Back in Cusco today after a week in the Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley) after taking the advice of a friend of a friend who lives in one of the little villages in the Valley to go slowly through this part of Peru.. Good advice and it was very hard to leave yesterday.. The photos (which I will load later today) will tell the story better than I can but briefly I left Cusco last Monday morning with my little daypack packed with enough clothing and bits n pieces to last me the week (so liberating to leave my backpack behind for a week) walking in the Valley and Machu Picchu.. The local transport between the villages was great..bunched up in the buses, winding our way up and down mountains in the valley..I stayed a night in each of the villages of Pisaq and Chinchero (the latter being at 3,600m and cold showers..I have come very close a number of times to cutting almost all of my hair off). Met Gerardo, an Argentine Patagonian taking his winter holiday, whilst walking in the ruins at Pisaq.. On the third day I reached Ollantaytambo, a cobbled street town steeped in Incan history which, apart from the influx of tourists passing through to get to Machu Picchu, didn´t appear to have changed much since the 16th century.. I stayed three days and soaked up the energy of the mountains..doing a ceramics class, cycling to the ruins..

On Friday, feeling so excited about what lies ahead, board the train from Ollantaytambo with Gerardo.. Arrive in the little village of Aguas Calientes (meaning Hot Water..of which there was not a lot).. Our visit coinciding with the Fiesta de Virgen del Carmen which basically just meant loud music, colourful costumes and dancing into the early hours of the morning.. Set the alarm for 3.30(!) to be in the bus queue by 4am for the 5.30 bus..welcome to one of the most visited sites in the world.. It is raining and very cloudy (and we are smack in the middle of the dry season) as we climb towards Machu Picchu..all feels very unreal and, despite the lack of sleep, I am wide awake and ready to explore.. We head straight to Wayna Picchu (the large mountain in the background of all the classic Machu Picchu shots) and climb to the top in an hour.. The views would have been excellent had the clouds cleared but we had to be satisfied with a few glimpses of the valley below every now and then.. Explore the rest of the ruins..incredible city and the design, taking into account the sun and the local rivers, is impressive..