Right, finally time to update this blog from a few weeks ago... The trek to Machu Picchu, which weŽd organised from home, was meant to be one of the highlights of the trip, and it certainly didnŽt disappoint. The first day we set off from Cusco to a place called Kiswarani, where weŽd start walking from. The whole trek was being done at reasonabl...

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is filled with many archaeological ruins and Incas sites. It was appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical qualities (e.g. it is fed by numerous rivers) and pleasing climate which made it the best place for maize production in the whole of Peru. It is a beautiful fertile valley, and we got to visit a...

Hi all, Been a great few days! Lots to update you on. Following visits of towns and markets round the Sacred Valley, we decided to head off towards Machu Picchu on the Inca Jungle Trek, an alternative route to the famous Inca Trail. Will have to update you properly another time, but in summary it involved: Day 1:- Downhill bike from approx 3500m...

Sorry I have not written for a while. We have been very busy. We have worked 10-15 hour days. The sun has been very hot and my nose and top of my head are very burned. I finally got smart and started using sunscreen and a hat. My head hurts so much, IŽm sorry I even have hair! The people of these villages are remarkable. They have such very hard...

First up was a visit to an Inka house in the centre of Ollantaytambo. This is "as was" - thick Inca walls, thatched roof, open fire in the corner, everything done in the one room, altar on one wall and dinner (sorry meant to say guinea pigs) running round the floor. Ollantaytambo is a Inca village that has been "added to". The ground floor walls...

Another early start not helped by the rather late night from the procession in Cusco - there was significantly more rowdiness as the evening progressed and there was singing at 1am: I had to get up at 4.30. I was assigned to the Vistadrome car at the front of the train to Aguas Calientes. It wasnŽt quite the complete glass roof IŽd been expectin...

We had to search for our hotel, the Machu Picchu Pueblo back down in Aguas Calientes. It's the nicest place to stay in town, and it's well hidden. We asked several people in how to get there, and none of them had any idea. But we finally found it, after talking to another tourist who had a town guide (not a map). It said the hotel was 1.1km up t...