Another interrupted night due to: 11 am – old man returning from his trip. 4 am – text from daughter number one. Both my daughters have A level maths but neither seem able to calculate time zones. 2.30-6.30 am – getting up to check on daughter number two’s progress on Barcelona Marathon App. Regular intervals all night – neighbours using the hairdryer. Either they have some weird hairdressing fetish or they’re holding it under the smoke detector so they can smoke in bed without evacuating the hotel (again). In the morning we head for the airport for our flight to Quito, the world’s second highest capital. We’re going 800 miles further north and 2850 metres higher in altitude. It’s been a long trip so it feels good to be flying 800 miles closer to home. Once ... read more

Today we are having a quiet day, just wandering round Miraflores. We walk along the Malecon for a couple of miles through the line of parks, until we reach Larcomar; a shopping mall built into the cliff side. On the way we find Paddington Bear – who knew he’d made it back to Peru? Then we walk back through Miraflores via the central park, which might be called Parque Kennedy, or may be named after some random date. Here, dozens of very well fed stray cats live amongst the flower beds. We stop at Café Buena Vista for a drink and a microwaved empanada. Not the best lunch, but the café is on a cliff overlooking the ocean, so at least it’s not kidding about the view being good. We spend the afternoon watching tennis on ... read more

Today we are flying to Lima. I’m so looking forward to returning to sea level – very sea level as our hotel is only 400 metres from the ocean. We are back to flying with LATAM, the only airline we have used in South American without problems. And sure enough, we are due to land at 11.06, and by 11.07 we are sitting in a taxi en route to our hotel. We are staying in Miraflores, an upmarket suburb by the Pacific. The hotel is nice but backs onto a scrap metal yard, so is rather noisy during the day. But if you peer over the car wrecks, you can just glimpse the ocean. After lunch in the neighbouring chicken shop, we go for a walk on the promenade which runs along the cliff top. It’s ... read more

Today we are taking the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. I’m looking forward to this for 2 reasons; (1) it’s the start of our visit to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 Wonders of the World and (2) it’s 2000 m above sea level, that’s a mile lower than anywhere we’ve been in the past 10 days. Train tickets aren’t cheap - we’ve paid almost £300 - yet a big chunk of the journey consists of a bus replacement service due mudslides making the track impassable. We leave at 6.15 am, taking a bus to Ollantaytambo 50 miles away. I’m surprised how much of the bus journey involves climbing (most of the first hour, in fact). After an hour we stop at a viewpoint amidst snow capped mountains. Then we reboard the bus and begin to ... read more

We finally reach Cusco just before 6 am. It has taken 24 hours, 3 taxis, 2 buses and a ferry. We are tired, hungry, thirsty and smelly so it’s a relief to check into our hotel. After we have regrouped, we go for a wander round Cusco. It’s very pretty with cobbled streets, plazas and plenty of old churches and other buildings. But it’s hard work dodging the hundreds of touts and vendors. Especially as my back has not coped well with the 17 hour bus journey. I go to a pharmacy and ask for something for backache. I am offered some huge pink tablets that look like they could tranquillise an elephant. She’s disappointed when I opt for just Paracetamol. In the afternoon I retire hurt while the old man goes off to do important ... read more