Arrived at Lima airport at 11pm... thankfully we had someone picking us up from the hostel we´d booked, because Lima airport is probably the craziest airport we´ve ever been to!

The drive from the airport was an experience as well... our taxi driver didn´t really seem to be able to see and kept sticking his head out the window to see in front of him! We got used to the traffic in Oz and New Zealand... this was like being back in Asia again!

We only had a day to explore Lima, and we were pleasantly surprised after hearing lots of horror stories about people being robbed and the city being dirty, with not much to see. We spent a morning wondering round the old town, which has some of the most stunning architecture we´ve seen. The area where our hostel was located, was really nice, with a park and lots of cafes and restaurants near by. In the evening we took a tour of Lima by night... including a visit to the fountain park. We were both very sceptical about this, especially when we discovered that we had 50 mins there! However, it turned out to be quite enjoyable. They have the highest water fountain in the world.. and it was big! And dancing foundatins with light shows and fountains you could walk through... you´ll see the photos! However, why they have a fountain park when Peru suffers from huge water shortages is a little puzzling...?!?!

The next day we took our flight to Cuzco. Without realising we had booked to go to Cuzco and do the Inca Trail during the most important Inca festival of the year. This meant that Cuzco was heaving with people, both tourists and Peruvians who´d come to join in the celebrations. There were parades, dancing and music in the street, it was great to see it! After two days in Cuzco to enable us to get used to the altitude, it was time to begin the Inca Trail. We were both a little apprehensive, fearing that it could be Mount Kinabalu all over again... But we survived and it was no where near as difficult!

The scenery was amazing... up in the mountains winding through picturesque valleys, past rivers and inca ruins, it really does live up to it´s reputation. The second day was the hardest, with two steep climbs up, but the views from the top over a cloud forest, made it worth it. We were camping along the way and the food was amazing. We had a group of 16, plus 2 guides, and 20 porters. The porters have to carry everything from tents, to cooking facilities (including gas cannisters) and they still managed to cook decent meals for us three times a day... truly amazing.

On the final day we woke up at 4am to get to Machu Pichu as early as possible and beat all the people who took the easy route (by train and a hotel in a nearby town). The first view you get of Machu Pichu is from above looking down and although there was quite a bit of cloud on the day we arrived it really did look magical. After lots of exploring and some lunch we headed back to Cuzco for a couple of days recovery.

Our next stop was Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world (3800 metres above sea level). We took a trip out to some of the islands on the lake, including to some floating islands made of reeds, where people have been living since before inca times...

We spent the night at a homestay on another island (not a floating one!), where we were dressed up in traditional dress and made to dance!

From Puno, we are heading south, along the lake to Copacaban in Bolivia.

Missing you all, can´t believe we´re going to be home in less than 3 months!

Congratulations to Kelly and Lee on their wedding.. sorry we couldn´t be there to celebrate with you. Can´t wait to see the photos!!

Shu & Dan xx