In order to reach Machu Picchu for sunrise we had to get up at 3.30am. This part of the tour was optional but having trekked 25 miles upwards and completed 3 mountains in 3 days I wanted to complete the challenge. Setting off at 4am we walked in silence and complete darkness along the railway track before we began to climb. As we climbed, a dog came from nowhere and climbed with us, most odd, he wasn't even scrounging for food, it was like he just wanted...

5am started after camping out last night, cold and zero sleep. No washing facilities what so ever, just the before mentioned loos. Yesterday we hiked to 3800 meters. Today was going to bring me 4200 meters covering Dead Womans Pass. This hike was really very hard. Trying to be positive in my mind and ignoring the raging pain in my right hip I reached the top. I sat and took it all in. WoW! what views, 'what an amazing place on this planet to be' I...

Woken at the crack of dawn, faced with dodgy electrics and occasional water that shot out of the shower and taps, I moaned to myself at how cold I felt. Shortly after my glue like coffee and cold pancake I haggled a couple of old Peruvian women for my walking/hiking stick and 3 more bags of coca leaves (yeah man!) and then I was set. A 1 hour journey on a bus that can only be described as "OH MY GOD". Never before had I been so pleased that I had worn...

Today was a sightseeing day in order for me to become acclimatised a little better to the altitude. Armed with bags of coca leaves and an early start we headed towards the Sacred Valley for a challenging (or so thought at the time!) 1.5 hour trek. This turned out to be a simple walk in the park in comparison to the hike that lay ahead. The sacred valley was great, vast open space while surrounded by amazing snow capped mountains and if you stopped for a momen...

Hola! Im knackered. the end x Ha ha, not really, but I am knackered. Have been in Cusco for a couple of days and its a wonderful place, a real party place with lots of tradition. Lots of Peruvian people in their national dress, carrying their babies around wrapped in colourful wraps. Tuk-tuks everywhere, or a variation of them anyway, kind of half motorbike, half milk float, its great. Have spent a couple of days here in order to accli...