We have spent the last 3 days at high altitude surrounded by Inca history, and Madeleine, at least, has made the most of it.

Cuzco sits at 3250m high, and we certainly felt it on the journey up here from Arequipa. Just walking up a flight of stairs or slight incline takes our breath away.

The city is beautiful - cobbled streets and colonial building (yes, more colonial buildings) surround a main plaza, and the Andes surround all of it. After a day of chilling out and trying to acclimatize Madeleine headed up to Sacsaywaman - high up on the hillside above the city.

The walk up there was breath-taking - both literally and figuratively. The view over Cuzco was utterly amazing - the city is massive, sprawling up the mountain sides. The ruins at Sacsaywaman are part religious and part military, with temples, thrones and forts. The most amazing part, however, is the stonework. Massive lumps of stone are fitted together perfectly with no cement whatsoever. They are carved and polished to give perfect walls, buildings, windows and door ways.

The next day Madeleine headed out to the Sacred Valley to visit some more important Inca sites. First stop was Tambomache. Not much here - a stone wall with some working water channels - thought to be used by the Incas to bathe. Next up was Pisac - a massive ruins complex with lots of buildings and terraces carved into the mountain side to allow it to be farmed.

A crowded minibus or three later led to Ollantaytambo, a tiny village further up the sacred valley that has been continuously occupied since the 13th century. After a good nights sleep, Madeleine visited the ruins here. Another steep slope of terraces cut into the mountain-side led to a citadel at the top, complete with a temple to the sun. At the bottom were more water-works, with channels and fountains. A quick stop in the village of Chinchera for a look at some more Inca terracing and ruins led back to Cuzco. All of the ruins were amazing. Some for their technical brilliance, some for their outstanding locations and some for their history.

Joe had planned two days of relaxing with beer and football back in Cuzco. She managed to find an English pub serving up such exotic foods at Jacket Potatoes and Roast Dinners - bliss when you haven't had such things for a ocuple of months - as well as showing the football, so she was all set. On entering said pub, however, Joe was informed that it was 'dry season'. The sale of alcohol was banned over that weekend because of the presidential elctions. SO it was a cup of tea and football for Joe.

Once reunited we had just one evening left in Cuzco (complete with wine, as some restaurants did still appear to be serving alcohol).

And that completes our trip to Peru. The country has such a diverse and complex history - not just Incas, but all that came before and after - that still impacts the culture today, making it truly fascinating country to visit. We have enjoyed Peru a lot - the people, the culture, the spectacular scenery and the amazing history - and will be sad to move on.