The van turned up looking spotless.  Apparently Magno had washed the windows with mineral water and the interior was almost as new ( Read more... )

We didn't do a lot today.  Magno, the driver, did, though.  We were all in the minibus for a long time ( Read more... )

Breakfast was taken early in order to get up to Revash as soon as possible.  Not everyone was coming this time: the last two days had taken their toll ( Read more... )

We set off at around 7:30am after a simple breakfast with spectacular views of Gocta Falls along the valley.  As we were finishing, a local farmer led past the three alpacas that had been grazing on the lawn ( Read more... )

The day started off well, with the hotel breakfast coming with presents (wrapped and everything) from Paul and Lisa, which were really appreciated: Fiasco and Zombie Fluxx.  [Sadly we never got a chance to play either of them, we were either busy or shattered for the rest of the week.  Maybe online ( Read more... )

After the fun of the morning we drove out to Karajía, some hours from Chachapoyas.  The road is rocky and narrow and winds its way up the side of the valley with no barrier between road and plummet.  The views across the valley are amazing as long as you don't look down: we saw the clouds that give the cloud forest its name, for instance ( Read more... )

We've had a frankly hilarious time in Chachapoyas and have probably ended up on a Peruvian TV channel: I think I've been grinning all morning.  We went for a wander around the town to have a bit of an explore and to catch the beginning of the festival parade for Raymi LlactaWe explored the local market, which was a cornucopia of new fruits and ( Read more... )

09:55 - Olmas ( Read more... )

Chiclayo is a city of between three-quarters and one million people and around 16,000 taxis ( Read more... )

The actual visit to Sipán (or Huaca Rajada) was a little bit of a let-down; we'd spent a little longer than expected at Valderron, so we were probably under a bit of time pressure, but the overall rushedness of it left me with no lasting impression of the place ( Read more... )