The journey to Ica was thankfully ok, probably because we went with the slightly more expensive company Cruz del Sur (more space and nice food!) We arrived in Ica yesterday at 5am to a dark, deserted bus station and managed to find a cafe were we stayed for a couple of hours ( a cup of tea was 20p!) Jem had a look round, discovered that it wasn´t actually a very nice place, so we decided to get a taxi to Huacachina, 5km west of Ica.The small town of Huacachina i...

Last Sunday we caught the rusty, old local bus from Pisac to Cusco (a bargain at 50p each!). Like all local buses, it was a bit of a squash but much more fun than an expensive tour! We sat at the back and had our big rucksack across our laps. A lovely American guy sat next to Jem and we ended up chatting about travelling the whole journey which was nice. We chilled in Cusco the next day and decided to make the most of a useable kitchen in our hostal by cooking d...

The Sacred Valley of the Incas, in the Andes, is the fertile valley of the Urubamba River (best place for maize production in Peru), also called the Vilcanota or Wilcamayu River (Sacred River) which snakes its way through the old Inca province of Antisuyu which the Incas valued greatly. There, besides this tributary of the Amazon, they built their retreats, palaces and sacred places: the fortress of Ollantaytambo (clinging to the steep sides of the river´s gorge...

On Tuesday we went for a couple of drinks at Los Perros with a lovely Ozzie couple called Dan & Jodie, that we´d met in the hostal. We also checked out a club on the main square called Mama Africa´s that a couple of people had recommended. It was good fun, with cheap drinks and good music!! The following day we got a taxi to Santiago Bus Station, which is basically a side street where the local buses depart from. We caught the 8am bus to Santa Maria (20 so...

On Sunday we caught the Inka Express from Puno to Cusco. The journey took us 10hrs (usually 6 with no stops) and we had five stops of interest on the way and a delicious buffet lunch. We stopped at Pukara is famous for it´s pottery, especially the well-known ¨Toritos de Pukara¨ (Little Bulls of Pukara). People place two ceramic bulls on their roof for good luck and prosperity. The town has an impressive Cathedral and a Stone Museum which we visited. Our guide ...