1984 a trip to Southamerica from Lima,Perù to Rio,Brasil revisited by heart 39 years later

it was a memorable group trip with Avventure nel Mondo a spartan agency that usually frequents small hotels and restaurants traveling by public transport with the spirit of making a full immersion in the country We arrived in Lima,Perù and we suffered an injury as some girls of the group were walking in the central street and were robbed after cutting their bags and none of the group noticed anything. The capital was not interesting so we took the train to Cuzco the old Inca capital where you can breathe the air of ancient times We went to visit various places linked to the Incas such as Ollatantambo, a fortress with walls of gigantic stones, incredibly fitting together and Pisac with terraces used to grow potatoes, barley and corn. Then we took the train to Aguacalientes, at the base of the famous Machu Pichu. It was an epic journey, crammed like sardines in the midst of sacks of citrus fruits and indigenous chickens, but we performed singing Italian songs and the Peruvians were encouraged to sing theirs. At our destination we took a hot bath in the open-air tubs alongside the tracks and early in the morning we began the ascent of Machu Pichu with the help of a local guide and so we reached the top before the hordes of tourists arrived by bus across the winding road. It was an exciting visit for me, even a little disgusting because a llama spat its greenish liquid on me, irritated by my photos. We went down the Urubamba rapids in the rafts and upon arrival we were all excited and wet but the minibus hadn't come to pick us up, so we played flag to run and warm up until our rescuers arrived who, in order to be forgiven for their late arrival, offered us several bottles of tequila. In succession we took the bus to Puno and visited the coast of the vast lake Titicaca at about 3800 meters above sea level. We took boats until we reached the islands of the Uros who live on floating islands of totora, the reed that grows in the lake. We entered Bolivia, the Himalayas of South America with its wild nature made of high mountains and we climbed the Chakaltaya up to 5500 meters in height with a minibus which in the curves had its nose in deep ravines without any protection. During one of these curves the vehicle began to skid, I opened the door and we shot out and continued on foot panting to the top where there was an astonishing view of the Andes and the Pacific. We drank a lot of shots of tequila, including the unconscious driver and went down in the dark all drunk singing and hoping not to end up in a ravine and we arrived fortunately down alive. Then we visited Oruro a city that had been very rich for the silver mines, we entered a small mine as for the big one we had a mishap with the guide. Then we visited the main attraction of Bolivia: the salares de Uyuni a vast salt lake that can be crossed by truck with high wheels since the lake is initially bathed by waters about a meter high, then less and less until the hard and blinding salt of the center, all around high volcanoes, spectacular. Then the Atacama desert of northern Chile with a visit to a village in a tiny oasis, San Pedro de Atacama, then the peaceful coast up to the beautiful capital Santiago and then on to Puerto Montt, covered in snow and with coniferous forests. We had to pass the Andes to arrive in Argentina in Bariloche, a beautiful place with many lakes, woods and slopes for skiing and lots of chocolate to taste. The group leader found a snowcat to which he attached a sort of armored van with a flap inside which we sat unconscious, singing for the interminable climb. At one point the vehicle skidded and we started screaming until the door was opened for us: there was snow three meters high all around before the border pass with Argentina. First we had a good snowball fight and then we crossed the border amidst the incredulous surprise of the customs officers. Then it was the turn of the marvelous Iguazu Falls, truly a miracle of nature on the border between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil where we entered to reach the beautiful Argentine capital Buenos Aires where we visited the typical Caminito street, the Casa Rosada, the Colon theater and saw a tango show in a typical club. From one capital to another we reached Rio de Janeiro, the Citade Maravilhosa with its huge beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana,the Corcovado with its Cristo Redentor, the amazing bay, the capirinha and fruitsalads and we celebrated the last night in the disco before taking the plane to Bogota and from there to Madrid and Milan, an unforgettable and adventurous trip that I will never forget.

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