Buenos tardes. Arrived in Cuzco at an ungodly hour this morning (our flight was 4am), breathed in the altitude and feel like shiiiiiiiit!. The joke is theoretically Ill be going 1000 higher, ie this is the easy bit! Beth and I in hotel room watching Scrubs (nice!!) and just trying to breathe normally!! Ive cracked out my inhalers and feel a monster headache coming on. This is before walking 8 hours a day for 5 days. Hmm. The plan is to be able to do it but we shall see. Doesnt help that its rainy season here so we will be walking in the rain. Im looking at the trainers that ill be wearing thinking hmm - they aint gonna do a lot of ankle supporting...

So needless to say we are not taking in the sights of cuzco. ive seen the churches' facades which are gorgeous - the colonial architecture in peru is really really lovely. But thats enough for today!

So glossing over today and the fact that this is not boding well for ms bupa certified reduced lung capacity (wimp!) let me tell you about yesterday when the sun was out and gloriously hot on our lima roof terrace at 7am. Im ruled by food pretty much so by 8am I decided to walk to the supermarket for some bread products - beth was unpacking etc so didnt come. I made it maybe 10 paces down the street and I should point out that my travelling look is quite honestly rough but nevertheless every single guy, car, security quard, shopkeeper... Basically dont walk the streets of lima if youre white and blonde. I turned round and scuttled back to the hostel!

We sunbathed for an hour or so (sun is strong!!) and one of the guys sharing the hostel asked if wed mind if he practiced the flute - hes a musician - a good one at that! So we are in the sun, surrounded by music, birdsong and the scent of flowers. Amen to that.

Last two days we have stayed in hotels with tvs etc that are part of our organised tour. Want to point out that hostels are much much better than hotels. You meet people, the place has atmostphere, its not so sterile. Oh and this will give you all a laugh - we have decided that new clothes each day is totally uneccessary including socks. I think 3 days is about right until both sides are nice and black. Maybe 4 days for a pair of trousers till they are too covered in dust. And have concluded that putting make up on, wearing it for a few hours and taking it off is totally pointless. Beach resorts maybe, south american cities in the mountains - hell no H2O!! So there you go - im gross and i admit it ,)

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend, and has a good week next week. Your week will be better than mine - trust me! ,)