The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell
A beautiful tale of a woman who doesn't remember anything from her childhood only to re-capture the seemingly lost memory during a date at a hypnotist show. The words flowed so gracefully with a heart wrenching plot that a tissue box is mandatory.
Image via Amazon.co.uk
The You Code: What Your Habits Say About You by Judi James & James Moore
A very entertaining book that is perfect while waiting to board your flight or commuting in the train. Some information may raise your eyebrows or would make you chuckle of acceptance within. Just don't forget to catch yourself every now and then from laughing out loud in public.
SUCRE Bolivia's most beautiful city. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1991. Architecturally speaking, it's a city that Bolivia should be proud of. The whitewashed colonial buildings and naturally landscaped patios really surprised us. The charming courtyard restaurants and sleepy bistros during daytime reveal traces of how lively this city could get after hours.
LA PAZ
The "Dizzying" sky high capital of Bolivia with an altitude of 3660m .The first glimpse of the sprawling city from El Alto was breath taking.
We had a long walking tour of the city on our own. It started at Plaza San Francisco all the way to Plaza Murillo.
We also had a glimpse of Mercado Negro (Black Market) and Mercado de Hicheria (Witches' Market).
The traditional dances and colorful costumes were a show stopper. Tourists lined up to catch a glimpse of the festivity happening at the Plaza.
We ended the trip at Parque Nacional. We arrived during the early evening and had kebabs at a Turkish joint in the alleys of the city. We explored the city on foot the next day and left to catch a bus at the station to get to Uyuni that evening at 8:30PM.
There are 2 ways to reach Machu Picchu: (1) One is by taking the Inca Trail, 4 days of trekking, hiking. crossing mountains and camping in the wilderness with a group of tourist and expert guides. Book in advance. When we checked 3 months before, it was already fully booked. or second option, (2)Take the Peru Rail from Ollantaytambo, the last town at the border of the remote Andes Mountains. It takes 1 and a half hour train ride through the rich and majestic mountain range without spotting any house or any civilization there. I was amazed at how completely lost it really is. By the way, we took the train. :-)
We arrived in Aguas Calientes the day before. It is the sole town at the foot of Machu Picchu that was specially created to cater to tourists. We bought the entrance tickets at the Tourist Office and bus ticket at the station that will take us up the mountain. We took the first bus trip of the day. This place has never lost its mystery. Up until today, it still causes oohs and ahhhs from any tourist as soon as they step foot at the entrance.Tips for travellers planning a trip here :
1. Don't forget to put calamine lotion. The mosquito bites here (even with the lotion) leave weird red patches that seem to evolve and grow each week leaving them itchy for a whole month. (My husband even took the day off from office because it was unbearable, he couldn't stop scratching).
2. Bring your passport with you. They have 'Machu Picchu' stamps at the gate which you could place in your passport.
3. Stay in Aguas Calientes the night before and take the first bus. Be there at the bus station 1 hour before the departure because there is a very long queue. The first bus leaves if I'm not mistaken at 5:30 AM so by 6:00 AM you'd be up there watching Machu Picchu's sunrise. This would be perfect for picture taking as there aren't many visitors yet and you have the place mostly to yourselves along with the first batch so you could enjoy the serenity of the place.
4. Note that the tourists from different tours seem to arrive and leave at the same time like flies. They all come rushing in around 10AM and the whole place is packed and would immediately disappear by 2PM. So spend the entire day.
5. For those with strong knees, queue for the Wayna Picchu climb. The gate is at the back. They only allow a limited number of climbers per day so if you're lucky and up for it, go and take the steps.6. Food is not allowed inside. Don't forget to eat something, preferably a good breakfast before going to the bus station. It would be great if you could sneak in some small biscuits and water in your backpack. Hehehe.
7. Take a lot of memory space for your camera and bring extra just in case. Make sure your camera is fully charged. It would be awful otherwise because the entrance ticket is incredibly expensive! 8. There's no toilet inside Machu Picchu. You'd have to walk all the way back to the entrance and bring 1.00 soles with you for the toilet fee. I suffered because of this. I forgot to get some money and I had to wait for Yohann to go down from Wayna Picchu so I could go to the toilet. I ended up waiting for 3 hours before I could go. Believe me, those were the longest hours.
Nevertheless, it was the cherry on top of our whole expedition that I will never ever forget.
XOXO,
Arni
After a 10 hour bus ride from Nazca to Arequipa via CIAL Bus Line, we arrived in Arequipa Bus Station around 10AM. We immediately booked tickets at the bus terminal heading for Puno.I am blessed with the ability to sleep peacefully anywhere after 1 minute of closing my eyes, so yes, I was able to have a nice slumber in the bus. This kind of gift comes in handy on trips like these. Arequipa is the second biggest city of Peru located in the southern region with streets filled with bankers, vendors, artists, students, nuns and tourists.
We found it more charming than Lima, with its irresistable cafes, stylish restaurants and buzzing nightlife. It's the perfect place to satisfy ones palate of spicy food and huge variety of cuisine. We had tasty salteňas and empanada for lunch and a Doner Kebab in the evening.
Petra, one of the 7 wonders of the world, was the highlight of our trip in Jordan. I was astonished and impressed by the influence of Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman and Byzantinian Architecture evidently carved on the rocks. It seemed like a crash course that catapulted me back to History of Architecture class in college. (Darn, I should have paid more attention in class :-) Sir Banister Fletcher would have been handy at that time) It was a 3-hour hike under the scorching heat as we found temporary relief under the shade of huge mounds of ancient sculpted rocks. Memorable!