Very brief but amazing visit to Bolivia has led us to Peru. We were not supposed to come as our bus out of Bolivia was delayed by 48 hours then we had to wait at the border for over an hour. First stop was in Cusco which we fell in love with and decided we could happily have a weekend retreat here. The city is centred around a square that is lined with churches and cathedrals. Obviously the first few days were centered around the FA Cup where we watched Pompey win before exploring some of the surrounding ruins 

On the surrounding hills were a series of ruins one of which was qengo a cave that was lit up by a hole in the roof. It is supposed to give an eerie feeling that Miriam seems to be getting.

Overlooking Cusco was Saqsaywaman which was a huge and impressive fort up on the hillside. We were amazed by the accuracy of the stonework that as you can see is spotless. You couldnt even get a coin in between the cracks of these giant rocks.

 

I dont know if they are angry people but everyday there is a procession and that isnt an over exageration. I dont think a day has passed that we havnt seen some sort of celebration. This one was a toddler day where all the little kids a paraded around the square. The best one has to be the Potato day where they all had banners celebrating their claim on the spud.

 

In preparation for Machu Piccu we took the big man out for a spot of rock climbing at the fortress overlooking Ollyantambo. One hell of a view but god they must have been fit. Thousands of steps at 4000ft is hard work no matter how fit you are.

 

One of the highlights of the trip had to be Machu Picchu which was good as we got up at 5am to see the sunrise. As you can see it was a little misty but we still got an incredible view as the clouds lifted and the sun burst through the mountains. 

Miriam as usual had to make friends with the locals and this Llama or Alpacca was called Doris which surprised us as well I cant remember the other names but they were equally stupid.

Some of the ruins were not as impressive as some we have seen but the setting certainly made up for it. Not a bad place to work as a farmer.

Managed to get food poisoning on the train back from Machu Picchu but still struggled to watch Man U win the cup the next day.

The next stop was the Nazca lines which meant another flight in a tiny plane. It was a 4 seater and not too bumpy although Miriam did sit clutching the sick bag for a while. Amazing site as we soared around the lines but unfortunately our camera decided to wipe the photos so will have to rely on the memories (or Miriams!!)

Still 2 weeks left in Peru so will update you all soon.

Bye for the 3 of us