Amazon Jungle, Ecuador

The community is comprised of about 40 people, 20 of which are children. With no health care available, average life expectancy is around 45. The accommodation is basic - a bamboo type dormitory with no windows, and only a mosquito net to separate me from the insect world.

After a lunch of chicken and rice, we're taken on a walk to familiarise ourselves with the flora and fauna. It's hot and humid, draining me of any energy to even walk. The mosquito repellent runs off before I have time to reapply it.

There are weird and wonderful fruits and flowers, bright bursts of colour hidden in the many shades of green. Most of these I've never seen before, and many have medicinal qualities. The Wayusi Yuka seem to find a use for most things.

The indigenous communities in Ecuador abide by three rules:

1) Don't steal
2) Don't lie
3) Don't be lazy

If anyone contravenes these, they are subject to a thrashing with cowhide followed by stinging nettles.

Wayusa Yaku, Amazon, Ecuador

I'm feeling sick from my malaria tablets but catch a local bus to Tena, on the border of the Amazon jungle. It's a 6-hour journey and the most bizarre experience. Throughout the journey a myriad of people climb on and off the bus selling everything from ice pops to chicken soup. They ramble a rapid monotonous stream of words describing what they're selling. It's tiring to watch/listen. The driver also has the radio blaring out local tunes so loudly I can't hear my ipod. It's a painful experience.

Tena is a ragged little town on the edge of the Amazon, the last post of civilisation before the jungle. It's another hour's truck ride on rough dust tracks to reach the tiny Quichua community of the Wayusa Yaku, where I'll be staying for the next three days.

This area was made famous when in the 16th century Spanish conqueror Francisco de Orellana travelled from Quito into the eastern jungle (Oriente) in search of El Dorado, a mystical stash of Inca gold hidden in the jungle. While he didn't find gold, he did discover Ecuador's Rio Napo which combines with Peru's Maranon to form the Amazon.

Quito, Ecuador

I'm woken up by a buzzing in my ear. The mosquitoes are back now I'm back at sea level. I'm not sad to be leaving Lima but somehow I don`t feel ready for a new country.

The flight to Quito takes two hours and I seem to pass through endless security barriers and have my passport stamped several times. One thing I've noticed in South America is how much they like their official stamps. Taking up another page in my passport appears to give them great pleasure. At this rate I'll have to get another one before I leave the continent.

They're a crying child in the seat behind me so my nerves are frayed by the time I land in Quito. I still manage to appreciate the descent through green mountains and ravines which is breathtaking.

At 2850 metres Quito is the second highest capital in Latin America after La Paz and the city does remind me a little of the latter. Set in a hollow at the foot of the Pinchincha volcano (4794 metres), Quito is surrounded by lush green hills.

As we're much higher than in Lima the temperature is a cool 20 degrees. In the afternoon I take the teleferico (cable car) up to Cruz Loma where there's a panoramic view of the whole city. Unfortunately they've made the place into a giant games park with tacky amusement arcades, but the viewpoint from the top is well worth the 300 metres struggle up the hill at altitude.

(Photo - view from Cruz Loma)

San Francisco Church and Monastery, Lima, Peru

It's a toss up between the monasteries of San Francisco or Santo Domingo as I don't have time to see both. According to my guide book both have beautiful cloisters. I choose San Francisco which is famous for the Sevillian tilework and panelled ceiling in the cloisters dating from 1620. It also has the largest catacombs outside Rome.

Lima, Peru

I'm on the first bus to Lima, three hours away from Ica, on a mission to try and get my camera fixed by a Canon specialist, a rare commodity on this continent. On my several taxi rides across the city I manage to develop a dislike for Lima. It may have something to do with the horror stories I've heard about how unsafe it is, but if I'm brutally honest it's the most unattractive city I've visited so far in South America.

It's a vast, flat, sprawling place covered in thick smog - and hot and dry (30 degrees). I'm relieved I only have a day here. After dropping my camera off and begging the technician to try and fix it today, I take a taxi to the Plaza de Armas in the traditional heart of the city. The main square is nothing special but I arrive just in time for the changing of the guard at the Government Palace. The square is swarming with armed police and tanks as the president is inside.

Not feeling I have a real sense of the city I take a bus through the Rímac slums to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal for a (better?) view of the city.

(Photo - Lima from Cerro San Cristóbal)

Sandboarding in Huacachina, Peru

After a brief visit to Bodega Alvarez, a pisco distillery in Ica, it's on to Huacachina for sandboarding down some of the biggest dunes I have ever seen. Having never sandboarded before I'm a little apprehensive about careering down 150 metre dunes, but as an adrenaline junky I can't resist. Each dune seems bigger and steeper than the last but every time I miraculously reach the bottom unscathed.

Nasca Lines, Peru

A night bus takes me from Arequipa to Nasca and after a couple of hours sleep in the hotel I'm ready to fly over the famous Nasca lines. 22km north of Nasca large numbers of lines measuring up to 10km (32 miles), geometrical figures, and depictions of birds, insects and animals have been cut into the stony desert.

No one really knows what they mean. Interpretations include a complex pre-Inca agricultural calendar while other theories include tracks of running contests, weaving patterns and offerings dedicated to the worship of water and fertility. Flying in a small rickety plane with five seats is a nerve-racking experience. The plane rises and dips as we circle the lines and figures. Although the lines are best seen from the air, again it's difficult to gain a perspective of scale from such a height.

(Photo - astronaut, Nasca Lines)

Colonial church, Colca Valley, Peru

Condor, Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon

The rainy season is not the best time to see condors and in 45 minutes I only spot three (it could actually be the same one for all I know). They swoop deep into the canyon, gliding majestically on thermal air currents.

Colca Canyon, Peru

This morning we're woken at 5am to drive to the 'Cruz del Condor' a spot high on the Colca Canyon, apparently ideal for condor-spotting. The Colca Canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon but at 3191 metres it's not the deepest in the world. This honour belongs to Cotahuasi Canyon which is 163 metres deeper and is located a remote 200 kilometres northwest of Arequipa.

The Colca Canyon is impressive but it's difficult to get a perspective of how deep it really is from the top. I can just make out the Colca River rapids at the bottom of the canyon.

Baby alpaca, Colca Valley, Peru

Colca Valley, Peru

Yesterday afternoon I walked up a hill outside the town of Corporaque to see Inca tombs built into the mountains. Erosion over time has caused bones to be scattered over the mountainside. I'm not sure why but I'm surprised by how green and fertile the valley is.

Colca Valley, Peru

The views out to Colca Valley are incredible - white lava mountains, rocky desertscapes, pampas followed by lush green valleys. Climbing to 5000 metres on a rough winding mountain road we pass the snow-capped peaks of EL Misti (5822m), Chachani (6057m) and Ampato (6288m) glowing in the distance.

Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa, Peru

Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa, Peru

On my only day in Arequipa I try and pack in as much as possible. After a walk around the elegant Plaza de Armas, with arcaded bars and restaurants on three sides, the massive Cathedral on the other.

My first stop is the Museo Santuarios Andinos, where the frozen Inca mummy known as 'Juanita' is on display. Her story is an amazing one. In 1995 mountaineer Johan Reinhard discovered her bundled frozen body in the crater of Mount Ampato outside Arequipa. Recent eruptions of the nearby Sabancaya volcano had sent hot ash into the air, melting the glacier on top of Ampato and exposing the burial site. Her body had fallen into the crater. Wrapped in finely woven blankets she had been well preserved for over 500 years. Tests revealed she had died from a violent blow to the head. Several other child mummies have been discovered on nearby mountains. The deaths were sacrifices made by the Incas to appease their gods following natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, storms etc. Unfortunately 'Juanita' isn't on display between January and April, so we see another mummy named 'Sarita' who isn't quite as well preserved. The tour is very moving, unsensationalist and leaves us with heavy hearts.

Another interesting story is that of the Santa Catalina Monastery, opened in 1970 after four hundred years of mystery. The private monastery is a miniature walled city with several cobbled streets, plazas and cloisters. Aristocratic nuns lived a hedonistic lifestyle at one point before someone was sent in to 'straighten' them out. In its prime up to 450 nuns lived here, now there are about 30. It's a huge complex, painted in terracotta and blue, which has been beautifully refurbished. http://www.santacatalina.org.pe/

Arequipa, Peru

Arequipa is beautiful. It reminds me of a slightly grander version of Sucre with its white colonial buildings. UNESCO has declared it a world heritage site. A two-hour flight from Cusco to Peru's second city and the weather transforms dramatically from humid and rainy to hot and dry.

Arequipa, also known as the 'White City' as it was built from a light volcanic rock called sillar, stands in a valley at the foot of El Misti volcano, a snow-capped perfect cone at 5822 metres, which can be seen looming over the city on a clear day. The city is also a great base for exploring the Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons, the deepest in the world. Unfortunately I only have a full day here before I head out to Colca Canyon and it really isn't enough.

(Photo - Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas)

Qenqo, Cusco, Peru

Further down the road is the small temple of Qenqo, meaning 'zigzag', where the Incas made sacrifices to their gods. There are channels in the rocks where they poured chicha (an alcoholic drink made of maize) and blood. If the offering ran down the right side of the channel, more sacrifices were required. If it ran down the left channel, the sacrifice was sufficient.

(Photo - Qenqo ceremonial site)

Sacsayhuaman, Cusco, Peru

Although I feel I have seen enough ruins for a while, I'm curious about Sacsayhuaman, an Inca ceremonial site on the outskirts of Cusco. It means 'satisfied falcon' but is famously known as 'sexy woman' as the pronunciation is very similar, although our guide is not amused by this.

For centuries the site was thought to be a fortress but recent opinion suggests a great sanctuary and temple to the Sun. some of the stones weigh up to 130 tonnes and are fitted together perfectly.

(Photo - view of Cusco from Sacsayhuaman)

Macchu Picchu

For centuries Macchu Picchu, meaning 'old mountain', lay buried in the jungle until the American historian Hiram Bingham was led to the site by an 11-year old boy in 1911. The ancient Inca city was home to 1000 people in its time. I could easily spend at least half a day exploring the extensive site but I'm tired and it's not much fun in the rain. I give up waiting for it to stop in the afternoon and head back to Agua Calientes to catch the train back to Cusco. Having seen it its full glory yesterday, I don't feel too cheated.

Macchu Picchu in the rain