Graeme and Lewis do the Andes

The next day we got our first experience of the overlanding lifestyle.

Our method of transport is a lorry where the container has been converted into a living area with 24 inward facing seats each with luggage storage underneath. Communication with the driver and the tour leader, Nick and Tracy, in the cab, is done via a buzzer system:

1 buzz - toilet
2 buzzes - photo stop
Continuous buzz - required when dodgy Cerveza or food has been consumed on the previous night!

Tents and cooking equipment are also stored underneath the main container.

After a long drive, we arrived at our first camping spot, a completely deserted beach - pretty spectacular and a good start to the tour.

Back on the road early doors, we had a massive day ahead. That morning we took a boat trip around the Ballestas Islands... rocky islands with huge caves and teaming with wild-life including sea-lions and penguins.

On the road again, we stopped briefly at a Pisco vinyard, where the shots of this white-grape brandy were free-flowing.

As a result, at barely 1pm, everyone on the bus was on good form as we headed for some of the highest sand dunes in the world for our next activity... dune buggying and sand-boarding. Leaving the oasis town of Huacachina, we strapped ourselves into the buggies, 7 in each. The driver then let rip across the dunes..... amazing!! Stopping at the top of some of the highest dunes, we then attempted sand-boarding.... exactly as it sounds - snowboarding on sand. Great laugh!

The dune buggies then took us to our camp for the night which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but not before passing some of the most amazing scenery we had seen on the trip so far - huge Pacific waves lashing off the vast vast desert. A BBQ and plenty of Pisco and coke followed.

The next day the buggies returned us to some form of civilisation and we headed on to our next stop, Nazca, where we intended to see the infamous Nazca lines from the air. A 12-seater aircraft took us up to view the lines, which depict various figures such as animals and have been dated to 500 BC. However, I personally didn´t see much of the lines ...... after 5 minutes in the air I was spewing my guts out along with 3 others - the landing couldn´t come quick enough! Graeme did manage to get some decent shots though..

Later that night we had our final bush camp before arriving in Arequipa. Despite patrols from the Peruvian police, an indication we weren´t in the safest spot, the night was uneventful and brought an end to an amazing few days.

We spent 4 nights in the Peruvian capital Lima...

A hell-raising taxi ride took us from the airport to our hostel in downtown Lima. As it turned out this kind of driving is absolutely normal in Lima and in the rest of Peru!

Following the success of arriving at the right hostel without being robbed or ripped off (even with our lack of Spanish), we headed out to see the sights and a beer or 2. The Plaza de Armas (basically Lima´s central square) is pretty cool and is surrounded by the Presedential palace, as well as churches and museums.

Waking up at 5am the next day, which happened for the next few days due to the jet lag, we checked out a few more of the sights in central Lima, including the catacombs at the San Francisco monestary....loads of underground tunnels and bones - different. That afternoon we also had our first taste of Pisco Sour, a cocktail containing the Peruvian national drink, a white grape brandy... absolutely lethal!

After meeting some of the other guys who we´d be travelling with for the following 6 weeks, we headed out for a meal at a football bar, El Estadio Futbol Club, where the waiters go mental when their team scores on the TV´s around the bar - the food service a second priority! We then headed out for a few "cervezas" - one spanish word we had quickly learned.

The next couple of days were mainly spent in another part of Lima, Miraflores. From here we took a bike tour to the nearby Barranco and Chorrilos, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. In Miraflores we also tried Cerviche, a traditional dish of raw fish... which believe it or not, is not bad.

After our 3 days in Lima we were now ready to hit the road, where the real travelling would begin....

Hiking boots, backpack, sleeping bag, anti-malaria tablets and few other things acquired at the last minute! And some spanish downloaded onto the Ipod....!!