Whilst I'm sure it would be nice to travel across Peru in a Benz, our Benz is a truck called Cameron. He's 15 years old and at the end of this trip he is going to be retired. So I'm hoping that he is good for one last journey. We headed off from our hotel and collected Cameron in the truck park where he had been getting some attention over the last few days. Our driver Jim is a truck mechanic by trade and does a lot of the maintenance himself. With all our g...

Back in Cusco for a chill out day. Went something like this. Breakfast , dropped off some laundry, wrote my diary, had a massage, got some money, had lunch, wrote my blog, picked up my laundry, went to dinner with the group and back to the hotel. Just what the doctor ordered. Tomorrow we head for Raqchi, about a 2.5 hour drive away where we will stay with a local family.

It's been said that it is about the journey and not the destination. In the case of Machu Picchu it is about both. Certainly our trek trough the Andes was exhilarating and the scenery breathtaking. But when you arrive at Machu Picchu and climb the stone stairs nothing can prepare you for what suddenly appears. There are no early glimpses of the ancient city just a sudden unveiling in front of you as you take the final step onto a viewing platform. Neither wor...

A peak outside the tent confirmed how cold it had been the night before. Frost covered the ground and a few icicles could be seen hanging from the tents. But the morning cuppa delivered to the tent helped things get underway. Soon after we got goingy and we visited a local family to see how they live. A small one room stone and wood hut, thatched roof, with no power or running water. But apparently they live that way by choice. It's a tradition. Todays walk ...

Up at 6 but served a hot cup of tea in our tent by the kitchen boys. Very civilised! Smithy our guide pointed out Puka Kassa Pass, 4700m, and our first objective. To say I felt a little daunted would be a bloody understatement. It meant another vertical climb of 750m before lunch. We set off and were making good pace. Smithy had an innate sense about how we were handling the going and called for rest stops at just the right moment. Sometimes all we needed...