Upon arriving in Cusco Peru, I bumped into some bear friends of mine and we had a great catch up. We decided to get a feel for the quaint town and signed ourselves up for the walking tour. We saw the Plaza de Armes (the main square) and the crazy San Pedro market which the local people of Cusco are fighting to keep. Here we saw everything from pigs heads and cows heads to bread rolls with toy dolls and toy horses inside them. We later found out that this 'toy bread' is given to children in Peru on All Souls Day (the first of November) to celebrate their life and to remind them to be thankful that they are alive. After our day strolling around the town we went out for some traditional Peruvian food and had a really enjoyable night. It's true that happiness is time spent with good friends.

The following day I took to the markets. I spotted a beautiful painting of the peaks of Machu Picchu and I went to try and get myself a good deal. After a bit of persuading I was happy with the price quoted to me and the painting was mine. Now to bring the painting home in one piece, that'll be fun. A challenge I had no choice but to accept. On my way back to the hostel I was feeling peckish and decided some lunch was in order. This was when I stumbled upon what would be my favourite Peruvian dish of all, 'Causa' pronounced 'Cowsa'. This uniquely Peruvian dish is made up of layers of potatoes, tuna, egg, shrimp or avocado, topped with black olives. In Peru causa is said to stand for the 'sustenance of life' and I can see the attraction, it's delicious.

It was a good thing I had a taste of the 'sustenance of life', it would prove useful for my next venture the monstrous peaks of Machu Picchu. Pick up time was 5:30am, getting me used to the early morning starts.