(...Continued)

After one blissful night in a hostal in Aguas Calientes, the finishing point of our the trek, we got up once again at 4:30 am - bloody hell - to get up to Machu Picchu to see the sun coming over mountains, and before too many other gringos got there. Machu Picchu ('old mountain' if pronouced correctly, 'old penis' if not) is one of those places that everyone's probably seen photos of even if they can't quite place it, and it's one of those places that gets into nearly every single '101 must see destinations before you die' sort of lists. In short, it's pretty famous, and definitely justly so, and so we were all rather excited to finally be there. Hurrah!

We spent a good few hours wandering round the ruins with our guide Henry. Machu Picchu was, they think, a royal retreat for the 9th Inca Pachacutec, and is pretty huge. They were clever buggers, those Incas. They knew that still water attracts mosquitos and disease, so always created a continually flowing supply of water through their towns, water which still flows today - they built walls that could withstand earthquakes when Spanish walls couldn't - at Machu Picchu they built a sun temple which allowed you to know exactly when the summer and winter solstices were (two windows in the walls, through which the sun would first shine on each solstice) - and their perfectly fitting stonework is pretty damn impressive too.

Rather stupidly, having just done a three day trek, Paul, Taylor, Karen and I decided to also climb up bloody Huayna Picchu, the steep mountain that rises up just at the end of the ruins, and gives fantastic 360% views over the surrounding mountains and Machu Picchu. Definitely worth it. ('Hurryup Harriet! Carryon Karen!' 'Shutup shutup shutup!' All the way up...) Also rather stupidly we decided to walk down to Aguas Calientes afterwards rather than pay 4 pounds for the bus - most expensive bus in Peru, for the distance.

And even more stupidly stayed out that night until 4 am in Cuzco (Karen and I completed the 23 and a half hour challenge, hurrah!), and My God, I was even dancing on top of a bar with some Americans. I would never have danced on top of a bar back at RHUL, half a year ago. (Or maybe I would have if I'd drunk enough, who knows...) After a very tired and hungover day in Cuzco the following evening we went out for our last meal, an absolutely huge and fabulous proper roast dinner, chicken, potatoes, veg, stuffing, gravy, everything, with apple pie for dessert and a glass of wine, costing a grand total of 9 pounds. Hurrah!

And then that was it. The following morning after a teary goodbye half the group left to fly home, the other half staying on in Cuzco with me and Emma for a week before they leave for Argentina. (I'm here in Cuzco for another two weeks, till the 1st of June, and have just booked another week's Spanish to keep me occupied.) Strange to think that some of these people, whose constant company I've had for 4 months, I'll probably never see again. A little sad too, although because I always knew there'd be an end not that sad, if I don't really think about it. More thoughts on that, and the whole trip, and everything else, to come - but seeing that I've already spent two and a half hours on here I should probably leave it at this for now. Off to buy a twix.