Writing from Peru...

Well the salt flats were incredible, I never knew SA had such diverse landscape to offer! Flamingos, wind eroded rocks, dust tracks, lagoons of red blue and green, coloured mountains, volcanoes, miles of flat salt and villages made of it. It was rediculously cold with 4 blnakets and sleepingbag not constituting enough to get out of clothes and into pajamas.
La Paz was less incredible, but then i mostly saw it from the inside of my bedroom as i caught a nasty food bug on day 3. Before that we did little but meet the seeming millions of people that were staying at Loki hostel. It had everything you could have needed which made it very difficult to leave and what with the demonstrations and steep slopes of the valley we were contained in combined with altitude rendering us breathless with every flight of stairs, it near impossible to see the city! The markets we did see were just row after row of the bolivian bright strip so common in the aream and the millions of alapaca jumpers and scarves in all sizes down to baby outfits! The death road was a trip and half too; the most dangerous road in the world, for which i have a teeshirt to prove I completed it without dying! So much fun I had forgotten how much i love biking. There were a few points where I had to put my foot down to slow the downhill pick up of speed that just KEPT happening right before I came across a corner but so thrilling!
We left on the coldest bus journey of our lives after a day on isla del sol - aptly named as the back of my arms are STILL raw with the burn I stupidly got that day (ok it was yesterday). We walked from the North of the Island to the south and that was no easy feat! Some seriously steep slopes and 4 hours of breathlessness was worth it for the stunning views of lake Titicaca. It was so huge we had to keep reminding ourselves that it was NOT the sea! Some of the rocks just rose out of the still crystal blue water effortlessly at slanting angles and the boats floating on the shore of the island were so picturesque. There were no vehicles AT ALL on the island and the path was stony and impassable by them anyway. Huge sense of achievement when we finished. With no time for dinner before the boat home the only thing that distracted me from my hunger was the wind whipping through my hair on the top deck as the smaller islands chugged by and the Che Guevara book that had been leant to me for the day - Fancinating, even more so when you have visited the places he had seen and where he'd grown up.
Arived in Cuzco at 5am local time this morning with no Sol to pay for the taxi - luckily we were travelling with friends we'd made in La Paz who bailed us through that one! The hostel has wonderfuly hot showers (not a necessarily available commodity in the mountains where its coldest anyway) and the city is so beautiful. There are plazas on every couple of blocks giving the city a massive spacious feel in comparison to La Paz which is all poured on top of itself into the valley. We plan to indulge in some shopping of souveniers tomrrow now that we are nearing the end of our trip and wont have to carry bags TOO much further. The jewelry is rife here so I plan to start with that! We also came across a building with the entire 2m base made of stones cut perfectly to fit into one another - no cement was used to make the structure solid at all - and it was built at a 7 degree angle, together making a building that can withstand earthquakes without any modern engineering! I was shouted at when I touched it... We plan to get off to Machu Picchu in the next couple of days so that is the next tourist attraction in my sights. Adios para a hora amigos. XXXX

Bolivia

We left La Cumbre after Marie had cooked us the first spicy meal we'd had since arriving in Argentina, as a farewell. Took a bus up to La Quica (border) on the wonderfully smooth roads, arriving with enough time to walk across the border with some japanese girls and a german biker. We lurched and bumped up the Bolivian roads to Tupiza where we stayed the night, in our first twin room after a long run of dorms, and the best hostel breakfast we´ve encountered so far. We left brefrswhed for Uyuni and booked the Oasis tour on arrival. We shared the bus journey with 3 other gringos and on arrival, went out to dinner to the best pizzeria in town. Delicious. Slept in the FREEZING mountain town with 4 blankets and fully dressed, and crammed ourselves into the back of a jeep in the morning, a little out of breath and with a slight headache from the altitude. The tour was incredible, landscape like nothing youve ever seen. Desert cactuses amongst salt flats and the hot sun beating down whilst you look at snow topped mountains in the distance. We stayed in a hotel made entirely of salt and made some great friends. Sharing oreos and exchanging music the whole drive, we really enjoyed the trip. We of course, took the typical perspective photos too which I shall put up on return to the UK. We have now arrived safe and sound in La Paz after a sleepless night on yet another nightbus journey, on which we got a puncture. 6am arrival = very tired and full hostel = no beds till 1pm. Till we meet again.... Love to all XX

La Cumbre

Our minicoach with reclining seats swerved its way out of Cordoba lulling me to sleep. When I awoke in the late afternoon my eyes fell on the beautiful mountains I had seen earlier this week from the air. We had wound our way amongst them and our trip out of the city had begun. It was a treat to escape the hoards of people who you fight for your space between on the streets and the noisy traffic. Our hostel had a pool (not that you'd have EVER jumped into the green sludgey water) and no English speakers. Once we'd been shown to our room by an old spanish lady with wirey hair and missing teeth I settled down outside in the warm late afternoon sun to write in my journel, which has been kept surprisingly well! There were bikes laid all over the sloping grass out the back of the stone house, being tweaked and maintained by a group of young argentines. The place was deserted other than that, as La Cumbre is where you come for outdoor activities. The radio floated spanish voices and music into the still air, accompanied by birds that visited the roof and the crackling fire inside a more permanent oven style barbeque ready for the evening essado. The odd motorbike could be heard starting up and pulling away in the distance. We wandered into "town" and found that we had arrived coincidently just before the biggest bike race in Argentina is held every year! 9km long the roads were filled with cyclists kitted out in race gear and emerald, amber or azure sunglasses. The sun set over the mountainside leaving yellow and blue layers in the sky, and a cool fresh air settled over us, certainly the coldest it has been since leaving home! Dinner, acompanied by books, was a deliciously creamy tomato & cheese sauce on spagetti, (how I love comfort food) on a deserted upstairs balcony.
We rose early in the morning, Rhi setting out to horseride in the mountains and me to satisfy my addiction to the sky: I went Paragliding! The sun heated the cool morning air quickly and I was glad to be hurtling along a mountain road in a red rusting truck with the windows down and the dust blowing through my hair. We darted around cyclists the entire way, swerving to miss larger rocks and ruts in the dirt track, and jiggling over cattle grates. Conversation was a real mess of spanish, english and french! But we got by and taught eachother a little of each. The mountains opened up infront of us to reveal a valley speckled with cactuses amongst a thick covering of bundled greenery, that thinned out towards the river where the rocks congregated to paddle. Once we reached the plateau 1000m above sea level, where I'd be running and jumping off, I absorbed the 320 view that rose from the steep drop infront of my walking boots (accounting for the road there) with about 10 others, pausing after their assents to the spot on bikes, horses or feet. The instructions were as simple as: push your all weight forward and run until your feet not touch the ground, on my "go go go". And with that and a quick harness adjustement we were up! Staggering drop was marvelous and I could see so much from my little seat- including a small waterfall, and the cars winding their way along the tracks below. It was so calm and peaceful being above everything in sight, slightly more exciting when he made us "dance" in the air. We spotted condors as we swooped though the air and a few other paragliders, with their bleeping altitudemeters. All too soon a running landing saw us safely back on the ground as the chute floated and collapsed in a neat pile to our right. We parted with argentine kisses (one on the right cheek) all round, and delighted with the mornings events, I jumped back in the truck to head back into the central green (or should I say brown, the grass was dying and there were water shortage notices everywhere so we had to be sparing).
Rhi was knackered from her 3 hours clambering over rivers and steep mountain faces so I parted with her once again to do a mountain bike treck over them with my guide Ierail. It was incredible. We splashed through rivers and hopped to avoid rocks, I fell quite a few times to end up running down the slope! The ground was so dry and dusty that the tyres slipped easily if you werent concentrating! The sun beat down on us hard and with no shade to protect us we stopped often to rehydrate, gazing over the views surrounding us, which were so gorgeous, the autumn leaves lit up in the sunshine to blazing firey colours. We also stopped off at an alfahores factory - and I was pleased to discover I could understand a few parts of the tour (including all the different flavours they did there)! I thoroughly enjoyed the free ones we got, the finest ones I've tasted in all my time here!

I have to go catch a bus to Salta now but I shall continue when I next reach a computer!! XX

Skydiving

What a beautiful city Corduba is from above! Surrounded by gorgeous velvety looking mountains and perfectly square fields of gold, rust and green. Skydiving is the only way to see it!! It was incredible, I've never travelled so fast in my life without anything but gravity to help me along. The wind whistles past you obscuring all other noises, I could barely hear myself screaming. The sense of space is unreal its like flying though another dimension. You cant explain falling knowing that there is nothing to stop you or get in your path, usually something that is a natural association. We drove out to a remote airfield with a German who had been once before...just that Monday! (It was Thursday) which just confirmed all the great things we'd heard about it. My stomach was in knots when he took us through the proceedure in the model plane but knowing Rhi was with me made it slightly better! Until he asked us who was gloing first that is...! Rhi didn't want to so I filled that position, better to get on with it, I think it was better not to stand around waiting for something like that! My instructor installed trust and courage in me and we stepped out towards the demonstration plane as the wind from its propellors whipped around me. That was when I realised the plane was no model! There was just enough room for the 4 of us - cameraman, pilot, instructor and me. Tucked comfortably into the grey carpeted interior of the cockpit we bounced over the tufts of grass towards the red dirt "runway". After an age of plane checks, we finally hurtled off, and made our steady climb over Corduba. The city shrank surprisingly quickly but the views were stunning. The sky was completely clear of clouds so I had no sense of how high we were, but the sun streamed in through the scuffed windows. When the instructor told me to swivel round and sit on him so he could strap us together and do all the equipment checks, I was calm. I couldnt say why, maybe the ride in the sky relaxed or distracted me. Either way it was only when the cameraman popped the door up and my goggles went on that I thought here goes! We shuffled forwards to sit with our legs tucked to the right of the plane's wheel as the air poured around us, the cameraman clinging onto the side of the plane. I didn't have time to think before we PLUNGED downwards. The flip my stomach does on a rollercoaster was nothing compared to this feeling. It was terrifying, for about 3 seconds. Then it was just brilliant. Terminal velocity couldnt have felt better. The air streamed past me yet I didnt feel as if I was falling, just completely free (bearing in mind I couldnt see the instructor above me) When the parachute deployed after 20 seconds of freefall, it felt as if we were being pulled upwards on a rope. It was over all to quickly. Just hanging there in the harness after the most pulsequickening 20 seconds of your life is so contrary. You feel like a limp baby. Then you remind yourself to drink in the landscape and after swooping around in the breeze as the houses rotate under you, the airfield suddenly pops into sight. Such a soft landing, we just brushed onto the grass and I felt like Id been placed onto a cushion! Jumped up and grinned. I threw my arms round my instructor and thanked him for one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The video was put on straight away, so comical. I knew Rhi would love it. As her plane climbed up (I didnt realise just how high Id gone, the plane was almost out of sight!) I was still on a high, in the tranquill deckchair and my multicoloured jumpsuit. Paradoxical morning that's for sure.
I honestly reccommend it to you.
Till next time.
x