There

There
was an extreme shift in the environment as I travelled
south from Lima.

My first stop was Paracas, a laid-back beach town with countless
fishermen and an absurd amount of boats. It sits on the west coast
of Peru and is the launch point for visits to the uninhabited
Ballestas Islands. Sailing around the “poor man’s Galapagos” was
one of the bumpiest rides of my life, and yet seeing the abundance
of foreign birds and sea lions made it worth the slight nausea.

Next was Huacachina, a desert oasis with just the right amount
of palm trees. Watching the sunset over sand dunes was the perfect
way to end my time staying in small towns. Following that, it was
11 hours on the road. I reached Arequipa,
a bustling city framed by three volcanoes and filled with colourful
markets, diverse restaurants and the famous alpaca museum.

I left wishing that I had more days to spend there, but it
didn’t take long for that thought to disappear. Puno was strangely
chaotic and a great place to people-watch. From there, I took a
boat to Lake Titicaca which sits at 12,500 feet above sea level. My
time on the lake was spent having broken-English conversations with
the people who live there and being invited into their little
houses made of reed.

Onwards to Cusco,
I embarked on a three-day trek to Machu Picchu. Reaching the Inca
ruins that I had seen in hundreds of photographs was surreal. I
stood in silence for quite some time to appreciate the lush
mountains and incredible atmosphere before I pulled out my
camera.

Nothing about my trip was ordinary. Peru is filled with
incredibly unique experiences that I hope to have captured
here.

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