Peru

Since New Zealand it's been a now well-worn routine of putting bags down, hanging around for a while, and then taking around three planes to the next place with all these route and airline restrictions. Leaving Brazil was no exception. Rio - Sao Paulo - Santiago - Lima. Sigh. Does wonders for the frequent flyer miles though.

It wasn't all plain sailing in Peru. After my ride hadn't showed up thirty minutes after we agreed, with grubby and shady looking touts pestering me in ceaseless fashion, I teamed up with two other lost-looking gringos for a taxi ride to 'nearby' Miraflores. Now a journey to the Lima suburb shouldn't take longer then 25 minutes, but of course our taxi driver had no idea where our hostel was. So after a comprehensive tour of Miraflores, asking nearby security guards for what seemed to be conflicting directions from what guard to the next, and about 70 minutes later, we were at the Inka Lodge. And what a lovely hostel it is.

It still wasn't all good though. I must have picked up a bug somewhere along the way but it hit me in Peru, some sort of chest infection and what my father after email consultation loving described as Frank conjunctivitis - the one where you get loads of sleep to keep your eyes shut when you wake up; not very nice. So my first few days were spent 'Peru'sing the streets of Miraflores but since I was feeling 'Peru'ly, not much else. Which was fine, I needed some time off the silly evenings and early afternoon wake-ups.

The pseudoephedrine based drug at the local pharmacist was extortionate for a nasal decongestant, so I settled on the Dad-supplied azithromycin based antibiotic Zithromax and some Framycort eye drops containing nonthing less than Framicetin Sulphate to sort the eye infection out. Just incase you wanted to know. I'm feeling better (thank you for wishing me better subconsciously) still a bit of a cold to kick. Mustn't grumble, mind.

The pictures below will better describe Cuzco and Machu Picchu. What I will say is that Cuzco was much more than I had expected - it is a pretty town-come-city where I spent a full day trying to get a train ticket to Aguas Calientes, finally succeeding. It's also a place where you can eat great food for nothing and go shopping mad.

As for Machu Picchu, well, I had initially felt deflated that I had not enough time for the Inca Trail, and I still do, believe me. Mind you, I would have been in no decent state to tackle the hike, I don't think. But nevertheless, I thought the old Inca City was a work of art and of genius - a true spectacle. New 7 Wonders - www.n7w.com - puts it in their list, I suppose I would too. What I will say is those Incas were pretty fit; walking up and down at altitude sucks. But it was certainly a befitting way to spend one's last days in Peru and I'm certainly looking forward to the scuba diving - the date of going to Honduras on my ticket is actually here! Let's hope I don't get seasick and make a fool of myself all the time.