Andy, in a fit of unbelievable stupidity (and boy, is that stupid), wrote a crass letter to the British Military Attaché in Peru advising of our proposed trip, and adding lightly " off course we have heard of the problems with the Shining Path, but that doesn't worry us."  Considering that the Attaché had only just survived a mortar attack by the very same.....his letter resulted in an Immediate signal back to the UK,..... and I quote:

1. Have just received note dated 9 Jul from MILLS of this very ill-advised expedition.

2. The reports of terrorism in Peru should not be taken lightly - last year two Britons were murdered by Sendoro Luminoso doing much what MILLS & JENKINS propose.

3. I strongly advise against this expedition.  I trust they will not REPEAT not visit Peru.

After much grovelling, the authorities relented and we flew into Lima on 03 Aug 91.  We did touch base with the Attaché and the ubiquitous bottle of Malt Whiskey smoothed the meeting.  The next day, we flew straight to Cuzco, cultural centre of the Quechua people (descendants of the Incas) and start of the Inca Trail to Macchu Piccu.  While in Cuzco, we took the opportunity to see Sacsayhuaman which is still the greatest temple built by the Incas.  What was most amazing was that structure did not use any cement or mortar, rather, it relied on working the stones so that they fitted exactly ( you could not get a knife blade between most of the huge boulders).

We arranged for 2 porters for the Inca Trail, but still had a few days in Cuzco before the off.  Andy & I decided to explore the Urubamba Valley nearby and we even managed to fit in a day of while water rafting....or Deliverance 2 as Andy called it.  Regardless, it was great fun.  

We also managed a day in Pisac, site of the most famous market in Peru.  Bright colours abounded and we could only imagine what they would look like adorning a gray, drizzle encoated winters day in Devonport.  While there, a very impressive religious ceremony passed through - we didn't inquire as to which 'God' was receiving this attention.  

The Inca Trail and the ruined Inca Cities along the way were 'lost' shortly after the Spanish Conquest in the 1400's.  They were not rediscovered until the beginning of the 20th Century by American explorer Hiram Bingham.  The Spanish never found Macchu Piccu and the 'Lost City of the Incas' is Peru's crowning glory.  It straddles a narrow saddle of mountains above a U-bend in the Urumbaba River, against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains which rise to over 19,000 ft.  

We took the train out of Cuzco to Route 66.  This train is notorious for theft, which is the Peruvian national sport.  Andy & I had some surprises in store - plastic cable ties ! We placed our rucksacks (lined with chicken wire to prevent the old slash & steal method) in the racks above and tie-wrapped them to the rail.  Sure enough, as the inevitable 'milling around' went on, a stocky Peruvian tried to grab Andy's bag to throw it out of the train to his accomplice.   No chance.  The bag stayed put, he fell to the ground and both Andy & I administered some very rough British justice.  We were not troubled again.  

As we started the trek, spirits were high, the weather perfect and the scenery spectacular.  We made good progress, especially with the porters taking the load & sorting out the camps; it give us more time to admire the scenery.

We passed several small Inca settlements and were amazed at the complexity, order and regularity of the buildings.  Everything was terraced and the irrigation extremely advanced.    What we didn't realise was that there was a strict 'pecking' order within each Inca community - the more senior, the higher up the hill you lived - this was to ensure that the hierarchy had access to the water first - the plebs turn would only come when every one else had satisfied themselves.......this appealed to Andy and regenerated his conversation for the next few days !

On the morning of the third day, we got up early to make the short trek to the Sun Gate (Intipunku), from where we would get our first view of Macchu Piccu.  And what a view it was as, with the sun behind us, the first rays of the day lit up the temple.

We spent the day exploring the temple and took lots more photographs.  Again, we were both impressed with how advanced the Incas had been, notwithstanding the obvious downer of the human sacrifices.  Just below Macchu Piccu were some hot springs, so we took the opportunity for a long soak before heading back by train to Cuzco.

We did not hang around long and headed towards Lake Titicaca in the south.  The journey by train involved crossing the alti-plane of Peru and the scenery was superb.  We paid £5 for the first class carriage which included the services of our porter.  It was fabulous and without wishing to venture into anorak territory, I have to report that this train journey ranks in the top ten in the world !

On Lake Titicaca are the famous floating reed islands and we enjoyed a 'paddle' on the lake in one of the small reed boats. 

The reed island are mainly for tourists, but some indigenous people still use tradition methods of manufacture, and we came across some young girls spinning wool, replete and resplendent in their 'bowler' hats (which originated from Peru).

From here, we headed into la Paz, the capital of Bolivia, which lay 50 miles away.  Our Lonely Planets guide book recommended a 2 day trek from just outside La Paz to Coroicho.  We decided to do it and while in La Paz, we met up with two university students from Oxford.   While on a night out with them, we went into an up market restaurant which had a live show of local culture; singing, dancing.  I checked with the doorman whether there was a cover charge, to which the answer was no.  After a good meal and several beers, the bill arrived...£240 !!!!  The 'nice' doorman had now been replaced with two of the missing link.  We held a quick conflab and a plan of action was decided.  The two uni guys went to the toilet and let themselves out of the window into the alley below.  Then, they smashed all the toilet windows before legging it.  That distracted both gorillas and Andy & I calmly walked out and headed back to our hotel.  1-0 to the Brits. 

The trek to Coroicho started at 15,000 ft and the conditions were barren in the extreme .  However, it was an excellent trek and we had a great time.

Back in La Paz, we bid farewell to the students and took a bus back to Lima.  We met up with one of the RAF Sergeants who worked with the Military Attache and on discovering that it was my birthday, he invited us to the ex-pats 'club'.  We drank ourselves into oblivion and the next day, sporting a couple of massive hangovers, we headed to the airport & flew home....to close yet another chapter on our 'adventures'.