At the moment I am writing this tucked up in bed in a little (but very noisy) hostel in San Ignacio - last stop before hopping over the border to Ecuador tomorrow, to check out all those places I missed first time round on my way to cusco. Very much looking forward to taking it easy and finding a nice beach to lie on for a few days once I'm there, after being on the constant hop for the last few weeks since leaving Cusco. I've lost count of how many overnight bu...

So, I survived the buses (a very good thing, as I forsee many more bus journeys here) and am currently still enjoying Cusco. I'm so glad to have chosen this city to spend four weeks studying Spanish. Cusco has a beautiful historical centre with pretty cobbly streets and plazas, zillions of colonial churches, and a tour operator on every corner (next to the poncho shops); but despite the many tourists here - its by far the most touristy place I've visited so...

Has that been 2 weeks already?? Well, the tour had to come to an end eventually. Despite several hitches early on in the trip (truck going kaput, tour leader quitting, lost and stolen phones - not my own this time, but can confirm Colombian police are a bit more adept at preparing a report than the Cuban are), I really enjoyed Colombia; it is a beautiful country with stunning scenery and friendly people. Apparently the country has more species of flora and faun...