Day One: Today was the start of our 4day trek to Machu Picchu. We were all up bright and early, with our duffel bags packed and ready to leave at 7am

The first stop was Sacsayhuaman, a massive fortress of the Incas close to Cusco. Today it is in ruins but you can still see the remains of the walled complex.The stones/rocks are huge and nobody knows how the Incas actually managed to cut and move the rocks in order to build it!

Our next stop was Pisac, situated in the sacred valley and home to some of the largest ruins. Jonathan (our guide) gave us lots of information about the ruins and how they were originally used for 3different purposes, military, religious and agriculture.He also pointed out the caves in the mountain side which the Incas used to bury their dead :-/ although I was interested in what Jonathan had to say, I was also distracted by the squealing pig!! This local guy had rope tied around it's back leg and was trying to take it down to the village (need I say more?) but he kept dragging it and it kept falling over and then trying to run away and he would yank it back and it would squeal a bit more and well I think by the end of it all I was just as traumatised as the pig!! Needless to say I think it's now a Peruvian sausage :-(

So after all that information and piggy drama it was time to sit back and enjoy lunch at a cafe in the square. A bright yellow local dish with chicken (not pork thank god!) and rice! It was really nice but just looked a bit rank!

Then the hard work began...the trek!!

We started at a place called Fundo Huaran where we met our mules and crew and started our trek up the mountain to a place called Cancha Cancha, situated at 3900m. By the time we arrived at camp it was almost dark and the temperature had certainly dropped! Fortunatley our tents were up and we had an hour of free time before dinner.We all changed into warmer gear and headed into one tent for a game of cards! Then when dinner was ready we moved to a larger tent for which was set up really nice :-) bless! Dinner was amazing! Never had such good food whilst camping! There was soup, a huge main course, desert then tea/coffee or hot chocolate to warm us up before heading to our tents for some well deserved rest...or not!! It was so so so so cold!! I must have been wearing about 5layers (including thermals!) and my bobble hat and my big coat and two fleece blankets and my sleeping bag AND I was still far too cold to sleep!!

Day Two: The sound of a very cheery 'Buenos Dias,coca tea?!' could not have come soon enough! It was 5am and the cooks were outside our tent pouring hot cups of tea and placing bowls of hot water just outside our doorway. After very little/no sleep it was time to meet for breakfast, fill up and prepare for a long day of trekking.

Breakfast was yum, toast and jam, porridge, hot chocolate, warm fruit and probably other things that I can't quite remember! There was loads!

The weather was bleak! We were actually above the clouds and we could see them creeping up the mountain side towards camp so we soon set off before they closed in.

We worked our way up to 4900m, it was steep and the air was thin.We trekked upwards through ice and snow until we eventually reached the Pachaqutec Pass. No matter how many coca sweets you sucked on, breathing was tough, and you could really feel the altitude taking it's toll, we stopped frequently to catch our breath and also to admire the views which were amazing! We looked down over lakes and across to other snowcapped mountains. Every so often we would pass a local, walking or sitting, and wearing only sandals! One guy had got up earlier than us and set off up the mountain to try and clear the snow on our path! He must have set off in the dark and again he only had sandals on! Their amazing!

Anyway, we trekked along the pass and started our decent, stopping for lunch which was another huge affair! and then continued trekking for another 2hours before we reached Quishuarani where our next camp was set up.

That evening we had hot drinks and popcorn, some free time and then the usual 3course dinner! So much food! After dinner it was straight to bed and up again at 6am for more trekking!

Day Three: Today I woke with another full blown stupid cold and opted for a shorter walk to the hot springs! It still took us a good few hours but we arrived at our camp in time for an afternoon nap and then lunch! I hadn't slept the previous two nights because I was so cold so a snooze in the afternoon was much appreciated! In the evening a few people enjoyed the hot springs then we had our usual huge dinner! We also thanked our crew and tipped them for all their work, I actually don't know how they do it! Apart from the cooks that was the last time we would see them.We had to be packed and ready to leave at 3am the next day for our journey to Ollantaytambo, so after dinner it was bedtime!

Day Four: 3am up and on it! All packed and in the mini bus for a long drive and hopefully a few hours kip!

We arrived early at our hotel, had a much needed shower, changed into clean clothes whilst the cooks made us breakfast...pancakes but proper American style yummy ones and then headed off to see more Inca ruins.

The afternoon was free time so we enjoyed a few cheeky beers in the square and made the most of the sunshine!

In the evening we met with Jonathan and he took us to a traditional Peruvian restaurant where people could try guinea pig :-( I was no way on this world trying guinea pig but a few people did and well...I don't think I was prepared for what I was about to see!! Out came this crispy guinea pig on a plate, biting into a pepper or something! Oh it was awful it was still all there! Like a full on guinea pig! Ears, eyes, teeth everything! It looked terrified and I'm not surprised it's just been thrown in a deep fat fryer or something!! It looked like they just picked it out of the cage and crisped it...horrendous!! I actually wanted to cry!!

After that horrific ordeal we headed back to our hotel and got some well deserved sleep (in a bed!!) before heading to Machu Picchu the next day...excited!!!