¡Hola a todos! (My second blog of the day). I rose early upon the morning of my trip into the Amazonian rainforest, leaving my warm, cosy bed a little after five o’clock. There followed the typical protracted wait wherever Peruvians are involved: vehicles, predominantly taxis, came and went as I waited patiently in the bitter early morning cold outside the ‘Aldea Yanapay’ hostel. The occasional larger automobile passed by, temporarily raising my hopes th...

¡Hola a todos! I arrived back in Cusco late in the afternoon, mere hours after departing from Machu Picchu, exhilarated, tired, content. My trek-mates and I spent one night more at the nice hotel - once again I enjoyed a room all to myself - and headed out en masse that evening for a final, farewell meal. The location for this meal (which I doubled up as a birthday meal in my mind at least) was chosen by one of the girls and revealed itself to be suitably ...

¡Hola a todos! I preface yet another entry with the notification that this is my second blog-post of the day and that both follow hot on the heels of a post that I put up yesterday – just for those of you that I am sure continue to read each and every entry devoutly. Onward and upward! The morning of my birthday dawned mellow and clear, full of promise for the hours ahead. Our group had convinced the guides that it was a worthwhile sacrifice to wake up extra...

¡Hola a todos! Fresh from the excitement of attending ‘Inti Raymi’ I bid a fond and temporary adieu to Cam and Seb, before wandering over to my hotel for the night, part of my Inca Trail package. It was here that I was due to meet our tour leader and the rest of my group in a swift briefing that would prepare us for the trek ahead. I checked into the hotel a little ahead of time, so as to settle myself in my room and pick out some of the gear that I thought...

¡Hola a todos! Cusco has thus-far proven itself a city of startling contrasts, quite capable of dismaying and delighting in equal measure. It has become quite a normal, daily occurence for me to stroll from my hostal down into the bustling heart of the city centre, solicited for anything from massages to drugs of all kinds and even sex. In each case I am to be the paying client of course and every instance needles me afresh, sometimes infuriating me (no, I...