worth the struggle up the steps. You don't realise how much you appreciate oxygen until there's only half the amount available to you. We wandered back down, then found a little place to sit and have a drink. Afterwards, we walked through some streets between two big plaza's, looking for some postcards. Found some, but didn't really like what we found, so none were purchased. We did however find a couple small souvenirs Mel liked, that could possibly be packed into the backpacks, we'll see. Being 4klms closer to the edge of the atmosphere means that the sun is stronger here. When it comes out, you can really feel it. Which is funny because it's still around 20°c. We've had a couple sunburns so far, as we leave the apartment with jumpers on, then when it warms up we forget to put sunblock on. This may be a lesson we never learn. Anyway, we'd had enough walking so we headed back and got the kids to blog some more. Blogging has definitely become one of their favourite pastimes, as we rarely hear any complaints from them. You don't believe me do you? I wouldn't either. That's it for today.
17.11.2025. Today we have a day tour booked to see the lake. Picked up from our apartment at about 7:20, we headed to a pier. After some confusion, we boarded a boat. A little while later we headed out, while our tour guide talked to everyone over the PA system. I could barely hear him, and understood even less. Shortly after we stopped at Uros, a floating village on the lake. Several families help to build and maintain their little island, which are made from the reeds and undergrowth from the lake. 3-3.5m thick in places, they replace the top layer of reeds once a month during the dry and 2-3 times during the wet season. The island we stopped on had 5 or 6 small houses built in them. We got a presentation on how they look after the island, it was fascinating. Andrew really liked walking around and looking at the “anchors” and ropes to hold them in place. One guy dropped a rock with a rope attached, through a hole in the island to show us how deep it was, 14m. We then hopped onto a traditional boat, made from the reeds, and paddled over to another, bigger island. Andrew even had a go at paddling. The bigger island was a tourist trap, with lots of souvenirs for sale. Andrew found something he really liked and since he never asks for anything, we said yes. Dunno where we're gonna put it in the backpack. Back onto the boat and off to an island. We had a walk through a small village and saw how the people here live and farm. We had a very quick visit to a small museum then hopped back on the boat to head to our third stop for the day, where we would get lunch. After lunch the kids and I went down to a small beach near the jetty and they had a bit of a play in the water, which was, I'm told, very cold. After that we got back on the boat and headed back to Puno. We got dropped back to the apartment and packed. We're off again tomorrow. Another bus trip yay!
KevBaca selengkapnya
Cusco & Machu Picchu by Mel (part 1)
18–21 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Ola from Cusco!
We are near Machu Picchu, which is the one thing Kev said he wanted to do when I was planning the gap year!
We arrived here on Tuesday the 18th of November by bus from Puno. It was a 6–7-hour trip. The bus wasn’t great, but we arrived, so that is the main thing!
We did our regular settle in our new place, which is pretty but a bit small. It will do perfectly well for our few days here.
The next day, we visited Cusco, which can also be spelt Cuzco, there is no official way of spelling it. The city was built in the 12th century by the Inka (this is the traditional spelling. Inca with a C is more English). Cusco was the Inka capital until the Spanish occupied it in 1532. The Spanish built over the monuments and buildings built by the Inka. You can still see some Inkan constructions. One of the striking things is the way the Inka carved stones so intricately, to make sure they all fit with each other and were safe during earthquake.
There is a 12-sided stone that you can see: it has 12 side as the name suggests! There are plenty of other stones to look at, but apparently, this one is the one with the most side that is easy to see.
We walked around the city, looking at this incredible architecture, as well as the murals in a lot of different locations all over the city. It is a tourist city, as it is the place where 2 million tourists come every year to go visit Machu Picchu. There is a lot of tour operators, souvenir shops, hotel and restaurants. There are a lot of people trying to sell you things. I can be a bit overwhelming, but after visiting India, it is not that much!!!
The city has several beautiful places: the main one, Plaza de Armas, is huge and magnificent. There are several churches on it as well as colonial buildings all around it. The centre has fountains, green area and benches where tourists and locals like to rest during the day and night.
We visited one of the churches, the temple of the society of Jesus, with incredible carvings and paintings inside and the tallest altar in South America. No pictures allowed, so you will just have to come here to see it!
We found a massive market, full of souvenirs for the tourists, but also food and everything in between, It is full of noise, colours and smells. We bought some cheese and bread for nibling later. Kev and Andrew got some chicken soup for lunch and Emma just wanted fruits. I found some cheese empanadas (traditional snack: pastry with cheese inside)
The streets have very small sideways and it can be tricky to walk as there are a lot of people here and cars! There are also a lot of dogs roaming all around the city, but none of them seems aggressive, they just live their life and are very skilled at navigating the city it seems!
After a break back at our place, we went out to see the city at night. We walked to a viewpoint, with a lot of stairs (and it is still high, so still a little hard to breath sometime). The view was worth it. We stayed there for a bit then slowly walked back down, finding more wonderful murals on the way. This city is really something to see.
The next day, we went to visit the site of Saksaywaman. It is a site where a pre-Inka civilisation, the Killke culture, started building during the 10th to the13th century, but the Inka developed the site in grandeur and size. Here is a brilliant example of the intricacy of their carved stones. How the Inka managed to move such big, several tone, heavy stones, is still a mystery. How they manage to exactly carve those immense stones to fit exactly together, is also a mystery.
It was built to be a fortified fortress on the north side of Cusco. When the Spaniard arrived, they use the stones from that fortress to build the Spanish Cusco. Only the rocks too heavy to move were left there. Today it is still an impressive site to visit and marvel at the creativity and knowledge of the Inka civilisation.
After that we went to have a look at a small museum, with only 5 rooms. The most interesting part was 2 royal mummies. It always freaks me out a bit. I always wonder, what the people would have thought, if they knew that their body will be put for people to visit, centuries after their death. I hope they don’t mind.
We also learnt about a custom of the Inkas: artificial cranial deformation. It was started on infant shortly after birth. The skull was shaped with binding, cone or wood to obtain a special shape: elongated, heart shaped or conical. We could see skulls with different forms, and it looked painful! I wonder what were the effects on the brain of those children.
It was plenty of knowledge for that day (and walking), so we found a lovely lunch in a vegetarian restaurant, then head back to our place for a relaxing afternoon.
On Friday the 21st of November, we took a train to Agua Calientes (which means hot water), which is the small town right near Machu Picchu. The train was nice and had big windows (even one on the roof) to allow voyagers to admire the landscapes on the way. Obviously being in the Andes, there are mountains, valleys, peaks with snow on it and sheer side of mountains. It is a joy to simply look at the scenery unfolding before our eyes. The kids had enough after a while, so they ended up with their head in their books! Apparently, landscapes can not captivate 9- and 10-years old kids for 4 and half hours! We arrived in Aguas Calientes, which is extremely touristic! Even more than Cusco. All you can see is souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants. We actually wonder where the locals live here. We noticed at the top of the restaurants and shops, smaller rooms/apartments where we assume some of them live.
We found our hotel and went back out to find lunch.
We had tickets for Machu Picchu for 3pm (It is better to buy them well ahead of time, especially in high peak season, as there is only a limited number of tickets available everyday). From Agua Calientes, you can either trek to Machu Picchu: it takes around 2 hours with a lots of stairs, or you can take a bus. We bought tickets for the bus: I am not that brave! But to take the bus, you have to wait in line, and it can be a very long line! We waited for around an hour and a half in the line behind the little sign that said ‘3pm’. We finally got in the bus, which took around 40 minutes to drive us to the entrance of the site.
Andrew got very excited when he saw the peak and where we could start to see the buildings of Machu Picchu. It was a little bit before 3pm, so a bit more waiting before they let us in: right on 3pm.
I forgot to give some explanation about Machu Picchu: the name means ‘Old peak’ and is situated at an elevation of 2430 meters above sea level. It is thought to have been built during the 15th century as a holiday retreat for the Inka emperor and his family, high priests and rich families (along with the people working for them). Terraces for culture, a very efficient water system, temples and houses are to be found there. A lot of unknowns are still around the use and history of this magnificent site. Due to not having been found by the Spaniards, the site is still very intact. It was only ‘discovered’ in 1911 by a lecturer from the university of Yale and brought to the world’s knowledge then. It is thought that when the Spanish arrived, the Inka left Machu Picchu with all their valuable and destroy the roads leading to it, which is why it was never found before. The nature protected the site and it is still very intact, which is why it is not considered a ruin, but a sanctuary.
There are several circuits to visit Machu Picchu. You can not visit the whole site in one go. We choose circuit 2a for that day, which goes on the superior platforms and where you can have that wonderful view from above, then it goes around Machu Picchu. You can see the main sights of the Inka city.
It is truly magical to visit this place. The views from the superior platforms are amazing and a good opportunity for pictures. Obviously, there are a lot of people posing there (we did of course snap a selfie) but some take a long time and do what feel like a 100 poses, which has the tendency to annoy us. But well, this is tourism.
I really enjoyed this visit. The Inka culture is truly amazing and seeing how they organised this site so efficiently, it was an amazing experience. It took us around a couple of hours to do the circuit, taking our time and enjoying our chance to be there.
We took the bus back down: as it was the end of the day, there were less people, so we did wait long for it. By the way, I wanted to buy a magnet at the one little souvenir shop there: 12us$ (around 16 Australian dollars)!!! For an average magnet! I found my limit with magnet: I am not willing to spend that much on one. I’ll buy one (or a few) later from one of the shops in Agua Calientes, a lot cheaper!
After a bit of rest at our hotel, we found a restaurant which looked nice, but the food was pretty average. Well, we can’t find gems every time! Back to the hotel for a good sleep as we are waking up early again the next morning for another circuit of Machu Picchu.
6am wake up, breakfast at the hotel then lining up for the bus again around 7am! Our ticket is for a 9am entry. There is 2 ways to do the bus thing. You can do like us and arrive a couple of hours before the time you can enter the site. This is a lot of waiting. You can also come around 20-30 minutes before your entry time and join the end of the queue for your entry time. You will arrive after the time you can get in, but as they are not strict on how long you can stay in, it doesn’t really matter. This work for off peak time, I don’t know how it goes during peak time (June-July) as I’ve read it can get extremely busy.
We choose to do the circuit 3b. This circuit doesn’t go on the superior platforms, so you don’t get to see the view from above, but it goes more into the citadel, and you can see some of the buildings a lot closer.
We didn’t get a guide and now I think we should have. There is no sign with explanation, so you have to guess things or be tricky and listen to some of the guides around you. I think one day just us and one day with a guide would have been good to get some of the information. Well, we’ll have to do some research ourselves! This second visit was as magical as the first one. Seeing the water running down small channels, the temples and houses, where you can imagine the Inka people with their gold ornaments walking up and down the small spaces between buildings, or the farmer working on the terraces. It was truly something.
Funnily enough, Machu Picchu wasn’t really on my list of things to see, but I am so glad, Kev ask to get there. It is an experience not to miss if you can.
It took us a bit over 2 hours to do this circuit. After that, we decide to come back down walking.
There was a looooooot of steps! It was challenging. I am very happy to not have done the way up as we thought of doing. The way down was hard enough! It took us around 1 hour and 15 minutes, with probably 45 minutes of that, going down uneven stairs! My knees were not the happiest after that.
When we arrived down, it was lunch time so we found a smaller restaurant, where we usually found the better food and it was the case there too. A quick stop to buy a few (too many) souvenirs, then back to our hotel for a rest.
In the evening we walked again around the small town, finding murals and statues along the way, then restaurant with a game of Jenga and chess (I lost to Andrew, but I had 2 drinks, so that might be why! Or he just getting good at it). Then back to our hotel for bed as we have another early-ish start in the morning and one of us (Emma) is not a morning person!
On the 23rd, we took a train and a bus back to Cusco. We walked our way back from the bus station, stopping at the market for lunch, which is always good and cheap.
We then book some tours for the next few days. There are so many things to do from Cusco, we should have book here for a couple of weeks!!!
The following day was another adrenaline day: some of the kids’ favourite thing to do! We found some ziplines to do above the amazing valleys of the Cuco area. We got picked up by a taxi and drove there. There were only 4 ziplines but they were pretty high! Which for me was a challenge! The other 3 are always fine! They also had a big swing (not as big as the one Andrew and Kev did in Zimbabwe). They strap you to a swing, sit you one a platform and then the platform drop and you swing! Fun! NOT!!! I didn’t want to do it, but Emma was worried, so we made a pact: if I do it, she’ll have to do it too. So I did… What you wouldn’t do for your kids! It was terrifying, well for me. Emma did it after me and loved it! And asked to do it one more time, of course!!!
That was enough excitement for the day, so we got back to our place and did some blogging.
On Tuesday the 25th, we did a day tour with a lot of stops! I said it before, I don’t like tours. It is easier to organise but they are some down to it. You can’t stop where you want, you stop at places you don’t want to, and in Peru, they take you to a lot of places where they expect you to buy things (similar to South East Asia for that) between visits. This tour was one of those.
We visited 5 Inka sites and 3 shops. It felts you spent more time in shops and in the bus than actually visiting places.
We started with Chinceros, which is a town with a lot of artisanal things made and sold. We got taken to one of the shop, where they explain succinctly how they spin the alpaca wool and how they colour it with natural dye. Then we had some time to look at the shop of course, if you want to buy thing and they are a bit pushy!!! I understand it is their livelihood, but my wallet is not that full!! I can’t buy things everywhere. We ended up buying a tiniest little bull decoration I could find!!
After that we visited the Inka place and some Inka ruins: the Spanish as everywhere else in this area, destroyed the Inka palace and building and built on top of them: you can see the bottom part of the walls are made of rocks the way Inka did it, and the top part is white and with material used by the Spanish.
Back to our bus for the next destination: Moray which is an area with circular terraces for agriculture. They were made by the Inka with volcanic rocks to keep the heat of the sun. They are still impeccable to this day: they resisted earthquake which show again how well the Inka, knew what they were doing!
Then it was a stop to another shop: a salt shop as we were near salt mines (our next stop). They explain how they ‘extract’ the salt and what do they do with it. The 2 top layers are good for consumption while the 3rd layer is good for salt bath and such. They also for some reason, sell chocolate (some with salt in it, which is really good). Maybe just selling salt wasn’t enough! We bought some chocolate of course!
We then visit the salt mines (Salineras in Spanish) of Maras and it is impressive. They are all in terraces. The salt comes from inside the mountain, where there are salt rocks and a spring bring all that salt down into the slat mines. Only local families can exploit the salt wells. Around 400 families work there. It was really impressive to see. I have seen salt lakes in the past, but the configuration of those salt mines is so different and amazing to see.
We had lunch. It was a buffet which is becoming Andrew’s favourite. He loves going back and get as much fun as he can: I still don’t know where he put that food though!
Then we visited Ollantaytambo. This was an Inka city which had a military, cultural, religious and agricultural role. It was the last stop before Machu Picchu and still is. The name means “city that offers food and accommodation’. Well, they think: as everything concerning the Inka, it is always guess work as there is no written information, as the Inka did have a written language. Everything was passed on by oral tradition.
This Inka site is beautiful and there are a lot to see. We only had 40 minutes to visit it and it was very short. We raced up to the top to see the temple of the sun made with humongous rocks and other buildings: some made for military, some for keeping the food, some for living. It is a site that needs at least one day to visit it properly.
We really start to think, we should have stayed here several weeks, as there are so much to see and if you want to truly visit the place, it takes a long time.
Our next stop was the most frustrating for us. We saw Pisac. Well when I say we saw it, we saw a tiny bit of it. Pisac is a massive Inka city, bigger than Machu Picchu made of 4 different areas: a military one, an agriculture one, a religious one and a residential area. It takes apparently 4-5 hours to visit the whole thing and we had 20 minutes to see the part right near the entrance as it was closing soon! Why do you put that on a day trip when you know we won’t have time to visit it, your guess is as good as mine. As the place is looking amazing, we are trying to see how we can organise a day trip by ourselves to visit it.
Then one last shop: a jewellery one this time. I was over it by then! We had a quick presentation about how they make the jewellery, mainly in Spanish, so we didn’t got most of it anyway. Then they follow you around the shop to push you to buy something. I just waited outside until the other people in the tour spent more money.
After that full and somewhat frustrating tour, but we did see amazing places, we got back to Cusco, for a quick dinner and bedtime.
Wednesday the 26th, was a slow start day and some blogging had to be done. The kids are getting good a researching information. Emma tries to find information about the places we go that I don’t know, but as I research places as well, she hasn’t found fact I don’t know yet! Good challenge for her!
In the evening, we went to see a traditional dance and music show. It was nice: not the best we saw but good enough!
On Thursday, we decided to go back to Pisac, as we were really frustrated to only see a tiny part of it during the day tour we did a few days ago. We had a taxi organised to get there. While in the taxi, I realised I forgot my camera!!! Sad! I’ll have to take pictures with my phone, which is not that great. But well, it is not the end of the world.
Pisac was built in the 15th century by the Inka, but it is very probable that earlier civilisations were living there prior to the Inka. As I said before, there are 4 main areas: the soldier quarter, the agricultural area, the religious and maybe observatory area and the more ‘residential’ quarter. There is also thousand of tombs on the face of the mountain. Inka ‘buried’ their dead in holes in the mountain and apparently, there is thousand of them in the mountain. We walked for around 4 hours, visiting the different areas and walking in the houses and temples (what is left of them), imagining the lives of the people who built and lived there. As it is less known than Machu Picchu, there is a lot less people and you can visit a lot more. There are very few restricted sections, which make it a very interesting experience. We walked all the way to the other side of the site to get to the little town of modern Pisac. The thing is, being high up in the mountain, you have to get down to reach the town. We walked back down through the terraces, with narrow and steep steps! I got a very serious attack of the height! I freaked out and really struggled going down, but I did it! Yeah! If you are in the area, don’t miss this site as it is a real treasure.
We took a local bus to come back to Cusco. Quick and cheap!
See part 2 for the rest!Baca selengkapnya
Cusco & Machu Picchu by Mel part 2
19–21 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Read part 1 first!
Friday the 28th of October, was our last full day in Cusco and we went on another day trip, to the 7 colours mountains, or Vinicunca. A bus picked us up (really early, around 4.30am) and drove for a couple of hours to a place where we got quads (they call them ATV here). We got on the quad and drove for around 40 minutes to get closer to our destination. The rest had to be done by foot. The thing is, this area is around 5000 meters above sea level: which means a lot less oxygen, so a lot harder to breath. We walked slowly to keep our energy. It took us just under 1 hour to get to the 7 colours mountain. Andrew had almost no issue and was walking pretty easily, even chatting while doing so. Kev was ok too I think. Me and Emma had a bit more issue. But we took our time and did it.
Vinicunca is a mountain made of a lot of different mineral and rocks, which give it different colours. It is a popular tourist destination, so obviously, it was pack at the top and where there is tourist, there is local sellers (food, drinks, magnets and more). But it was worth it. We were pretty happy with ourselves to have done it (well we cheated a bit with the quads, some people trek all the way, but I’m not sure I could have done it at that height), but still! The landscapes of the 7 colours mountain, but also all around, with glaciers around, valley with amazing colours… It is a sight to see. Also Andrew and Emma were super happy as we saw a bit of snow on the way up and they could touch it! They have been wanting to touch snow for ages!
It was a great way to finish our last day in this region.
The next day was packing day again. We got a bus for Lima (another 24 hours bus trip). We left around 1pm on Saturday and arrived Sunday around 1pm in Lima. The trip wasn’t too bad except that they played movies in the bus, that were not kid appropriate: a lot of really bloody and violent movies (I’m talking heads being blown off, limbs being cut off and this kind of things: I didn’t even want to watch). The kids had to try to not look at the screen, which is not easy for them. Lucky they are avid readers and had their head in their books most of the time, but it was not fun.
Cusco was a pleasure to visit. There is still so much more to see: one month can be spent here to visit all the thing the city and the area have to offer.
That is it for now. I’ll see you in Lima for our last couple of days in South America.
MelBaca selengkapnya
Cusco & Machu Picchu by Kev part 1
21–23 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
18.11.2025. Another day, another bus. We're leaving Puno and heading to Cusco. Not the capital of Peru, but was once the capital of the Incan Empire. I'm not gonna go into a lot of detail about the bus. It sucked, we got there. Taxi over to our apartment and shown in by the lady. She doesn't speak much English, but hey she speaks French. Her and Mel get everything sorted and the place is ours. It's smaller, cosy if you like, and soon find it's not our greatest stay, but it will do. We sourced supplies and had a quick look around. I trialled the new kitchen I have to work with. We planned some stuff for tomorrow, then hit the sack.
19.11.2025. Today we have a couple of things planned to have a look at, but mostly we're gonna walk around and have a look at the place. We visited the big cathedral near the main plaza, as you do. Inside, the main altar piece is absolutely bloody huge. 21m high by 12m wide of intricately carved wood. Not only that, it's completely covered in gold leaf. Oh yeah, it's also the largest altar piece in Peru. I was gobsmacked. The work that has gone into this piece is astounding. There were more carved wooden pieces along each wall. Not as large and impressive as the main item, but equally well created and also coated in gold leaf. Afterwards we wandered around, a bit aimlessly, taking in the city. We walked past a street, and I said “Hey I know where we are”. I had seen it on GMaps. The 12 angle stone. Sounds interesting I hear you say, and right you are. A big stone, in an Incan wall, surrounded by other stones. Yes, it has 12 sides. Yes it fits perfectly with all the stones around it. This is how the Incas did it. They never used any form of mortar like other races. All the rocks were cut to fit perfectly with each other. During earthquakes the stones could shift, then settle back together. To get huge stones to fit so snuggly together, would have taken tremendous skill and ability. My kinda thing to look at. We walked for a while longer, before finding lunch. We then headed back for a rest. Cusco is around 3,800m above sea level, and when the sun is out, it gets hot. Later, after dinner, we headed out again to have a walk around the city at night. We walked to a lookout and took in the city. Lights all up and down the mountains around us. We found lots of murals amongst the little streets of old Cusco. Once more we headed back to our apartment. More things to do tomorrow, so off to bed.
20.11.2025. Today we're going to visit a place called Saqsayhuaman. Old ruins within walking distance, just outside of Cusco. Mel had looked at tickets, and they sell a tourist ticket for 12 places or more. Its valid for 10days and we figure we're gonna use it. The “short” walk was mostly up hill, and would have been hard enough at sea level. We eventually got there without having to leave anyone behind. Bought the tickets and headed on in. This place is big, really big. We spent several hours here. There was a lookout trail we did. I really enjoyed looking at all the massive stones, carved to fit perfectly with each other, making up huge walls, steps, doorways and paths. On another hill near the main construction, there was, what looked to me, like stone, squeezed out of the ground like toothpaste. My best guess was that it was hot enough to be malleable, but not magma. It was something that had my full attention. I could have stayed there exploring it for a lot longer, but we had other stuff to do. Our next stop was back in the city, a small museum. In here we saw how they had bound and shaped kids' heads from a young age, distorting the skulls into longer shapes. All I saw was a headache. For me it was barbaric, for them it was devotion. We saw two royal mummies, bound and well preserved. Afterwards we found some lunch. Since we were stuffed from lunch and from all the walking we'd done, we headed back, had a brief stop to look at some more ruins inside the city, then had a lazy afternoon. More tomorrow.
21.11.2025. Today we're heading somewhere I picked. Machu Picchu! First up, a train ride. The station is about a 5min walk so no need to rush. We got there and boarded our train. The carriages not only have windows, they have windows in the ceiling too. The trip is supposedly very viewtackular. My word, you can't have it. The landscape in Peru was already a spectacle, the trip into Aguas Calientes was special. Tall mountains looming over us on all sides. Seeming to rise straight up into the air. We saw snow covered mountains, caves and even pods hanging off the sides of a mountain for crazy people to stay in. Aguas Calientes means “hot water” basically. There are hot springs here that we didn't get to enjoy. It is a small town very near Machu Picchu, down in the valleys. We arrived, checked in, got lunch and then lined up for the bus up to Machu Picchu. They have time slots for entry to limit overcrowding. Our visit was scheduled for 3pm. We found where the buses took off from and lined up. Lots of people lined up. Lots of guides helping out, hoping you want to use their services. We were a bit lost at the start but soon got sorted out. You need to find the sign that has your time slot, then line up there. As I said, we were 3pm. There was also a line for 2pm and 1pm. The 1pm line was already moving and the 2pm line started to move at about 1:15. It takes a lot of time and buses to get this many people up a mountain. Finally it was our turn. We got on the bus, $76usd return, ouch, and we were off. The road was narrow and wound its way up towards the clouds. We caught glimpses off our destination through the trees. We got there and hopped off, only to get into another line. It was almost 3pm and they weren't letting anyone in early. So we waited, again. Finally we were let through, and headed towards circuit 2, our predesignated route for the day. We walked up a few stairs and out onto some terraces. There it is, Machu Picchu. A summer home basically, built for the Emperor and his family to visit when Cusco got too cold. They couldn't have picked a better spot. Nestled amongst numerous mountain peaks, the view was incredible and like nothing I have ever seen. It truly was a spectacle for the eye. Clouds clinging to the tops of mountains, looking like they could blow away at any moment. Sheer faces where even nature found it hard to take hold. A clear blue sky above everything else. Amongst all this beauty, a human construction from the 15th century. Another beauty, this one made from stone and imagination. I will say that on our way here I was apprehensive. This was a place I had seen documentaries about and had wished to visit for a long time, and it was my idea to come here. I thank Mel again, without them I doubt I would have ever done it. The place is magical. I felt a sense of wonder and wished to stay up there, among the mountains and clouds. I walked among buildings, built in the same manner as we had seen, with perfectly cut stone to fit each other. I saw small fields in a middle area. Lots of terraces, all around the site. I saw appreciation in the eyes of my family for a truly magnificent place. The kids eventually lost some interest and started playing their games, but there seemed to always be something else to catch their attention during our visit. Our first visit quickly came to an end. We'd done circuit 2 and now it was time to make our way back down the mountain. But before that, Mel had a look in a gift shop at the top. We collect magnets from everywhere and one from Machu Picchu is on the cards. $12usd for a tiny little magnet, and all it had on it was Machu Picchu. Get stuffed, we’ll buy one down in the town. Daylight bloody robbery. We got back to Aguas Calientes and walked back to our room. It was starting to get dark and we headed out into the town in search of food. Aguas Calientes is a tourist town. Most of the income here is based off tourist activity, and while not as bad as India was, the people here were pushy. After a long day in the train and a long afternoon hiking an impressive landscape, we were all a bit frazzled. I remembered a place that said they had craft beer, happy hour and food, right next to the river. Right, that will do. We checked the menu and while it was a bit more than we wanted to pay, we went in, up to the rooftop bar and found a table. Unfortunately it was now dark and we couldn't see the river, oh well. Let's have a craft beer. Nope only brought in stuff, guess I won't be having anything made here. Off to a great start. We ordered and ate. Pretty average food, which made a disappointing finish to an otherwise great day. Back to our room for bed as we have another circuit to do tomorrow. This one starts at 9am. Goodnight.
22.11.2025. Up somewhat early and headed downstairs for breakfast. After that we were off to the bus pick up point and waited in line. Another trip up the mountain. We had thought about doing the hike up. It is said to take around 2hrs and has lots of steps. We opted out of that, but decided we would walk back down after. Up at the top we waited for 9am, our time slot this morning and made our way through the gates. We're taking a different circuit this morning, circuit 3, which takes us through more of the buildings. Yesterday's circuit took us around the outside and we're hoping to have a better look today. We wandered through many rooms, looking out windows and seeing little niches all over. We were walking from one room to another when we saw something, something moving. What looked like a possum, but with a less bushy tail, scampered through past us. Up over a wall and disappeared. We only got a quick look at it as it ran past us. That gave us something to talk about for a few minutes as our visit continued. Towards the end of today's circuit, we passed through the Condor Temple. A room where a natural rock formation kinda looks a bit like wings, and there is a rock in the middle in front of them that has been carved with the face of a Condor. I knew this was the Condor Temple, I just knew it. Also I overheard a guide saying it was. There's not a lot different to say about today from yesterday's visit. We got a look at the place from a different point of view so we got photos from different angles. Once we were sure we were done visiting Machu Picchu, we wandered out. Outside we had a look at maybe getting food up here. Not at these prices we won't be. We settled on an ice-cream each, and Andrew got a chocolate bar. Then it was time to head down the mountain. As I said we are walking down today. Steps and lots of them. It took a bit more than an hour to get all the way down and we were glad we didn't try going up. We stopped at a little place near the river for lunch. We went back to our hotel where everyone showered and then rested. Later that evening we went out for a walk around. We found a small area with a few big carved rocks. The kids ran around a bit and almost played with some of the local kids. Later we found a restaurant for dinner. I had a couple of Pisco sours, ate some food and went back for a sleep.
23.11.2025. Up early, pack then head down for breakfast. We have a train to catch this morning, back to Cusco. We rode the train until Olantaytambo, where everyone got off and we all got on a bus to finish our journey. I have no idea why we didn't ride the train all the way to Cusco, and I didn't ask questions either. We got back to Cusco in the early afternoon. On our walk back to the apartment, we stopped at the market and had lunch. Now full, we made it all the way back and unpacked. We then went out looking for a couple more tours to do for the rest of our stay here. We stopped at one place that was also a hostel. Straight up the guy didn't speak great English and the prices seemed really expensive. We said we'll think about it and wandered off to keep looking. Not far up the road, we found another tour operator. This lady spoke reasonable English and her prices for tours were way better. We booked a couple tours, one tomorrow and another the next day. We went back to the apartment and had some dinner and a movie. Bed a bit early as we're getting picked up for a tour tomorrow morning.
24.11.2025. Everyone was up early and ready for pickup. A taxi turned up and off we went. We're heading to a small town called Chincherro. Just outside here we're doing some ziplines. Only 4 ziplines today, but they are pretty long. I tried one upside down, didn't really do anything for me except make it a bit harder to see anything. Had to try it though. At the end, Sam the main guy asked if we wanted to try their big swing. Only 30soles more per person. Andrew didn't really ask, he just lined up. Not sure exactly how big it is, but you get clipped in and then sit down on a platform. Said platform is then dropped out from under you and you swing. It's the first time I have ever heard a squeal of surprise come out of Andrew. Sam said “who's next”. My hand shot straight up. It was fun and I could have stayed in there for ages and just kept swinging. Now it was Mel's turn. Emma wouldn't do it unless mum did, and mum had to go first. More squealing and screaming and it was all over. Now it was Emma's turn. Very reluctant she was. Finally agreed as Sam said he wouldn't drop the platform but rather lower her a bit before letting go. Em still let out the loudest scream and looked back at Sam, “you said you wouldn't drop me!”. While still swinging, Em said they wanted another go. So Andrew and Em both lined up again. Em even sat on the platform this time and dropped. When we'd finished we wandered back and took our gear off. Back into the taxi and the guy took us back. Once back at the apartment, we had a little rest and then we all blogged a bit as we are falling behind a bit.
Go to part 2 for the rest.Baca selengkapnya
Cusco & Machu Picchu by Kev part 2
21–23 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Read part 1 first!
25.11.2025. Up early today and picked up. We're off on a tour. Five stops today, not including lunch. What we didn't know was that we would be making stops in places for information and being pressured to buy stuff. Our first stop was in Chincherro for a short demonstration on how they clean wool and what they use to dye it. It was interesting, then we had 10-15min to look around. Look around is code for souvenir shopping. I was looking at some hats and things made from the wool, when an old lady came over and started talking to me. “You buy, you buy”. No thanks. “Why you no buy?” Me no want! I said walking away. I then walked into another shop and had a look. Shortly after that I was standing in the middle of the area, near no one's goods, waiting to leave. Our first real stop was Incan ruins, with terraces, a plaza and niches where they would display the mummies of their kings. When the Spanish arrived, they knocked down a lot of the buildings, but not all of it. They left the foundations and built upon them. Our guide explained this, and it's easy to see. The building gets to a certain height, then changes. From Incan to Colonial. We got to have a short look around before being ushered back onto the bus. Next stop, Moray. A series of concentric terraces, mixed with regular terraces that channeled water from the nearby mountains to irrigate all the terraces. A great sight, the Incas revolutionised agriculture. We only had 10-15min here as well before getting back on the bus and taking off again. We went to a small place called Maras, where we stopped at a shop again. Another quick demo where we got to try a few samples. This place sells salt and chocolate. There's no need to pressure Mel to buy when chocolate is involved and we walked out with a bit. Another short drive and we came to a salt mine. The water that runs out of these mountains into the valley is very salty. They channel it into drying pools, then harvest the salt when it's ready. Once again another fascinating place that we were given nowhere near enough time to visit. Back on the bus and off to a place called Urubamba for lunch. Not a bad feed, as usual I overdid it. Our next stop is Olantaytambo. We learnt it was a resting point for the journey to Machu Picchu. There are lots of terraces and a temple of the sun at the top. A water temple that is still flowing today and military buildings on the surrounding mountains. The military was able to stop anyone wanting to continue to Machu Picchu through the valley. Another amazing place with nowhere near enough time to visit. Back on the bus again and heading for our final spot. A place called Pisaq. We got there a little after 4pm. The gates close at 4:30 and we had to leave a little after 5. This place is bloody huge! There is so much to see here. Thousands of burial holes dug straight into the side of a mountain. Buildings and terraces all over. Hiking trails that take hours. This place was amazing to see, and we basically only got to see it from near the entrance. Why did we come here if only to get a sniff. Our guide says you need at least 5-6 hours to explore. I felt cheated, we'd used our tickets to get in for hardly more than 30mins. This place needs a full day tour of its own. It was still fascinating, but we barely scratched the surface. Time seemed to fly by, and we had to meet the guide back at the bus. What next? Our last demonstration. In the small town of Pisaq, where lots of jewellery is made. So another pushy souvenir stop. The jewellery shop owner delivered the talk in Spanish so we had no idea what was going on. We got to touch some rocks they mined near here, then we had what felt like forever to look around the shop. I admit it was beautiful jewellery, but that's not what I'm here for. The last stop of the day was a complete waste of our time, time that could have been spent up at the ruins. What we saw today, albeit briefly, was amazing and unique. I understand that people here need to make a living, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. Too much time looking at things made today, not enough time spent looking at things made centuries ago. We got dropped near our apartment and walked back. I made dinner and we went to bed a bit earlier. It was a long day.
26.11.2025. Today we let everyone sleep in. We went and got some more money and we are trying to organise another trip to Pisaq as we really want to explore it more. In the evening we went out to watch a cultural show. Peruvian music and dancing. We’d left the tickets at the apartment so I did the walk again, this time a bit quicker. The show was good. Nice costumes, good music. It only went for an hour, and felt like 20mins. We wandered back slower taking in the city at night. We gradually got quicker as the evening was a bit cooler. More things to do tomorrow.
27.11.2025. Today we're going back to Pisaq. We were picked up at the apartment at 7 and dropped at the entrance just before 8. We were the first “tourists” inside, it was pretty nice to have the whole place to ourselves, even for just a little while. This place is huge! Terraces up the mountains all over the place. Today we had a walk over to the cemetery. Holes dug in the side of the mountain, thousands of them. Our guide the other day said that you could see 2-3000 of them, but that the vegetation had covered lots more. He mentioned 20-25,000, spanning 3klms along the mountain. After the graves we walked to some buildings up a peak. The view was something else. Mountains with huge valleys in between. We walked across the top of a peak on a small path. Thankfully at some point they had installed a handrail. We continued until we found the religious area. Finer cut stones usually means you have found a temple. There was a spit of rock sticking up with stairs and rocks surrounding it. To me this was a place of worship. It was unfortunately roped off so we couldn't get too close to it. We found some water channels, carved hundreds of years ago, still working. The water came to a square in the middle of a small open area. This had ceremonial purposes, which I can only guess at. The water still ran to it and kept it filled. Here we looked around more. You could see the terraces we had already come past from a different point of view. This place must have been bustling in its day. We made our way down to the agricultural area, this was obviously a bit less visited as it looked a little less looked after. It looked out over most of the terraces and had storage rooms built. Our plan was to start at the top entrance and make our way through the whole site to the lower entrance, near the town. Most of our visit was over but we still had to cover quite a lot of ground to get down to the town. We walked past other buildings with sheer drop offs, and walked down LOTS of stairs as we made our way through the terraces. My knees don't like stairs, I'm gonna pay for this tomorrow. On the other side of the mountains near the town, we saw more terraces. They're everywhere! We got passed by some locals who were running down all the stairs, showoffs. I could do that too, if I wanted. I just don't fancy a visit to the hospital if I stuff up. Andrew ran down after them. It made me worried, but I shouldn't have been, he was fine and I can't keep him from doing things just because I worry what might happen. We made it to the town and found some lunch in the town square. After that we wandered over to the main road looking for transport back to Cusco. We were asked if we needed a taxi back to the top of Pisaq. Nope, we wanna go to Cusco. The guy pointed us in the right direction and for 5soles each we were on our way to Cusco. Now back in the apartment we rested. Tomorrow is another big day with another early start.
28.11.2025. Early start again, yay! Picked up and off we go. Today's adventure involves ATVs and the tallest mountain we will have been on yet. 7 colours mountain, a bit of a drive from Cusco. Our first stop was for breakfast, a buffet that was somewhat enjoyable. Back in the bus for another drive, this time up into the mountains where we got dropped off to get our ATVs. There was the option to do a 2hr hike up the mountain. We opted to go with ATVs, which still had a 30min hike. At 5000m above sea level it gets very hard to breathe. 30min sounded much better than 2hrs. It cost more but at least we had a chance of making it. The ATV ride wasn't long, but it sure was easy. We then started our hike. The guide had a bag with some emergency oxygen, so yeah we need to take this seriously. Emma seemed to have the most trouble with the altitude, so I stuck with her and helped her along the way. She had a few stops to catch her breath but she made it. I think she was proud of herself, I know I was proud of her. Mel had a bit of trouble but did it anyway. They're stubborn as a mule, but smell better. There was nothing that would have stopped them. Andrew is made for this sort of thing, he was the first up there and didn't show any signs of slowing down. He and I did the extra bit to the tippitty top to have a look around. The view was fantastic and we even had a little bit of snow fall on us. All around us were mountains and valleys, and I have now seen my first glacier. Far off a mountain is covered in snow, oh how we wished we could go there. We'd freeze of course but that doesn't stop you from wishing. We had to line up for a pic with the sign at the top with the mountain's name and height. Eh while we're here. We walked back down to where Mel and Em were, took a few more pics, then started to make our way back towards the ATVs. A quick ride back to the bus, then another longish bus trip back for some lunch. Lunch was at the same place, another buffet. Afterwards, back on the bus and headed back to Cusco. The day was done, we made our way back from being dropped at the main plaza. There's a little “shop” directly across from our apartment and they sell beer. Two bottles made their way through the door and Mel and I had a drink while we rested and I made dinner. What's on tonight's agenda? Packing and then sleep, as we have another bus tomorrow. We really enjoyed Cusco, we are leaving with still so much left to see. Goodnight.
KevBaca selengkapnya
Cusco & Machu Picchu by Andrew
23–30 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
On the 18th we took a bus from Puno to Cusco. When we got there we went shopping and then went to our hotel and went to sleep.
On the 19th we went on a walk through Cusco, we saw lots of murals and churches, it was interesting. Cusco also has lots of old Inkan walls (if you want to know the difference between Inca and Inka I will tell you in three sentences, not including this one) because it was the Inka capital until the Spanish invaded, now here’s some history on Cusco. Cusco was founded by Manco Cápac around 1200 CE, the city of Cusco was made in the shape of a puma but now that the city grew bigger, so it doesn’t look that way anymore. The Inkas believed that the sun god Inti made the first eight Inkas and they chucked a golden staff and where it landed they would make a city there, thus creating Cusco. The name Cusco came from either qosqo, which means 'dried-up lake bed' or cozco, a specific stone marker in the city. The difference between Inka and Inca is that Inka is the traditional and proper way to spell it but Inca is the way the Spanish spelt it and the English way to spell it. When we walked around the city we saw a Inkan wall that had a stone with twelve sides, it was cool but it was creating a walk-way block because so many people wanted to take a picture. After that we had ice-cream and then we went back home. At night we went out for a night time walk, it was nice, we looked out from a view point and it was beautiful, after that we went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
On the 20th we went to visit Sacsayhuaman, it’s another Inkan ruin. When we got there we walked up a hill and then bought tickets and went in. We went on a little walk first to see a view point, we could see for ages, after that we went to see the actual ruins. All the rocks where carved so they fit each other, it’s like a giant jig-saw puzzle, they brought all the rock from somewhere else and some of them weighed over 100 tonnes. After that we looked around a bit more and then we went back to Cusco and then went to a museum, the museum had two mummies. After that we went to the hotel and went to sleep.
On the 21st we took a train to Aguas Calientes, it’s a city near Machu Picchu, when the train got there we got off, went to our hotel, and put our stuff down, then we went out. Now before I get onto what we did I will tell you some information on Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu is actually the name of the mountain and the name means old peak. Machu Picchu has an elevation of 2350m, the city was a place where the royals would go during the winter so basically it was a winter holiday resort for the emperor. We booked a bus and then that bus took us up to Machu Picchu. When we got up there we showed our ticket and then went in, when we got in we saw Machu Picchu, it was humongous. We climbed up a ladder a bit and then we got to a view point and saw it even better. We got up to a point and then we went down and into the main area of Machu Picchu, the house where part ruined and there were a lot of rebuilt houses. There were also lots of terraces that they would do farming on, they grew potatoes and coca plants. There were also lots of drainage pipes and there was a long fountain thing that carried the water all the way down, we walked around a lot and saw everything we could, when we finished the track we went out took the bus down went to the hotel and went to sleep.
On the 22nd we took a bus back up to Machu Picchu and this time we were taking another path, when we got up there we went through the ticket place and went in. We walked around a bit looking at Machu Picchu and then we went to a trail to get to a higher point but we couldn’t go in because we didn’t have the right ticket. While we were walking we saw an animal that looked like a possum thing run a cross then jump down so we couldn’t see it. We did a bit of research and we think it was a Viscacha. After that we went back out and then instead of taking the bus down we did a hike down the mountain, it took us an hour and 15 minutes to get down but it was cool, when we got down we found a restaurant had some food then went to the hotel and went back to the hotel. In the afternoon we went out to have a look at the city we were staying in and then found a restaurant that had Jenga and chess. We played Jenga once (mum lost) and I played chess twice (first time against Emma and the second time against mum, I dusted them both). After that we went to the room and went to sleep.
On the 23rd we took a train to a certain point and then took a bus the rest of the way to Cusco, when we got there we went and had lunch at the market and it was pretty yum, I had meat empanadas. After that we went to a tour company and booked some tours then went back to the hotel, had a movie night and went to sleep.
On the 24th we went to do a tour, the tour was a zipline tour. When we got there we put our stuff on and then we to the first one, we were going to do four ziplines and one suspension bridge. The biggest was 700 meters long, the longest zipline that’s I’ve ever done was 1000 meters long so it doesn’t break my record. When we did the first one it was so cool, it brings back that feeling of happiness. I absolutely love the feeling, we walked a bit between ziplines but it was always worth it. At the end of the zipline tour there was a big swing (not as big as the one in Victoria falls), it was, dad thinks, 10-12 meters tall. I was the first to do it and I got strapped onto the swing then sat on a little platform and then the platform dropped. It was a little scary but amazing at the same time, dad did it next. Emma didn’t want to do it but made a deal with mum that if mum did it, Emma would have to do it (and if she didn’t do it, no kindle or computer for a month). Mum did it and screamed the whole way, Emma was up on the platform but was freaking out, I went up there completely to comfort her (I mainly went up there to have another go). She got strapped into the swing and then put on to the platform but she really didn’t want to go, how do I know? Because Emma was saying “no no no no” but she didn’t have the choice really because she was already on the platform strapped in and ready to drop. And then it dropped. Emma did a really high pitch scream on the first swing but then was quiet the rest of the way, when she got off she said she loved it and was very happy she did it. After that I got another go and then Emma got another go and then we went to back in the car and went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
On the 25th we went on a tour that would visit lots of stuff, the first thing we visited was a place called Chinchero. It’s a little town where one of the Inkas palaces used to be but when the Spanish came they destroyed most of it, we could still see a bit of it and it was interesting. After that we went to see Moray, it’s a big dip in the earth that the Inkas made lots of terraces on. The Inkas didn’t dig away the mountain to make terraces, they build the terraces on the mountain because they respected the mountains shape. After that we went to a salt mine that had thousands of pools where they would fill it up and then wait till it was dry and then collect the salt, it was incredible. After that we went to Ollantaytambo, it’s an Inkan place that was made for the royals as a stop on the way to Machu Picchu and to guard Mach Picchu, there were also lots of retaining terraces. At the top they had a sun temple and near the bottom there was a water temple. I really liked the water temple because there were lots of fountains and it was really interesting. After that we went back to the car and went to another place called Pisac, it had lots of stuff to see but we didn’t have much time. Pisac is yet another Inkan construction that has four areas and a lot of terraces, one of the areas is the military area, another is the religious area, the third is an agriculture area and the fourth is the living area. There were a lot of holes in the mountain where the Inkas put there dead, apparently there’s 20,000 but we can only see 2-3000 because most are covered by nature. After that we went back to the car and drove to Cusco, we went to our hotel and then went to sleep.
On the 26th we went out for breakfast and then came back to the hotel to do lots of blogging, we blogged all the way up to today and then we went out in the afternoon to go to a traditional dance show. When we got there we needed tickets and we had them, but they were still at the hotel, dad said he would go back and get them so dad went to get them. We waited a bit and then we saw dad coming back, we showed the tickets to the ticket person and went in. When we got in we found seats and then waited for the show to start. Then the light went dimmer and talking died away, then the curtains opened, there was a band with some instruments but no dancers. Then the band started playing it was pretty good music then about halfway through the song the dancers came out and it was really cool. They played a couple of songs and every time the dancers came out in a different costume, when the show ended we went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
On the 27th we went back to visit Pisac but first let me give you some facts. Pisac is named after a bird that lives in the area, Pisac is in the sacred valley and is next to the Urubamba river. The Inkas weren’t the first to build in that places the. The Lucre and Killke where there before them but the Inkas built the main bit. When we got in we walked around and looked at everything we could see, we went on a long walk through the hills to see another part of it. My favourite bit was where there was a fountain made by the Inkas that was still working, it was pretty long and there were rocks carved to make it flow. After that we walked a long way to get down but about three quarters of the way down we saw some other people coming down and they were running, so I tried running and it was easier. When I got down I waited for the rest of my family and then when they got down we took a van back to Cusco and then went to sleep.
On the 28th we went to the rainbow mountain, it is a mountain that has lots of different minerals on it so it looks rainbow. It is 5036 meters above sea level, so that’s the highest I’ve ever been in my life (besides planes). When we got there we took quads up most of the way and then we stopped and took a walking path the rest of the way, then after only a little bit of walking I saw something white. I ran towards it, is it, is it, IT WAS SNOW. I touched and it was cold, I soon regretted touching it because the wind was blowing and my fingers were cold. We walked for ages and Emma was struggling because there wasn’t that much oxygen but when we got to the top it was worth it. The rainbow mountain was awesome the colours were so cool and there were amazing views around. Me and dad climbed to the highest point and could see the mountain really well, from up there we could see some glaciers. After that we went back down the mountain and walked all the way back, then when we got there we took quads back the rest of the way. When we got there we took a van back to Cusco and then went to have dinner then went to sleep.
On the 29th we went on a bus all the way from Cusco to Lima and it was 24 hours, which means long. When we got there we went to the hotel and went to sleep.
Andrew (10 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Cusco & Machu Picchu by Emma
23–30 Nov 2025, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
On the 18th we took a bus from Puno to Cusco. The bus took six or seven hours to get there. Then we did shopping and went to bed.
On the 19th we walked in Cusco. There are murals everywhere. If you don’t know what murals are, they are paintings on walls. The Inkas (who conquered Cusco in the 12th century) considered Cusco as the navel of the world. Then we had ice cream. After that we walked around at night and looked at all the lights.
On the 20th we visited Sacsayhuaman. It was interesting. The walls were made so well that they only barely moved when earthquakes happened. They have carved the stones to fit each other perfectly. Sacsayhuaman means satisfied eagle in Quechua. There were big rocks that looked like toothpaste being squeezed out. It wasn’t my favourite, but it was still interesting. Then we went to a small museum.
On the 21st we took a train to Aguas Calientes. It took four hours to get there. We found our hotel and settled in. Then we had lunch. After that we waited in line for the bus to Machu Pichu. We did circuit number 2. We mainly saw the outside, but it was still a nice view. When Hiram Bingham the third, found Machu Picchu in 1911, he thought he had found the lost city of the Incas. He was looking for a city known as, drum roll please, Vilcabamba. The real Vilcabamba is now believed to have be built in a jungle 50 miles away from Machu Picchu.
It was a beautiful view just looking over the ruins. One thing I really liked was how well the rocks interlocked with each other. It was magnificent. Then we had dinner out and went to bed.
On the 22nd we went to Machu Picchu. We did circuit number 3 this time. It was cool. This time we were more on the inside. We trekked back down after we visited Machu Picchu. It took one hour and fifteen minutes. We were walking through trees. There were lots of plants. There was also a dog that when whenever a bus went by, it would chase the tire. Then when we got down, we had lunch. Then in the evening we had dinner and played a few board games.
On the 23rd we took the train back to Cusco. We had lunch at the market. It was nice food. We booked tours for the following days. Then movie night and bed.
On the 24th we did ziplines. I went with somebody on every one of them. It was really fun. It was like being a bird. Then we did a swing. Andrew did it and then dad. I did not want to do. Then me and mum made a deal. Mum would do it but then I had to do it. I agreed. I did regret the deal when I was getting clipped in. so you got clipped in and then you sit on a platform. Then the platform drops. It was awesome. Then we went home and did blog.
On the 25th we did a day tour. The first stop was interesting. They showed us how you make colours out of natural stuff. Then we went to Chincheros. It was built by the Incas. When the Spanish invaded, they added stuff on. After that we visited Moray. Round terraces. With steps so you can go up or down. Then we saw salt mines. Lots of them. They were collecting salt while we were there. Then we had lunch. After that we saw Ollantaytambo. It was on a hill, so we had to climb fast, plus we only had 35 minutes. There was a sun temple at the top and a water temple at the bottom. The people that lived there, only had one God, but they thank the sun and the moon for some reason. Then we saw Pisac. It was also on a hill, but since we were very rushed, we only saw a little bit of it.
On the 26th we did blog in the morning and went to see a dance show in the evening. The dancers kept changing into different costumes every time.
On the 27th we visited Pisac again but for the whole day this time. Pisac is named after a bird you can see there. We climbed up a lot of stairs to reach some houses at the top of the hill. It took a little bit. On the way down mum freaked out a bit because we were going down steep stairs. But in the end, it was a good day.
On the 28th we went to the rainbow mountain. First, we took quads for 45 minutes then we hiked 30 minutes. Riding the quad was fun. On the way up me and Andrew played with a bit with snow cause there was some on the track. The rainbow mountain was over 5000 meters above sea level. It was really hard to breathe, but it was still an amazing view.
On the 29th we took a bus from Cusco to lima.
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Our last couple of days in Lima, Peru.
30 Nov–3 Des 2025, Peru ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
This will be our last blog from Peru.
We arrived back in Lima on the 30th of November after 24 hours in a bus. Last bus trip: I think we won’t miss that too much!
We got to our new place in Barranco. Nice apartment. We did our regular settle in and shopping.
We had an very early start again the next day, so bed early.
On Monday the 1st of December, we got the visit of our Christmas elf, Willow. We were not sure if he will be able to find us, but he did! The kids were extremely happy.
The excitation couldn’t last too long, as we had to get dressed quickly and go wait for the bus to pick us up a bit before 5am.
We were going on a day tour, our last one is South America. The tour started with a couple of hours drive south of Lima. We stopped for breakfast (not included in the price, and it was pricey and pretty average. Anyway…). After that we took a boat toward the Ballestas island. We saw several cool animals. The most exciting was pinguins!!! It was one of the animals, the kids really wanted to see this year and now we did! They were Humbolt pinguin, small species but super cute! We saw a few and it was awesome. Lots of birds, some brown footed boobies (we saw the blue footed boobies in the Galapagos), some ‘star fish’ in shape of sun (not quite sure about this one!). It was a nice tour: we were on the boat for a couple of hours included the time to get there and back. There was also a big carving on a hill which has been there for thousand of years. Nobody is sure exactly when and why it was made. They call it the candelabra, but it looks more like a cactus to me. It is 170m tall, 60m wide so visible from pretty far. It pointed toward more lines made in the ground, the Nascar lines (which we didn’t have the time to see), so maybe it is to indicate direction. I’m not sure we will ever know.
After that, we went to visit the oldest vinery still operating in the America. They grow grapes, but don’t make wine, they make Pisco, the alcohol of Peru. It is a transparent alcohol pretty strong. You can drink it straight or in cocktail (Pisco sour is great). We had lunch there and then visited the place and did some tasting. It was interesting, even if the visit felt a bit rushed.
Back in the bus direction the Huacachina Oasis in the Atacama Desert, the dryest desert in the world. It used to be a natural oasis but is now artificial. I have to admit, that naively, I was picturing something more natural: a lake with nature around it… well there was a lake, with a few trees around, but not really a natural feeling. There is several restaurants and souvenir shops with a build ground (not sand). It was not exactly what I was expecting. Don’t get me wrong, there are dunes all around the oasis, but yeah. We went in the dunes to do a buggy tour. It is sold as an adrenaline tour, and it was! The driver drove in the dunes, pretty fast and up and down and sideways and scarily!! I don’t know if I am getting old, but I start to see a lot of danger everywhere! All I could think off, was we are going to flip over! Kev and the kids loved it. Emma especially was screaming from joy! I was not! But well, the other 3 loved it so! We stopped on top of a big dune to do some sand boarding. That was way more fun! As always Andrew was the first one to want to do it. That kid has no fear. Emma, as often was more hesitant. I had to do my trick of ‘if I do it, you do it too’. And it worked and she loved it. We did 2 dunes, the second one, much bigger than the first one, but still pretty fun. We had sand everywhere after though!!
After that we drove to another point to have a picnic facing the sunset. It was really nice.
One thing I liked, it that from the top of the dunes, you could see the Andes in the far distance. It was a really nice view.
We got back to our place around 11pm and it was a long day, but well worth it.
The next day, we took it easy in the morning, then went to the beach in Lima, as the kids asked to do that. They love playing on the beach and building castles.
We also tried to find some warm clothes, as we are heading to Canada next and it is going to be cold. We got Emma a jumper as she is the one with less warm clothes. But we don’t want to spend a fortune on that as we won’t use it back in Australia. We will wear layers and see when we get there.
For our last evening in South America, we decided to treat ourselves and Kev found a restaurant which looked nice. And it was. We had good food and several great cocktail with Pisco in it. We played a few board games as well. One of the deserts had a sauce with pisco infused something in it and the kids pretended to be drunk. It was a fun evening!
I will do a sum up of my feeling about Peru. There are amazing place to see here. Truly magical. Obviously Machu Picchu is fantastic to visit, but there are also other Inka sites to visit, a lot less known, that are also very worth it.
Try to avoid tours if you can. Learn Spanish, it makes your life so much easier as not a lot of people speak English here. If you speak Spanish, you can organise taxi to take you places instead of booking through tours, which are often rushed and/or trying to get you to buy a lot of extra things.
For me some of the highlights were: Chachapoyas in the north of Peru, a true gem with a lot to do and see. Arequipa is also a not to miss city, with amazing historical monuments to visit.
The Lake Titicaca was great with the floating island, but I think maybe there were better cities that Puno, around the lake to settle and visit the lake.
The food in Peru did not blew me away. We found some good food, but nothing that I will remember as the best meal ever. On top of that, there was not a lot of vegetarian options, which evidently was an issue for me. I ate a lot of tortilla de verdure (vegetable omelette).
I would love to come back to South America to visit more countries. I will learn some Spanish first though. There are so many more places to see here!
Mel
29.11.2025. Another bus trip today, another overnight one. We're heading back to Lima for the last part of our Peru trip. Around 24hrs later we arrived. Still tired, a bit hungry and completely over buses. There's not much more to say, except it's now the 30th and I don't have to do that blog as it's included in this one. We got to our room, went for a walk and got some food. This place has a washing machine so we got stuck into that. Dinner was made and had, then off to bed early. We have a full day tour booked tomorrow.
1.12.2025. The alarm went off at about 4am. Get up and get dressed. Head down to be picked up for the day. The bus was later than they had told us, so we stood outside for almost 30mins. Finally on the bus and off. We're heading to a little coastal town called Paracas. First stop was for breakfast, not included. Way too expensive for eggs and toast, they obviously saw tourists coming. Now we're off to get in a boat and go see some marine life. The first 40mins was just getting out to an island off the coast. Once there we saw what we'd been hoping to see. Little penguins up on the rocks. An animal we had not managed to see anywhere else on our trip. It wasn't the hugest colony of penguins but it was really cool to see them. The kids were really excited. There were also grey footed boobies, cousins to the blue footed variant we saw in the Galapagos. There were a few sea lions and many other birds flying around. The islands themselves were interesting as there were arches or holes through lots of them. These islands are not volcanic, like the Galapagos, but rather have been pushed up long ago. The guide said that they were now slowly sinking. That maybe in a few million years they would be under the sea again. On our way back we stopped and looked at a Nasca line, carved into the rock on the coastline. They call this one the candelabra, but it's obviously a cactus. They didn't even have candelabras back then, C'mon. It's 170m high, 60m wide and carved deep into the rock. It was pretty impressive. After we docked we got back on the bus and headed for the next stop. A place called Pisco, where we will be having lunch. Thankfully lunch is included. Pisco is the national drink in Peru, and we are stopping at Peru's oldest still operating Vineyard. Correction, the oldest still operating Vineyard in the Americas. Pisco is distilled from fermented grapes, so there's fields of grapes growing all over the place. In the desert mind you, growing grapes in the desert. Part of the Atacama desert to be precise. From the coast you can see the Andes mountains. Water flows from the mountains and they use this and underground aquifers to water all the crops. The Spanish first grew grapes here centuries ago, but the grapes had too much sugar to make good wine. They worked out they could distill the highly alcoholic wine and make Pisco. So that's what they do. After a decent lunch we got a fairly brief tour of the facility, followed by a quick tasting. Pisco is not bad, I prefer it mixed into a sour. A usual visit through the gift shop then back onto the bus for our next stop. An oasis in the desert called Huacachina. It started as a natural oasis but is now kept full by artificial means. We were fitted for helmets, then marched up the sand to hop into a “dune buggy”. Gutted and modified 4wds basically. We had a quick blast over some dunes, then stopped near the top of some dunes. Photo opportunity time, people posing with the dunes or on top of the buggies. We did our usual selfie and the kids had to get into the action and climbed onto top of the buggy. Now it was time for sand boarding. Andrew was keen as. Emma did her usual “not sure I will wanna do this” bit. It's getting a bit old now. Getting over having to convince Em to do something and then she loves it. We all went down without issue. It's super easy, and pretty fun, but over in a matter of seconds. Once everyone was down, we walked over to the next dune to slide down. Ah the first was just a warm up. The next one is at least twice the size. Andrew did his usual thing and was right behind the guide. So he went second, after the guide. Lots of people thought he was brave, but I know the truth. The boys a lunatic! After we'd all done our second dune we got back in the buggy and roared off again. We stopped where a picnic had been set up. We all got out and found a spot. We had some wine and a selection of snacks, while watching the sunset. Back into the buggy and off back to the Oasis. I had to shake sand out of everywhere. Then back on the bus for a 4hr ride back to Lima. We got back a bit before midnight, had a very quick shower and put the kids to bed. It was a fun day, even if more than half of it was spent on a bus. Time for bed.
2.12.2025. Slow start today, then off to the beach. We'd promised the kids that we'd go to the beach to have a play. Even after being there for over 2.5hrs, they still hadn't had enough. We had stuff to do so we had to leave. We walked back and the kids showered and got ready to go out again. We went and got Emma a jumper for Canada, it's not gonna be enough but it's a start. After that we walked to a restaurant that I had found called Republica del Pisco. It has good reviews, craft beer and supposedly good food. They had two beers on tap, and I was interested in having a go at both of them. When I ordered however, I was told they had neither of them at the moment. Excellent. I opted for a Republica sour instead. A unique take on a whiskey sour, this one using the juice of 4 different berries, and Pisco, with some of the dried fruits sprinkled on top. Pretty bloody good. Dinner was huge, I didn't feel I needed to finish the kids plate. I still did of course. A couple more drinks, desert for the others and our last night in Peru was done. Onto our next country tomorrow.
Kev
This is my sum-up on Peru, in this sum-up I will talk about the highlights of Peru. The main thing to see in Peru is Inkan ruins and the main Inkan ruin is Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu was really cool, there was so much to see and it was so big. Another highlight is Sacsayhuaman, the rocks where so cool, they were all cut to fit together. Yet another highlight is when we saw penguins, they were really cool and we also saw some dive into the water. Another really cool experience is when we went sand boarding, we went so fast and it was so cool, we were sand boarding in the Atacama desert. To round it all up, I liked Peru, it’s been nice, would I come back? Yes, but the next country is Canada (and then after that JAPAN (Mum edit: in a couple of years though!!!)).
Andrew (10years old)
This blog is about the highlights of Peru. I enjoyed Peru a lot. I know how lucky I am to see Machu Picchu. I loved going on ziplines. I loved going sandboarding. It was cool to see the rainbow mountain. It was absolutely awesome to go in the buggy and ride on the sand dunes. We saw penguins IN THE WILD and not in a stinking zoo. We also saw a condor. I would like to come back to Peru. I got sick of rice, and I am sure mum did to because that is basically all they had. I feel for you, mum (Mum edit: Thank you sweetheart!).
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Unplanned night in Bogota
3–4 Des 2025, Kolombia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
As our plane from Lima to Bogota was delayed, we missed our connection flight to Toronto. The airline company put us in a hotel with dinner, breakfast and lunch paid for. We got a flight the next day to Toronto.
We were expecting an average room and food and were pleasantly surprised with the room and the quality of food. We had a good time meeting with a Canadian, Darren, who were in the same situation than us.
We didn't have time to visit Bogota, but I am adding this stop, so it will show on our map from our travel!Baca selengkapnya
Toronto & Niagara Falls, Canada by Mel
4–12 Des 2025, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
We are in Canada!!!
We arrived here on Thursday, the 4th of December, which was our 11 months anniversary on the road. We flew from Bogota to Toronto and arrived late at night.
We are going to spend the next few days at Triin and Rodrigo’s place. I meet Triin when I arrived in Australia backpacking, something like 13 years ago I think! We caught up a few times since (in France and in Australia). When I realised she was living in Canada, we had to visit! So here we are!
We are extremely lucky as the kids wanted to see snow (one of the reasons we are in Canada) and it is snowing!! Which also means it is cold!!! We have some clothes, but nothing warm enough, so we’ll do some clothes shopping in the next few days.
Friday, we did some grocery shopping. We also decorate the Christmas tree!! The kids were very happy to have a tree to decorate this year. Lots of light and decoration. It was super fun! We spent the rest of the day catching up.
Saturday, we visited Niagara Falls. This is the world’s biggest waterfall in volume of water. We saw the world’s widest waterfall (Victoria falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe). Now we have to see the tallest one, which is Angel Falls in Venezuela (it will have to be another trip though!).
Niagara Falls is pretty impressive, but I think I prefer Victoria Falls. Niagara Falls is right in the middle of the city, surrounded by constructions. Don’t get me wrong, the fall is beautiful. I liked the horseshoe shape of it. It is also fun to see the USA on the other side. But Victoria Falls is so huge and surrounded with nature: I found it more majestic. We walked around the fall, but it was very cold and we didn’t have warm shoes, so the kids got frizzing very quickly. We had to go inside a few shops to warmed up.
The kids had fun playing in the snow and with some of the frozen ice. But yeah, it is cold!!! I really enjoyed seeing plants and grass frozen. It is truly beautiful.
Near the fall, there is a street full of fun things to do and restaurants. We had lunch there: I tried the traditional poutine, a traditional Canadian dish, made of chips, cheese and gravy sauce. It was not my favourite, I have to admit! But I tried it!
Then we visited the ‘Believe it or not’ museum, which had a lot of surprising or incredible artifacts and stories. It was interesting and fun. For me the piece who impressed me the most, was a piece of the Berlin wall. The emotions and history linked to that piece were very strong: sadness, hope, togetherness and hard time all in one.
At nighttime, the falls are lit up with a lot of colours and that was very pretty.
The next day, we visited the village at Black Creek. It is a reconstructed village from the early 19th century. They have shops, houses, hotel, school, mill and more. There are also people showing the trades that was use at the time: we saw a tin maker, a leather worker, the people running the shop and post office. The houses were decorated with Christmas tree and decorations from the time, handmade and very crafty. It was interesting, fun and interactive.
We also visited Santa! It is a very worthwhile visit if you are in the area.
On the way back, the kids had fun doing some angel in the snow! They have been dreaming of doing that for a while! But as it is very cold, we went to a second-hand shop to get some better jacket, shoes, beanies and gloves! It is necessary!
Monday, we visited 2 of the things to do in Toronto. First we went to the aquarium: it doesn’t matter how many aquariums we visit, the kids still love it. The Toronto aquarium is very good. There are a lot to see there. My favourite was the axolotls, there are so cute! There is a massive tunnel where sharks, turtles and fish swim above your head. There are a lot of different tanks with beautiful fish, jellyfish, aquatic plants. It is another place very worth the visit.
Then we went to the CN Tower, which held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years, from 1975 until 2007, when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.
It is 553.3m high and was finished in 1976. There is a see-through floor which I had to step on with my eyes closed, then opened them while holding someone’s hand! I still don’t like heights! The kids, Kev and Triin had no issues! They had fun laying down and taking selfies! The views from the top are amazing. You can see the whole city. We stayed until after the sunset to see the city lighting up. During this trip, I enjoyed nature scenery immensely, but I also really enjoyed city views. There is beauty in both and I am very lucky to have seen so many this year.
We came back home to have a ceviche night, made by Rodrigo and it was delicious!
Tuesday the 9th, we visited Casa Loma, the largest private residence built in Canada. It was built from 1911 to 1914 for Sir Henry and Mary Pellatt, a Canadian financier and his wife who developed the girl guides in Canada. Sir Henry Pellatt develop hydro-electricity in Toronto and had many other successful businesses. He gave a lot of his money to good causes. He seemed to have been a good rich person. When the Toronto government decided to take over the electric company he built, he lost a lot of his fortune and finish is life living quietly. His castle and everything inside was sold. During world war 2, the basement was used to develop sonar and war equipment for espionage. The castle was left vacant for a while. It is now a tourist destination, after a 15 years restoration project was made by the city of Toronto.
It was a highlight for me. The rooms are beautiful, the furniture is amazing and the history of the place make it special. As it is Christmas time, they have Christmas tree in almost every rooms. They also decorate the tunnel under the house, which goes to the hunting lodge, and you can meet Santa and take pictures with him. They had singing reindeer and also a small was museum and a small vintage car collection. I highly encourage you to visit the place when you are in Toronto.
We spent the evening at a Japanese buffet restaurant: it was a eat as much as you want place… The kids had their fill of sushi!!! Emma a bit too much! Andrew even had a small belly after that, which never happened!
Wednesday, we visited the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). It is a massive museum! There are several exhibitions. We visited the evolution part: where we could see the evolution of earth, of animals, of plants… it was interactive, which is so much more interesting (for the kids and us). We saw dinosaurs, animals, rocks coming for meteorites (that we could touch)… and much more. It was a really enjoyable museum. It is a museum which need several days to visit properly.
After the museum, we went to the Christmas market in the distillery district of Toronto. I was a bit disappointed as I was thinking about the European version of Christmas markets, where you can find a lot of trinkets and decoration and things. In Toronto, it was mainly food (expansive at that). We did get some Christmas drinks: mine was whisky with warm cider and spice, pretty yummy! The kids got donuts, hot chips and crepes. The place looked nice, with a lot of lights and decorations. Just not enough cute trinkets for my liking!
Thursday was the kids favourite: schoolwork day! We took it easy, did some blog and schoolwork and pack! We are on the move again tomorrow.
It was so nice to Triin again and meet Rodrigo. We had a great time at their place and are very grateful for the stay. I’m sure we’ll see each other again somewhere in the world!
We rented a car and we are driving to Montreal (near it) to visit my cousin, Roxane, her partner Kevin and their daughter, Savannah. It will be our very last stop this year. The next time we move, it will be to go home, back to Australia.
See you in Montreal.
MelBaca selengkapnya
Cc a tous,super beau cette nature, c'est impressionnant la cascade 😯,bisous a tous 😘 [Dada]
Toronto & Niagara Falls, Canada by Kev
4–12 Des 2025, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
3.12.2025. It's different country day!! Bags have been packed, food has been used or chucked and we're ready to go. We're out the front of the building trying to flag down a taxi. We're having no luck, so Mel organised an uber. Picked up and we're off. Yay we're going to Canada! At the airport, we had the usual issues. The kiosks that are supposed to help speed things up and allow the airport to employ less people, didn't work. After 2 internal errors, we only had 1 bag tag and 2 of our 8 boarding passes. So naturally, we had to seek assistance from an actual person. This also seemed incredibly slow. They probably have to train people again since all the auto machines are shit. Right we're through, another stamp in the passport and security is behind us. The time came, and went, sort of. It took ages for boarding. In the first 10-15mins, I reckon about that many people got on the plane. Once everyone was on and we actually took off, we were 45mins late. We have a little over an hour to make our next flight in Bogota, so we'll need to let it. Unless the plane makes up time in the air of course. It didn't, we landed 45-50mins late. Mel had spoken to an attendant and had mentioned our connection. He moved us further ahead in the plane, so we could get off sooner. He also said that, yeah you'll make your next flight no worries. A guy spoke up behind us in the aisle. Asked if we had a connection to Toronto at 4:15. Yep we do. Nah, ya don't. He’d just gotten an email saying his next flight had been rebooked for the same time tomorrow. Mel checked their phone, yep we have that email. We still had time, maybe we could make it. We took off towards connecting flights with our new friend Darren, a British bloke who now lives in Canada. We hit a hurdle at security. Our bags got pulled aside for inspection. Mel and Darren headed to the gate to see what could be done, while the kids and I played “guess what you're losing today” with a grumpy looking security lady. We lost our last bottle of insect repellent, no great loss and she had to empty our water bottles. Quick, grab all our crap and let's go. We hurried towards the gate, knowing full well we were running a losing race. We met Mel half way and walked back towards the gate. I was seething, I've never missed a flight yet. Avianca has made the “no fly” list. All we had to do now was line up and reorganise things. The two guys behind the counter have the best job in the airport, no stress, probably a fair and equitable wage, and a long line of smiling people who need to have an international flight reorganised. Long story short, sorta, we have the same flight just for tomorrow. They are shuttling us to a paid hotel, with dinner, breakfast and lunch included, then shuttling us back again. It's probably gonna be the shittest hotel in the history of hotels. All we have to do now is go back past security to immigration, get a stamp so we can enter Columbia and get going. We got dropped at a pretty decent looking hotel. We went in and went up to our room. It's big enough for all of us and is pretty comfy. We'd agreed to meet up with Darren for dinner, so we got ready and went upstairs. There were a few options on the menu, one of which was a vegetarian option for Mel. The food was really good, better than anything we'd get on a plane. Mel and the kids went to bed while I stayed for a few beers and a chat. In the morning we went down for breakfast, then back up so we could catch up on blogging. Mel wanted to explore Bogota, but we didn't have enough time. We had lunch later and then headed back to the airport. Just so you know, it's the 4th now. Its a multi day blog again. We arrived back at the airport, and since we didn't have to check in or get boarding passes or anything, we had time to spare. We had some bloody expensive coffee's, then sat at the gate. We almost boarded on time and only took off slightly late. I got sat next to an old bloke from Canada and his missus for the flight. He enjoyed a good chat, and I got some info on Canada. Finally, we landed. We're in our next, and last country. Which seems surreal. After travelling for so long, it seems weird that it is coming to an end. We disembarked and went in search of our baggage. First thing though, jeez it's cold. That's just the tunnel thing between the plane and building, not the actual outside. Next stop, immigration control. Oh great, lots of automated machines, here we go again. Scanned the passports, made declarations and got a print out. That's it? It worked and that's it? That can't be it! We walked over to a guy near an exit and handed him the paper. He gave it a glance, asked a few quick questions and struck a mark on the paper with a pen. “Welcome to Canada” he says. What the hell, where am I? I seem to have fallen into another dimension where everything not only works but is actually really easy. Mel said “we don't get a stamp”? If you want one go see that guy over there, he says as he points at a booth. Which we did. Not gonna come all this way not to get a bloody stamp. The guy asked the same questions, gave us a stamp and said welcome to Canada again. That's it, we're in. Holy crap, how easy was that? Next stop, go and get the bags. They'd not been lost along the way thankfully, and we immediately got some clothes out. Here we said goodbye to Darren, he'd gotten his bag before us and was pretty keen to get going. We'd had a hotel booked in Toronto for the night before and were going to do that again, but our friend we're staying with said just come over. So that's what we did. We arrived, put the kids in bed, had a chat and went to bed ourselves.
5.12.2025. Our first proper day in Canada. We had breakfast with our hosts and caught up some more. We went and grabbed some food from the supermarket and a bottle of wine to share. We wanted Canadian wine, but there wasn't a lot of choice. It also only came in 1.5lt bottles. Oh alright then. We headed back and got a little more organised. Triin and Rodrigo had put off putting up and decorating their tree so the kids could help. It was very kind and the kids really enjoyed it. The kids had their first proper play in the snow and snowball fight. More adventures tomorrow.
6.12.2025. Rodrigo took off early today to pick up a rental car. Today we're headed for Niagara Falls. We had a stop at Tim Hortons, a massive chain shop here that sells coffee and everything sweet. For the next two hours we were on the road, headed for our destination. We arrived and parked. Once we had put on all our warm clothes, some bigger jackets were thankfully donated to us by Triin, we headed off. Still cold, Mel and I bought beanies. These made a difference. We walked along the river and up to the falls. Impressive, but not as big as I thought they would be. There was a boat down in the mist of the falls, full of people who wanted to get a closer look. I was asked if I wanted to do that. Nope, I can see it pretty good from here! The kids' shoes were a little wet from playing in the snow and they were getting cold. Triin took them inside a shop to dry them under the blower in the toilets, while Mel and I looked for thicker socks in the shop. Once everything was dry and warm again, we went back out until it. We stopped at a restaurant for a late lunch, then afterwards visited “Ripley's believe it or not”. Lots of interesting things in here, both to look at and to read. Another stop at a fudge shop, then back to the car for the return journey.
7.12.2025. We had a slow start again as last night was a late finish. After lunchtime we walked over to Pioneer Village. A themed period place showing how they used to live. We visited the Tin Smith and leather workshop. Then the school and finally had a visit with Santa. All the people here are very knowledgeable and incredibly nice. It was a great visit, but there isn't enough time to see it all properly. After another day out in the cold, everyone's feet were cold again, so afterwards we went to a cheap shop to get our own gear. A singlet and an extra shirt isn't gonna cut it when you're talking minus degrees. We got sorted out with a mix and match variety of clothes. I may not be colour coordinated but at least I'm warm, ish. Now we all have good boots, so no more cold feet.
8.12.2025. Heading out today with Triin. Rodrigo has to work so he'll miss all the fun. We're catching the tram then the underground into the city. We're all very happy to have our own warm clothes, especially some warm boots. First stop today is the aquarium. Most of the previously stated warm clothes were removed, and henceforth carried around by yours truly. We have been to some pretty cool aquarium's on our travels, and this one didn't disappoint. We saw everything, it even had a reptile section. There's a few tunnels through a huge tank and some Goliath gropers in their own part. It is well worth the visit. Next stop was for food as both kids were fading fast. Onto the next attraction, the CN Tower. Standing at 553m, it was the world's tallest free standing structure from 1976 until 2007. While it has a rotating restaurant and various other tourist stuff, it was originally built to provide reliable television and radio signals to Toronto. We stayed up in the tower until sunset, which is just after 5pm here, so not that long really. We took the elevator back down and wandered back out into the cold. Afterwards we headed back to Train's, where Rodrigo had been busy making Ceviche. He's Chilean, and Ceviche is one of their main dishes. Prawn, onions, vinegar, lemon, coriander and lots of tomato. It was bloody fantastic!
9.12.2025. Today is castle day. To be more specific, Canada's only castle, apparently. Paid for by one Sir Henry Pallet. Lots of money and rock, turned into 98 rooms and an underground tunnel to the stable/greenhouse. Apparently he argued with the government of the time, wanting to close the noisy road near the castle and be able to just walk to his stables. They said no, so he had a tunnel built under the road. Ah, the things you can do when you have money. The castle looks relatively new, not surprisingly, at 100 years old, it's still wearing a diaper. There was an aerial show with a lady displaying her acrobatics. A movie downstairs about the original owners, and the tunnel, which was the best bit. The tunnel has been decorated all Christmassy. There's TVs showing elves working, with Santa behind. Animatronic reindeer and singing and playing instruments. It leads into a garage with some vintage cars, and, the best bit. Santa! He's back there with a few helpful elves. You can pay for a printed picture, or they're happy for you to just take your own pics. Kids had a long chat with the old bloke, Andrew especially. He had a long list of what he wants this year. A phone or/and a trebuchet, yeah right! There's even a cafe here. We grabbed something quick and cheapish, then moved on. Once we were outside, we saw it was snowing. The kids, with their new “Canada” appropriate clothing, had a play and made snow angels. Our next destination for the day is to meet Rodrigo and Triin at a sushi restaurant that they like. We rode the underground and got off at a station close to the restaurant. When I say close, I mean Canada close. They have as much land as we do in Aus, so it was a 40min walk. By the time we got there the kids were cold and tired and annoying and over it and sooky and testing me and almost got chucked into traffic. We walked further in India, and that was 45°c. All was forgotten once we arrived at the restaurant. A sushi buffet, all you can eat for $40. I was full, Emma made herself sick, Andrew actually had a belly and Mel was the best behaved of us all. I really like pickled seaweed, and almost ate a kelp forrest myself. Throw in a couple of beers and I am done. When I heard buffet sushi, I thought, don't get your hopes up, it'll probably be crap. It was quite good. Once we were all done, we made our way back and went straight to bed.
10.12.2025. The temperature was perfect this morning. Perfect for what I hear you ask? Perfect for snowmen of course. The kids and Triin made one each. Then Andrew karate kicked his into oblivion. Our main visit for the day is the ROM, Royal Ontario Museum. A massive museum, absolutely chocker block with interesting stuff. We talked to an old fella downstairs, Gary, who gave us some info. He showed us some dinosaur bones and we all touched a lump of meteorite that was older than the earth itself. What a start to a visit! There were rooms full of dinosaur bones. What blew my mind was the skeleton of an ancient land sloth. It was the size of a LandCruiser. There was a fascinating room full of information about where we came from, well where all life on earth came from. The last room we visited was ancient Egypt, because Andrew wanted to see it. We could have days wandering around, but we were limited as we had another place to go. So regrettably, we left the museum. Our next place for entertainment is the Christmas markets in the distillery district. It's a bit far so we hopped back on the underground for a few stations. Thankfully tonight is free entry, which seems ridiculous considering you are coming here to spend money. Why not fleece you for some more, it seems to be the Canadian way. The place was set up nicely, though I think it is run completely by one company. A pub right in the middle of the whole show. When I checked the bank accounts later I saw all the money went to the same place, even though we bought from a few different places. Except of course, for some hot sauce I bought. I went in just for a look around, but after I saw there was free tasting, I thought why not. I tried a few of their sauces, which gradually got hotter and hotter, finishing with one that had Carolina reapers and ghost peppers in it. After that I went in search of something to cool off with. A beer was bought and Mel got something with cream on top and spices. We enjoyed having a look around. The wind was picking up and even with all my new gear, I was getting cold. We hit a few more shops, more food stuff than anything else, then walked back to the underground and headed back. It was a long, but good day.
11.12.2025. The kids stayed with Triin and Rodrigo, while Mel and I went and picked up our rental car. We had planned on driving to Montreal after picking it up, but had decided to leave tomorrow morning. We got back and said goodbye to Triin, she was leaving for Europe that evening so we wouldn't see her again. We packed our bags for tomorrow and I made dinner. A long drive tomorrow, so off to bed.
KevBaca selengkapnya
Cc a tous ⛸️ mdr vos photos avec les bataille de neige ❄️. jaime vous voire heureux,bis 😘 [Dada]
Toronto & Niagara Falls by the kids
4–12 Des 2025, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
On the 4th we took a flight from Bogota to Toronto, Toronto is the capital city of Ontario in Canada with 2.6 million people and an area of 630 km2. Toronto has many attractions including CN tower (the 6th tallest free-standing structure in the world), the Royal Ontario museum and Niagara falls (the falls that has the most water going over it per second). When we got there we went to Triin (one of mum’s friend) and Rodrigo’s (her partner) house, and then we went to sleep.
On the 5th we did some shopping and since we were in Canada there was snow. Me and Emma played around in the snow, we also had a small snow ball fight, it was awesome. When we got back home Triin and Rodrigo had been very kind and not put up the Christmas tree so we could do it with them, when we put it up there was a lot of lights on it, it was pretty. After that we went to sleep.
On the 6th we went to see Niagara falls, it was an hour drive from where we were. When we got there we drove through a street that had lots of cool shops and haunted houses and a museum that was about weird stuff. When we found parking we parked there and then walked a bit to get to Niagara falls, when I first saw it, it was amazing, it was so big and there was lots of mist coming up in front of it. We walked a bit more to get closer and there was lots of people everywhere and it was pretty cold but it was worth it, the water fall was even cooler up close. After a while we went back that street that had all the cool stuff and had lunch. After lunch we went to the museum that had all the weird stuff and it was interesting, after that we went back home and went to sleep.
On the 7th we went to pioneer village it is a set up that looks like the settler villages that the settlers used when they first arrived in Canada. When we got there we went in and it was awesome they had a tinsmith (someone who works on tin) and somebody who works on horse equipment (I don’t know their name). We walked around some more and we saw some animals, a school, and a water mill, it was really interesting. The people there really knew what they were talking about and I really liked it. After that we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 8th we went to an aquarium. It’s a very big aquarium with lots of stuff in it, so I was excited. When we got in the aquarium we looked around, there were a lot of fish in it and I like fish, so I spent a lot of time in there. We saw some really big Grouper and some huge sharks, there was also an axolotls. We also got to touch some stingrays in a touch pool thing, they felt really soft and slimy, there was a person in there with toys and the sting rays were playing with them, it was awesome. After that we walked a little to get to CN tower, when we got there we showed our ticket and then we went in. To get up to the top of Cn tower we needed to go up on a glass walled elevator and we all know mum doesn’t like heights, but mum did it (they didn’t look out much). When we got up there it was a really good view, but mum did really good and braved it, they walked around fine till we got to a place where they had glass floor. Mum didn’t want to go on it at first but they were really brave and they went on it (with their eyes closed), after that we walked around a bit more looking down at stuff and then we went back to the elevator and took it back down. When we got down we walked around Toronto looking at stuff, it was cool. When we were done we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 9th we went to casa loma, it’s a castle that housed the Pellatts, a very rich family who lived in the 20th century. There is a big entrance hall in the castle and a lot of little rooms everywhere, we walked around and saw that they where actually pretty nice since they were made in the 1900s. After a while we went down to the tunnels (there is some tunnels in the castle), we went down there and looked around, it was really cool they where really long it was really interesting. After that we went back out and went to an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet, when we got there I was really excited, it was going to be super yummy. We went in found a table and then ordered our food they delivered ten pieces of salmon nigiri, me and Emma had five each and then ordered ten more. Near the end of my eat-as-much-sushi-as-I-can mission Emma got sick because they ate to much and I got to eat the rest of Emma’s sushi. In total I ate 25 pieces of salmon nigiri and a few other stuff, now I can say I’ve lived. After that we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 10th we went outside and made some snowmen, it was really fun, we played around and threw some snow balls at each other. After that we went to the Royal Ontario Museum, it was super interesting, there were lots of stuff to see. We walked around a bit on the first floor and we saw one of the people who worked there had a trolley with old stuff on it, we went over there and the person said one of these things are fake three of these things are real. There was a chunk of metal that was really heavy, a piece of a bone, another piece of a bone and a fossilised bumpy thing. The fake thing was the fossilised bumpy thing, it was a 3D model of dinosaur skin that I think got sent from London. The metal thing was part of an asteroid older than the earth, so really old. After that we went up to the second floor which had animals, there were loads of them and it was really cool, there where big ones and small ones, there were skeletons and fossils. There was an area dedicated to dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals like mammoths and stuff, we looked around and saw some huge skeletons, it was fascinating. After that we kept going and saw some really old fossils and the first land plants to have evolved. There were also cells that one day evolved into humans (I saw my great great great, great times infinity ancestor). After that we went up to floor three, on the third floor there are stuff about ancient people like the Greeks and the Romans and ancient Egyptians. We went up there mainly because I wanted to see Egyptian stuff (I really like Egyptian stuff), when we got there I started looking around and saw some stuff that where 6000 years old, super cool. After that we went out of the museum and went to a Christmas market, there wasn’t many decorations, there were mainly foods, Emma got a box of donuts and I got a crepe, it was yum. After that we went to the room and went to sleep.
On the 11th we didn’t do much we only did school work and packed because we were leaving tomorrow. At the end of the day, we went to sleep.
On the 12th we got a rented car and drove all the way to Juliet in Quebec where we saw mum’s cousin Roxane and her partner Kev, When we got there we went in and had a bit of a catch up, then we went to sleep.
Andrew (10 years old)
On the 4th we took a flight from Bogota to Toronto, Toronto is the capital city in Canada with 2.6 million people and an area of 630 km2. Toronto has many attractions including CN tower (the 6th tallest free-standing structure in the world), the Royal Ontario museum and Niagara falls (the falls that has the most water going over it per second). When we got there we went to Triin (one of mum’s friend) and Rodrigo’s (her partner) house, and then we went to sleep.
On the 5th we did some shopping and since we were in Canada there was snow. Me and Emma played around in the snow, we also had a small snow ball fight, it was awesome. When we got back home Triin and Rodrigo had been very kind and not put up the Christmas tree so we could do it with them, when we put it up there was a lot of lights on it, it was pretty. After that we went to sleep.
On the 6th we went to see Niagara falls, it was an hour drive from where we were. When we got there we drove through a street that had lots of cool shops and haunted houses and a museum that was about weird stuff. When we found parking we parked there and then walked a bit to get to Niagara falls, when I first saw it, it was amazing, it was so big and there was lots of mist coming up in front of it. We walked a bit more to get closer and there was lots of people everywhere and it was pretty cold but it was worth it, the water fall was even cooler up close. After a while we went back that street that had all the cool stuff and had lunch. After lunch we went to the museum that had all the weird stuff and it was interesting, after that we went back home and went to sleep.
On the 7th we went to pioneer village it is a set up that looks like the settler villages that the settlers used when they first arrived in Canada. When we got there we went in and it was awesome they had a tinsmith (someone who works on tin) and somebody who works on horse equipment (I don’t know their name). We walked around some more and we saw some animals, a school, and a water mill, it was really interesting. The people there really knew what they were talking about and I really liked it. After that we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 8th we went to an aquarium. It’s a very big aquarium with lots of stuff in it, so I was excited. When we got in the aquarium we looked around, there were a lot of fish in it and I like fish, so I spent a lot of time in there. We saw some really big Grouper and some huge sharks, there was also an axolotls. We also got to touch some stingrays in a touch pool thing, they felt really soft and slimy, there was a person in there with toys and the sting rays were playing with them, it was awesome. After that we walked a little to get to CN tower, when we got there we showed our ticket and then we went in. To get up to the top of Cn tower we needed to go up on a glass walled elevator and we all know mum doesn’t like heights, but mum did it (they didn’t look out much). When we got up there it was a really good view, but mum did really good and braved it, they walked around fine till we got to a place where they had glass floor. Mum didn’t want to go on it at first but they were really brave and they went on it (with their eyes closed), after that we walked around a bit more looking down at stuff and then we went back to the elevator and took it back down. When we got down we walked around Toronto looking at stuff, it was cool. When we were done we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 9th we went to casa loma, it’s a castle that housed the Pellatts, a very rich family who lived in the 20th century. There is a big entrance hall in the castle and a lot of little rooms everywhere, we walked around and saw that they where actually pretty nice since they were made in the 1900s. After a while we went down to the tunnels (there is some tunnels in the castle), we went down there and looked around, it was really cool they where really long it was really interesting. After that we went back out and went to an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet, when we got there I was really excited, it was going to be super yummy. We went in found a table and then ordered our food they delivered ten pieces of salmon nigiri, me and Emma had five each and then ordered ten more. Near the end of my eat-as-much-sushi-as-I-can mission Emma got sick because they ate to much and I got to eat the rest of Emma’s sushi. In total I ate 25 pieces of salmon nigiri and a few other stuff, now I can say I’ve lived. After that we went back to the room and went to sleep.
On the 10th we went outside and made some snowmen, it was really fun, we played around and threw some snow balls at each other. After that we went to the Royal Ontario Museum, it was super interesting, there were lots of stuff to see. We walked around a bit on the first floor and we saw one of the people who worked there had a trolley with old stuff on it, we went over there and the person said one of these things are fake three of these things are real. There was a chunk of metal that was really heavy, a piece of a bone, another piece of a bone and a fossilised bumpy thing. The fake thing was the fossilised bumpy thing, it was a 3D model of dinosaur skin that I think got sent from London. The metal thing was part of an asteroid older than the earth, so really old. After that we went up to the second floor which had animals, there were loads of them and it was really cool, there where big ones and small ones, there were skeletons and fossils. There was an area dedicated to dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals like mammoths and stuff, we looked around and saw some huge skeletons, it was fascinating. After that we kept going and saw some really old fossils and the first land plants to have evolved. There were also cells that one day evolved into humans (I saw my great great great, great times infinity ancestor). After that we went up to floor three, on the third floor there are stuff about ancient people like the Greeks and the Romans and ancient Egyptians. We went up there mainly because I wanted to see Egyptian stuff (I really like Egyptian stuff), when we got there I started looking around and saw some stuff that where 6000 years old, super cool. After that we went out of the museum and went to a Christmas market, there wasn’t many decorations, there were mainly foods, Emma got a box of donuts and I got a crepe, it was yum. After that we went to the room and went to sleep.
On the 11th we didn’t do much we only did school work and packed because we were leaving tomorrow. At the end of the day, we went to sleep.
On the 12th we got a rented car and drove all the way to Juliet in Quebec where we saw mum’s cousin Roxane and her partner Kev, When we got there we went in and had a bit of a catch up, then we went to sleep.
Emma (9 years old)Baca selengkapnya
Cc a tous,sympa vos photos et celle dans les bulles,et le couple avec qui vous êtes sur les photos ils son cool 👍🏻,bis 😘 [Dada]