Hello from Cuzco! I'm not sure but I think it's been about a week since my last entry, it feels like ages! Becca and I spent a nice few days relaxing in the Hostal Austria in La Paz, including some random moments watching Elf, the Christmas film, with some Swedes. I cooked Mexican food and we just kicked back and rested after so long on the road. We met this nice girl called Alexandra from Australia who on my last night went to the ballet with us. The calibre was nothing special and the ballerinas came in all shapes and sizes but it was still good fun. The first half was ballet to Bach (on a cd) and the second half was a local ballet performed to music played by an experimental indigenous orchestra. It was interesting, but still really good fun. Early the next day I took my bags and Nelson and got onto the bus for Cuzco. It took about 12 hours but that night I was back in Cuzco and surrounded by Gringos again. I stepped out of the taxi and heard a voice from a balcony above me in the plaza asking "is that Nelson"! It was the American guy we had met coming back from Isla del Sol. I hadn't slept at all so I crashed out in a hostel and after finding the shower the next morning had no real door I decided that enough was enough and I changed hostel and spent a bit more money. Unfortunately I didn't realise till it was too late that I was spending 25$ on a hostel! Still it was nice to have a hot shower and breakfast included especially as I hadn't been feeling great so I moved the next day to one costing 15$ a night and I've been there ever since!

The day before my trek to Machu Picchu left we had a meeting at the office. There I met the two dutch guys, two German couples, two Americans, one pair of Argentinians and Spanish couple and one english guy who i'd be spending the next few days with. I had met Andy, the English guy, before on the boat to Isla del Sol. Charlie had had lunch with him when she went onto La Paz earlier. He's 27 and has been working as a treking leader before he came out here. The two dutch guys, theo and laurence, were in their thirties and live near Eindhoven. The two Americans, John and Amy, are brother and sister and have travelled many times together. And the Germans were two guy friends and their girlfriends.

We were picked up at 5.30 the next morning, driven to Ollyantambo (or something like that) for breakfast and then we began by crossing a river at about 9. The first day was completely led but already people began to find their pace. The Germans led off, with one of the girls - Simone - complaining we were moving too slow, and then Andy and I followed with the Americans and the Dutch guys whilst the slightly older Argentinian woman and her daughter stayed at the back with the Spanish couple. The first day was mostly flat and took in the river and one amazing Inca Ruin which lay beneath us. We were accompanied by a cook, his assistant and 16 porters. They are only allowed to carry 25 kilos but they bomb along like they're carrying nothing. It's just unbelievable that until recently they had to carry 50 kilos each and they do it in sandals! Anyway they had already set up for lunch by the time we reached the first stop point and we had an amazing lunch of avacado salad and something else which I can't remember, but basically the food was gourmet! Add to this the fact that the company gave us free caps and at every campsite we were given a flannel, some soap and boiled water to wash with and I quickly realised that although i'd booked very last minute I'd booked with a great firm! We reached the evening campsite at about four after quite an easy day and we watched the porters play football, had a beer and relaxed - day two was hyped as the bad one!

The next morning we woke and started our climb. We climbed 1000metres to 4,200 metres in the morning. The first stage was challenging, the second was tough and the final bit was just a matter of keeping going. I had no bag, just water with me, but Andy had his backpack but he was still keeping up and we made it to the top before our first porter - speedy gonzalez - the rest of the group and some of the groups who had left an hour before us, we just put our head down and climbed. The problem was that much of it was steps which made things really hard going. But our arrival was all the more sweet because Simone, who had made some comments about manners at the dining table (I had said that perhaps I needed lessons and her boyfriend had said she doesn't really know anything) the night before, and had said that she was surprised that Andy wasn't fitter because he led treks, arrived after us. Andy and I stood on a ledge and clapped her up and the look on her face was absolutely priceless. Of course she wasn't to be defeated and ran the final, downhill, section and took great pride in telling us that she'd been there for 15 minutes when we arrived. That afternoon most groups trekked on to the second pass but we stopped in a valley and played cards. It was great fun and killed a few cold hours, in the evening we had supper and I endured more of Simone who kept saying I wasn't meant to talk to people while I ate, I speculated that it was something to do with english people being social at the dinner table and she shut up after people laughed. The next morning she once again marched off. Andy and I were just relaxing and enjoying the scenary, we had another climb to above an Inca remain and then a walk down to a valley and another two ruins before lunch. This was still quite challenging and at times horribly steep, but just breathtaking. At the third and final pass, after lunch, we saw the flag on the top of Machu Picchu mountain and after taking in a ruin, walked slowly down miles of Inca steps to a site where they grew crops to test their adaptability. John Andy and I ran up the steps to the tune of Eye of the Tiger and then wound our way down to camp where we bought some of our porters a beer (we blinked and they were gone) and sat around talking with some other English people. There was Martin who had been told he'd never walk again, and Claire who was trekking with her husband and had just given up smoking, really inspirational stuff. Amy hobbled in late as she'd gone over on her knee on some steps, and we all sat around drinking beer. We had our last supper, tipped the porters and went for an early night.

That night the heavens opened and when we were woken at 4 it was still tipping it down. We had breakfast and then started from the back of the groups so we could have a clear path. We walked through the rainforest getting soaked despite our raincoats and pastic ponchos until we reached the sun gate. There we saw....nothing! The Germans were hugely disappointed but Andy and I had had far too good a time to let weather spoil it for us, and in fact even seeing clouds part occasionally for a glimpse of part of the ruin was pretty cool. I mean everyone's seen pictures of Machu Picchu shining in the sun, how many pictures do you see of it shrowded in myst? Anyway we trooped down by trudging trekkers singing every song we coul think of from Always look on the Bright Side of Life to Yellow Submarine. We reached Machu Picchu proper and we could see parts of it but not the full scale of it and the hills around, and we all met down at the restaurant which was full of gringos eating chocolate and drinking hot drinks. My feet felt like i'd been in the water for a day it was that wet! The Germans, including Simone who was felling ill and had been on her own for most of the day, were gutted and decided to go down to Aguas Calientes. To this sis moment I have no idea why! We did our hour long tour and by the end the rain was gone but the clouds were hanging around. Raul, our guide for the trek, took us all over Machu Picchu and showed us the temples, the amazing examples of stonework. It was all pretty impressive. We were then left to walk around by ourselves and we tried to climb Waynu Picchu which was bloody tough at times, there are many dangerous steps and it's a pretty big trek up there, incredibly steep. In the photo for this entry it's the bigger of the two mountains behind the site. By the time we came down the weather was clearing and the sun was illuminating parts of the site. We got some great photos, took a 20 minute trip to see a bridge built out of a cliff by the Incas and then made our way to the bus. You can see the last few photos in my album. We had a rushed lunch and caught the train back to Ollyantaytambo (I know, different spelling!) and then the bus to Cuzco. I could barely walk on my soaked feet at the end of it! We had two hours rest and then the Dutch guys, Andy and the two Americans and I went out into Cuzco for food and then some drinks. I went to bed at about half two and woke up at about half eleven this morning, went for lunch and the Man Utd match in Flaherty's, the highest Irish owned Pub in the world and later on John Amy and I have a meeting about paragliding tomorrow!

Anyway, in summary, treking to Machu Picchu, apart from the shocking toilets, i never want to play the porters at anything involving any kind of aim, was an amazing experience. Something I will remember for years, it wasn't impossible but it was a nice challenge and one I felt awesome for completeing. The scenary was stunning and the mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. All in all Machu Picchu deserved my vote for its place in the new 7 wonders of the world! Right I have to go and sort out this paragliding. Till next time, and Bolivia!