This morning we had a really early start - ready for a 6am brekkie, with bags outside our room, ready for departure at 7am. It took forever to get to the airport, the traffic is nightmarish - as many cars across the width of the road that will fit, never mind the lane markings. At one stage the man in the car next to us was reading his newspaper as he was inching forward. We were much later arriving at the airport than requested, but that didn't seem to matter because our plane left 40 minutes late anyway. Our flight was quite short - we climbed to our altitude, ate some nuts, wafers and a sweet biscuit and then we were descending! We followed valleys into Cuzco. Our tour guide, Pepe, is really good, and the Bunnik's Tours organisation runs really smoothly. One of our couples are on their fifth Bunniks Tour!! Bunniks organised to get our luggage off the carousel, they didn't want us to be stressed by how tired the exertion made us feel. There was a minibus with 2 more men waiting for us, which took us to our hotel. When we reached the Novotel they took us to a reception room where they gave us coca tea to help mitigate the effects of the altitude. I was feeling really lethargic, but Tom wasn't affected at all. We then had a half hour's rest in our rooms where our luggage was waiting before meeting again in the lobby. Pepe took us through the very narrow alleyways to a lovely restaurant (Tupananchis) where we had a set menu lunch. Entree was a type of mashed potato with avocado in the middle and a lovely creamy sauce accompanied by a little side salad. The main course was a dish of lovely chicken fillets cooked with sweet mustard served on top of some chips and garnished with red banana strips - lovely. We were then joined by a local guide who walked us over to the main square. I remember mum and dad stayed in a hotel overlooking this square. On one side of the square was the cathedral precinct which turned out to be the cathedral with a church on either side. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any photos, but these were the most ornate churches we've ever seen. The hammer beaten silver in one of the altars, the gold leaf covering of another. The cathedral had thirteen chapels within it, each dedicated to a different pope, and beautifully decorated. From what I can gather, the Incas were living over here happily going about their lives and worshipping their mountains which they believed were the foundations of their lives, Mother Earth and all that. The Spanish conquistadors invaded and forced them into becoming their slaves and accepting their religion, forcing Catholicism onto them. They made them construct the beautiful intricate carved timber work and statues in the churches and cathedrals, and the beautiful paintings that adorn the walls, so the Incas incorporated some of their ancient beliefs into their work. e.g. The carved chairs for the choir are decorated with naked pregnant women, something the Incas hold very dear. The painting of the Last Supper has Jesus and the disciples feasting on baked guinea pig. Our guide told us that up here in the highlands guinea pig is still regarded as a special meal, something to be cooked for visitors. We were told that the meat is very high in protein, and very rich - specially good for pregnant women. The statues of Mary and others are often made with their headpieces in a triangular fashion representing the very steep mountains that the Incas worshipped. Even today, our guide says, they are Catholics who have holy communion and everything, but also still follow the ancient Inca beliefs as well, because they come from the heart. After the tour of the cathedral finished Tom and I and a few others returned to our hotel for a rest whilst others went exploring and then continued on to dinner. We are far too full to eat more! We are very tired and are unsure if it's the altitude affecting us (although we started our meds last night) or the lack of sleep from last night when the hotel and the street outside were very very noisy, and we knew we had to be up early. So we retired to our room for some rest and relaxation. I am delighted to say that in this hotel we can happily flush our toilet paper without guilt! The hotel is quite beautiful - I shall photograph the lobby tomorrow morning.