Karl and Kara in South America

Kara says: Guess what we found in the middle of Lake Titicaca? Inis Oirr! Honestly. It's fantastic - stone walls, sheep, donkeys, wrinkly old men, it's got the lot. We took a little boat out (even smaller and slower than the ferry to Inis Oirr) and when we got to the island the idea was for the boat captain to organise the accommodation with local families. We wanted to stay at the only fancy B&B on the island (by "fancy" i mean a few purpose built rooms with en suite bathrooms, the advantage of the ensuite being not so much that it's private and in your bedroom but that it doesn't involve a trip to the outhouse at the bottom of the garden) so we asked him to arrange that. He walked a few feet away from us and then yelled down the beach the name of the lodge and a woman came running to get us. She walked us to the lodge, picking up some sheep along the way - see photo, it's the Arann Islands! She fed us well but her Spanish was as bad as ours so didn...

Kara says: Aguas Calientes. A little town in the valley below Machu Picchu. Pretty setting by a river and surrounded by mountains, not the prettiest town in the world. As the only way to get there is by train there are no roads or cars in the town either. All deliveries (from enormous bags of rice to bricks) are made by very hard-working men pushing wheelbarrows up or downhill (there are no flat streets). It was the weekend of the festival of the cross - a religious celebration. On Saturday there were bands and dancing groups randomly roaming the town and on Sunday a formal parade from the church after mass. All very noisy and colourful and entertaining, see photos. I think maybe the dancing girls with the mini-skirts and thigh-high boots may be of use to the Irish church in rekindling an interest among the waning congregation. And a photo of karl resting his weary limbs in the hot(ish) springs.

Kara says: The Inka Trail (Torture). Most important - we survived! Though it was a close call at times. Have i complained about altitude recently - altitude and I are not friends. I spent much time fantasising about getting my hands on some of that good stuff the cyclists use on the sly. On the first day we started at about 2500m and walked through little mountain villages. Small houses, no cars or roads just walking tracks, small crops of corn, some cows, sheep, donkeys for transport - probably alot like Ireland 50 years ago. The women wearing knee-length skirts, leg-warmers, plaited hair and hats. Crossed some dodgy bridges (really just sticks thrown at the river). Then we climbed to about 3500m. That's a kilometer. A whole kilometer up. Stupid. Crazy. Camping at 12,000 ft? Brilliant idea! Should do it more often. Actually the views were beautiful. The food was great (the porters and cook work some miracle whereby they carry a kitchen and all the food and cook up some amazing stu...

Kara says: Cusco. 11,000 ft altitude is just too high. But despite the breathlessness i did manage to climb the flight of stairs to the highest irish bar on the planet - it was an essential part of my training for the Inca Trail. Cusco was the old Inca capital but was taken over by the Spanish when Pizarro got hold of it in the 1530s. It's a beautiful setting (apart from the height) surrounded by hills, the houses on the outskirts creeping up the hills, narrow, cobbled streets and yet another lovely plaza with a smattering of churches. On the downside tourism has completely taken over the centre of town, all the buildings around the plaza are tourist restaurants and you can't move without people trying to sell you souvenirs - i counted one day in the plaza, on average we were approached once every 30 seconds - this is why you can buy in the irish bar a t-shirt that says "No gracias". I think there may actually be more north americans here than in the US. Thankfully, u...

Kara says: Arequipa. Getting colder, getting higher (or else my breathing difficulties are due to the artery-clogging properties of our daily diet of roast chicken and chips - we may well have turned into chicken and chips when we get home). An old colonial city by a volcano and a couple of snow-covered mountains - a gorgeous setting. The city dates from 1540 (founded by Pizarro himself) and there's a church from about 1670 but alas the earthquakes have taken care of the older buildings and now the city mostly dates from the 18th and 19th century. Parents: don't worry about the earthquakes, see photo, there are safe zones in all the buildings! Another very impressive colonial plaza with a cathedral on one side. And a million tour companies and gringos wandering in packs herded by local tour guides. Went to see an amazing convent/monastery - almost enough to tempt me into a habit. It was founded in about 1570 by the daughters of rich Spaniards and over the years has grown to be ...

Kara says: Nasca. A town of about 50,000 in the middle of the desert and finally, this really feels like a different continent - narrow, dusty streets, lots of tiny shops and street stalls, you can buy a chicken that looks like it was alive very recently and there's a butcher in the market hacking up some meat while both he and then meat are covered in flies. It's a great little town, lively and sleepy at the same time. Nothing much to do but sit in the plaza and watch the world go by but there's enough world going by to make it interesting. All the cars here (well, at least 2/3) are those tiny little square daewoos (like Martina's old subaru) with one litre engines, the town's full of 'em. Although from the photos you can see that's no obstacle to not needing a bridge over the river. All the taxis (and you know how to pick a safe taxi - they're the ones with the first aid kits stuck up on the inside of the windows so when they maim you at least they can...