Quito, Ecuador via Peru to Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, a little cycle, simple. Except, we have no support vehicle, we have to carry all our equipment on the bikes, there is the small issue of the Andes in the way, the majority of the route is at an altitude of 3000m + with passes over 4500m, temperatures below -15, wild rabid dogs, living off only guinea pigs, 3 day stints without water or food, off-road, waist deep rivers, no nail polish for Amanda and only 3 weeks to plan due to Will's inability to decide on which adventure would be 'challenging enough'. If you would like to support us, please visit the fundraising page on this blog. We are supporting a fantastic charity called SOS childrens villages which helps children all over the world to be brought up in a family environment which we have been lucky enough to take for granted.







Sunday, July 11, 2010

Day 33 to 42 - Cordillera Blanca - Trekkin' tastic

From the sea to the majestic Andes via some crippling but awesome bus journeys. One an 8 hr marathon along roads that can't really be described as roads clinging to the edge of the canyon. We later heard that every year a few buses don't make it :(
Our hub was Huaraz, but to help acclimatise we stayed further up the mountains at this great lodge called the Way Inn. So remote at 4,000m but super friendly and who cares about electricity when you have candles and firesides and the mountains to wake up too!

The Cordillera Blanca is amazing - we started by doing a couple of one day treks alone and then a 5 day trek (with donkeys)around Santa Cruz taking in a pass of 4,700 and extreme camping weathers. It was breathtaking landscape and breathtaking altitude and only slightly tricky with one hand - hence the stick! Absolutely loved it apart from the dirty hair, oh and the awful 3 french boys in our little group who don't understand the concept of sharing and kept eating my food as I am a bit slow at the moment. Luckily we had a great guide Riccardo who was less than impressed with them after they once disappeared up a mountain after dark and were lost for 3 hours - so he smuggled us extra portions...! Ax









































































































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