We almost didn´t make it to Cusco. After catching the 7.5 hour bus from Huaraz to Lima we had about 7 hours to kill exploring Lima. And we did it so well that we forgot to get a taxi to the bus! By the time we got in a taxi and then accidentally directed him to the wrong bus station we got to the bus with 30 seconds to spare!

I always thought I´d like Cusco a lot more than i do. Maybe it was because Huaraz is less touristy and more beautiful, but anyway as soon as I arrived i knew i wouldnt like it as much as I thought. The locals are constantly inundating you on the street selling massages, tours, postcards, finger puppets and about anything else you can think of! Michael and i got stalked the other night by a 5 year old girl selling finger puppets who wouldn´t take no for an answer! The actual city is very beautiful and the cafes, bars, restaurants and art are spectacular but when you arrive in Cusco you feel like they see you as dollar signs rather than just welcoming you as you´d hope.

We did a tour of the Sacred Valley which was nice but also not as impressive as I hoped. We then spent a night in Agues Callientes so we could catch the bus to Machu Picchu (no time to trek it, so we decided to do the bus instead which was lucky as it was pouring rain when we left at 5.30am!).

The hostel in Agues Calientes was literally on the train station. Luckily there was only one more train by the time we got there. Machu Picchu was an amazing place and looks every bit the picture postcard - even in the rain and fog. I was less adventurous than Michael and ended up leaving early while he climbed Wayna Picchu. The train home from Agues Calientes was a nightmare. 4 hours squashed in with two Dutch people in our wet clothes. And when the train arrived in Cusco it went back and forth for about 30 more minutes until we got into the station. I was feeling the beginnings of a cold and couldn´t wait to get to our hostel. Once we got there we got told that our room had been double booked and they were full! Luckily after a tantrum where I told the man I didn´t care who was in hospítal, he took us to another hostel in the Plaza De Armas and gave us a good room. The bonus was we didn´t pay for our previous night in the hostel!