Machu Picchu

Didn´t get to see that shaman in Ecuador so might be waiting until Bolivia´s jungle. More exciting about Bolivia is San Pedro prison (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/americas_inside_a_bolivian_jail/html/1.stm). It´s been mentioned a few times by people we´ve met but no one seemed to know a lot about it and there seems to be more rumours about it than fact. It´s not in any guide books either.

From what I gather, it´s a very corrupt prison which the inmates run themselves. The officers´ only job is to keep the inmates in. Law, housing, food, business (restaurants etc!) are all worked out by the prisoners. Cells are bought rather than assigned by staff so the richer you are, the more powerful you are. The poor prisoners sleep on the ´streets´. It´s also, apparently, the biggest cocaine producer on the continent outside Colombia. The staff allow ´tourists´ in (visitors; you have to know the name of a prisoner to get in) in the hope that they buy cocaine which the staff take a cut of.

This is from what I´ve heard from people and read online. Not sure how much or what exactly is true but am keen to find out. Anyway, that´s about a week away.

Since my last email, went surfing on the flat waters of Mankora (north Peru), to an awful Museum of the Spanish Inquisition in Lima (capital of Peru) and done a hardcore four day hike to Machu Picchu. The others didn´t fancy it (they preferred a shorter bike ride and walk) so decided to go on my own.

Won´t go into too much detail but the hike was awesome. It´s nothing like walking in Wales or England. The altitude kills you for a start; unlike at home, you can´t get your breath back after a two minute break. The views on the walk were pretty awesome and ticked a few different boxes. We walked high up in the Andes (very cold) down to the forests below (very hot) over the four days.

Fifth day we got up at four and (some of us) walked the 1700 steps up to MP. We decided not to bother with the walk up Waynu Picchu (the mountain you see in all the pictures) which is restricted to the first four hundred people there, even though we were in the first ten or so as it´d be better to just chill out on the site for the first few hours and watch the sun rise through the mist that shrouds the city. For someone who struggles to appreciate the ornate architecture of old buildings and churches especially, MP is incredible. It´s a city built by the Incas for those who were keen to learn and take over the leadership of the empire that stretched from Ecuador down to Chile.

Spent today wandering around Cusco, though realised later on that it´s much cooler at night than during the day so gonna enjoy it properly as soon as the others get back.

Attached a few random photos of the walk, MP itself (with a llama) and a photo of the moon.

Girish