Travel notes

These travel notes cover the period of our trip from Buenos Aires in Argentina through to Arequipa in Peru.  I stopped there because it became too time consuming to put the notes up after we lost our laptop.  The notes are organised chronologically to match the relevant blog.



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11 February 2012 - Notes on a City


·      Our Spanish school is Estudio Buenos Aires, Reconquista 962, 3rd Floor; www.ebatrust.com.ar.  As complete beginners we paid US$145 per person per week for 20 hours (4hrs x 5 days) of class time.  Class size 2-5, although for the first 6 days it was just the two of us.  Any more than 20 hours and we’d be even more knackered.  Really glad we didn’t take additional tutoring in the afternoons.

·      El Desnivel is at Defensa 855, near the corner of Av. Indepencia.  The steak was a tenderloin fillet that weighed about 600g on service (huge – there’s nearly half-eaten in the photo) and was cooked perfectly.  The steak cost AR$65 – that’s just under £10.  T-bone (bife al chorizo) would have cost AR$55.  Side order of frites was AR$14 – it was huge too.  Red wine was AR$12 a glass.

·      The Subte costs AR$2.50 per journey.  The bus varies but generally it’s AR$1.20 or AR$1.25.

·      Our hostel is Metro I at Rivadavia 2010, booked via either www.hostelworld.com or www.hostelbookers.com, I can’t remember which.  It’s costing us about AR$113 per night (c. £17) for a double room with use of a shared bathroom (shower only) and a limited kitchen.  The first 6 nights cost AR$120 as the website took their cut but the last 8 were arranged directly with the hostel with a small discount.  It’s cheap and clean, and very hot when it’s sunny.  No air con in the room but there is a fan.  It’s not bad for the price.

·      The Seacat to Colonia takes 1 hour and cost us AR$283 per person (c. £43) for the return journey.  This was poor organisation on our part – if we’d booked 10 days in advance it would have been about AR$200 each.  Incidentally, Uruguay is 1 hour ahead.

·      The bus to Puerto Madryn takes 18 hours and is with Andesmar (one of several big private operators).  It cost AR$640 per person (c. £100).  It will be interesting to see how it goes.  The easiest place to go for details of long-distance bus travel in Argentina is www.platforma10.com.  Unfortunately you can’t book online without registering an Argentine address (I think they post the tickets) but you tend to find ticket counters at the big bus terminals for all the main companies so you can still book in advance from a remote city (e.g. we booked our journey from Puerto Madryn to Rio Gallegos, and then from RG to Punta Arenas in Chile, via the Andesmar desk in BA.  The first leg, to RG, is with Andesmar, the second leg, to PA, is with El Pinguino but Andesmar ticketed us).

·      There are three main classes of long distance bus in Argentina: semi-cama (cama is bed in Español), a good reclining seat with reasonable room, sometimes comes “with service”; cama/coche-cama/cama ejec.(utivo), we’ve not taken it yet (although we will for Puerto Madryn to Rio Gallegos) but it looks like a more padded seat than semi-cama, often “with service”; and cama suite, which is evidently “better than flying first class” and I expect food, drink, merriment (personal entertainment system) and fully flat beds – no doubt there will be more about this later.  Our journey on El Pinguino from Rio Gallegos to Punta Arenas is described as “Commun w/air” – I’ve no information as to what that entails (common/community with air-con?) and I suspect we will be taken down a peg or two, but it’s only meant to be for 5 ½ hours.



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13 February 2012 - More notes but mostly some photos from BA


·      Tigre is accessible either by the 60 bus from the north side of Plaza Congresso (it then goes up Av. Callao) which takes about an hour and 45 min and costs AR$2 (c. £0.30).  Tigres is the final stop.  Alternatively I believe the train is quicker and even cheaper (about AR$1.5, I think) and goes all the way to Tigres from Retiro.

·      The Grand Splendid is on Av. Santa Fe, just west of the intersection with Av. Callao.

·      The 152, the 130 and the 29 all go from central BA to Caminita.  Given the way the guidebooks write up the rest of Boca, you may sit through the 10-15 minute bus ride in a state of panic.  The 152 terminates at the bus depot just out of sight of the Caminita, which left us really hoping there were some “colourful” streets just around the corner – thankfully there were.  And there were lots of tourists so we felt pretty safe.



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18 February 2012 - Our Uruguayan Adventure


·      We stayed in Hostel El Espanol on our first night in Colonia at UR$300 per person per night in a 6 bed dorm.  It had a nice vibe and was fairly well-located at Manuel Lobo 377 and has a pleasant vibe.  Rubbish wifi, but internet ok.

·      Our two nights in Montevideo were at Unplugged Hostel at (confusingly) Colonia 2063.  A long way out of town and fairly soulless and industrial but not bad value at US$15 per person per night until you realise they use an awful exchange rate of UR$22 to US$1 which is a bit of a joke – the high street rate was UR$19.50.  Rubbish wifi, but internet ok.

·      Our last night in Colonia we took a private room in Sur Hostel at Rivadavia 448.  Nicely appointed, decent breakfast, lovely roof terrace, all for US$50 for the two of us.  Rubbish wifi, but internet ok.  There’s a pattern here.

·      I can’t find the name of the chocolate shop in Colonia but I am determined to find it and update the blog.  The chocolate was lovely.

·      I think that Prince of Persia may actually be better when you are trying to decipher the plot from the Spanish subtitles, although having not seen it in English, I may be wrong about this.  I had completely the wrong guy pegged as the baddie up until the last 10 minutes and I’m not sure that was the director’s intention.



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22 FEbruary 2012 - Down Patagonia way


·       Our hostel in Puerto Madryn was Posada del Catalajo at Mitre 446.  Pleasant and friendly and reasonable wifi.


·       We went to the tea house on the eastern side of the main (only?) plaza in Gaiman.  The tea was good, the cakes ere good too.  The scones came with jam but no cream, clotted or otherwise.  It cost AR$70 per person (about £11) for the tea and AR$42 (about £6.50) per person for the return bus trip.



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24 February 2012 - To the very bottom of mainland Argentina


·      We are bussing with El Pinguino from Rio Gallegos to Punta Arenas at a cost of AR$80 per person (about £12).  We were surprised to find out (because google and www.platforma10.com don’t indicate this) that there are two other bus companies down here in Patagonia that do the route both from Rio Gallegos to Punta Arenas and from El Calafate to Bariloche.  They are:  Marga and Taqsa (although they may actually be linked because they have very similar logos).  It would be worth googling them if you are travelling down this way.

·      We stayed in Rio Gallegos at Liporaci Hotel, Lisandro del la Torre 243 (www.hoteliporaci.com.ar).  We didn’t pay a dime (Andesmar covered it) but their rack rate, including breakfast, is AR$300 (about £45) for a double with en suite.  The breakfast included some really lovely and very sweet medialunas (croissants).
 
·      The excerpt from my diary written on the bus to Rio Gallegos: “Saturday, 18th February 2012.  Clearly it’s grumpy Myles who’s boarded this bus.  It’s 10pm and I’m sitting in the dark in a bus in a remote car park with no explanation as to what’s going on.  It appears that the bus electrics have fused so we’re not going anywhere, the DVD’s off and the lights are out.  And I’ve not been fed.  And I’m paying a small fortune for the privilege.  It was bad enough the bus was two and a half hours late.  And now m pen is out of ink.  Fantastic.  Nothing for it but prayer.  But not mean and nasty prayer, wishing boils upon the driver, his auxiliary, or the drivers of the two earlier buses run by the same company that could have taken us but refused.  Not those kind of prayers.“



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26 February 2012 - Down Patagonia way - the bottom of the Americas


·      The trip to Isla Magdalena was booked through Comapa Turismo, at Magallanes 990, tel: (56-61) 200 200; email: reservasmagdalena@comapa.cl.  Web: www.islamagdalena.com.  The trip cost C$25,000 (about £35) per person, for a 2 hour ferry ride each way and an hour at the Island.  It was freezing.  An hour was plenty.

·      The trip to Fuerto Bulnes was arranged through Turismo Paisaje Austral, www.turismopaisajeaustral.cl, tel: (0161) 221 261.  It cost C$10,000 (about £14) per person and included the entry to the site of C$1,000 (most other tours we saw cost C$10,000 plus the entry fee).  They were really lovely and the English translator was particularly nice.  Makes me feel guilty I’ve forgotten her name.

·      We didn’t rent a car to go to Fuerto Bulnes but we did consider it.  We were put off by tales of bad roads.  These were overstated.  The first 40 min of the drive there was a well-maintained concrete paved road.  The next 20 min was gravel, but that section was not a difficult gravel road and was almost entirely being worked on, presumably in preparation for paving it. I imagine they are aiming to finish it by the end of summer.  That gets you to the “centre of Chile” marker and from there it’s another 5 minutes on an easy gravel road to the entry of the Fuerto Bulnes site.

·      We bussed from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales with Bus Sur at a cost of C$4,000 (about £5.50) per person one way.  Most other companies were charging C$5,000.  The journey took about 3 hours.

·      We stayed in Hospedaje Costanera on Romulo Correa 1221.  They were really lovely and good to us considering we didn’t show up on the first night of our booking and didn’t contact them (no internet and no phone number and no working payphone anyway).  Breakfast ok-ish.  Wifi wasn’t working (what a surprise).  It was a bit of a walk from town but it’s not a huge town.  The rooms were really comfortably appointed.  Nice beds and bedding and really warm (which is important when it’s 2 degrees outside at night!).  I had forgotten what quality haberdashery looked and felt like.  It was really nice.



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29 February 2012 - The Beautiful South


·      To get to the park there are a number of bus companies that go from Puerto Natales to drop off at the park entrance at Laguna Armaga, the boat launch at Pudeto and the park administration.  Andres and Monica at our hostel booked ours for us.  We went with JBA Patagonia and paid C$6,000 (about £8.50) each way per person.  We asked them to book it for us on Thursday afternoon and it was no problem for an early departure on Friday morning.  All the buses go at the same times to meet the shuttle buses and boats in the park (which are also at set times).

·      The entrance fee at Laguna Armaga was C$15,000 per person (about £21).

·      From the park entrance, we took the shuttle bus to Hotel Las Torres, and that’s where we also finished our walk, catching the shuttle bus back.  This cost C$2,500 (about £3.50) per person each way – there is no need to book.

·      We stayed in a 5 bed dorm in hostel El Patagonico in Puerto Natales on O’Higgins 741 at C$7,000 per person per night.  Andres and Monica who ran the place were really lovely and the place had a really friendly atmosphere.



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01 March 2012 - A very big ice cube


·      Our bus from Puerto Natales to El Calafate cost C$12,000 (approx. £17) per person with Cootra RT Ltd.  Ours was the 8:30am bus and it took about 6 hours and thirty minutes including an hour to get through the two border controls.  The Argentinians aren’t nearly so fussy about what you can take across the border.  There were about four or five companies doing the route and it was no problem to turn up and book the bus two days beforehand.  They all cost the same but the other companies all seemed to leave at 7:00am.  I heard from someone in El Calafate (actually I think it was Nick and Megan who we bumped into again) that the 7:00am bus had to wait about 30 min for the border to open.

·      The bus to the Perito Moreno Glacier was with Cal Tour.  Other companies also do the route and tickets can be booked at the bus station in El Calafate.  Ours cost AR$120 per person return.  We went to the bus station to book at 5:30pm the day before we wanted to go on what was evidently a busy weekend (with a public holiday on the Monday in Argentina) and had a choice of morning or afternoon departures.  The tours (as opposed to just getting the bus there) tend to include a boat trip in front of the glacier and sometimes a walk on the ice at the side of the glacier.

·      Entry to the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares cost AR$100 (about £16) per person (for foreigners, Argentines pay AR$30) and is only valid for one day.  We paid cash on the bus and were given a very official looking ticket.

·      We stayed at the very big Hostel del Glaciar Pioneros, on Los Pioneros 251, at a cost of AR$50 (about £8) per person per night in a four-bed dorm.  It was ok and cheap but I wasn’t a fan of the staff or the atmosphere.



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08 March 2012 - The Ruta 40 experience


·         We travelled with Chalten Travel (www.chaltentravel.com).  The ticket from El Calafate to Perito Moreno was AR$360 per person (about £55) and the ticket from Perito Moreno to Bariloche was AR$ 300 per person (about £45).

·         The overnight stay was at Hotel Belgrano in Perito Moreno. It cost us AR$85 (about £13) per person for a dorm bed with no breakfast included.  Breakfast could be purchased for an additional AR$18 (about £3).  It was two slices of bread, one medialuna (croissant), some jam and a coffee.

·         Other buses do run this route.  Marga Taqsa definitely do it and I saw a Cal Tur bus at the “amusing” pee stop.  I don’t think it could have been on any other route.



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13 March 2012 - Goodbye to Patagonia


·      In Bariloche we staid at Lo De Max, on Ruiz Moreno 272.  We took advantage of their “after carneval” deal and booked a double room with ensuite for four nights at AR$100 (about £16) per night including a pretty good breakfast.  They are lovely there.  The price was insanely cheap.
 
·      The Café with the fabulous churros in Bariloche was on the main street– Mitre – about 70 metres east of the main square.  For two churros and a hot chocolate it was AR$16 (about £2.50) between 4pm and 7pm.  I can’t remember the name of the café but the churros and hot chocolate offer was advertised on a board outside.

·      The bus to Villa la Angostura was with the one place that seemed to sell tickets in Bariloche bus terminal.  It cost AR$27 per person (about £4).

·      Our hostel in Villa la Angostura was Hostel El Hongo.  It is a good 15 minute walk out of town.  It cost AR$60 per person per night.  No breakfast but decent wifi and bedbugs included.

·      Our bus to San Martin de Los Andes was through truly beautiful scenery.  Again, there weren’t many options.  It left at 1pm, took about 2 hours and cost AR$41.50 per person (approx. £6.50).



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16 March 2012 - The grass IS greener


·      In San Martin de los Andes we stayed in the Rukalhue Hostel in San Martin de los Andes on Juez del Valle 682 at AR$53 (about £8.30) per person per night including a nice breakfast.

·      Our bus to Pucon was booked from the Via Bariloche counter although it was some other company that took us: La Fit, I think.  They do two or three buses a week leaving at midday at a cost of AR$120 (about £18).  One of those was helpfully on Wednesdays, which was when we wanted to leave.  There is one other company that does buses from San Martin to Pucon every day but they are at 7am (or possibly 7:30am) and that would have meant we missed breakfast!

·      The walk to the mirador in San Martin de los Andes ends at a lovely spot with views out into the lake and back into San Martin.  They charge AR$2 per person to go the last 200m.  As that’s only about 30p it’s not a big deal, but you need to remember to take it with you.

·      Our hostel in Pucon was Ruka Pucon – a little way out of town on Del Pillan 101.  C$7,000 (about £9.50) per person per night for a space in a 2 bed dorm – i.e. private twin.  (although I believe they use these as three bed dorms in the peak season).  Max, a German chap there for the summer season was superb value – very helpful.  They had good recommendations for tours and excursions – as vouched for by every one of the other guests.

·      Reserva el Cani can be reached by getting any one of the buses going out to Termas los Pozones. It costs between C$650 and C$800 (80p - £1.10) each way, depending on which bus you get.  Tickets are purchased on the bus, they don’t seem to do reservations.  There were at least 8 different return buses going past El Cani in the afternoon.  When you sign in at administration they give you a map with the return bus times printed on it.

·      Reserva El Cani is not a national park.  It is a tract of forest and mountain strategically bought by some locals to impede logging activity.  They preserve the natural beauty and maintain walking trails and a refugio about half way up.  You can camp either at the refugio or at certain spots by the lakes at the top.  I think that camping at the top looked like a marvellous option.  To enter the reserve costs C$3,000 per person (about £5.20).  It took us 90 minutes to walk up to the refugio, about another 40 minutes to the first lake (Lago Las Totores) a further 40 minutes to Lago Negra.  From there it was a 25 minute climb to the mirador with outstanding views.  Heading down it took us 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Including a breaks for lunch, etc, it takes at least 6 and a half hours for the return journey to the top. I wish we had more time because it was beautiful.  The hike up to the refugio is very steep, as is the last push to the mirador.

·      We went to the Termas los Pozones with Turismo Florencia, at a cost of C$10,000 per person (about £13).  This covered entry and transport to and from Pucon with time for about 2 hours at the Termas.  If you go during the day you can do it on public for about C$3,000 less, but the last bus back from the Termas is at about 8:30pm.



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22 March 2012 - Santiago - an unexpected pleasure


·      Our bus to Santiago was with Pullman bus company.  It cost C$12,000 each (about £16) for semi-cama seats.  There are three or four different bus companies that do this route and some of them (notably Jac Tours) cost more as the bus fills up – i.e. Nick and Amanda paid about C$11,000 for their bus.  Some other people we hear for paid about C$9,000.

·      In Santiago we stayed at Ventana Sur, on Claudio Arrau 340.  Ivan who runs it is lovely and helpful.  The have a pool which is a real luxury.  They are nice and laid back – we turned up at 8:30am and they were fine for us to stay during the day, topped us up with free coffee, let us use the wifi, and put us straight into our dorm as soon as the previous occupants were out (at about 10am).  It cost C$7,500 (about £10) per person per night for a space in a 6-bed dorm with breakfast.

·      The funicular railway up San Cristobal costs C$1,800 per person (about £2.50) for the return trip.  It’s really steep and a long way up.

·      The really lovely lunch was at Caburga, in Patio Belavista, a little open air arcade behind Pio Nono.  We paid C$8,300 (about £11) for three courses plus drink (set menu) for both of us, plus 10% service (not included on the bill).  And the food was really good.  I had a chicken Caesar salad that ranks in my top three meals in South America.  Really lovely little setting too.

·      Our bust to Mendoza was with Tur Bus and cost us C$17,700 per person for seats in semi-cama.   It took about 6 hours, including the border stop.  They said we would get in around 6am, which sounded bearable.  We got in at 4:30am.  They lied.

·      Our hostel in Mendoza was Puertas del Sol, on Espejas 751.  It cost us AR$50 per person per night (about £7.50) for accommodation in a two bed dorm with a private bathroom – i.e. a small room with bunk beds and an en suite.  The owner, Herman, was really nice as were the staff.  They gave us a bottle of Malbec because we stayed for three nights.

·      Our bus to Santiago was with Pullman bus company.  It cost C$12,000 each (about £16) for semi-cama seats.  There are three or four different bus companies that do this route and some of them (notably Jac Tours) cost more as the bus fills up – i.e. Nick and Amanda paid about C$11,000 for their bus.  Some other people we hear for paid about C$9,000.



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23 March 2012 - It's wine time


·      There are several busses on route 10 (10-171, 10-172, and 10-173, I think) that go to Maipu from the bottom of Calle Garibaldi.  It cost us AR$1.80 per person each way, which in typical Argentine fashion must be paid in coins in a machine on the bus, and no-one in town wants to part with their coinage.  We spent most of the previous evening trying to enter into transactions that would bring us loose change.

·      Those buses go to Coquimbito en route to Maipu.  In Coquimbito are a three or four places that rent bikes and suggest a few bodegas to go to.

·      The Museo Nacionale del Vino y la Vendimia and also the Antigua Bodega Giol are both on Calle Ozamis J A at the northern end of Maipu.  The museum cost us AR$5 (about £0.80) to enter and have the tour and wine-tasting.  The Bodega is a little further north and the tasting and tour cost AR$10 (about £1.60).

·      Our hostel in Mendoza was Puertas del Sol, on Espejas 751.  It cost us AR$50 per person per night (about £7.50) for accommodation in a two bed dorm with a private bathroom – i.e. a small room with bunk beds and an en suite.  The owner, Hernan, was really nice as were the staff.  They gave us a bottle of Malbec because we stayed for three nights.



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30 March 2012 - Northern beaches


·      Our bus from Mendoza to Valparaiso was with Andesmar and cost AR$160 (about £25) per person in cama class.  We would have saved AR$20 per person if we had gone semi-cama.  The views on the journey were fantastic, although the glimpse of Puente del Inca as you pass it on the left was too fleeting to get a photo.

·      Our hostel in Valparaiso was Angel Hostal on Cumming 160.  It cost C$7,000 (about £9.50) per person per night in a three bed dorm.  It was really crowded, 7 rooms and one shower, tiny kitchen, tiny common area, haphazard breakfast, and on our second night they squeezed a fourth person into our three-bed dorm without telling us.  For the price, it was a bit shoddy.  But it had good wifi.

·      We went to Viña del Mar for a day-trip from Valparaiso, about 9km along the coast.  The Museo de Arqueologico e Historia is at 4 Norte 784.

·      Our bus from Valparaiso to La Serena was with Tur Bus and cost C$8,700 (approx. £12) per person for semi-cama.

·      Our accommodation in La Serena was at Maria’s Casa, on Las Rojas 18.  It was a lovely hostel with a worthwhile private double room in an annex around the corner (along with a five or six bed dorm).  We really enjoyed it there.  It cost us C$15,000 (approx. £20) per night for the double room.  No breakfast, shared bathroom, ok wifi.



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31 March 2012 - Northern deserts, part 1: San Pedro de Atacama


·      In San Pedro de Atacama we stayed in Hostal Mamut, on Los Parinas 471.  We paid C$15,000 (about £20) per night for a private double room.  The hostel was relaxed, the bathrooms were fine.  The kitchen was small, crowded and pretty grotty, but all in all it was a good experience.

·      Our excursion to the Geysers del Tatia and our separate excursion to the Valle de la Luna were both booked through Limit X-treme on Calle Caracoles 169-A.  However, for the trip to the Valle de la Luna we were put onto a tour with a different company at the last minute.  We weren’t too fussed – we picked them because they were the cheapest.

·      The trip to the Geysers del Tatia cost C$17,000 (approx. £23) per person and we had to pay an additional C$5,000 (approx. £6.50) per person for entry into the national park.  This was probably not the most worthwhile tour.  The geothermal field is essentially a really old volcano so it is ringed by high peaks and by the time the sun gets over the peaks it has well and truly risen.  The only reason for the early start is so that it is really cold when you get there.

·      The trip to the Valle de la Luna cost C$7,000 per person (approx. £9.50) and we had to pay an additional C$2,000 per person (approx. £2.50) to enter the national park.  This was a good tour with great scenery and a wonderful sunset.

·      In hindsight, my altitude sickness was not that surprising.  I had been under the misapprehension that you only get altitude sickness if you sleep too high.  Actually (clearly) you can get it just by going too high.  Things that I did wrong: I ate a steak with a rich boozy sauce the night before – red meat and alcohol are bad for altitude sickness; I had only 3 hours sleep the night before; I failed to dose myself with lots of water before and during the trip; and we started taking medication to help with altitude sickness that morning (to prepare for our trip to Bolivia the next day), which probably did not agree with me.



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02 April 2012 - Northern deserts, part 2: into Bolivia


·      Our tour from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to Uyuni in Bolivia was with Estrella del Sur at Calle Caracoles 238-A.  The website is www.travelestrelladelsur.  We paid C$75,000 per person (about £100).  That included transport (maximum of six passengers in the 4x4), breakfast and lunch on all three days, and also dinner and accommodation on days one and two.  In addition, we had to pay 150 Bolivianos (about £15) per person for entry to the Laguna Verde National Park.  The food and accommodation were basic but fine.  The drivers – we had a different driver for the first day due to some problem – were both experienced, capable, informative and amiable.

·      I am not sure where we stayed the first night.  It was a short drive from Laguna Colorada.  There weren’t exactly roads in that part of the world.  It was in a collection of buildings that all looked like they provided the same sort of dormitory accommodation … with no heating.  Kizzy was grateful for her sleeping bag in addition to the two blankets supplied.



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04 April 2012 - Northern deserts, part 3: Uyuni


·      Our tour from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to Uyuni in Bolivia was with Estrella del Sur at Calle Caracoles 238-A.  The website is www.travelestrelladelsur.  We paid C$75,000 per person (about £100).  That included transport (maximum of six passengers in the 4x4), breakfast and lunch on all three days, and also dinner and accommodation on days one and two.  In addition, we had to pay 150 Bolivianos (about £15) per person for entry to the Laguna Verde National Park.  The food and accommodation were basic but fine.  The drivers – we had a different driver for the first day due to some problem – were both experienced, capable, informative and amiable.

·      Our accommodation in Uyuni was at Alojamiento La Roca, on Calle Bolivar 159, near the intersection with Potosi.  Our first night there was included in the tour.  We stayed a second night in Uyuni at a cost Bol$70 (about £7) for a double room with shared bathroom, breakfast not included.



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11 April 2012 - Adventures on the Altiplano


·      Our bus from Uyuni to Potosi cost us B$30 per person (about £3). There were two or three companies in Av Arce offering pretty much the same deals and times.

·      Our accommodation in Potosi was at the Koala Den on Calle Junin 56, we paid B$150 (approx. £15) on the first night for a double bedroom with a private bathroom and B$100 (about £10) on the second night for a double with a shared bathroom.  It came with a pretty good breakfast included.

·      I have no idea who we travelled with from Potosi to Sucre.  We turned up at the bus station and took the next bus going.  It cost B$15 (about £1.50) per person for the bus ticket, plus a separate departure tax paid to get out of the terminal to where the buses were waiting of B$2 per person.

·      In Sucre we stayed in the Ciudad Blanca on Av. Hernando Siles at a cost of B$30 per person per night (about £3).  For that price we were given exclusive occupation of a 10-bed dorm room along with Corinne and Simon who had travelled with us in the 4x4 from San Pedro de Atacama.  It was fine but there were plenty of other good options in town ranging from B$20 per person per night (basic and somewhat unsecure) to B$120 for a double room with ensuite in a hotel.



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18 April 2012 - Lake Titicaca, part 1: Bolivia


·      We travelled with El Dorada from Sucre to La Paz, taking about 12 hours and costing us B$135 (about £13) each for cama seats.  There was also a charge to exit the bus terminal; about B$2, I think.  El Dorada were suspended two years ago following a fatal crash but they seem to have the most comfy buses so we went with them anyway.

·      Our hostel in La Paz was Hostal Gloria.  It cost B$120 (about £12) per night for a double room with a private bathroom.  It was ropey and grotty and loud and I would not recommend it.

·      I have no idea who we travelled from La Paz to Copacabana with.  We were loitering outside our hostel contemplating the 20 minute uphill walk to the bus station when a tourist bus pulled up outside the place next door.  The drive let us on for B$40 each (about £4), which we were happy to take.  When we had arrived in La Paz we found that the buses to Copacabana from the bus terminal cost B$30 per person.  We were happy to pay an extra £1 each to avoid the walk.  On top of the bus fare we had to pay about B$1.50 each for the boat to ferry us across to the Bolivian side of the peninsula on which Copacabana is sited.  The bus goes over on a barge but the passengers need to pay for a separate journey in a motorboat.

·      We booked our trip to Isla del Sol on the good ship Andes Amazonia.  It cost B$30 per person to be transported to the northern part of the island in the morning, dropped off around 11am and picked up from the Southern part at 3:30pm in the afternoon.  In addition we had to pay trail fees at three points along the way as we crossed into lands controlled by different communities.  The northern section (with the best ruins as well as the rock from which the Incas believed the sun god emerged) cost B$10 (about £1), the middle section cost B$15 (about £1.50) and the southern part cost B$5 (about 50p).

·      In Copacabana we stayed in Hostal 6 de Agosto (on Calle 6 de Agosto).  We paid B$80 (about £8) for the double with private bathroom on our first night and B$120 (about £12) per night for our second and third nights, on account of the Easter celebrations for which everywhere in town was pretty busy.

·      Despite what the guidebooks say, there is an ATM in town that accepted our bank cards.  It’s on the main street,  6 de Agosto, on the right as you head up from the main square to the Cathedral.



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20 April 2012 - Lake Titicaca, part 2: Peru - from the surreal to the very real


·      We travelled from Copacabana to Puno with … well, we booked through Grace Travel, we were ticketed to travel with Via Titicaca and the bus we travelled on was Panamerica.  I’m still a bit confused.  It took three hours, there were morning, lunchtime and afternoon travel times available.  It cost us B$30 per person – about £3.  We travelled on their busiest weekend and booked two days in advance with no problems.

·      We stayed at Marlon’s House in Puno, on La Torre 449.  We paid P$54 per night (about £13) for an amazing double room – floor to ceiling glass windows around two walls with a view over Lake Titicaca – with a private bathroom.  No hot water though.  And had to pay extra if you wanted heating (which we didn’t need).  Included breakfast, which was basic, and the worst coffee I have ever experienced: they served weak and stale filter coffee, cold, in a little jug that you heated up by topping up with boiling water.  It’s just wrong.  It would have been better not to offer coffee.

·      We visited the islands on a full-day excursion with Edgar Adventures on Lima 328, which cost us P$35 per person (about £8.50).  This covered transport, access to the islands and a bilingual guide.  It did not include lunch.  We lunched on Taquile for P$20 (about £5) per person for three courses.  It took about 40 minutes to reach Uros, we stayed there for about an hour and then it took another three hours to Taquile.  We were there for about three hours including a wander and some lunch before a three hour return to Puno.  And we had a very informative guide.

·      Loperamide works wonders – I was passing pretty much water every 30 minutes and dry-heaving the rest of the time.  After taking one Loperamide I dried up completely.  Returned to normal after 92 hours.  I only go into the detail because it’s actually hard to find useful timelines on the internet.  All the references to Loperamide tend to refer to its properties as an opiate-blocker.



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02 May 2012 - On the Inca Trail


·      We took a bus from Puno on Lake Titicaca to Cusco with Transuela.  It cost us P$30 (about £7.50) per person for the 6 hour journey, travelling in bus cama seating.  There’s an exit charge at Puno bus terminal but I was in no state to pay any attention to how much it cost.  The loos there cost 50 centavos.

·      We stayed in Cuzco at El Tuco Hostel on Avenida Grau at 835.  It cost us P$38 (about £9.50) per night for a double room with a private bathroom for the first three nights, before the trek.  However, this was due to a mistake on their booking system.  It should have actually cost P$38 per person per night, which is what they charged us on the evening we returned from the trek.  It was a lovely place, although they do have a two-tier breakfast in place.  Needless to say we were on the bottom tier.  Also there is a 9:00am checkout which is pretty early on the day after you get back from the Inca Trail.

·      Our Inca Trail trek was with Peru Treks on Avenida Pardo 540 (www.perutreks.com) and they were amazing.  I cannot rate them highly enough.  Really lovely staff, guides and porters.  Well organised, really pleasant.  They were lovely and dealt really well with problems that came up on the trail.  One gentleman had diarrhea and vomiting on the second morning and had to pull out and they handled that really well and sympathetically.  It’s not what you plan for but it was nice to see that as well as providing a really good experience on the trail, they were also able to provide a really good safety net and address problems calmly, professionally and minimising stress.  Percy and Raoul, our guides, were wonderful, David our cook was amazing, and the porters were inspirational.  We paid US$515 per person.  That covered all transport from Cuzco, the trail permit, food and accommodation (tents and sleeping mats, but not sleeping bags) on the trail, and the services of the guides and porters.  In addition, we paid for breakfast in Ollantaytambo on the first morning before we started the trail (P$15 per person), walking sticks in Ollantaytambo (P$5 per stick and they cut them to size), drinking water outside of meals on the first two days (you can buy it on the trail, we spent about P$12 between us), tips for the guides and porters (we spent about P$100 each), money on additional porters to carry up to 5kg of personal belongings for each of us (US$45 each plus P$30 each in tips – well worth it but not essential), and lunch on the final afternoon in Aguas Calientes (about P$20 each for pizza and beer – about £5).  We could have paid a further P$150 each for a ticket to access Huayna Picchu – the mountain behind Machu Picchu.  That ticket covers access to Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu (sometimes spelt “Wayna” Picchu), hence the cost, but we already had access to Machu Picchu with our Inca Trail Pass. Unfortunately you have to buy the ticket before you leave Cuzco and we weren’t sure if we’d want to take the scramble up the peak after 4 days of hiking, nor were we sure what the weather would be like.  We didn’t buy the ticket.  It wasn’t the end of the world.



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09 May 2012 - Machu Picchu


·      For details on our trip with Peru Treks and our accommodation in Cuzco, see the previous post.

·      You can’t take bags over 20 litres into the site, or walking poles.  They have luggage store (P$3, about £0.75) and toilets (P$1) just outside the site. It means that as you arrive from the Sun Gate you go into the site, via the lookout, and then have to head out and check your bags.

·      If you go to Machu Picchu, take food!  There is a restaurant just outside the entry gate, it cost US$35 for the buffet lunch and that’s the only food option.  In Peru, P$35 would be expensive, but this place is close to P$100.  There is a kiosk there too but it’s hard to get anything approaching a meal for less than P$30 (about £7.50).



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13 May 2012 - Why spend £280 when you can spend £60


·       In Arequipa we stayed at El Albergue Epañol for P$30 per night (about £7) for a private double with shared bathroom.  This is incredibly cheap.

·       Our bus from Cuzco to Arequipa was with Julsa bus company.  It cost us P$55 per person (about £14) for cama seats and was fine on that route.  We have heard less than sparkling things about them on other routes.

·       Our tour was booked through Mundo Andino, on Santa Catalina 203, and cost P$125 each (about £30) for three days and two nights, all food except the final lunch included, although we had to buy or bring our own drinks for the trek.  We also had to pay P$70 each (about £17) for access to the national park.  We were picked up from our hostel in Arequipa at 3:30am on the first morning, had breakfast in Chivay at about 7am, and got to Cruz del Condor to catch a glimpse of a condor circling up on the morning thermals.  We actually saw 4 condors but all from a distance and too fleeting to get photos.  We walked for four hours, down into the canyon to get to San Juan, our first night´s accommodation.  The next day we walked 3 and a half hours along to the oasis for an afternoon in the pools and our second night´s accommodation.  On the third morning we started hiking at 4:15am to beat the heat and took about 3 hours to ascend the 1,100m from the canyon floor back up to Cabanaconde, where we had breakfast before returning to Chivay for lunch (P$25, about £6, for the buffet, less for the al a carte) and a dip in the thermal spa (cost P$15, about £4, not included in the price).

·       Entry to the Santa Catalina convent was P$45 (about £11) and worth every penny.  Amazingly photogenic on a sunny day.