Machu Picchu Man... I Want To Be a Machu Man Cusco, once the beating heart of the Inca Empire, is now the centre of Peru's tourist economy. Fine colonial buildings with huge Incan foundations line the narrow cobbled streets around the grand Plaza de Armas. Above the city stands a large, white statue of Christ and everywhere flies the flag of the town - its rainbow colours remarkably similar to that of the gay pride flag. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gay_f...

Quip Area (Insert Joke Here) Our overnight bus arrived a couple of hours late through a pink volcanic landscape, lit by the rising sun - the volcanic summits of El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Picchu rising magnificantly over the city. Central Arequipa is full of beautiful, and wel-preserved, colonial buildings, arcades and courtyards, gleaming white from the local volcanic sillar rock. Lots of wrought iron and flowering plants added to the ambience. For the princ...

Huacachina Our next stop was a complete contrast to the mayhem of Lima. Huacachina is an oasis in the desert, a long dusty bus ride south of the capital. Breakfast of freshly squeezed mango juice, scrambled eggs and coffee in the garden of our hostel was just what the doctor ordered. The garden was filled with palm trees, long leafed plants, giant cacti and trees dripping bunches of purple flowers, overlooking a warm inviting pool. With plenty of hammocks and sh...

Mail NB There are 2 blogs for Lima. This is the second. To see the first, just change the date. The police station, with its boxy concrete rooms, was in an area of Lima little frequented by tourists. We sat in a hot, dark room furnished only by a couple of plywood desks, an old typewriter and a dilapidated, rusting metal filing cabinet four drawers high. The only decoration was provided by a chiclets chewing gum wall clock and a couple of reports on known felon...

Huaraz Ah, the Cordillera Blanca - 20 peaks over 6000m with Huaraz nestled beneath at a measly 3050m. As we pulled into the Cruz del Sur bus station at dawn, Huaraz was wearing its rainy season attire, cloaked in a blanket of low cloud which lifted only once during our week-long stay to reveal the sparkling jewels of the Cordillera. The daddy of them all is Huascaran, the highest tropical mountain in the world at 6768m and the highest outside the Himalayas. Oth...