Friday 31st August We fly to Puerto Maldonado today which is in the amazon basin and only takes around 45 mins from Cuzco. Then it's an hours drive to the port which isn't really a port. It's more of the banks of the amazon river with two motorised canoes waiting for us in the middle of nowhere. We're given fried rice wrapped in banana leaves to eat which is delicious. We're also given Brazil nuts which are grown in Peru. Apparently the peruvians are none too ha...

Thursday 30th August We have a free day today so we all have a long lie-in. I book a horse trek for the afternoon and try to sort out my onward flights at Lan Peru. I sit in a cafe looking out over the Plaza and watch a parade leave the Basilica carrying an efigee of the Madonna accompanied by a marching band and lots of men in uniform. Next it's off to San Blas which is the artisans district. It's a lovely area with lots of arts and crafts for sale. I head of...

Tuesday 28th August We take the train to Aguas Calientes which means Hot Waters. The view is fantastic as we journey into the Cloud Forest area of Peru which you tend to find at around 2,500 metres. It's lush and green and the variety of flora is amazing. The train is clean, spacious and comfortable and the windows curve up into the roof so you can appreciate the majesty of the mountains around you. It's like being on an aeroplane as we are served a drink, ham ...

Sunday 26th August We head to Calca to the local market and buy toys, fruit, paper and pencils to hand out to the children we'll meet over the next 3 days on the trek to Machu Picchu. I select a pack of plastic animals from Africa in the hope this will inspire a small childs imagination. Another two heartstopping hours drive on the windiest, thinnest road ever and we're miles into the wilderness of the Andes. We meet our porters and cooks who decide to sort ou...

Saturday 25th August We drive to a village that GAP supports and are treated to close up encounters with llamas and shown how the locals dye their wool. The colours are amazing. There are also lots of local children who are curious about us and so we chat and play with them. On our way to the Sacred Valley of the Inca's we pass the ruins of Sasquawaman which is pronounced Sexy woman. We stop there and walk around for a few hours, amazed by the achitecture. Fro...