It has been a relatively lazy fews days in comparison to the last two weeks...which we have come to blame on 'altitude'. It is the answer to everything...its not lack of fitness making me out of breath, its altitude...its not the fact we probably drank a bit more than we thought that made us tipsy, its altitude...it really does have numerous side effects!

We arrived to Cusco in style on Peru's answer to the Orient Express. I think we both felt slightly out of place at first as the staff greet you onto the train with 'Good Morning Miss Leigh' and show you to your seats which are actually arm chairs! The dinner is served like some sort of dance routine, with all the staff down the aisle serving to one side then the other in perfect unison.

For the majority of the journey i however was something that the waiters wanted to tidy up, as i was a little poorly laying over the table asleep and most likely dribbling! (attractive). I did move my coughing corpes around the train on a few occasions and one pf those was for the free cocktail! and the dancing of course! This took place in the bar/observation area of the train! at nine in the morning. But i think my favourte part of the train was of course the food! not so much the sweet lasange with bright green sause but the miniscule afternoon tea that looked more the size for my paddinton bear than me! (It was however a perfect Leigh sized portion and I chose the chicken which was amazing!) and last but not least i knew it was posh as each time i went to the toilet the toilet paper had been refolded into a v shape and any lasting stench of the persons before tummy had been illiminated by the smell of pot puri and other werid air fresheners! All done by the little train fairies!

Our hostel in Cusco is a Gringo haven...I spent the majority of our first day when Es was sick drinking tea in a hammock. Its really easy to meet lots of people and we spent a good night out with a buch of randoms...including a guy who goes to Brunel- small world!

As mentioned above i was in bed for the 1st day and a half so my version of cucso is a bunk bed and the amazing bacon sandwhich i ate after many hours with my then friend the toilet!

I think the main talking point, along with the fact that Cusco is a very beautiful city that I think you could easily accidently get stuck in, is our day of white water rafting!

We looked amazingly stylish in our ill fitting wetsuits and splash jackets but it was great fun. There was nothing scary, only up to grade 3 rapids, but definately enough for a few woops! (or there would have been if I hadn't have lost my voice by this point!). The best bit was when we got to hijack the guides kayacs which meant we were alot closer to the water so got thrown about much more...everyone else looked slightly jealous as Es and I were the only two given the honor...Though Es did nearly miss the boat literally as she stared into space. I thought it was totally out of character for her not to jump at the chance of an added extra, so before anyone else jumped in I yelled at her to get in the one next to me...I think she would have been pretty jealous otherwise coz it was amazing! I would have been very jelous and very much appreciate being brought out of the watkins stare!

The rafting was totally amazing as was our guide Reene who did play with our heads a bit giving us forward stop forward stop instructions, so at times we kagarooed it down the river much to his amuzement. I listened intenetly to these instructions at all times which you would think would be a good thing, however my enthusiasm with carrying out the intructions was nearly the end of Ms Toney. As we were given the instruction for lean to the right which i did it with such force to the point that poor leigh pretty much had a dip in the water as i flung myself across the boat in her direction! All in all great fun and at the end....

The sauna back at the hut was just what we needed!

It was exactly what we needed i was soo soo cold after being in the kyack that one of the guides had to help me out of my wet suit and when leigh asked me something i actually couldnt speak! so you know it was cold if it had that effect on me! hense why i loved the sauna so much as i needed it to defrost my feet and hands which for a good 20minutes i couldnt feel! And as always i like to have a last mention of the food! which was huge and just what we needed!

Before i finish i will just mention a little about the night life! we have only really been out on two eveings one we ended up in an irish bar! and last night we went out with our friends Mar and Javi a spanish couple we met in the colca canyon. They took us to a bar called km 0 which did amazing cocktails for all of 2 poundish (thats the life). So while enjoying a few of these we listened, and after another cocktail danced to a peruvian live band. The dancing part at alltitude is interestin i certainly couldnt dance for as long. The band were really good though even if the lead singer had a tatoo across his forheaad and looked a bit like a peruvian version of Ossy osbourne.

well thats all for now untill we come back from the rainforest mossy bites and all much love xxx