Welcome to the Land of the Tourists (whoops sorry slip of the finger that should be... Land of the Incas). Yes I´m in Peru and yes it is beautiful here and I guess that's why the place is over-run with tourists (just like me I suppose).

We got to Peru a week ago now, crossing the boarder via Lake Titicaca and for the first few nights we stayed in the little town of Puno which is directly on the lake kind of in south east Peru, and North West of the highest naviagable lake in the world - I´m actually getting a bit bored with all this world's highest, lowest, biggest, maddest, dangerous etc. so that, I promise, will be the last such mention of such things.

So the main reason to visit Puno is to visit the islands on the lake and like all good tourists, that's what we did. We got stupid tourist bike things from our hotel (memories of Melaka in Malaysia) and then jumped onboard a little boat and hit the waves. First stop was Taquile Island - we climbed high up a hill (for about a bloody hour) constantly saying No Gracias to the people blocking our paths selling material wristbands, to reach a little plaza full of tourists and locals trying to get mr & mrs tourist to buy more things (like wolly hats and stripey tops) from them.  Had an hour in little plaza  before we got fed in local restaurant and then we had to walk to the other side of the island and down 549 steep steps to get back to our boat - of course I enjoyed it

Right back on little boat to next island called Ticonata - hey and we were going to do a night's homestay here - great real culture at last - or that's what I thought. We we're all staying in different houses and given adopted mothers for the evening. I was with Eileen and Dominique and our mother was called Pilpa. Anyway mother dragged us huffing and puffing up another bloody hill (I tell you what hills at altitude are not fun) to her family home and then promptly dumped us in a private room right away from the house and forgot about us until dinner time when we were given potatoes and rice (yummy) and then forced to dress like idiots in stupid local costume. Therein we were taken to the village hall and made to dance like stupid village idiots to a stupid pan-pipe band - let's just say I fled the dance floor and hit the bar (or rather the table with all the beer on it).

Next morning we was taken by adopted mother back to little boat and then we sailed back to Puno via Uros Islands - these are the infamous floating islands of Lake Titicaca and there are about 40 of them and they are made of reed and have little reed houses on top of them. Apparently people actually live on these islands, like full-time!!, but believe me if you´re only a 15 minute boat ride from the town there´s no way you´d live in a little reed hut on top of a reed pie-like thing on water in that cold weather. Needless to say we met the locals who were delighted to greet us with displays of their wares for sale. Sorry guys if I´ve sounded really cynical about the whole lake thing but i felt someone, somewhere was getting exploited (and I don´t think it was the locals).

Well from Puno we took a bus through some stunning countryside to Cusco and I´ve been here for about 4 or 5 days now. Cusco is the centre of all things Inca and has what must be the most picturesque plaza I've seen in the whole of South America. It´s the starting base for Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley and so is full of tourists and tourist offices and people trying to sell you massages, wolly hats, stripey jumpers and cocaine (yes true but why people risk it I don´t know). So Inca Trail - yep I was a bit (well a lot nervous about doing it) as more bloody hills to climb than you could ever dream of at altitude, and over a 4-day period (just my thing...) Hey but I need not have worried as on day 2 in Cusco I got ill (very ill) let's just say there's been quite a lot of loving with my hotel toilet for a few days so I was taken off the trail along with another couple of tour members. But hey I´m better now and I still get to see Machu Picchu - I actually leave by train (very civilised) tomorrow morning and then get to see Sunrise on Wednesday morning - now talking about sunrise.... well that´s another story altogether but I´ve rambled on far too long now so will save that gem for next time and say adios mis amigas.

xxx