Greetings from Cusco!!

Yesterday!

Well there we were in the internet cafe, me talking to Alan on the MSN and Kerry was ready to go (some one in particular was not online) and suddenly she satred looking around. She said she was looking for her coat.

Now let me explain: It is warm during the day but at night it is bloody freezing here! You need a coat and we move on to Bolivia therefore warm clothes ie. coats are essential!

She said it had been stolen, I thought she was joking and I started laughing! But no, she was not joking and we started to hunt for it. No where to be seen. It had been on her chair! The person running the internet was about as helpful as Mr. Bean in an emergency! We decided to report it to the police. We found a policeman and he pointed us in the direction howevr our spanish is crap. Suddnely from nowhere I managed to ask in Spanish - Donde Esta Policia estatione! Can you believe it - under pressure I am good!!!! We got there in under 2 minutes which is amazing seeing as we've got lost trying to find everything else! We got ther explained the situation and were told to go to another room. In this room where "Tourismo Police" who are about as crooked as - wel whatever is the most crooked thing you can think of! We thought we were going to have to bribe him! He told us we were liars and that we wanted the money from insurance for when we returned home! Kerry proceeded to lose her temper (until I calmed her down!). She could have been arrested!!!

Finally he filled in the form for us and we have to go to the national bank tomorrow to collect it. We had tea in a pizzeria and Kerry was worried about going outside as she had all of her expensive belongings with her (phone, camera, cards!) so I put them somewhere safe for her (where I kept mine!). I managed to hold about 10 credit cards, 2 cameras, a mobile phone and my passport in my bra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today!

Well today we had breakfast and we went down to the square. We picked a nice little spot and sat their patientley for it to start. Suddenly from behind us was pushing and shoving and guess what - the bloody french had arrived! They were around the 50-90 age group and all had little package tour armbands on. They pushed and shoved and made the whole thing a bloody misery. At one point I was sitting down and a french man behind me was pushing. In hindsight I just wish Kerry had said "dare you" becuase I would have flung my head back and got him right in a personal area!!!! (This site is completely sensored - no swear words allowed!!)

The actual festibval started from the square and moved up to the "Sexy Woman" ruin area at the top of a bloody mountain. (In spanish the word sounds very much like sexy woman so thats what the tourists call it) We had lunch and thought we would be really good and walk up the mountain half way and then catch a bus the rest. In the world of me nothing ever is straightforward!! We got half way up and realised there were no buses and therofore ame back down in pretty record timing for us. We went straight into the empty square and watched the whole festival on TV from the english Pub! So I can say I watched the festival today. To be honest it was like watching paint dry and didnt interest me what so ever! I am cultured really!!!

Anyway, here are the plans from tomorrow onwards!

We head to Bolivia at 10pm (4am English Time) on a coach through the mountains. We leave Cusco and have to wait for the border to open at Puno before we can carry on to Copacobana which is in Bolivia. This sounds horrendus and believe me I am dreading it. We can fly from here back to Lima and then from Lima to La Paz however this means two flights (NO!!!!!!) and it costs around 300 quid which I definately do not have!!!! We have a hostal booked in Copacbana for 1 night and to be honest I am dreading Bolivia. Its very high meaning I will get ill from altiude sickness (especially dreading salt flat at 5300 metres, about 5 miles above sea level) and I still have motion sickness since landing on this continent! The sooner we get to Brazil the blody better - I cant wait!

Well now your updated! See you soon, Helen x

PS. Cusco is the safest place we will be travelling - what the bloody hell are rest of the places going to be like!!!!