Thursday morning we took a bus to Cusco which is the town at the bottom of the Inca trail.The scenery between Puno and Cusco is beautiful and we were going to get the train but at $200 we couldn't really justify it.We decided instead to get the Inca Express which is a tourist bus which stops along the way at scenic points.We did feel very touristy as we got on as many of the other passengers had suitcases rather than backpacks but at least it was comfortable!We had five stops in total at - an Inca museum, a church, the tallest mountain peak, lunch and an ancient Inca temple.Our guide was very informative and it gave us an insight into the Inca culture of the Cusco region.

When we arrived in Cusco we checked into Loki hostel which we had been recommended numerous times by other travelers!Cusco is known for its clubbing scene and Loki is certainly a lively hostel!After a quick rest we had some drinks in the bar before going out into the town.We went to three clubs (as they are all free to get into) - Mama Africa, Inka tea and another that I can't remember the name of.All of them were packed with travelers but really good fun and we rolled in at 6am the next morning.

The next day (Friday) we didn't do much apart from wonder around the town.Sarah and I went to Cusco´s version of the natural history museum which consisted of a room of stuffed animals as well as a collection of strange foetus´ that were deformed; there were also come Siamese guinea pigs?!Sarah enjoyed the spiders though especially the tarantulas which were as big as our hands!In the evening we had a quiet night and went to bed early as we were too tired to go out again, poor show I know!

Today (Saturday) we checked out of Loki and looked around a big indoor market and brought lots of souvenirs.This afternoon we are transferring to a new hostel which is part of our Inca trail package.We have an introductory meeting this evening and begin the trek tomorrow!