NOVEMBER 2018: LIFE ON THE ROAD

If I had to give November a theme it would be adventure.

The past couple of months I've been pushing my limits on my hiking and I wasn't about to stop testing the waters.

Travelling sometimes feels like a rollercoaster and after completing the Salkantay Trek, I was on a high, quickly forgetting about the disappointment of rainbow mountain.

So what did November have install for me?

As usual, I planned a couple of days at a time. However wanting to be in Patagonia by the end of November at the latest, to give myself a good month before the high season hit in January I knew I had to plan a route in advance.

So I set myself a departure date for Peru and booked a flight to Santiago, heading to Punta Arenas at the end of the month.

My last 2 weeks in Peru

Peru is one of my favourite countries to date. Its eclectic mix of cuisine, climates and landscapes liven your senses to an array of smells, tastes and sights you could never have imagined. Booked to leave mid-November, I was determined to make my last two weeks the best yet.

Exploring Pisac, Salinas Maras and Inca Ruins

I couldn't leave Cusco without exploring more of the Inca Ruins. Pisac provided the perfect day trip from Cusco. Ten minutes from my hostel, I hopped into a collectivo and spent a wonderful day exploring the markets, city and ruins.

There were a couple of ways to get to the Inca ruins. Not wanting to pay for a taxi, I hiked up there which was easy enough. I stopped a few times to catch my breath as the altitude is still a factor at 3300m.

Taking my time, unbeknown to me a thunderstorm was heading my way. At first, I thought it would just pass. Before I knew it, I was holding on to whatever was around me. I sought shelter underneath a bamboo hut perched at the edge of a hill.

I wasn't deterred however, and as soon as the downpour started to slow down, I set out to discover the Inca Ruins.

Hiking to the ruins

They were stunning.

The Inca Ruins

Despite the weather, even after seeing Machu Picchu, these ruins were worth the visit. The crowds were non-existent and the views over the Sacred Valley were phenomenal.

You even get to squeezed through a cave and hike up higher over the valley.

The market in Pisac is definitely worth the visit. Everything you can think if, it's not short of souvenir options.

The best day to visit is a Sunday with stalls camping out along the cobbled streets, it left me wondering around in circles for hours. You've probably seen many of the items before, but you'll be more likely to find a bargain here than Cusco.

Wandering around the Old Town was a great way to end my day, even after the torrential downpour. I couldn't wait to visit more parts of the Sacred Valley.

Visiting Salinas Maras

Hopping onto a collectivo from Cusco, I headed to Salinas Maras, an ancient Inca salt mine still in production today.

Beginning my hike, I met a French girl also travelling solo and we decided to hike it up there together. This is what I love about travel. Being the day solo, it's amazing who you bump into along the way.

The Salt Mines were amazing! I'll write a blog post about it later, for now I definitely recommend exploring the area independently as opposed to a tour. Most of the tours enter from the main entrance where it's crowded and congested with tour buses. We pretty much had the entire place to ourselves as we came in around the back.

Salt Mines

After Salinas Maras I had no real plans. I did however still have a boleto turistico and tagging along with the French girl we combined hitch hiking and some regular off the beaten track hiking to reach Moray.

Exploring the ruins at Moray

The sites were beautiful. It's hard to believe that all this was used for agriculture.

Next stop, Chinchero and lucky for us after speaking to some locals, the combination of a collectivo and bus got us there in no time.

Chinchero

Arequipa

Rolling off a night bus, I arrived in Arequipa where my hostel Limbo Jump was kind enough to let me check in at 8 am. I'm not the biggest fan of night buses, however it's great to be able to start your day early in a new city getting to know your sights and surroundings.

Arequipa had all the flavours of a colonial city. It was the kind of city I could spend hours roaming and days discovering. Wandering the markets and hidden cobbled streets, the architecture was like no other.

Sunsets in Arequipa

The beautiful Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena, ornately decorated the history is intriguing and kind of strange to visit a city within a city.

I have a whole blog post coming up on Arequipa. But before I move on, just check out these little guys. When you get to chill with some friendly Alpacas for an afternoon, who can blame me for not wanting to leave!

So chill!

Oh yes... And how could I almost forget the hike into and up the Colca Canyon?! A three hour hike up the second deepest canyon in the world should have killed me, but I found it bizarrely therapeutic.

Looking down into the Canyon

Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain

I've spoken a lot about the Rainbow Mountains in Peru, like here, here and did I mention here too?! Partly because I've been in two minds about the experience.

Having seen Vinicunca somewhat unsucessfully in October, I couldn't wait to see Palccoyo after having heard so many amazing things about it.

Easy enough to hike, Palccoyo is the much less crowded version and IMHO the more beautiful rainbow mountain.

Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain

Sandboarding down the Dunes

Fun, exciting and more terrifying than you might think!! This is what I love about Peru. One moment, I'm freezing my butt off hiking to a glacier, the next I'm exploring colonial cities and before I know it I'm surrounded by some of the most stunning sand dunes in the world!

Oh yes and, like every other tourist, I had to give sand boarding a go!

And those dunes got bigger...

https://youtu.be/Lm0JPkEkdmQ

And bigger!

Handy tip: Lift your feet up! You'll go faster!!

And there you have it, that was Peru! Sad to be leaving but excited for Patagonia, I know I'll be back some day!!

After a quick stop off in Lima and a much needed pedicure, I headed to Chile.

Enter Chile...

Spending 10 days in Santiago provided amples of time to explore the city, surrounding mountains, plan out and shop for Patagonia and visit nearby Valparaiso.

Oh did I mention getting pool time?!

A few days of warm weather!

When your Airbnb with a gym and a pool is the same price as a dorm bed, there no question as to which one you pick!!

Peru was non-stop and needing some down time and relaxation before a month of hiking in Patagonia was very much welcomed!!

Having learnt my lesson big time in Peru, I bought my hiking boots for a bargain price of £35 (they're super comfy and waterproof too!!), thermals, camel pack and some thicker socks at my favourite outdoor store Decathlon.

Santiago provided all the amenities I needed for an easy few days. I hopped around the city on the bus, hiked a few mountains and even got tear gassed from getting caught up in a riot.

I couldn't say no to visiting the charming city of Valparaiso and its neighbour Vina del Mar. Needless to say, chilling on a beach for the first time in 5 months came at a great time!

Patagonia... Whoop whoop!!

My entry point into Patagonia, Punta Arenas reminded me a lot of Scotland. Luscious green land, little houses perched along the road, windy, sunny rainy all in one day, I couldn't wait to head to Torres del Paine.

But first... these little guys!

Cuties!

The Penguin colony typically arrives in December, all 120,000 of them!

And there you have it! That was my month! Jam packed and full, I'm sure December is going to be no different!!

My monthly expenses for November 2018... Ouch!!

A few of the added costs this month include the flight from Lima to Santiago, eating out a lot in Peru and buying extra gear for Patagonia.

In the coming months I plan to explore as much as Patagonia as possible. From Punta Arenas, I hope to hike through Torres del Paine. Every person I've spoken to has raved about the W Circuit, however you need to book like 6 months in advance. Sigh! I'll probably decide when I get there and see what my options are...

I'm thinking I'll come back to Santiago via Pucon and then head to Colombia! We'll see!!

Then onto El Calafate, El Chalten and finally finishing in El Boson and Bariloche! We that's the plan anyway!

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