21st December, Aguas Calientes y Cusco, We were the last to have breakfast so sneaked some extra bread from the kitchen. We left our bags at the hostel then headed down to the river. We went for a 3 course meal that day and it was delicious. Feeling ridiculously full we waddled off to the internet to watse a few hours before picking up our bags and making our way to the train station as we were heading back to cusco. The train ride wasn´t so pleasant. It was a backpacker train, which meant it had tiny seats with no leg [View Full Entry]

---

---

20th December, Machu Picchu We rose at 5.15am for our bus to the entrance at 5.40am! The ride wasnt too bad. Jake had warned me of steep drops that the bus would have to drive on, but most of the way was surrounded by trees. When we arrived, we had no idea what to do as our guide hadnt bothered to show. It was packed with loads of other tourists at the entrance. We got chatting to an Aussie couple, who had also stayed at our hostel, and agreed to meet them just after 8am when the guide would meet us [View Full Entry]

---

---

19th December, Aguas Calientes We got an hour and a half bus to our first stop on our way to macchu pichu (MP), which was Ollantaytambo, which was a beautiful little village before aguas calientes. we were supposed to be getting a train at 8.53am from here, however, there had apparently been a landslide that morning on to the tracks. So there was an hour delay whilst it was cleared. The scenery was stunning, with mountians surrounding the little town. Eventually we got the train and still arrived by about midday at our destination of Aguas Calientes. The station was packed [View Full Entry]

---

---

18th December, Cuzco After my Florence Nightingale act, Jake was right as rain. I was so excited as we had booked my first ever horse ride for the day. We got a taxi to the stables, where a couple of battered old dirty horses greeted us. I was given a white, scrawny, pony looking thing called Trey. Jakes was more of a donkey! I struggled to clamber up on his back whilst Jake nearly crippled his with his weight. Its back legs looked like they were going to give way a few times, with me giggling all the way behind! Jake´s [View Full Entry]

---

---

17th December, Cuzco We both woke up feeling sick, I think the so caled filtered water from the hostel the previous night was probably the cause. We got to the airport with Jake getting worse. If he hadn´t been ill I wouldnt have let him away with his comment about my ´wet hair´when it was actually just greasy! I didnt get a shower that morning as the shower head was missing (there seemed to be one to share between all the rooms!), and didnt fancy washing myself under dripping cold water. We were flying with StarPeru that morning to Cuzco. The [View Full Entry]

---

---

16th December, Lima We decided we were going to spend the day at the beach. It was fantastic to think that it was mid-December and we were on the coast of Lima where it was 24 degrees. We walked down along the promenade, where we tried to make our way down the cliffs to the beach. Afer 30 mins of walking and still no steps we had to turn and go all the way back to find the set of stairs near the begining. We eventually made the beach and spent a while relaxing, while watching the surfers on the waves. [View Full Entry]

---

---

15th December, Lima Breakfast was included in the price of the hostel. We headed to the internet cafe that morning to sort out our banking and call home. The guide books had all said that Lima was not anything to write home about, even the aussie we met at the airport said we should leave asap. However, walking around the city, we were very impressed. There were lots of restaurants, cafes, shops and it was the most European like city we had been to so far. During the day it did not seem so chaotic and the stories of violence on [View Full Entry]

---

---

14th December, Guayaquil y Lima We decided we would have a lie in and be up for 9am (as opposed to 7am) but Jake was lazy and made us the last ones up for breakfast. We had to spend the next few hours in town in an internet cafe with Jake breaking the Keyboard - again! I went mental because the owner kept whistling. After the boring computer stuff, we got a taxi to Supermaxi where i was gutted when i thought i had bought a jumbo croissant only to realise it was stuffed with ham!!! We headed to the airport [View Full Entry]

---

---

13th December, Guayaquil We had been told to expect eggs for breakfast but instead we got stuck with dry toast for me and slightly better french toast and syrup and fruit for Jake. Before leaving for the town we teased the little monkeys at the hostel and took pictures of the parrott that had kept us up by screaching all night. we took a bus into town and straight to the park where we spotted an iguana. We took a picture thinking it was the only until we spotted another....then another...then about 100!!!! We realised we were sat in Parque Iguana. [View Full Entry]

---

---

12th December, Cuenca y Guayaquil We headed to the bus station for our four hour journey to Guayaquil. On arrival, first impressions of the city were AWFUL!! the worst city we had ever visited - busy, humid, dirty, litter filled streets, traffic everywhere and a cheeky little pickpocket tried to get in our bags (until we saw him and he skated off!) A Bill Cosby look-alike drove us to Dreamkapture (our hostel), where we spent a few hours recovering. That evening we went out for some food but is was obvious that the area was dangerous as all the windows had [View Full Entry]

---

---