We were only due to have one more day in Cusco before taking the bus to Puno on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca.But first we'd arranged to meet up with Ilan and Jordi to exchange photos over a cup of coffee and it was then we learned that there was a problem.Apparently while we'd been in the jungle and totally out of contact with the real world Peru was again encountering one of its 'civil uprisings' in the form of road blocks around the country.No buses were running to Puno because the road between Cusco and Puno had been blocked for several days and there was no end in sight.We therefore had enquiries and decisions to make.Nas, who'd intended to be on the same bus as us, unexpectedly appeared outside the cafe with well thumbed Lonely Planet in hand so the three of us set about sorting out some alternative travel arrangements(Ilan and Jordi weren't so immediately affected at this stage).We came up with a number of options and we got a good offer of a flight to La Paz which we decided to take.Later that evening Nas got in touch to say he'd found a car that would take him to Puno by a back road.However, we'd been aware of that possibility but with our onward flights booked from La Paz we needed to ensure we weren't held up on the road (as we'd heard some had been). We then set about finding accommodation for the next couple of nights as our existing hotel was full, and getting our bus tickets refunded. To be fair, after the previous week's enjoyable jungle trip, this all became a bit of a chore and a headache and it certainly reinforced that we were making the right decision to take a break early next year! We had an extra couple of days in Cusco which we didn't really need, but we moved to another excellent hotel - the Midori - and managed at last to visit the Natural History Museum.This contained an interesting, albeit dusty, collection of exhibits from the Cusco area - stuffed birds and animals, minerals, pickled embryos and such like. Then M came up with the excellent idea of taking a car to the Sacred Valley to visit one of the main sites at Moray, a fascinating arrangement of terracing which the Incas used as a kind of agricultural research station.Once again we had a bit of a transport hiccup when, on the rough road about one kilometre from Moray, we had yet another puncture - and the spare was flat too! We therefore set off to walk the rest of the way leaving the taxi driver to sort things out by borrowing a spare wheel from another passing taxi. The road back via the bustling little town of Urubamba must be high on the list of the most scenic in the world with its green sweeping valleys framed by a magnificent backdrop of jagged, snow-capped peaks.Both of us had separately had bad food experiences, which was surprising given the quality of the food in Cusco. We therefore decided that on the last night we would eat well and both of us fancied fish - M trout and E ceviche. We went to the restaurant overlooking the square that we'd had our eye on only to be told "No trout because it comes from Lake Titicaca and supplies can't get through because of the roadblocks". Now, we should have thought of that!!!!However, the restaurant helpfully rustled up an excellent alternative ceviche with sea fish, prawns, squid etc and M settled for really good chicken dish. With some chat and banter with people at nearby tables our last evening in Cusco was a success.

E & M xxx