OCTOBER 2018: LIFE ON THE ROAD

WOW!! What a month!

October saw the beginning of many adventures with life on the road. Finishing off my Salt Flats tour in southern Bolivia, I headed to San Pedro de Atacama where I got out my denim shorts and t-shirts, soaking up some much-needed sunshine. A little too much some might say... But after freezing my butt off in Bolivia, I wasn't about to start complaining.

Cycling through San Pedro de Atacama

As I had just finished a three-day tour, I wasn't too keen on signing up to another group tour. So I set about researching the best things I could do as a solo traveller without the need of a tour guide.

Spoilt for choice, I settled on exploring as much of the region on a bicycle and only doing a tour when needed.

Thank god I don't sunburn easily. The burning heat of the desert was more than unbearable at times and perhaps not surprisingly I settled for what ever shade I could find from desert bushes and cactuses.

Still, the experience was surreal. Landscapes nothing like I had seen before. Quebrada del Diablo and Laguna Cejar felt like I was in another world. Not to mention Valle de la Luna, which really did feel like I could be in Mars or even some other distant galaxy.

EXPLORING VALLE DE LA LUNA — Valle de la Luna Atacama Desert

Looking out onto Valle de la Luna

Switching plans... Again!

When I left you in July, I left you with a somewhat heavy heart in Argentina, where I knew I would be back for adventures in Patagonia.

Waiting 3 months, it turns out the time still did not feel right. Torn between flying to the South of Chile or heading to Peru, it made more sense to buy (a rather expensive) flight to Lima. November would be the start of the rainy season in Peru and a better month to travel Patagonia, so naturally it made sense. Accepting the dent in my wallet I headed to Lima.

Helloooo Peru!!

There was something instantly likeable about Lima. Maybe it was the fiery sunsets along the Malecon or finally being by the sea. After a short stint, I headed to Huaraz and settled for spending more time in Lima on my way back.

Lima had a refreshing charm about it. Perhaps it was partly the need for city comforts. Mornings spent blogging were swiftly followed by afternoon walks across the Malecon. Not the most beautiful of beaches, yet the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean echoed throughout the night, I felt truly content to be on the road.

Sunny days in Lima

The beginning of hiking adventures

If you're heading to Huaraz, then get ready to hike. Actually, if you're heading to Peru, I can't think what else you'd be doing.

There is one word for Huaraz. STUNNING! I spent 4 days hiking to Laguna 69, Laguna Paron, Laguna Wilcacocha and Laguna Churup. I could have spent so many more days discovering every laguna!

Unsurprisingly Huaraz is one of the top hiking destinations in the world. A hikers heaven some will say. If there's one place I'm already dying to head back to, it's this one!!

Most of the hiking is at altitude. Thankfully I was acclimatised from my month in Bolivia. Not to mention much of the hiking is fairly steep with the ascent for Laguna 69 lasting around 3 hours.

Huaraz was a special place for me. It's here where I discovered my love of hiking and addiction to the adrenaline rush and satisfaction in reaching the top!

Laguna Paron

I did something I never wanted to do...

Having very little hiking experience, a multi-day hike was out of the question. Or so I thought...

One of the beauties of travel is opening up to experiences that ordinarily you might say no to. In my case, the Salkantay Trek was a definite no.

Or so I thought...

It seemed a waste to be in Cusco with the opportunity to experience imposing ice-capped mountains and surreal turquoise lakes and solely head to Machu Picchu. It didn't sit right with me...

The more I spoke to fellow travellers, one trek kept coming up in conversation. The Salkantay trek. Heck... I kind of wanted to do it the more and more I spoke to people.

Unsure of whether I would get through all 70km of the entire trek, with a pair of old running shoes, flimsy poncho, cheap 'alpaca' jumper to keep me warm and yoga pants, I nervously signed up the night before leaving.

No doubt it was one of the hardest things I've done on my travels. Hiking is one thing. Hiking on altitude is another. At times I hated it. At times I loved it. I camped in freezing temperatures, persevered through tropical rainforests and obtained mosquito bites that I'm sure will remain scarred for a few months to say the least.

If there's one moment I'm proud of, it's the moment I reached the end. I did it! Not only did I get to see Machu Picchu, but I got there in style! :)

When the fog finally clears at Machu Picchu

The not so Rainbow Mountain

So as it turns out, heading to Peru in October to avoid rainy season in November totally backfires when rainy season comes early.

Yup... say hello to Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain on a bad day.

Correction: this is Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain on THE WORST DAY EVER.

At 5200m, I spent the last 800m stopping every 50m to catch my breath. Not to mention hyperventilating at the top due to lack of air and wondering where on earth I was supposed to be looking for this Rainbow Mountain.

Seriously... Myself and my friend Claire spent the best part of the first 5-minutes checking Google, maps.me and any other app to check if we had really arrived.

Sadly, we had.

Ah well... You can't expect the best of everything when you travel. :)

So there you have it. October took a sizable chunk out of my budget and ended up being my most expensive month yet. With the cost of flights, the Salkantay Trek and the need to eat out a lot in Cusco due to the lack of a kitchen in my hostel in Cusco, I spent on average £43 a day.

The graphic is in sterling this month as most of my expenses are calculated in GBP. I'll probably keep it this way.