*Some shorter entries as I try to complete the series before Paris. At Rio airport right now as I write this. Got to give the people what they want!!!*   Argentina was one of my most anticipated countries to visit prior to this trip. Steak, wine, football – you can’t really go wrong.    Salta […]

A majority of the day was spent on the bus to Chile. Chile is the only place in South America where Australians need a visa to enter which for whatever reason is an unnecessarily expensive and complicated task.    I arrived at the border and got stamped out of Bolivia on my Australian passport before

Its true that some of the best stories and experiences are the ones that come unexpectedly.    I arrived in La Paz, the highest capital city in the world at 3640m, and embarked on exploring the city. I ventured the streets and cable cars before heading to San Pedro prison, a place made famous by

The last few days in Cusco, after completing the Inca Trail, were predictably spent enjoying the revels of having completed such a trek and rewarding myself with some beers. It was nice to relax and rest for a little bit before venturing onto Bolivia.    The day before my Bolivia adventure, the news filtered through

This post is dedicated to my 2 American friends that I met on the Inca trail: Ralph Jnr and Helena.    After an introductory meeting the night before—an event I was later informed I’d unintentionally left early at—the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was finally upon me. With only 500 permits issued per day (including

After an extended stay in Colombia due to being sick, my dash through Peru to reach Cusco in time for the Inca Trail was on.    Lima: Lima, Peru’s capital, is often just an airport stopover for many as they venture on to other parts of the country. I spent 2 nights here and really

I arrived in Cuyabeno, the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon, after a gruelling night bus from Quito. The bus didn’t have a toilet on board so stopped every 2-3 hours on the journey, where the lights would blaze on and the driver would ceremoniously announce our bathroom break over the microphone, as if we couldn’t

Next stop: The Secret Garden Cotopaxi, a hostel run by the same owners as Quito but about 2 hours away near Cotopaxi National Park. This place was one of the most picturesque hostels I’ve ever stayed in, isolated on its own plot of land with amazing views of the Cotopaxi volcano. It felt completely different

The media coverage of Ecuador left me feeling slightly unsettled about travelling there. It was made worse by Mums repeated messages, mostly capitalised, about making sure I did not go to Ecuador. It wasn’t a red zone country – fake news I went anyway and I’m still here to tell the tale. I arrived late

Salento is located in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region, a 5 hour bus from Medellin. It is less touristy than Medellin and Cartagena and noticeably safer. I didn’t feel the need to clutch onto my phone and wallet like my life depended on it during my time here like I did in other cities