tually on the right track and almost on
the verge of turning around, we found
a sign.
It took about another 30 minutes
to get there and we were greeted by
a farmer and his wife, who was very
keen to give us the guided tour. At
about 5000m in altitude and wearing
bike gear, the hour walk all around
the captivating rock formations was
certainly a challenge, but well worth
the breathing difficulties and big blis-
ter that I ended up with. After that it
was off to Arequipa via Salinas y Agua-
da Blanca National Reserve, with the
most potholed road I’d ever been on
but, it did have a huge laguna com-
plete with a whole bunch of Flamin-
gos just chilling out, and lots more
bouncy Vicunas. Happy days!
Our last route before exiting Peru
to Bolivia was via the coast and Lake
Titicaca. Obscure I know but we also
included a tonne of back-country
roads. The first key stop was Ilo, a
port town and home to plenty of seals,
pelicans and other bird life. They
literally queue up on the shore line,
waiting to get the leftover fish scraps
from the fish market. We also got to
visit Punta Coles, where I got my first
real-life view of wild penguins. Who
knew they had penguins in Peru, but
they do! I was so, so happy.
The route to Puno took us on some
very quiet back roads, and the stop on
route in Tarata was fantastic, although
it took a lot of effort to find someone to
unlock the only functioning hostel in
town ... it was a Sunday after-all!
It was worth it though and the next
day we reached Puno. A visit to the
nearby Uros floating islands was cheap
and cheerful, so we took the boat and
enjoyed a day on Lake Titicaca. It was
then off to Bolivia.
Peru had been truly a delight, and
if you like riding on dirt, it’s definitely
the place to be! We WILL return one
day! SB
TRAVERSE 46
Suzie, and her partner Kelvin, are a
couple from Bristol, England and are
currently exploring South America.
They believe that 'life is an adven-
ture' and something to be shared.
Along with Cyril (the sloth) they're
happy to pass on what they have expe-
rienced and learnt.
Checkout their website for more
adventures - www.avvida.co.uk - or
better yet lick on the logo below to Su-
zie and Kelvin's YouTube channel for
amazing videos of their adventures,
subscribe, it's worth it.