There were 15 of us including Lee Min, the leader. The youngest is 30, while the oldest is 69. There were a few grandpas and a grandma. It is interesting to see how, despite the difference in age, all of us could ‘co-exist’ and enjoyed each others company so much and for so long (24 days)! And it is also amazing to note that it takes us to travel 19,000km to get to know people who stay right at our neighbourhood.
The beautiful scenery, the jaw-dropping historical sites, the impressive architecture aside, the following ‘stuck’ clearly in my mind:
- I was ‘left’ behind at the jetty at Lake Titicaca. No, I was not late, but the van left early. Perhaps they did the head count in Spanish and had the numbers mixed up. No big problem, I managed to find my way back to the hotel in a taxi.
- Ben was lost in transition while returning from the toilet back to the food stall at the market in Lima. Not entirely his problem of not having a good sense of direction, I guess. The market is just too ‘maze-y’.
- Some of the members realised that what they had for dinner was a guinea pig only after they had finished the meal. The delicious meat suddenly became so…
- My camera ‘gave way’ on me when we were in La Paz, Bolivia. Fortunately, there were good Samaritans. Lee Min lent me his Nikon D70. My hands were ‘shaking’ when I first held it! Ben let me have his spare one while in Amsterdam and for Belgium and Paris, my niece came to my ‘rescue’.
- Two of the guides ‘stood out’. One of them is Roger, the guide who took us around the four Inca Ruins near Cusco. All I could hear from him were: edzatly (exactly) and ‘sexy-woman’ (the first ruin we visited – Sacsayhuaman – and it is pronounced that way, no kidding). The second one is the lady guide at Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa. Her name is Maria. She is petite in size, powerful in voice, well mannered, sweet and speaks impeccable English. She makes history sounds like listening to one’s favourite songs.
The sometimes long and monotonous journeys were at times broken by the beautiful scenery beyond the coach window, while at other times, by the high-spirited, boisterous members from within.
Interesting people, intricate handicrafts, colourful cultures, beautiful sceneries, exotic food, eventful and not so eventful journeys abound, the list goes on. But a picture speaks a thousand words…
On a public bus in Lima
Streets of Lima
Street money changer
Plaza de Armas (Lima Old Town Centre)
The changing of the guard (above and below)
Cusco (3,500m), Capital of the Inca Empire
Streets of Cusco
Plaza de Armas, Cusco
Sacsayhuaman (above & below)
Beautiful scenery along the way 
At the Pisac Ruins (above and below)
Can you see a human 'face'?
Machu Picchu (Old Peak) – 2,600m,
Huayna Picchu 
The trail to Huayna Picchu 
At the top of Huayna Picchu (above and below) 
Temple of Wiracocha Raqchi (3,400m) 
Part of the Altiplano – high altitude Andean Plateau
La Raya – 4,335m
Puno (3,800m) by night
Mocked Uros floating island, etc. etc.
Father and daughters
Tortora reeds
Peruvian Immigration, (Peru/Bolivia border) 
Peru/Bolivia border
We are now in Bolivia!
Copacabana (a lakeside town), our first stop in Bolivia.
Copacabana (above and below) 
Crossing Lake Titicaca, to get to La Paz
First glimpse of La Paz city
La Paz (above and below)
Street market, La Paz
Fish for lunch.
Plaza Murillo
