Early the next day, we set off to visit the statue, first boarding a train to take us to the top of the mountain. Looking with anticipation out of the window of the train, it was only on rare occasions that we caught a glimpse of our destination. After leaving the train and climbing several steps we arrived at the foot of the statue, and had the obligatory photograph taken. An impressive place although rather crowded and  it did seem that some of the tourists just came with their partners dressed especially for the Facebook/Instagram photographs and at times you even had to walk around photographers lying down trying to get that special view. 
The views from the top were equally as impressive. A super way to spend a morning, although it wasn't safe to eat food in the open, as a few people found out, with the local wildlife around!

Our next stop was to get the cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. The queues weren't too bad although there were a lot of dignitaries also going to the top. We later found out that they were there to meet Prince William, who was there as part of the 2025 Earthshot Awards. 
I must say the mountain was more impressive on the way up rather than at the top. The views from it were stunning but the station was otherwise just food outlets and souvenir shops.  
We missed seeing the prince as he had left by the time we were coming down, but it did delay our descent as the dignitaries were let out of the carriages first.

We managed to walk along the beach a couple of times but the beach was quiet until the last morning when the weather improved and the crowds arrived. This was the Copacabana beach of the movies  and had the vibe we had expected. Aa shame we were flying home later that day.

A stunning tour although very exhausting, especially on the first few days. The sites we saw and experiences we had will stay with us for ever.

Iguazú Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world.

That statement says it all really. 
Arriving on the Argentina side, we were met by the guide and started walking along the footpath, stopping at intervals to admire this spectacle. It's hard to explain the sight or sounds or even capture the experience with a camera as the views are so special. We were lucky on this first visit because it was a hot sunny day and we could enjoy a leisurely walk taking in the views.

Having travelled to the Brazilian side, we set off on a much duller day with an overcast sky.
This side was completely different because you see the full extent of the falls rather than different sections as we did on the first day. Expecting rain we had waterproof clothing but we only needed it when we wet out onto the exposed walkway.
At the end of the trail was a small dining area with limited facilities, but fortunately, provided shelter when a sudden heavy thunderstorm arrived. 
After  waiting for the  the rest of the group to arrive at the meeting point, we queued for the lift up to the top floor to meet our coach for the return to our hotel.

Our reason for going on this Titan tour was to visit Machu Picchu which was as previously stated  was awesome, but we both have to say that having seen the falls, they exceeded our expectation and were equally as impressive.

Finally arriving in Buenos Aires, the pace started to slow down even more. The first morning was spent touring the town on a coach with the local guide. This was an effective way to get a feel for the area, but it started with a long drive past several of the international embassies which wasn't interesting as many were behind large walls.
Next, was a walking tour of the famous tombs of famous people with the main one being Eva Peron, with interesting information about her life. Moving on, we visited the town square where we looked across to the Casa Rosada, the seat of the president of Argentina. You could also see the balcony where Madonna sang the iconic song' Don't Cry for me Argentina'.
Our final stop was for a walk around the La Boca area where the famous Boca Juniors are based, an interesting area, but unfortunately, this was only a statue not the real person.

Having a free afternoon, we set off to explore. The city is huge so after a long walk, we decided to visit the 'Museo Nacional Bellas Artes,' where we spent a couple of hours enjoying the vast range of works from national and international artists.

On leaving the museum, we arrived at the two main gardens, eventually deciding to visit the Japanese gardens. This proved to be a relaxing area for a pleasant walk, although smaller than we expected. We even saw a man propose to his girlfriend on one of the bridges, hopefully, as it was in public view, she accepted!

It was a long walk back to the hotel, so we decided to treat ourselves in the evening to an Argentina steak.
Arriving at a recommended restaurant, we bumped into the tour guide Alex. This proved to be a good omen as he visited the area quite often, so knew all the best places to eat. It was also helpful as he recommended which steak to have. This meal proved to be the highlight of our day. Although a little pinker that we normally eat, the meat just melted and when we paid the bill at the end it proved to be about a quarter of what it would have cost in the UK. We had also timed our arrival correctly, as when we came to leave, the queue outside stretched down the street,
An enjoyable first day in Argentina.

Travelling forever onwards, our next visit was to the pretty port of Puerto Montt, a small fishing town.  Here, we had a short stop to visit the fish market and it was a shame that it was raining! Although, it didn't bother it's star attractions, the resting Sea Lions.
We stayed here for one night, but couldn't really appreciate the quaint town because of the rain.

The next day we started off on our epic journey from Chile into Argentina. We had a brief stop at the Saltos Del Petrohue, a series of fast flowing waterfalls, which were very impressive. 

We then went to board the first of three boats that would ferry us across different lakes towards out next country, Argentina 
The first lake was the most impressive as the light was perfect. We looked out across the lake, and stared in delight at the stunning cloud formations and mountain ranges. We were lucky that that we had left the rain behind. Later that evening, I even had a chance to do a quick watercolour as my impression of the scene. 

After stopping for lunch, we set off on an old-style bus to traverse a bumpy road across the border. Unfortunately, because of the waiter coming for payment to us last, we had to sit at the back of the bus, which was not a good place on a bumpy road! I was sat on a raised seat at the back and felt like shouting 'Yee Ha' all the time, whilst holding on for dear life. How Sue, who sat next to me, managed to fall asleep, I'll never know!
 Leaving Chile meant a short queue at customs, where one suitcase was selected  to be opened and inspected. Fortunately, not ours, and we were soon on our way. We briefly stopped at the border to photograph the two countries' signs before moving on, eventually arriving at the passport control for Argentina late at night, 
Joining the queue wasn't too bad compared with the one going the other way towards Chile. Unfortunately, a student stopped Sue to fill in a questionnaire. It took so long we thought we might have to leave her behind!
Finally arriving at the hotel, after a long but interesting day, we settled down for a well-deserved rest.

On the last day of the tour, the guide asked us which town disappointed us, most people replied Santiago,  Chile's capital city, which we agreed with for several reasons.
We started with the usual tour of the town visiting the town square and a local church. both were very utilitarian and we were surprised to see  open confession booths along one of the walls. Not much privacy at all. The guide told us that many people called in either on their way to work or after!
Our next trip was going up in a cable car to see the Virgin Mary at Cerro San Christobal Hill with an interesting view over the city. A quite impressive sculpture but a lot of hanging around.

During our free time in the city, we decided to visit the art gallery. This proved to be a good choice as the artwork proved interesting with a wide range of work on show and we spent a pleasant couple of hours there.

The rest of the town proved to be a little unsettling in some areas. There were several homeless who just seemed to sleep all day. We tended to eat in the hotel, which although of a good standard, the area outside at night wasn't as impressive and talking to people who ventured out later at night the whole atmosphere became quite intimidating in the area.

On the following day we took a coach trip to a winery and then on to the seaside town of Valparaiso  where we saw the famous Reloj de Flores in Vina Del Mar; a flower clock which was designed for the 1962 FIFA World Cup when Chile was the host country. 

​After a nice group lunch together, we moved on to walk around a small part of the town that had been taken over by street artists, as part of an initiative to attract people to the area. This proved to be an interesting walk appreciating the talent and imagination on show.

,An interesting day but I think a few others, like us would have preferred a little more leisure time as the trip so far had been so hectic.

Our next stop was to see  the 'Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Major sites within the complex include the huge Sun Temple and the Princess Baths fountain. The village's old town is an Inca-era grid of cobblestoned streets'
The stepped landscape no longer had crops on it but was still impressive. Many members of the group decided to climb to the top to see the view, but Sue and I explored the grounds around the site. In the far hill the granary storehouses, built such a long time ago, seemed almost inaccessible. 

Leaving the ruins, we went into the town to wait for the coach. Fortunately, we were entertained by local children practicing for a coming festival, although it meant the coach had difficult parking.

Leaving on our coach for Cusco, we stopped after a while for a last view of the sacred valley. 
​Arriving in Cusco, our guide showed us around the town, where we enjoyed the views of this pretty town.

Walking around, we were warned about the effects of being at this altitude, and to take everything easy. This was alright in the day but the lack of oxygen really hit me in the evening, so it was an early night, after another interesting day.

Today was the day we had been waiting for as we were going to Machu Picchu, the first reason for going on this adventure.
The day started with catching the train to Aguas Calientes, where we made a new friend. From here we would get the bus up to the ancient site. An interesting little town and we even met a resident from Peru as we sat having a snack on a bench.
​After a walk around the town and panicking a little when we saw the queue for the buses, we sat down with the group for a meal. Coming out of the restaurant, we arrived at our allotted time and were pleased to see that the queue wasn't too bad. We were soon on our way.

Arriving at the site, we were met by our local guide and stood at first in awe of the landscape in front of us. The idea that all this had been constructed on top of this mountain was incredible, and the fact that all the lower hillside contained further structures that were still overgrown certainly made you think. Also impressive was the way the large stone blocks that made up the structures fitted so perfectly together. 

We spent a few hours exploring the site with the guide explaining about its history. Without being there it is impossible to explain the awe that visitors feel, and we left feeling that all the long journey to get here had been worthwhile.
​Our special guest that Sue had brought certainly enjoyed the visit as well.

 Another long day with an early start and flight to Cuzco ready to start the next leg of our journey.
Our first visit was to Sacsayhuaman or as the guide described it Sexy Woman, where we saw the remains of a large Inca fortress. This proved to be a short stop before we continued onwards.
The large stones fitting together were very impressive but reading about this huge site later, it seemed a shame that we only saw a limited amount of the area.

The next part of our journey was to the Sacred Valley, stopping on the way at a viewpoint overlooking the valley. Not knowing what to expect, we were surprised that it was mainly farmland, but thinking about it we could see why it was special. Here was an ideal farming area protected all around by the mountains, an ideal place for people to settle. The Incas thought that this valley was blessed by the gods and looking at the amount of produce cultivated still in the area, it still was!

Our stay here was also to be our starting point for the first major visit of our tour!

Full of trepidation and with a big dose of excitement, we set off to Heathrow to get our flights to Lima. After roughly 28 hours, we finally arrived tired and hungry as Latam Airlines mainly only offered cheese dishes for the meal options, and we survived on snacks for subsidence. We stayed in Miraflores for two nights before starting off on our adventure around the continent. 
Our first walk was down to the sea,  where we found a nice park with sculptures and a kind of Goudi inspired type of seating area with murals on the benches. Returning the next day, we admired the surfers riding the waves and took note of the various sculptures around the area.
The other highlight near the hotel was the John F Kennedy park where local artists sold their artwork. and more sculptures. It was also the home to a colony of cats with a range of interesting houses for them.

In the afternoon we set off for a tour of the city centre. Unfortunately, it was a religious day and the traffic was backed up, meaning we took over an hour to reach the centre. Having caught a glimpse of the procession in the distance we finally managed to get off the coach to visit the impressive Cathedral and see the Palace .

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Our final visit was to Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo where we first entered this historic library and then we travelled to the national museum where we viewed hundreds of pots collected from local sites and a display of gold headdresses and jewelry from the past.

A fascinating afternoon although very tiring due to the delay getting into and back from the centre with the congested traffic. Once back in our room I did get a chance to capture a few images of fellow travellers to work on later in the holiday.

On our recent visit to Prague, we spent the first day exploring the city and to our surprise when wandering down a side street we spotted a sculpture, and decided to investigate.
It turned out to be in the grounds of this convent and as we explored we found several more by the artists listed. This find was completely unexpected as we were using this day to find all the recommended sites and just acclimatize to the town.

There were benches, chairs and even sun loungers scattered around for visitors to sit on and enjoy the gardens.
We also spotted a unique play house for children. 
​ We finished our visit at the cafe for a drink and everyone's holiday favourite, an ice cream!

We did find many of the must see buildings as well though. All very impressive, although, we had seen more interesting moving clocks in other towns on our journeys.

It was a shame that Wenceslas Square, the main square in the New Town, had construction going on and it seemed  like we were  walking through  building site!
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​A tiring day but full of surprises and even a dumpling meal in the evening!