Cusco day - checked out the cathedral which was freakin amazing. Has this Peruvian version of the Last Supper (Lienzo de la Ulima Cena, by Marcos Zapata) which I'm absolutely in love with. They're eating Peruvian food and Judas is supposed to secretly resemble the leader if the conquistadors. Is awesome and I want it. Also hit up the Inka Museum. Jen went ballistic at tour agents a couple of times today. I'm not even taking liberties in saying this this time - ...

Basically just a travel day today from MLC back to Cusco - lovely hour ride on the boat, then about eight hours of driving back. Took some pics of the regional election propaganda painted on many of the houses along the way. Ronnie also sorted us out with a new hostel right in the thick of it of town - he's such a good bloke, even getting his friend in Puno to sort out itineraries for us up to La Paz. Had a couple of fancy pisco sours at the pisco museum then bed...

5:00 am start on the boat to stake out the macaw clay lick. Really eerie waiting in the half light by the river alongside the jungle mountains to the otherworldly screams of Red Howler Monkeys (sweeping walls of sound that you would swear was thunder rolling forward over the hills, and which astoundingly come for the voice box of one lone monkey each time). But it started to rain torrentially as we waited so first real fail of the trip (macaws stay away in the r...

From c*** of the Rock Lodge with a 4:30 am start to the Crees Manu Learning Centre - two hours by car then another 40 mins by boat. We're in the jungle proper now! Is so tranquil here, and we're the only guests. Saw and did some amazing things, inter alia; - spotted about eight COTRs (including some really close and a female; early start paid off!) - about three more troupes of different monkeys throughout day - a highway of leaf cutter ants. Then some monkeys...

First day of trip down into Manu National Park. 6:00 am start, our guide is Ronnie (nice bloke, bit of a nerd but that's what you're after), and driver Fernando. Started with a stop to get some delicious fresh bread (made with anise and brown sugar) from a town famous for it on the way. Stopped at some other towns were we collected some yellow gear for nye. Spotted some birds on the way but no sighting of a c*** on the Rock. We did, however, spot some monkeys by ...