The journey begins...

---

Have been travelling for 3 weeks but for one reason or another haven't been able to get going with this blog...better late than never right. I'll put up info and photo's for the first 3 weeks as if they were in real time. Just use your imagination. Hopefully from now on i should be ok.

Flew in to Lima on the 6th of Jan and met up with Renee, a good friend of mine on the 7th. We were only in Lima a couple of days and managed to see the old colonial section as well as the more upmarket Miraflores. Neither was too impressive, but you don't go to Peru to see Lima.

Caught up with Kat and Nicole, some friends of Renee from her time in London and had a couple of good nights with them

We flew down to Cusco and managed to avoid any problems with altitude sickness, our main problems on the first night being self induced.

Cusco is a beautiful city, combining elements of the Inca's and the spanish conquistadors. Examples can be seen in art around the city where you can find such paintings as an imitation of The Last Supper, with JC and his disciples sitting down to a meal of guinea pig. Excellent.

We were going to hit the 4 day hike along the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, so did a test run to some ruins looking over the city. Not the greatest ruins but the climb was fairly steep. Came thru the test run ok.

Went to some dodgy markets on the outskirts of town where an old woman tried to pickpocket me - she soon felt the wrath of The Crooks Slap, followed by the pointy finger to the face and a few choice words...my mama didn't raise no fool. Hugged valuables very close to body from then on.

Spent our last day in town before the trek getting our stuff together...all the little things you need when you are trekking beyond the reach of civilisation. Crashed early dreaming of little people dancing to pan pipe music in cities hidden above the clouds.

Will let you know how we got on with the trek in the next update.

---

Photos

Lima
Colonial building in Lima

Lima
Some guy on a horse

Lima
Colonial building

Cusco
Funky restaurant in cusco...bathtub table with goldfish inside. Best steak i've had in ages.

Cusco
Looking down from Sacsayhuaman

Cusco
Ruins at Sacsayhuaman

Cusco
Renee at the ruins

Cusco
From the ruins above

Cusco
By night...population 300,000 not a Mcdonalds in sight. Gotta love that.