After having Lasik surgery in Vietnam, I am very happy to have cosmetic procedures during my travels. Perhaps this is incredibly vain of me, I don’t know. But with prices in the UK and Sweden being so high, …
What a Year! 2011 in Pictures
It’s the end of another year and with New Year’s Eve just around the corner it’s the time to reflect on the year that has gone before. 2011 was a good year. Living in Sweden rather than Vietnam meant …
Be Prepared for Bogota—what the travel guides don’t tell you!
Bogota is the sixth capital city that we have visited on our trip around South America, and so far it has proven to be the most difficult to enter, get around in, and to leave. One of the reasons for …
Machu Picchu—the City in the Clouds
Day Two of our Machu Picchu tour began at the unearthly time of 5am. Without a guide to tell us what time to be there we had decided to take the advice of numerous friends and guide books, which was …
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Any backpacker travelling around South America will inevitably end up on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu—it is the Mecca of the Gringo Trail. Many will opt to trek for a few days, and the more hardened may …
The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca
At 3811 m above sea level, Lake Titicaca—a lake that sits in the Altiplano basin between Bolivia and Peru—is known as the highest navigable lake in the world. Its location mid-way between the Bolivian city of La Paz and …
Surviving the Jungle
As you may know, I once went to the jungle (if you didn’t you can read all about it here) but that was the jungle in Vietnam; to be honest it seemed to be more like a forest …
Cholita Wrestling
Every Sunday afternoon crowds gather at the stadium in El Alto, a growing suburb on the Bolivian altiplano high above La Paz. The crowds consist of a mixture of Indigenous locals and curious tourists and the spectacle that they have …
How Safe is La Paz, Bolivia?
[mks_boxquote align=”right” width=”150″ arrow=”0″]“…a little common sense goes a long way. Always trust your instincts”[/mks_boxquote]I have to admit that I was nervous about coming to South America. South America has a reputation for drugs, robberies, and violence: …
Day 3: Salar de Uyuni – the World’s Largest Salt Flat
Day 3 of our tour took us to the extraordinary Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat which is located 3,656 metres above sea level. A pool of lithium-rich brine lies underneath a salt crust that varies in …
Day Two: A Rocky Tree, Flamingoes and a Salty Hotel
Before reading this you may want to check out the first day of my tour from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
On the second day of our tour our dorm was rudely awaken …
Coloured Lagoons, Altitude Sickness and Ricky Gervais
One of the main attractions that I wished to visit on my trip to South America was Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia – which at a staggering 10,600 sq km is the largest Salt Flat in the world. The …
Why I Love Santiago
When originally planning our trip through South America we thought of Chile only as a vehicle from which to pass from Argentina to Bolivia. Other than Valparaiso, we didn’t really have any plans to stay in Chile for long—a …
Valparaiso – Queen of all the World’s Coasts
The coastal city of Valparaiso has to be South America’s most unique and fascinating city. Row upon row of brightly-coloured, ramshackle houses cling precariously to near-vertical cliffs, forever looking as if one shake of an earthquake could plunge them into …
The Street Art of Barrio BellaVista, Santiago
The most striking thing about South American cities is the use of the bright paint and exciting street art that adorns delapidated buildings, shacks and street corners, transforming an otherwise dull city into a vibrant colour-splash. Nowhere is this more …
Cooking Empanadas in Mendoza
Most people go to Mendoza for one thing: wine. And as Mendoza is the largest wine producing region in South America, there’s plenty of it to go around. But if you are looking for an exposition on the finer …
Warning: Fake Notes in Buenos Aires
When we first visited Buenos Aires at the start of our trip, Angela, our delightful Airbnb host, warned us against accepting fake bank notes as this is a common problem in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires. She told us …
Perito Moreno – Argentina’s Incredible Glacier
What I have found most incredible about spending a month in Argentina is the discovery of how diverse – not to mention huge – this country is. I have seen maps of Argentina, of course, but it is only when …
Whale Watching in Patagonia (video)
While in Patagonia we visited the Peninsula Valdes to try and find some whales. Peninsula Valdes is the location of the famous scene in which Orca whales hurl themselves up the beach in pursuit of baby seals but unfortunately we …
Chocolate and Ash in Beautiful Bariloche
The Cerro Catedral resort is one of Argentina’s premier skiing attractions: the majestic peaks of the Andes attract thousands of avid snow enthusiasts every season, which is hardly surprising given its size. Boasting over 100km of ski runs alongside …