Cusco with the Inca kids, pre trek.

Well, this entry is all about pictures so the guys from home can see the reality of what we got up to in Cusco.

4 of our mates, Cat, Kerry (Kenny Volume) Tom and Sinead (shithead) came out to visit us in Cusco. We were made up that they came out to see us (and do Inca Trail) and well impressed with their ability to handle the altitude and the fact they only had 2 days to adjust before we did the trek to Machu Pichu. No moaning whatsoever. More on that later in another entry.

Cusco is really nice, with loads of gorgeous cobbled streets and plazas and markets, so we just hung out for 2 days before we went on the trek.

Randomly there was a cow at this one, and obviously donkeys and llamas in the street too

The kids below were way to persistent and cute to refuse to buy their knitted finger puppets. They were pretty good business people too and we had to do some hardcore bartering.

Check out the random cacti growing out of the adobe wall below.

Then picture directly above is one of the most over-rated things ever. The 12 sided stone in an original Inca wall in the centre. The shape is cool but not enough that people actually go mad having their pictures and pay Peruvians to point it out to them??! Think it may be pretty obvious which one has 12 sides.

The other thing to do in Cusco is eat, drink and party, of which there was a lot. We were blessed with a huge amount of gringo cafes and no longer having any shame about eating in them. No rice there at least..... So we got stuck into Pie and mash- Yum.

The other big dish in Peru apart from 400 types of spud and endless rice is Cuy. It is yes... guinea pig. Cat was mortified after having had 12 pet guinea pigs as a child and started listing their names. We had to try it, but it´s not great and very expensive. It comes out like this below.

Wellard had a field day of course with the claws.

Now dancing to ravey Peruvian (crap) pan pipe music at high altitude is pretty exhausting and we could only manage a song or 2 then had to have a rest. The claw dance was also born

Think Tom got a little carried away re-living his youth though, we couldn't get him out of the place.

I was very hungover, so thanks for the rather freaky face masks you sent mum, they helped (me look silly) and scared our mates somewhat!

Tom had bought a swanky new SLR camera for the trek so we had hours of fun and vodka trying out weird poses. I blame the Inca Cola mixer. Check out mini Tom and giant Cat.

We were back to the land of silly product names in the supermarket too. Fanny tuna and chocobum sweets.

The supermarket was like a disco and we outstayed our welcome dancing to 70s disco in the aisles and posing for photos. The Moran has some very funny video footage if any of you know her.

This lot started a run of stalking of us...more about them later. Bloody Irish. Oops and Finnish. Not sure what I am doing in that picture.

L to R: Nicky, Mel, Sandra and Mirva

(Dee and Etaione didn't make it out that night)

When they went and sent this to us I cried even more than when they left.

Real friends from home after 6 months was such a treat.

Miss you!!!!