Sunrise at Machu Picchu....beautiful!

More from Machu Picchu....

Taking on the Incan stone steps between terraces

The obligatory tourist shot!

We have seen a lot of impressive ruins, but it is the mountain setting that makes Machu Picchu so incredible....

Machu Picchu!!!!

The 5 day Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu....

This is the less-travelled route to Machu Picchu turned out to be spectacular! We passed through lush valleys, over high mountain passes, next to huge glaciers and stopped at lush hot springs.

Our group consisted of 2 Argentinians, 3 Spaniards, Tom, myself, our guide Peter, chef Ermando, and 2 others to manage the horses, tents etc. Everyone spoke Spanish except for me, so it was a steep learning curve trying to grasp converstations!

Unfortunately Mick was having problems with his lung due to the high altitude so could not join Tom and I on the hike. Instead, he spent a week exploring Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley and then met us on the last night.

When we finally all got to Machu Picchu on Friday, we were blown away by how incredible it was! Luckily we arrived in time to watch the sunrise, and enjoy the sight before the huge crowds came!!

It was definatley a memorable week!

No prams or fancy baby carriers here, just colourful blankets used to tie the baby onto mums back!!!

We had to use this dodgy flying fox cross a big river on our hike...one of the scariest things we had to do on the hike, but we all made it..phew!!

The "crew" at one of our lunch stops. Our chef Ermando was incredible, and despite cooking on a camping stove, managed to serve up gourmet meals!!

Enjoying another great dinner with our Chef Ermando (left) and our guide Peter (right)

A Pervian school bus in Santa Teresa

Inviting hot springs en route down the valley

Elation hit as we walked over the 4,800m pass next to the awesome Mount Salkantay (6,271m)

A Peruvian woman and her horse up in the highlands

Tash, Sergio, Nuria, Mariano, Tom, Susannah and Mar on our way up to the Salkantay pass early in the morning....

Guinea pig farms - yep, it´s a speciatly here in the restuarants!

Locals in traditional dress in Pisac

A successful day of shopping the Pisac markets and we needed to buy new bags to carry it all in!!

Nazca lines

Getting set for our $50 USD (it is SO expensive!!), 30min flight over the Nazca lines. It was fascinating to see, but hard to concentrate as the 6 seater plane tipped side to side and our stomachs churned! It was almost impossible to take photos, so we had to resort to buying postcards! Well worth the trip though!

Dune buggying in the desert. Our driver was a madman and our stomachs churned as if we were on a rollercoaster but it was awesome!!

More sandboarding.....cant say I mastered it.....and it looked a lot easier than it was!

Resting at the top of the hill.....walking in the dunes is hard work, and super hot!

Sandboarding on the dunes in Huacachina. This is a dangerous sport...every second person here had a bandaged wrists!!

Huacachina - an oasis in the middle of the desert, and a great place to hang out in the sun!

The desert near Paracas (meaning "sandstorm"). These sand cliffs at the oceans edge were incredible

We saw hundreds of seals (up close too!) on our boat trip from Paracas out to the islands

Drinking Pisco Sour (the national drink) in Pisco with Tom

CUBA!!!

Cuba is definately the strangest country we have ever travelled in. The whole Socialism thing takes a lot to get used to, but you still cant adjust! The more questions to ask, and the harder you try to understand how things work, the more confused you get. And, people are cagey about it, and hate to talk about the way thier country is run. There has been some serious brain washing! Life in Cuba is tough, and travelling isnt easy either! There is a kind of double economy here which makes things tricky. We had an interesting time here, but when it came time to leave, we were happy!

Horse Riding in Vinales....

We went on a 4hr horse adventure through the valley with Rianne and Menco. We visited a tabacco farm where, among other things they roll cigars and make rum. Also stopped at a cave and decided against swimming in the brown, muddy water. It was fun, but due to old and badly fitted saddles, stirrups etc we were incredibly sore the next day!!

Mick was trying out his skills on the bongo drums in Trinidad

Whilst trying to find a restuarant in Trinidad, we stumbled upon the main square, a UNESCO heritige site, at sunset

Cuban locals....

Relaxation.....

A day away from the Cuban chaos with a day at the beach! It was only a short taxi ride from Trinidad down to Playa Ancon with the lovely Dutch couple Rianne and Menco who we met at our Casa. It was just what we needed...some time to chill, read, swim, cool off and wind down!

Dinner with Penny, Hedwig, Menco and Rianne at Sol Y Son in Trinidad

Street scene in Cienefuegos.....

Enjoying the beautiful sunset at Punta Gorda, near Cienefuegos

Che is everywhere....on billboards, road signs, painted on houses, coins, money, T shirts, caps, magnets etc etc