#moksaryan

[moksaryan]

Lima Even though there was no running water for the first 24 hours of our visit to the capital, we still enjoyed exploring this diverse city. We strolled around the streets admiring the brightly coloured colonial government buildings and interesting graffiti, and took advantage of our last chance to eat ceviche and drink pisco sours! 

[moksaryan]

Country #15

We decided to visit Ecuador on our trip for one reason - to visit the famous Galápagos Islands! As we got off the plane from the mainland, we knew this was going to be what we expected - bright blue skies, vast volcanic landscapes and glistening, turquoise water. We had heard lots about the wildlife here and were looking forward to seeing what rare species of animals we could find.

[moksaryan]

☑️ Country #14

Peru threw up a few challenging situations for us but it was an amazing country to visit. It is full of diverse adventures - a huge lake, a canyon, more of the Andes, Inca ruins, a desert oasis and a capital city on the coast! The food was tasty here - we enjoyed lots of fresh fish and were pleasantly surprised by how good the meals were on the various tours we did. After this, we were on the last stop on our adventure - the Galápagos Islands.

[moksaryan]

Machu Picchu Such a magical place! After waking up at 3am and being the first in line to go through the gates when the park opened, we were exhausted but extremely excited for the finale of our four day trek! Finally, at 6am, we climbed the very steep monkey steps to the sun gate and caught our first glimpse of an empty Machu Picchu through the clouds - an incredible sight. After lots of photos, we carried on the long walk down to the ruins. Once we reached the gates, we were finally able to put our bags into storage for the day - our shoulders were in pain! We spent the rest of the day exploring Machu Picchu and learning all about the history of the Incas. When we returned to Cusco and finally had a warm shower, we slept extremely well! One of the highlights of our trip and 100% worth the challenge!

[moksaryan]

Colca Canyon Leaving from Arequipa, we went on a two day, one night trek into the canyon - the second deepest in the world. The first day was a tough, 16km hike downhill and then back up to the top of the canyon early the next morning. We slept in an oasis at the bottom of the canyon and had to leave our beds to find other accommodation at midnight as there were rocks falling onto the roof - a very surreal experience! We were really lucky to see a huge condor up close and the views of the canyon were incredible. After not exercising for over six months, our muscles were aching but it was a great warm up for our Inca Trail trek a few days later!

[moksaryan]

Huacachina (waka-cheena) One of the most surreal destinations on our trip brought us to this real life oasis which we just had to see for ourselves! We booked onto a open jeep safari which took us deep into the sand dunes. It was great fun sitting in the front and we got to have a go at sand surfing and witness a perfect sunset. 

[moksaryan]

Nazca We stopped very briefly here to do the quick 30 minute plane ride over the desert to see the famous Nazca Lines. We boarded the six seater plane and were soon wobbling around in the air! The Nazca Lines are a group of geoglyphs etched into the desert sands which show different figures, including a spider, a monkey and various birds. Greg got a bit dizzy taking the photos but it was a great sight and definitely worth it!

[moksaryan]

Iguaçu falls Wow, these waterfalls are amazing - we can definitely see why they are one of the seven natural wonders of the world! On our first day here, we went over the border to explore the views from the Argentinian side. It was extremely hot, but it was amazing to see some of the 275 waterfalls here up close. We took our time walking around the lower trails - seeng the water coming down towards us was spectacular, then we walked along the platforms on the upper trails and spent ages staring at the water falling over the brink. We took hundreds of photos between us! The next day, we went to see the Brazilian side. The trails here were a lot shorter but there were wooden platforms jetting out right into the waterfalls. The feeling of getting right in to the falls and feeling the spray of water was really refreshing, especially in the heat. A definite must see when travelling to Brazil!

[moksaryan]

4x4 trip to Uyuni Once we had crossed the border between Chile and Bolivia, we got into our Nissan Patrol 4x4 - our transport for the next 3 days. Over the first couple of days we drove across vast deserts with nothing but snow capped mountains in view, saw several coloured lagoons, had a dip in a thermal pool and saw how a volcano that erupted over one million years ago had changed the landscape - all this at over 4000m above sea level.

[moksaryan]

☑️ Country #13

What an amazing time of year to visit this country - the Brazilian people certainly know how to party. We had a vibrant, fun-filled couple of weeks here and the steak was as delicious as expected. We only had the chance to visit four different places in this huge country and we will definitely be coming back one day to see everything else it has to offer.

[moksaryan]

Ilha Grande The perfect place to come to relax after lots of partying and exploring in Rio. The three of us had to catch a boat over from the mainland and there are no cars on the island at all which was a different experience! We spent one day relaxing on Lopes Mendez beach, which was beautiful and the sea was just the right temperature after sunbathing for a while. The next day, we boarded a speed boat to visit a few of the other paradise islands and their stunning beaches. Ilha Grande was refreshing break after the busyness of the cities here.

[moksaryan]

Country #13

We had high expectations for Brazil and the start of our journey here certainly didn't disappoint! It was carnaval season and from the moment we stepped off the plane we felt welcomed by the friendly locals and could tell we were going to be partying lots here. It was great to be back to wearing our shorts and we were looking forward to drinking lots of caprihinas!

[moksaryan]

☑️ Country #12

We are so glad we had the chance to visit Bolivia and experience the truly diverse landscapes it has to offer. There are so many extremes in this country - we went from being in 100% humidity in the jungle to being 3,500m in the clouds above sea level all in one day! Next stop - something completely different, Brazil!

[moksaryan]

Mountain biking down the famous Death Road. What a great way to spend Valentine’s Day! 

[moksaryan]

La Paz This huge, busy city built in a valley, 3,500m above sea level was cold and unlike anywhere we had visited so far. Climbing the steep hills at this altitude was hard work but we enjoyed slowly wandering around experiencing the charm and relentless traffic jams! We took a cable car - which locals use as public transport, up to the top of the city and enjoyed the never ending views of houses perched on the hills. The markets seemed never ending too, these were run by lots of women in traditional dress, who we later found out were called cholitas. While here, we took on the challenge of mountain biking down Death Road on Valentine's Day! Over 60km of cycling downhill through mountains and jungle, all while riding on dirt tracks above the cliffs edge, this was an exhilarating experience and offered spectacular views of winding roads and the almost untouched countryside.

[moksaryan]

São Paulo The pre-carnival celebrations were already in full swing when we arrived here, which we didn't expect! We spent a day wandering around the historical part of this massive city learning about how it developed and also viewed the city from the top of a tall building - the city was enormous and we couldn't see where it ended! A highlight was thoroughly enjoying a traditional Brazilian Churrascaria Rodizo - an 'all you can eat' barbecued meat restaurant where the waiters would spend the whole evening arriving at the table with different cuts of steak. The rest of our time here was spent enjoying the carnival atmosphere with a few caprihinas and lots of live music from the bloco trucks. As it is the third largest city in the world, we only explored a small part of it, but it enjoyed it a lot more than we expected!