Cuzco - Peru

We travelled over the Andee's to the beautiful city of Cuzco. Getting off the night bus in the morning at a new height of 3,400m our ears were popping. At first, just walking around at that altitude took some getting used too. We stayed at the top of the hill, in the arty barrio of San Blas at a homely hostel Casa de la Gringa.

The city is stunning, if not incredibly touristy but it's high season and the jumping point for Machu Picchu so we were expecting it. On the plus side, we got to eat some great food, there are hundreds of restaurants. We found one veggie place where the woman was an absolute goddess in the kitchen. The colonial buildings too are endless and you could spend days simply walking around the town, finding the hidden craft and great food markets, exploring the cobbled backstreets and soaking up the atmosphere in the plazas.

Unfortunately Pete wasn't to well at first because of the altitude, feeling OK I was happy to spend my time exploring the town and the markets that sell the most beautiful textiles and jewelry. The men tend to make the jewelry and the women the cloths - I loved talking to the people who made them. Women in traditional dress are keen for you to take their photo (for a soles or two!), I couldn't resist taking a picture of these two ladies as I found one of their little lambs skipping along lost in the market! Children sell everything from postcards to finger puppets. The city is all about tourism. Chapped cheeks, colds and windburn seem par for the course in Cuzco too.

Once the capital of the Inca Empire (now a UNESCO site) many of the buildings were reconstructed by the Spanish using the massive Inca-built walls. Quechua is also spoken in Cuzco, a language descending from the Inca's, although locals told us how worried they were that it is disappearing from younger generations. I've not visited a place before where it's blend of history feels so alive. The city even has it's own colourful flag and the street names have been changed back to Quechua.

From Cuzco we then set off on the most incredible 5-day adventure over the Salkantay mountain pass to the 'lost city of the Incas', Machu Picchu...