On to Machu Picchu

We left you by the shores of Lake Titicaca. Next day it was on to Cusco on the Andean Explorer, one of the highest train journeys in the world. The La Raya pass is over 4000 metres or about 14000 feet. We were gasping for breath at the stop. For once on a train we were travelling first class. That´s because there is only one class on that train, and it includes a meal, a free drink, and a Peruvian folk group singing and dancing in the observation car and all down the aisles. Sadly we can´t show you pictures yet because we are in Buenos Aires now and the local internet cafes don´t allow us to put in a CD. We´ll just have to save that for later.

Cusco is a beautiful historic town. It was the Inca capital, and the Spanish capital at first until Lima took over. It´s not as high as Lake Titicaca so the altitude was bothering us less. However it seemed to be bothering other people a lot more. We heard a few tales of illness and there always seemed to be a doctor being called to our hotel. This seems as good a point as any to say that the Terra Andina Hotel in Cusco was the best and friendliest hotel we have seen in South America, and none of them have been bad.

We had a couple of days to explore Cusco and the nearby Inca sites at Sacsayhuaman (it´s pronounced "sexy woman" as the guides all tell you) and Pisac. Our guide at Sacsayhuaman gave us a lot of insight into the Inca civilisation, which helped a lot when it came to our visits to Pisac and Machu Picchu.

What can we say about Machu Picchu? It really is the most dramatic and amazing place. We had most of two days there, with a thunderstorm rolling around the first day - lots of thunder and lightning but thankfully not much rain - and a misty start on the second day turning to warm sunshine and perfect views. The normal way of getting to Machu Picchu from the railway stop at Aguas Caliente is by bus up a steep winding unmade road that seems to go on forever. There is a path up but not many people use it. On the second day we decided to walk back down and were rewarded by seeing some amazing butterflies, flowers and birds. In Aguas Caliente we stayed in a sort of tree house at the Rupa Wasi Eco-lodge (sounds very grand but it wasn´t really). The food however was absolutely top class.

On Saturday morning we took a taxi from our hotel to Cusco airport at 8.30 a.m. and by 9.30 we were already in the air on the way to Lima - we were shifted to an earlier flight which was already boarding. Then we had a couple of days in Lima, or to be exact in the rather posh Lima suburb of Miraflores, where we visited an impressive pre-Inca burial site right in the heart of the town, before flying on to Buenos Aires.