Cuzco was in itself a pleasant enough town. Set at a lofty 3400m, the inevitable dull headache stayed with us for a day or two. With the theft still fresh in our minds, we decided to make straight for Aguas Calientes, the base for visiting Machu Picchu. This is a village who´s sole purpose in life is to extract hard currency from the throng of tourists passing through.  The single train track meanders its way from Cuzco to Agua, though Peruvians...

Meet our thief: Victor Rios Ramanche, male, aged 25, Peruvian, ID number 414562312. Boarding a night bus from Arequipa to Cuzco we entered into our usual routine to protect our gear. We were fortunate in being moved forward from seats 15/16 to the front row when we departed. Or so we thought. More room, but now joined across the aisle by the aforementioned animal who was also cabin rolled.  Phill, as usual, took possession of our ultra valuables. P...

Were we feeling anxious at the prospect of leaving a semi sane nation (did we refer to the USA as semi-sane)? Yes we were. Did we dread our arrival into Lima at 4am? Of course. But did it turn out to be a hoot? Sort of. The odour of disinfectant hit our nostrels as soon as we entered our first hotel room on this stage of the trip. Smelling much like a hospital after a Legionaires scare, we reassured each other that this was a good thing. Riding the...