Hi, Sorry there has been nothing for awhile but I actually wrote a blog and somehow it disappeared. So here goes, we got up on top of the trains corrugated iron roof with our little cushions and that is pretty much where we stayed for the next 8 hours, the train didnt actually leave until 7am but you had to get a possie. Was an awesome ride even tho´it rained for the first hour. Went thro some great farmland scenery and then started on whet we had all been waiting for, the very steep drops on our side of the train' al this while we slowly negotiated 158 kms of the Andes mountains at a height of about 10=11,000 ft. It is called the Devil´s Nose in English and the last few switchback were so tight the train couldn´t get around them in one go, it had to go forwards and then reverse back, then go forwards. Not bad for something built 100 odd years ago. From there we took a bus and am I glad we were early getting our numbered seat as they overbooked and the last 7 people had to sit on plastic stools in the aisle ' the ride was only four and a half hours after 7 on a train roof!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then on to Cuenca where Pete contacted Miguel´s Padrinos´family (godfather), they rocked up to the hotl the naxt morning at 7´,30am. Toby was still in bed but they were so excited. We ended up spending the next two nights staying with one of the sons in wheat would be a wonderful up clodse and personal time with these very hospitable and friendly people. Toby and I found the first day hard as they and Pete were all yabbering away in Spanish as we sat around in a tiny room, but by the time we were due to leave it hard become a very hard thing to do.

They obviously loved Pete and considered his time with them the spark that motivated them to educate their 7 children, all the boys have done apprenticeships and all the girls have gone to uni, and they now have beautiful homes and buisinesses. An amazing achievement in a few short years for people who were living in a tiny dirt floored house. When we visited Pindilig, getting away was quite difficult once they heard Senor Pedro was in town.

As you can see we had cuye (Guinea Pig), for those who haven´t already heard I shall save the somewhat gruesome details until I get home, suffice to say I am returning to the clinic with some advances in euthanasia techniques!!!!!!!! But we did eat some, a bit difficult after the whole preparation process and especially for Toby who had the half with the head on his plate'yes they eat that and the feet. But talk about food, they plied us with it at every opportunity and three of the boys are pastry chefs!!! On the 2nd day there was much fun and laughter as they gave me a lesson in their way of making icing and decorating cakes' of course we then had to eat it.

All the little kids especially those we stayed with were very cute, Camilla was priceless.

Learn´t another lesson about cars, our mode of transport was a Suzuki Swift and laws have just come in here for seatbelts to be worn in the front, but you can do as you please in the back, so most of the time we had 8 in it, Toby had his legs around his ears for lñong periods while the kids were in the hatch.

Well that´s about it but as I said it was a wonderful time with such generous people, hopefully one day we can return the favour in Aus for at least some of them.