Machu Picchu

A magical place at the top of a very long flight of stairs!

Being there for sunrise was breathtaking.Watching the clouds and mist clear to unveil the ruins is a fabulous sight. Below is a little video of some of the workers restoring the site.

My guide Nilton finishing off his guided tour of Machu Picchu




Before I went to Peru I booked my trek to Machu Picchu well in advance because I saw all the warnings about tickets being booked up in advance, people not getting onto tours etc. This is incorrect. I did a five day Salkantay Trek which ended up at Machu Picchu and included a tour. I booked it through Go To Peru - DO NOT USE THIS SITE. We were told incorrect information about what we should take on the trek, how much baggage we could bring etc which meant us forking out more than we thought. Also, even though we had paid for the trek 3 months in advance, they had failed to book our return journey transport from Machu Picchu back to Cusco.

Agua Calientes is the town at the base of Machu Picchu and you can only leave by train; there are no roads in or out. The trains go to Ollantaytambo which is fairly close to Cusco or Hydro Electric, no where near. We had to get a bus from Hydro Electric back to Cusco. So what should have been a five hour journey turned into a 12 hour one. Even though, when we paid for our trek, we were told our train tickets to Ollantaytambo had been booked, not the case.

It was a real shame because after such a great trek and meeting lots of cool people, it was spoilt because on the last day, we had to stay up until about midnight sorting out our train tickets with our guide. And because we could only get a train to Hydro Electric and then a bus to Cusco it meant we had only a couple of hours to look around Machu Picchu rather than the whole day. Gutted.

All the other people on our trek managed to get train tickets and most had only booked a week in advance or even days and paid a lot less than we did. Best way to play it if you don't want to get screwed over, get to Cusco and sort it out from there. Talk to other people in hostels about treks they've been on. Even if you have to stay in Cusco a few days to get on a trek, it's worth and there is plenty to do anyway.

Watch out for the old altitude sickness too. It's worth trying to get something in the UK to take over. I felt rotten and was vomiting a lot because I hadn't got used to the altitude. It was only for a few days but I felt I missed out a bit.

This all sounds negative but it's not meant to be. The actual trek was one of the best adventures of my life. Loved it. The mountains are breath taking and the walk took me through such varied countryside it was amazing.

Cusco

Cusco is vibrant and buzzing place. It's the gateway to all treks to Machu Picchu. There are lots of tour operators that provide various packages to go and see the historic site. I wouldn't worry about booking a tour until you're in Cusco, just haggle a bit to get a good price and make sure they have booked you onto the train out of Aguas Calientes and then from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.

I stayed in couple of hostels in the town. The first was El Tuco which has a little way out of the centre but it was quiet, clean and friendly. There is a small kitchen where you can cook and there is a fairly large supermarket just a little way down the road. It's also not very far from the bus station which if it's light you can walk but it's fairly cheap to get a taxi there in the dark. The second hostel was the Pariwana Hostel which is a big hostel. It's a clean and the staff are helpful and friendly. There is no kitchen but there is a fairly cheap restaurant there which serves European food. There is also a good range of rooms if you wanted to treat yourself to one with a bath! It's quite nice after a trek to Machu Picchu! Also, just down the street there is a good laundry service which is cheaper than the one at the hostel.

Around the main square in Cusco there are lots of shops and restaurants. I went to Jack's Cafe which I thought was going to be a bit cliche but actually it was really good food, large portions and fairly priced. As you walk around Cusco you will stumble on many delights. Markets, street artists and music.

Arequipa

This is the view from the Bothy Hostel in Arequipa.It's near the main square and provides a serene sanctuary to the busy streets of Peru. It's clean and tidy. The breakfast is bread and jam (standard) and the people running it are really friendly.

The volcanoes surrounding Arequipa are stunning. There are three; Misti,Pichu Pichu and Chachani. Apparently Misti means triangle because that is the shape of it! 

When I was there, there was some kind of military parade. I found out that Arequipa was/is quite a revolutionary city.It likes to do things its own way! So I think the parade was something to do with that. There always seems to be something going on when you're in South America anyway - no quiet days!

I joined one of the free walking tours which was great. I always think they are a good introduction to any place as you can find your feet and have a bit of a feel for the place afterwards. We walked down one of the streets which had some really old leather workshops and also a huge guitar shop which had all sorts of stringed instruments. Not sure what instrument this was but it sounded good.

Arequipa was the first place I visited in South America and I think it's a good place to start. It's not that big and there is a supermarket on the main plaza so you can't get lost and you won't go hungry! There are also loads of tour operators if you wanted to visit any of the surrounding area. I wanted to go to the Colca Canyon but there had been some earth tremors so some of the roads were shut but hey ho, you can't plan everything!

New York

Landed in New York to a hot and sticky city. Nothing can take away from the magic of the city.This time around I went to see Chicago which was brilliant.Also managed to watch the recording of The Late show with David Letterman.Cate Blanchett was the celebrity and she was pretty funny.

One of my highlights was chatting to a proper New Yorker called Richard who I met in a place called Zarbar's.He always referred to ladies as 'pussy cats' what a legend! Here is a little sound of the stage...

Wuthering Heights

I'm slightly obsessed with Kate Bush which means I'm slightly obsessed with the book Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Which means I'm slightly obsessed with the Bronte's, anyway you get the idea. So me and some of my friends decided to visit Haworth in Yorkshire where the Bronte family grew up. It's an extremely picturesque village folded into the Yorkshire moors. It feels like quite a barren and desolate place when you get there so one can only imagine what it was like when the Bronte's were living there.

I stayed at the Black Bull pub because I saw it on an episode of the television show Most Haunted. They visited the pub because apparently the ghost of Patrick Bronte, the father of the Bronte sisters and Branwell Bronte the lesser known brother. Firstly I can say the pub is a let down. It's not a very well kept pub and the owners obviously don't want it to be a Homage to the Bronte's. It's tasteless and any ounce of charm that still remains is over shadowed by the loud pop music and quite vulgar clientele. I will say no more.

Luckily Haworth and the surrounding villages are jam packed full of lovely country pubs with warm welcoming log fires. In Haworth you can visit the house which the Bronte's grew up in which is now a museum.  It's about £8 for adults but it's really interesting and well worth it. One of the things I couldn't get over is that they had one of the sisters dresses, I can't remember which, but it look like the clothing of a small child- it was unbelievable!

Getting back to the Wuthering Heights obsession, just a short walk out of Haworth you can visit the Bronte Waterfall and Top Withens. Top Withens is thought to be the inspiration to the farmhouse in Wuthering Heights. However the plaque when you get to the crumbling barn says otherwise which makes me laugh.

Regardless I had a Kate Bush inspired dance around the barn to make the most of my Wuthering Heights trip, I suggest you do the same. If you haven't seen Kate Bush's moves, shame on you.

Barcelona

Barcelona has to be one of my favourite cities in Europe. It's not as busy as Paris so it feels more relaxed and chilled out which I love. It also has the great combination of city and beach, not to mention all the amazing art and architecture the city has to offer. On my last visit I stayed near the University which was close enough to Las Ramblas to still feel in the thick of it but just out of the centre so it was a less touristy come the evening.

Barcelona is world famous for the work of Antoni Gaudi which dominates the street of the city. The Sagrada Familia is probably the most well known of all his work. It rises out of the small streets of Barcelona and dominates the sky line. A great place to view it is from is Park Guell. In the north of the city you can get to it by bus, metro link or my preferred method of walking! A can of Estrella will set you back about 80cents, some nice bread 60cents and some cheese, meat and olives from a local shop will only cost a couple of Euro's. My advice, bag it all up and have a lovely picnic. The Park does get busy but if you walk into the Park a little bit more than stopping at the giant mosaic seat you can find some great picnic spots.

In the centre of Barcelona Las Ramblas is the main road which runs to the beach. It's lined with restaurants, galleries, museums and cathedrals. There is lots to explore and a definite must is the Boqueria Market which will assault all your senses in the best possible way. Take a look for yourself...





The restaurants peppered around the market are brilliant. Sit and have a glass of red wine with a big bowl of muscles. No better way to spend a lazy afternoon. Barcelona is a city that keeps on giving and I will happily go back again and again. I cannot begin to explain and write about all things I experienced on my visits. Don't be put of by the talk of pick pockets and crime, it's no worse than any other city. All you have to do is eat, drink and enjoy.

I'm sorry caller...

Which? campaign to stop nuisance calls and texts. They say in the last three months, 7 out of 10 people have received received unsolicited calls and four in ten (40%) an unwanted text. 

Which? want to set up a 'joint task force' to tackle the problem. This is what my brother did when he received a phone call for my mum. They were trying to sell a will writing service but they didn't quite get the real lady of the house...