From the beginning, Peru was my favourite country in South America.

Peru was pure adventure the whole way from the tiny hamlet of Pantoja on the Ecuadorian border through Iquitos, to Yurimaguas and then onto the fantastic ruins of Kuelap near Chachapoyas.

We met Manuela,  a courageous Italian woman, on the Peru-Ecuador border, and she was our companion through most of Peru.  We benefitted from her great grasp of Spanish, and learnt how to travel really cheaply and bargain for every last centimo.

It seems crazy now, we were so keen to avoid Lima and the Gringo Trail that we took buses through Central Peru from Huaraz to Huancayo and then onto Cusco.

I can still clearly remember my first sight of Cusco – Chyrstal clear yellow lights twinkling in the dark valley below us after a hellish 10 hour trip from Andahuaylas. As much as we didn’t want to like this traveller’s mecca, it bewitched us in a way that it does thousands. 
Little did I know I would return to live there and as much as I disliked the “touristy” aspect, I would become deeply attached to Cusco too.

So we headed off on the Inca Trail – and met Felix, who then invited us to visit his home town of Quillabamba down in the jungle. We jumped at the opportunity, entranced by warmer climes. 

We were going to take trucks to Puerto Maldonado – something we have not yet done, but mean to – but meeting Felix meant that I wanted to spend as much time as I could in Cusco. Eventually it was a tearful farewell and we flew, heading straight up to the border town of Inapari the next day. So it was goodbye to Peru for a short time.

Above, Images from Isla Amantani, on Lake Titicaca Below, Images from the Floating Islands of Uros

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