2008 Peru – Cusco Tours
11th March 2008
We spent a couple more days visiting the many sights of Cusco which included a horse-riding tour to Saqsaywaman. I loved the horse riding even though all I did was sit in the saddle leaving the horse in total control. It didn’t matter as even experienced horse riders were only allowed to trot. The horses never went faster than a casual walk but even then there were some steep hills and rocky streams that had me a little worried. I didn’t even have to steer my horse as it must have done the route so many times it knew exactly where to go. On one fork in the path, I wasn’t sure which way to go and started guiding it in the wrong direction but it just ignored me and took the correct path. We were accompanied by a young man who walked beside us which was reassuring. There were three sites to visit and we had a private guide who went into great detail but there was not a lot you could say about big stones which we had already seen in abundance in Cusco. 
For our final tour, we went to the Sacred Valley which once again took in some ancient Inca ruins. The first site involved a 600-metre walk up and down some steep hills so I decided to sit that one out as I was still struggling to get out of chairs. Federika went with the group while I sat on the grass relaxing with the distant sound of Andean music being played in villages high up in the hills. It was surreal and I was happy to have stayed behind.
It was a very full and enjoyable day. At our last stop, we had to walk up a lot of steps and at one point a woman who was at least 80 years old walked past me so quickly I thought I had stopped. At the top, there was a field surrounded by people sitting on the grass, selling things. With the music playing in the background and the sun setting it was magical. 
It was getting cold by this time so it gave me an excuse to buy yet another alpaca jumper which set me back ₤5. There was a church that looked like a mini cathedral, built roughly but ornately by the locals. Inside there was an altar and every inch of the wall behind it was covered with murals or carvings and in the centre was a large carved wooden arch. Everything was covered in gold leaf.
19th March 2008
Much as I had enjoyed our adventure, I was more than ready to get back to normality in Lima. We ordered a taxi for 1 p.m. and as the drive to the airport was only 15 minutes we had plenty of time. At the reception we were informed that because of it being a public holiday there was a large procession and so most of the roads around the centre were closed. Heaven knows why we weren’t told that when we booked the taxi but there was no point in saying anything. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t been for Guido who luckily for us was in reception at the time. He told us not to worry as he knew where we could get a taxi four blocks away and instructed us to follow him while he carried our heavy luggage. It turned out to be a Peruvian four blocks which meant anything between 4 and 40 but as he was doing the carrying, who cared? The more we walked the more we realised that the city centre was jamming to a halt and we were in trouble. We reached a very busy road where Guido put the bags down and waited for a taxi to pass. This normally took a few seconds but there were none available and it was looking like we would miss our flight. Accepting that it was hopeless, Guido told us to stay where we were and ran off down the road, dancing between cars in search of a taxi. Ten minutes later he returned, running behind a taxi which had two young girls in it. The taxi stopped and Guido ordered the girls to get out which they did willingly. We had no idea what was going on and before we had a chance to feel guilty about the girls, I had given Guido a big tip and we were in the taxi and on our way to the airport. Federika asked the taxi driver what was going on and it turned out that the girls were his sisters and Guido was his cousin so there was nothing for us to feel bad about. What a stroke of luck that his cousin just happened to be passing or maybe he was related to every taxi driver in Cusco.
2008 South America
