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  • Andreas and Whitney
may. 2017 – may. 2018

World Adventure

From New Zealand to San Diego in a year. The adventure of a lifetime. Leer más
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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Barcelona, Spain

    18 de enero de 2018, España ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Whitney and I loved Barcelona. Our highlights were visiting the Sigrada Familia, a church that has been under construction for almost a century and looks as if it were designed by aliens, visiting Park Güell which was designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, and watching a flamenco show (traditional Spanish dancing) while drinking delicious sangria. We saw the sights of the city during a free bike tour and ate the local fare during a tapas tour. Our favourite Spanish dishes included seafood paella, patatas bravos, and pinchetos (small lavish bar snacks).Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Munich, Germany

    22 de enero de 2018, Alemania ⋅ 🌧 2 °C

    We visited Andreas' childhood friend Tim and his Italian girlfriend Sara at their home in Munich. We braved the cold and explored the city by foot. Like much of Europe, it is interesting to walk through the historic streets. We spent our evenings playing board games and drinking German beers; Wizards, El Dorado, cards, etc. We woke up one day to snow and decided to go on a hike around a nearby lake. Our hiking books definitely came in handy as we walked on the frozen ground beneath the beautiful snowy trees. We visited the famous Hofbrauhaus to have a traditional stein of beer, just like Octoberfest. We did however discover that they are not called 'steins' in Germany, they are actually called krugs... how have we been getting it so wrong?Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Verbier, Switzerland

    3 de febrero de 2018, Suiza ⋅ ⛅ -2 °C

    Friends we made in Vietnam, Eddy and Inga, work at the famous Swiss ski resort, Verbier. They invited us to come stay in the lodging above the bar they are working at so we jumped at the offer. Our Australian friend Adam is working in England so he joined us for a weekend of snowboarding and fun. When we arrived, Andreas and I were both blown away by the quaint beauty of this snowy village among the Swiss alps. The first night we went out to ‘Apre Ski,’ basically drinks after a hard day of skiing. We danced the night away to a band in a packed bar and were glad to have our snow jackets as the done thing is to spray your beer over the crowd (no idea why).

    We woke up to a snow storm so we decided to go sledding. Now this isn’t ordinary sledding. You take the gondola up and sled down a 40 min run similar to a ski slope. It gets wild! This is unfortunately why I had my accident and hurt my knee. However, I think it was worth it because the run before I injured myself I told Andreas “my happiness levels are maxed out!” On the positive, I got to ride down in a medic toboggan and on a snow mobile. Diagnosis: partially torn MCL, stretched ACL, and bruised bone. I have to wear a hinged brace for a while and then it should be ok.

    Andreas, Adam, and Eddy went up snowboarding the next two days. I was jealous as it was blue bird skies with perfect powder. Needless to say, they had an awesome time. I still rode the gondola all the way to the top, drank hot chocolate, and threw a few snowballs. Verbier kicked my butt physically but it was still a weekend we will always remember. We will be back for you Verbier!!    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Schmitten, Switzerland

    7 de febrero de 2018, Suiza ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Whit and I stayed for about a week in Schmitten, Switzerland with my aunt Fran (we went to Verbier for the weekend). Our highlight during this stay was hiking in the alps near to a holiday house that my mum's family stayed when they were young. Fran brought along cervala sausages for lunch and we made a fire in the snow to roast them. It was a quintessential Swiss experience.

    Our other activities this week included hosting a dinner party for some old friends of my parents, eating delicious meals prepared by either Fran or Susan (Fran' s partner), and playing SkipBo (a fun card game).

    Exciting family news: We welcomed our neice into the world! Gracyn Elizabeth Gresham born Feb 6, 2018, 8lbs 13oz.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Solothurn, Switzerland

    12 de febrero de 2018, Suiza ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    Before leaving Switzerland and starting our journey to South America, Whit and I returned to Aarau to stay with my uncle Tom and his partner Pia. While we were in Aarau, there was an annual week-long festival taking place in Solothurn, the closest city to my mum's childhood home. The premise of this festival is to scare the winter spirits away and obviously, we had to get in on the action.

    To start the celebratory week off, we awoke at 3am, adorned our white robes, white hats, and red scarves, and made our way to Solothurn to participate in Cheslette which started at 5am. Here, over one thousand people all dressed in the same attire, made as much noise as possible, banging pot lids, shaking tin cans filled with stones, and cracking large whips in the air, while parading the city streets. The cacophony is seriously alarming and if I were a winter spirit, I'd probably bugger off too. After completing the parade route, everyone settles down to eat a traditional flour soup before bar hopping and getting progressively more intoxicated. The morning ends at lunch time and most sane revelers head to bed before the evening events kick off (some people clearly didn't get this message and trooped on all day).

    About three days after Cheslette, Tom, Whit, and I braved the bleak Swiss weather and returned to Solothurn to watch the carnival parade. There were about 40 themed groups marching the city. Some of the floats created for the festival were seriously impressive. Most floats had confetti guns and often some poor unexpecting bystander would get a face full of paper to improve their mood. It was clear to me and Whit that the Swiss people take their traditions very seriously and if you ever have a chance to participate in such an event you won't be disappointed!    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Porto, Portugal

    15 de febrero de 2018, Portugal ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Through an airline deal, Andreas and I had the opportunity to stop in Portugal for four days at no extra charge. We jumped on the deal... one of the benefits of not having a rigid schedule. We picked the colorful port town of Porto. Once at the airport, we had another great surprise; I heard they overbooked the flight on the loud speaker and were offering money to take a later flight. Because I am currently moving slower, I told Andreas to run!! We got in first and were given a total of $1,400 NZD ($1,035USD) to watch the Olympics in the airport for four hours. Score!

    Unfortunately it was raining most of our stay in Porto, however we still enjoyed wandering the gorgeous city. We rode a trolley along the coast one day and watched stormy waves bash into a lighthouse. We were very impressed with Portuguese food; slow cooked pork, soft cheeses, grilled fish, bottomless liters of wine. Andreas took me out to a nice tapas dinner for Valentine’s Day. Portugal is definitely on our list of places to return to.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
    1

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    19 de febrero de 2018, Brasil ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    After a flight change and 12 extra hours at the airport we finally made it to South America! We were both pleasantly surprised by Rio de Janeiro despite the warnings from friends about its high crime rate. We found Rio to be a vibrant, fun, and relatively safe city (at least in the areas we visited).

    Our time in Rio was largely spent lounging on Copacabana beach and Impanema beach absorbing the relaxed culture of the Brazilians. One day we took the gondolla up Sugar Loaf mountain to see the beautiful views of the city. Another day we partook in a Carnival blocos party, following a large float blasting samba music through the city streets as we danced with 200,000 other revellers. This bloco party was considered small compared to some which host up to 1.5 million partiers... insane! Despite making our way to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the city, poor weather put a stop to this adventure. We will be happy to come back and see it another time.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Ilha Grande, Brazil

    21 de febrero de 2018, Brasil ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After vibrant Rio, we slowed things down and headed to the island of Ilha Grande. The main island activities are hiking and beaches. As my knee is still not up to strenuous activity, I sent Andreas on a two hour jungle hike with some friends from our hostel, while I took a scenic boat ride. We arrived around the same time at the beautiful white sand beach of Lopez Mendez. It is said that this is the best beach in Brazil (Andreas and I thought it was great, but not in our top 5). The water is colder here than in Southeast Asia, but it feels great on a hot day. We spent time swimming in the clear water and relaxing in the shade of the jungle. Next stop, the sleepy beach town of Paraty.Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
    1

    Paraty, Brazil

    23 de febrero de 2018, Brasil ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Paraty is a beautiful historic town situated on the Brazilian coast about half-way between Rio and Sao Paulo. Crazily, because the town is so low-lying and built next to the ocean, during the full moon and a high tide sections of it flood up to ten inches. As a result, the beautiful Portuguese buildings closest to the shore have about a foot of concrete foundation raising them off of the ground. The streets have the largest and most uneven cobble-stones Whit and I have ever seen. Driving over them shakes your bones!

    The region around Paraty produces high quality sugar cane. Consequently, it is renown throughout Brazil for its cachaça production - the key alcoholic ingredient in the delicious Brazilian caipirinha cocktail. Of course Whit and I spent some of our time in Paraty taste testing the various forms and qualities of cachaça. Through local recommendation, we even had the best regional caipirinha and it was delicious!    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
    Full moon at the nude beach

    Florianopolis, Brazil

    28 de febrero de 2018, Brasil ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Florianopolis is home to beautiful white sand beaches and wild waves. Andreas and I spent our time lounging on these beaches. One secluded area was a nude beach! Although it was mainly old men. Andreas also watched soccer in a local bar with our English friends, Sean and Ben. We discovered that it is much more expensive to eat out in South America compared with Asia. We have started getting most of our meals from the grocery store and cooking in the hostel kitchen. This also means more picnics on park benches! Next stop, an 18 hour bus ride to Iguazu Falls.Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
    1

    Iguazu Falls, Brazil and Argentina

    1 de marzo de 2018, Brasil ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Iguazu falls, running along the Brazil/Argentina border, is amazing. It is the largest waterfall system in the world with between 150 and 300 waterfalls flowing at any one time. The falls span 2.7km (1.7mi) with an average flow rate of almost 1800 cubic metres per second! Whit and I visited both sides of the falls. I was more impressed by the Brazilian side because you got the full panorama of the falls. Whit preferred the Argentinian side as you got to stand on the walkways above them. Either way, the experience was spectacular and a must-do on any South American excursion.Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Buenos Aires, Argentina

    7 de marzo de 2018, Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Buenos Aires is a vibrant, huge city that reminds me a lot of New York. We started traveling with a friend we met from New Zealand who is traveling the world in search of the ultimate party. Per his recommendation we stayed at the ‘best party hostel in Argentina,’ Milhouse. We explored the city by day and tried to keep up with the partiers at night, but failed miserably. In Argentina people do not go to the clubs before 3:00 am!! This is way past Andreas and my bedtime. We did manage to hang in there until 1-2am. However, I didn’t mind when we saw people coming HOME from the club while we were eating breakfast at 9am!!!

    We had a great night at a tango show. It included a three course meal, unlimited wine, tango lessons, and a spectacular tango show. The costumes, music, and dancing blew us both away. We even got certificates to show that we passed a basic tango course... if you are lucky we will show you our new skills. Another day we went on a bike tour of the city and the famously colorful La Boca area. It is clear that football (soccer) is life here. We met one fan who is so dedicated to his team that he had the La Boca stadium tattooed on his back. We experienced this passion first hand at a football game! Getting into the game was an experience in itself. We walked through multiple security checks and passed rows and rows of police in full riot gear. Once in the game we sat behind chain linked fence topped with barb wire. Alcohol is also banned in the stadium. Obviously these games get pretty out of control. The game was fun and full of spirit (we tied 1:1). Fans even climbed the fence and shook the barbed wire to show their support!

    On a side note, we had an attempted break in of our hostel locker. The lock was very bent, but it held. Luckily nothing was taken. A reminder that we need to be diligent of theft in South America. Next stop we head south to Bariloche, the top of Patagonia.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Bariloche, Argentina

    10 de marzo de 2018, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Bariloche is a beautiful little adventure town in the north of Argentina's Patagonia region. It sits next to a glacial lake surrounded by the Andes. Just out of town is the well-known Chico circuit - a 22km road threading its way between lakes and mountains. We hired scooters and biked around this circuit with friends we met at our hostel. The circuit is unbelievably picturesque and we all had a refreshing dip in the lake.

    The town of Bariloche was abuzz with athletes due to an Ironman event happening during the weekend. Totally unexpectedly, I ran into an old Argentinean friend named Luca who was in town to compete in this event. Luca went to my high school in New Zealand in 2007 as part of an exchange programme and we hadn't seen each other since. It was great to catch up with him over a drink (me beer and he lemonade)... such a small world!    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Mendoza, Argentina

    12 de marzo de 2018, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We are engaged!!! Mendoza is famous for its beautiful vineyards and wine tasting! Andreas and I rented bicycles and planned on a day of riding from vineyard to vineyard. We went with a group of people from our hostel.

    To the good stuff, how he popped the question! At the second winery (MEVI Bodega Boutique) after a delicious tasting, Andreas suggested we go on a walk through the grapevines. Another girl in our group said “let’s all go,” but Andreas said "no, let’s go just us." I thought that was a little strange, but agreed. As we were walking down the steps Andreas was acting a bit odd and I thought this is it! Because I am a crazy person, I immediately did a sneaky check of both of his front pockets for a ring box bulge. I didn’t see one so I thought okay, it’s not happening, enjoy the walk. As we were walking through the vines and I was busy commenting on grapes, Andreas said “Whitney...” I turned around and there he was... on one knee in the dirt holding out a ring. My jaw immediately dropped. He said “... I forgot what I was going to say... I love you! Will you marry me?” Obviously I said “YES!!!” Andreas knows I am super observant, so he hid the ring in his back pocket! We went back inside the winery and everyone was cheering for us! The owner gave us two glasses of very special wine to celebrate! We ended up buying two bottles, one to drink now and one to mail home (great sales tactic). We were on cloud nine for the rest of the day! Andreas later told me that he bought the ring back in Zurich airport and that the ring box has been hidden in a sock in his bag our entire time in South America. Sneaky boy!

    If traveling has taught us one thing, it is that Andreas and I can get through anything together and we have a ton of fun doing it! I didn’t think it was possible, but our bond and love for each other is so much stronger now than when we left (aside from the occasional argument when we are hungry, hot, and tired). He proves time and time again what a loving, strong, intelligent, funny, and beautiful person he is. I am so overjoyed that we get to spend our lives together. I am honored to be his FIANCÉ!    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
    12

    Valparaiso, Chile

    15 de marzo de 2018, Chile ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After a stunning bus ride through the Andes, Whit and I made it to Chile and back to the Pacific Ocean! Our first stop was the artsy coastal city of Valparaiso, think Wellington or San Francisco. The 'cerros' (hills) of the city, where most of the population live, rise up out of the ocean and are remarkably easy to get lost in - both literally and metaphorically. The narrow cobbled streets wind their way upwards while hundreds of twisting and turning walkways and staircases give you picturesque views of the coast. There are colourful graffiti murals around every corner and buskers fill the streets with their Spanish music. Valparaiso is a wonderful place.

    We did a walking tour of Valparaiso, learning about its history as a key port town during the California goldrush. We also spent a day on the beach relaxing, watching a sea lion colony fight amongst themselves, and an evening out singing karaoke. We now head to Chile's capital city, Santiago.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Santiago, Chile

    18 de marzo de 2018, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We made it to Santiago, Chile’s capital. After a quick exploration of our area, Andreas and I discovered the most delicious taco place right across the street from our hostel. They only have three items on the menu: Beef, chicken, or slow roasted pork tacos. So good! As I picked up a small cold, Andreas went solo and hiked to the top of a nearby hill to get a good view of the entire city. Later in the day, Andreas and I went on a walking tour of the city learning about the Pinochet dictatorship. Next, we are skipping the 24hr bus ride and flying north to the most arid non-polar desert in the world.Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Atacama Desert, Chile

    20 de marzo de 2018, Chile ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Thirsty much? Welcome to the driest non-polar region on Earth, the Atacama Desert! This arid hotbox definitely lived up to its name.

    We stayed in the small dusty desert town of San Pedro in a Burning Man-esk hostel straight out of Mad Max. Despite it being a desert, for some reason we decided to hire bikes and pedal our way to Valley de la Luna (valley of the moon) in the mid-afternoon heat. During this 35km/six hour suicide mission, we ran out of water and didn't get back into town until nightfall. Nevertheless, the desertscape was surreal and it actually looked like we were on Mars. We also spent an evening stargazing, learning about the constellations and viewing various nebula through high powered telescopes. Last but not least, we met a 19 year old English chap named Guthrie Ruby who casually implied that his guacamole is unrivalled. Naturally Whitney took this as a challenge and a heated guac-off ensued with me being the judge... poor me. Astoundingly, Whitney was convincingly trounced (she concurred with the judge's careful deliberation) and we learned Guthrie's tricks of the trade. Look out San Diego, delicious guac is coming for you!Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Jeep Tour: Laguna Colorada

    21 de marzo de 2018, Bolivia

    We have heard from a lot of travelers that the ‘thing to do’ is a three day Jeep tour through the Andes from Chile into the Bolivian town of Uyuni. At only $170 for all transport, food, and accommodation, Andreas and I were in. We have been traveling with two kiwis from Auckland and an American from Seattle, so we all decided to go together. Our first stop was the Bolivian border, a small hut in the middle of the desert. We have heard the border crossing can be difficult for Americans (we have to pay $160 US while everyone else is free), however, I had no idea just how difficult it would be. While everyone else got a smile and a stamp, it seemed I was being punished for all the wrongs America has done in history. Although I had all my paperwork in order, they still yelled at me in Spanish, ripped one form I had in half, and refused to accept my pristine US dollar bills. After a lot of stress and bonding with the other Americans being abused, we made it through and we were ready to go on our way!

    From then on, the trip was a wonderful experience. We have split the trip into three post as we have the most unbelievable photos from each day.

    After meeting our driver David, a 50 yr old Bolivian man who did not speak a word of English, we set off on our adventure. We drove by reflective lagoons, snow capped mountains, and endless desert landscapes. We stopped at natural hot springs on a huge lagoon full of flamingos. Despite the beautiful weather, it was cold out and it felt great to relax in the warm water. Everyone in our group started to feel dizzy and short of breath while we were in the hotpools... turns out we were at an altitude of 4800m! The top of Annapurna Base Camp was only 4130m. We drove on to our accommodation for the night; a small hotel with dorm rooms, no showers, and limited electricity. Before dinner, we set out again to watch the sunset at the most spectacular place I have ever been; a red lagoon full of pink flamingos, mossy green shores, and grazing llamas. The pictures do not do this place justice.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Jeep Tour: Hotel de Sal

    22 de marzo de 2018, Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    During our second day of the jeep tour, we visited the seven coloured mountains (I counted only four), a rock in a strange tree-like formation, several stunning high-altitude lakes each with a colony of flamingos, beautiful quinoa crop fields coloured vibrant greens, yellows, and reds, and  a mountain perfectly framed by a nearby rock formation. That night we stayed in a hotel made almost entirely out of salt. As about 90% of Bolivia's population is Catholic, Whit had to flash the hotel's proprietor her engagement ring so that we could share a room.Leer más

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    Jeep Tour: Salt Flats

    23 de marzo de 2018, Bolivia

    On the final day of our tour we set off at 4:30am and drove to the famous Uyuni salt flats. During February and March the rains cause the salt flats to flood giving it a spectacular mirrored effect. After driving over the flooded parts, we made it to the expansive white salt flats. They are 12,000 square km wide, 70 meters of salt deep, and 98% salt. We had breakfast in an old salt hotel and spent time playing with the perspective on our cameras. It turned out that it is much harder than it looks to get a classic salt flats photo. Covered in salt, we briefly visited a train graveyard before parting ways with our tour group in the tiny town of Uyuni.Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    La Paz, Bolivia

    28 de marzo de 2018, Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We made it to the dirty, grity, and yet surprisingly likable high-altitude city of La Paz (3640m)! We stayed at an infamous party hostel and while fun, upon leaving La Paz Whit and I desperately needed some R&R.

    We took a walking tour of the city, learning about Bolivia's recent political history, strange cultural customs associated with the witcher's market, and the infamous San Pedro prison which, according to our guide, has a cocaine factory running inside. While Whit relaxed in our hostel, I braved the Death Road by mountain bike, the world's most dangerous road. The scenery was amazing and the sheer drops on one side definitely got the adrenaline pumping. La Paz is implementing a public transport gondola system to get around the city. While a few lines will be completed late this year, those that are up and running are fantastic, and make for a great way to get around the city. We used these gondolas to ascend to La Paz's hills for some stunning views of the city.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Isla del Sol, Bolivia

    31 de marzo de 2018, Bolivia

    After staying the night at the lakeside town of Copacabana, we took the ferry to Isla Del Sol, a Bolivian island rising out of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America by volume, with a surface area of just under 8400km squared. After a week of nonstop travel, it was a much needed escape. The island has no motorized vehicles and all the hotels are located up 200m of steep steps; at 3800m above sea level, these were quite a challenge. The island is full of flowers and picturesque veggie gardens. For 60 bolivianos ($9 USD) we had a bungalow with a panoramic view of the lake from our bed. We did however have to compromise on the running water/toilet situation. We spent most of our time on the island reading, tasting the local trout, and napping to the sound of donkeys and birds. We also hiked up to ruins on the top of the island to watch the sunset. Leaving the island on a local ferry we felt well rested and ready for our next adventure in Peru!Leer más

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    Machu Picchu, Peru

    5 de abril de 2018, Perú ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Another place struck off the ol' bucket-list; welcome to Machu Picchu, one of the seven Wonders of the World! Whit and I joined a jungle trek tour package and spent an action-packed four days getting there. This trek included some seriously fast down-hill (on a paved road) mountain biking, hiking a panoramic section of the Inca trail, lounging in hot springs next to a turbulent river,  zip-lining across gorges, and, of course, a 4:30am jaunt up to Machu Picchu. We missed the sunrise because of fog, however, this cleared off by mid morning uncovering unbelievable views. Even though the ruins of Machu Picchu are insane, for me, it's where they are located that is most impressive. The ruins are nestled on a mountain ridge between two peaks, about 400m above the valley floor. On one side of the ancient town is a steep drop to the valley below, while the side we hiked up is definitely not a gradual slope. Machu Picchu was discovered by an American Yale historian turned explorer (Hiram Bingham) in 1911 while he searched for a different ancient city. Apparently he was led to the ruins by a local farmer and initially thought he had found an already discovered Inca site. Only after reviewing his pictures of the ruins whilst back in the US did his discovery dawn on him. He returned a short while later to excavate the site and, according to our guide, smuggle some of the discovered relics back to the States (great guy).

    Machu Picchu marked the last of our trip's big ticket items. Seeing it makes us all the more aware that our adventure is nearing it conclusion. It's a bitter sweet feeling but we are excited to embark on the next chapter of our lives.    Leer más

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  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
    1

    Cusco, Peru

    9 de abril de 2018, Perú ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Cusco is a great jumping off point for Machu Picchu and other adventures. The city itself is surprisingly beautiful. It's full of old, well-maintained buildings with red tile roofs. The main square is pedestrian-only and full of cute shops and locals selling “original” prints and massages. Cusco is famous for its rainbow trout ceviche which did not disappoint. As the city is at an altitude of 3400m (11,200ft) and full of very steep streets, we definitely felt out of breath the majority of the time we were here.

    We went on a day trip to the famous Montaña de Siete Colores (Rainbow Mountain). As the mountain sits at a whopping 5200m (17,000 ft) we loaded up on cocoa leaf tea before - a Peruvian altitude sickness trick that packs a kick and makes your lips tingle. As we heard from friends that the hike is a killer at that altitude, we opted to ride horses up. This turned out to be a fun adventure in itself. We rode past beautiful landscapes and grazing llamas. The local men led our horses up the mountain in sandals, amazing as it was snowing! We still had to hike up the steepest parts of the trails to give the horses a break. When we made it to the top, we saw the beautiful multi-colored mountains. We enjoyed the view for awhile and then headed down the mountain to get out of the cold and back to a more reasonable altitude!    Leer más

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    Huacachina, Peru

    13 de abril de 2018, Perú ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Picture a desert oasis and you're probably envisioning the tiny tourist town of Huacachina. There are palm trees, a small lake, and massive, looming sand dunes on all sides. Needless to say, it's an extremely picturesque spot.

    The main tourist activities here are dune buggy riding and sandboarding. Naturally, we did both. We started by hiking (struggling) to the top of a nearby dune for some sandboarding lessons (side note - Whit and I thought this dune was big but compared to what we boarded later, it was but a wee baby). After a few practice runs (including one where I used my face to decelerate) we started to get the hang of it. Basically, in comparison to snowboarding, you have to lean back further with fewer, less acute turns, especially near the bottom of the dunes. This is because sand is denser than snow and gets harder packed at the bottom of the slope making the front of your board feel like a constantly applied handbrake. To combat this, sandboards (modified snowboards) have a layer of Formica (compressed wood) on the bottom and you wax the board with a candle before every run. Following our practice, we were picked up by a dune buggy and zipped deep into the desert. The buggy basically acted like a rollercoaster chairlift, picking us up at the bottom of a massive dune, driving up, down, and around imposing mountains of sand, then depositing us at the top of another, bigger, dune. We had a blast but by the end of it, we were both absolutely covered in sand. I think I prefer snow.    Leer más

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