Time to take advantage of being slightly older than the average traveller. We blew the equivalent of around 20 nights accommodation budget on a night in the 5* Inkaterra hotel in Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. Bliss. So after a farewell lunch with the group, some of them headed back to Cusco, some of them settled into the tour operator's shabby hostel, we slipped into luxury. Hell, our aching feet deserved it! Afternoon cakes, a dip in ...

So to the infamous Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. And what better way to start this arduous high altitude 4 day hike, camping with very basic facilities, than to acquire an upset tummy? Perfect! Hiking in that environment on a virtually empty stomach was challenging. However a combination of over-the-counter and prescription drugs from around the globe, plus a very welcome helping hand from Fabrice when my day backpack became too much to bear, meant the challenge ...

And so to Peru. The journey from Quito to Cuzco was punctuated by an 8 hour overnight in Lima airport. Fortunately this seems to be a pretty common event and so the (very decent) airport is well equipped, with all the shops and restaurants staying open 24 hours. Good excuse for a Big Mac meal! So, with the added benefit of an iPad, all in all not too unpleasant an experience. We had a couple of days in Cuzco to acclimatise to the altitude before setting off on ...