Life as James knows it

Monday, woke up feeling very refreshed with little signs of any effects from the altitude. After breakfast, got on a bus to make my way to Ollantaytambo via Sacred Valley. The scenery is breathtakingly amazing, moving further away from the city there's a sense that the locals seem to become more traditional and genuinely friendly. After arriving in Ollantaytambo I have a look around town and make my way to some of the archaeological ruins in the surrounding mountains, followed by tasting some of the local cuisine for dinner. Tomorrow morning I start my way up the Inca Trail, day 1 of a 4 day trek. As such, although I'll endeavour to take notes, I'll be offline for the duration. Adios! Sacred Valley Ollantaytambo Structure above Ollantaytambo Ollantaytambo

Sunday, late morning arrival at Cuzco which is about 3400 metres above sea level and I can feel the effects, although mild, of the altitude. The recommendation is to rest for a couple of hours which will help to acclimatise, and that's exactly what I do. After an early afternoon nap I go out and have a little look around the city. Quite pretty, although very touristy. As a bonus, found a place where I may buy an authentic local made poncho when I return on Saturday. Still feeling the effects of the altitude, hope I acclimatise before starting the Inca Trail on Tuesday.

Downtown Lima, at sunny Barranco Beach, you can see the fog in the background over Miraflores. Tried a traditional Peruvian seafood dish - Ceviche mixto, even better than it looks!

Saturday, arrived in Lima late last night and went straight to the hotel for a sleep. Awoke this morning to a typically nice humid day, went for a walk, grabbed some local currency and had a little look around Miraflores. While it's a nice warm temperature, there's a lot of low lying cloud as you can see in the picture from the hotel window.

Thought this 5 star hotel where I was fortunate enough to stay for a week should get a mention. This place is a little on the excessive side as far as cost goes - you can look it up, the service is nothing short of exceptional. Thursday I spent the entire day by the pool drinking frozen little cocktails, in my defence it was 41 degrees. I felt I was mixing with the clientele, wallowing in my own crapulence! Check out the flip flops the lady next to me removed from her feet before getting in the pool.

Not only did I receive a certificate for the completion of my Curso Basico de Tango, but also got to watch some professional Argentinian Tango dancers. Great show!

Tuesday, take a guided bike tour through the heart of the city, about 26km - http://www.bikingbuenosaires.com/Ultimate-City-Bike-Tour.html. An awesome way to get around town while taking in many of the attractions on offer. Included is excellent history of Buenos Aires, while also partaking in some traditional food and drink culture. Took in a Bondiola at a parrilla in Puerto Madero, and later shared a traditional yerba mate - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage) - in a park at Recoleta. Some of the sights included many buildings and statues dedicated to Jose de San Martin, Plaza de Mayo, Recoleta Cemetery, La Boca and Caminito.

Definitely a contender for capital city with the worst footpaths, when walking around the streets it's an absolute must to be very mindful of every step taken. Nevertheless, Buenos Aires is a big beautiful city, in a very 'rustic' type way .... if that makes sense. A mix of building, both modern skyscrapers and large colonial style architecture. Today I took a walk through the city and San Telmo flea market to Plaza de Mayo, walked through both the Cathedral and the Presidential Palace.

Monday, myself and three other random travellers (from Poland, Ireland, and Cuba) were driven to a Polo Club on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The very wealthy club owner Ruben Jabib conducts what he calls a Polo Day, it's his endeavour to open up the sport of Polo to everyone. I have to be honest and admit, not being a horse person I was filled with trepidation ..... especially about riding a horse. The day starts out with some wine and empanadas (an awesome way to start any event in my humble opinion), a tour of the club with some integrated discussion about Polo from the club volunteers - young people from abroad wanting to expand own their Spanish and work with horses. They're fantastic, nice, helpful, and incredibly enthusiastic. Shortly after, we're moved (with our wine and empanadas) to the prepared Polo field as spectators for the Polo match about to commence. During the earlier discussion we were explained the details of ranking and handicapping, and that the

Bariloche, located in the southern part Argentina nestled in the Andes Mountains on Lake Nahuel Huapi (also surrounded by lakes; Gutiérrez, Moreno and Mascardi). The flight in over the Andes was again visually stunning, some of the higher mountain peaks in the region stand out in spectacular fashion. Bariloche is a tourist haven which has a Swiss-like atmosphere and is full of chocolate boutiques shops. Reminds me of Lucerne. Apparently a winter playground with plenty of snowfields, but additionally ample outdoor activities in the summer - biking, boating, hiking, swimming. Besides looking around the town and indulging in some of the local cuisine, including chocolate, took a boat trip to a couple of the National Parks for some trekking to take in some of the awesome sights of the landscape. Special mention to a friendly and extremely helpful ship hand aboard the Cau Cau by the name of Marcos Nacif who spoke English and went above and beyond to provide a personal tour to the five

Mendoza, a city in the desert Cuyo region, the center of the Argentinian wine industry. It is also near the Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. Although in the dry desert region, thanks to the Inca Mendoza has an extensive artificial irrigation system, which allows for greenery throughout the city as well as the growth of grapes used to make its wines. Visits to a couple of wineries was a trip well worth it, very flavoursome Cabernets. Some great eateries in town, meat lovers are the Argentinians! Siesta is normal practice in Mendoza with businesses closing from approximately 1:00pm then re-open at about 4:00pm. Totally cool witnessing some of the streets becoming deserted in the afternoon, then back to life again later in the day.