Our base for the Inca Trail was the nearby city of Cuzco. It was once the foremost city of the Inca empire, and is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent's oldest continuously inhabited city. Inca ruins, streets and houses litter the city.

At 3,300m altitude, it was good preparation for the Inca Trail. However, even just walking up the stairs or the slight climb to the main square would invariably leave us out of breath. As a city it was beautiful, full of old buildings, both Inca style and Spanish, with the wooden window boxes overhanging the streets. The streets themselves were mainly old pavings and cobbles, lethal in the rain and flip-flops.

Our first day there was to take a city tour and visit the main ruins nearby. We started at the Qorikancha, with the church of Santo Domingo built around and over Inca ruins. Preserved inside are several Inca structures and here we were introduced to their impressive architecture. Massive stone blocks sit so perfectly on to each other not even a piece of paper can fit through. The methods used by the Incas to protect against earthquakes could also be clearly seen and given the fact much of the stonework survives this must surely be a testament to their skill. The temple was once the richest temple in the area (Qorikancha, which is Quechua- the local language - for 'Golden Courtyard') and when built was literally covered with gold. The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid-gold sheets. But within months of the arrival of the Spanish this was all looted. Surrounding these buildings and swallowing them up is the church itself. Majestic in size and littered with colonial paintings, it was a joy to see.

Next was Tambomachay, an old temple dedicated to water. 9 km outside of the city this was a beautiful ruin. Filled with still running aqueducts this was another testament to the skill of the Incas. Running fountains meet with lush grass and views over the valley. There was also an 'Inca' puppy keeping guard and barking at people to keep away!!

The next ruin was Q'enqo. Very different to the first two ruins, this was about altars buried within caves. Darker and more mysterious it was interesting to see.

The final ruin was the more famous Saqsayhuman or more funnily pronounced Sexy Woman! The precise meaning of this large ruin is unknown but again displays the amazing stonework and aqueduct systems. Some of the blocks were huge, several metres high and some tons heavy. How they were moved and carved is an impressive feat. Our guide took us through tunnels and on high to show how large a ruin it really is. It was well worth the visit.

With these ruins in mind it was good preparation for Machu Picchu and added to the excitement. After a long wait it was finally ready to head there.

However, before we left Cuzco we tried the Peruvian speciality of BBQ chicken- basically roasted chicken and chips! We also got to try beef hearts- which tasted ironically very much like beef! Oh well you have to try these things!