Here’s what I did for a month after I left the ecological reserve in Ecuador.

Feb 4th: Took mule out from Bilsa. Took truck from La Ye de la Laguna to Quininde. Caught bus from Quininde to Santo Domingo. Caught bus from Santo Domingo to Latacunga. Crashed at Hostal Tiana.

Feb 5th: Woke up early to catch a bus to Zimbahua for the Sunday market. Caught a truck to Lago Quilotoa. Headed back to Latacunga to pick up our bags (we had left them at the hostel for our day trip). Boarded a night bus to Cuenca.

Feb 6th: Got in to Cuenca before daybreak. Slept at Hostal Majestic for a few hours. Wandered the city, found a Pakistani restaurant for dinner with a hooka bar across the street.

Feb 7th: Walked along the river in Cuenca. Toured the Museo del Banco Central. Boarded a night bus to Piura, Peru.

Feb 8th: Crossed the border around 3 am. Got in to Piura around 10. Immediately caught a bus to Chiclayo, then from Chiclayo to Trujillo. Took a taxi from Trujillo to Huanchaco. Got in around 5:30 pm. Ate dinner and died at Hostal Naylamp. Such a great hostal. Hammocks, beach views, and camping for those with tents.

Feb 9th: Beach day!!! Did nothing.

Feb 10th: Spent the morning touring the Chan Chan ruins outside of Huanchaco. Spent the afternoon on the beach doing more of nothing.

Feb 11th: We were going to leave yesterday evening, but Alexa wasn’t feeling well so we decided to stay one more day. No argument here. Rented a surf board and dominated some waves. Not really, but I stood up!!! Packed, ate dinner, and watched the sunset on the beach. Left for Trujillo around 8:30 pm. Caught a night bus from Trujillo to Lima.

Feb 12th: Got into Lima really early. We thought we would spend a night in Lima, so we took taxi to la Casa de Mochilero and slept until 10. However, we knew we wanted 3 days in Cusco, and Alexa was feeling better, so we found a night bus to Cusco and pushed on.

Feb 13th: After a 24 hour ride, we stepped off the bus bleary eyed and disoriented in Cusco. Took a taxi to the Plaza de Armas and and walked to the Hotel Machu Pichu. Showered, ate dinner and crashed.

Feb 14th: Toured Cusco.

Feb 15th: Got up at 3 am to catch a truck to Huallantaytambo, where we caught the train to Agua Calientes (the town below Machu Pichu). Got into Agua Calientes around 9 am. Found a room at the Hotel Oro Verde (which was way overpriced) and slept until noon. Wandered around Agua Calientes, ate dinner, and crashed early.

Feb 16th: Got up at 3 am to begin the hike up to Machu Pichu. Spent the day at Machu Pichu. Got back to Agua Calientes around 5:30 pm. Our train was scheduled to leave at 10 so we changed and ate our last supper.

Feb 17th: Got in to Cusco around 2 am. Found a room at Hostal Perawana (I really liked this hostal), and Alexa and Emiry left for the airport. I slept in, bought some groceries, and got my yellow fever vaccination shot and some passport photos for my Bolivia visa (neither of which were needed). Made Macaroni and Cheese for dinner and boarded an overnight bus to Puno.

Feb 18th: Arrived in Puno around 6 am. Caught a bus to Copacabana. Crossed the border into Bolivia and got in to Copacabana around noon. Ate lunch and took a ferry to the north side of the Isla del Sol. Found a tiny family-run hostal with two new friends from Ireland and Australia.

Feb 19th: Hiked around the north side of the Isla del Sol. Caught a 1 pm ferry back to Copacabana, then a 6 pm bus to La Paz. Arrived in La Paz around 10 pm. Found a room in El Latino Hostal.

Feb 20th: Wandered around La Paz. Booked my ticket for a bike tour down the “World’s Most Dangerous Road.”

Feb 21st: Survived the “World’s Most Dangerous Road.”

Feb 22nd: Visited the Valle de la Luna outside of La Paz. Caught a night bus to Potosí.

Feb 23rd: Arrived in Potosí around 4 am. Found a cheap hostal by the bus station and crashed. Woke up later and walked into the city center to book my a tour of the mines for the next day. Had dinner with a nice Australian and two women from the UK.

Feb 24th: Toured the mines of Potosí. Showered and boarded a bus for Uyuni.

Feb 25th: Arrived in Uyuni around 2 am. Found a hostal. Woke up at 9:30 to take a one-day tour of the Salt Flats. Caught a bus at 8:30 pm to Tupiza.

Feb 26: Arrived in Tupiza around 2 am. Found a hostal. Slept late and woke up to see the pre-carnaval afternoon parade.

Feb 27th: Took a morning horse ride to a canyon outside the town. Caught a 2 pm bus to La Quiaca, Argentina. Waited in line at the border for 4 hours. Ate dinner and caught an 11 pm bus to Tilcara in Jujuy.

Feb 28th: Slept late, admired the view around Tilcara and caught a noon bus to Salta. Arrived in Salta around 4 pm and relaxed in the hotel.

March 1st: Toured Salta. Took the teliferico (gondola) up to get a view of the city. Bused out to La Quebrada del San Lorenzo. Relaxed in the parks. Left for Buenos Aires at 9 pm.

March 2nd: Arrived in Buenos Aires around 7 pm. Took a taxi to the Giramondo Hostel.

The rest is history!!

If anyone out there is thinking of traveling to any of these places and has questions about where, how, or what, feel free to contact me.

Hugs and High fives,
Will