Cusco - Capital of the Inkas (via Lima)

Going down on the night bus, we stayed in Lima for one day and one night which was absolutely sufficient for me. Lima is a huge city, has got some nice architecture and buildings but far too many people in one place. Of course it is also quite dangerous at night, so I didn´t feel too comfortable there. Although it lies by the sea, theres a film of smog over the city, which means almost always grey skies and it was freezing cold. John of course loved it, and will go back at some point during our trip but without me.

A few days ago we arrived in Cusco, high in the Andean mountains (3,320m). Flying in from sea level, we had to get used to the altitude. It really affected me, I was constantly out of breath and my appetite was almost non-existant, well at least for the first 2 days! More or less ok now.

Cusco is much smaller than Lima and of course very touristy. But I like it a lot, you can find all sorts of restaurants and bars, even English and Irish pubs etc. Cusco is surrounded by Inka ruins, so there is a lot to explore here. The main one is of course Machu Picchu, for which we will start a 4day trek tomorrow. Apparently it´s quite strenuous, but we can take our time and enjoy the fantastic views.
Full Machu Picchu report to follow... here a few photos of Lima and Cusco.