After our trip to Machu Picchu we retraced our steps and spent a few more days in Ollantaytambo, a town that both of us had fallen in love with.     We were fortunate to be there for a truly priceless bull-fight.     The town plaza had been converted into a ‘bull-ring’ of sorts.     Most of the bulls jumped the walls, others looked disgustedly around, seemingly stunned by the exuberant colours up in the ‘stands’ – the terraced ruins of Ollantaytambo.     The towns people were dressed in their finest traditional garb – a lot of red and bright green with dashes of yellow and orange.     And were wearing the fantastic black and red frisbee-shaped hats, dripping with coloured ribbons and plastic buttons.   There were children everywhere, and babies wrapped in the amazing day-glo striped mantas that at first hurt my eyes, but now am almost ready to buy… .  Older kids with colourful aprons and baskets filled with tomales and cho...

A longish train trip yesterday through relatively desolate altiplano, unfortunately made with no food.     Kept thinking the vendadores would come through with their baskets of empanadas, choclos and tamales, but apparently they were not permitted in ‘first class’, and the only ones who managed to break through were selling alpaca goods, popcorn, chocolates or huge bags of bread which they refused to open to sell only one… .       We arrived in Puno after a very long, cold, dark wait in Juliaca, where the train was shunted around an uncountable number of times.  For once I was glad for the gangs of little boy touts who frequent the bus and train stations, leading tourists to local hotels.  We followed one to the Lima Hotel, and then to a restaurant where we had a fantastic dinner of curried fish soup and ‘crema de leche’ – a whipped, light cream with lemon and sugar, mousse-like and heavenly.  Then took a short digestive stroll arou...

Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca, Peru: a nother one of those places that words cannot describe….   We took a slow boat into the centre of Lake Titicaca to Taquile Island.  The boat and the engine were both old and tired, so it took us three hours.  But as far as the Lake people are concerned, that’s fast.  Six years ago, traveling in a traditional rush-hulled sail boat, it would have taken at least a whole day, and maybe several days, if the weather was uncooperative, to get to Taquile.  Once we got there we faced a physically challenging climb up a beautiful but very steep stone stairway to the ridge-top of the island.  Between the altitude, the weight of our packs, the mid-day heat and the size of the steps, some of which were very high, it took every ounce of energy, determination and grit I had.    As we walked up the incredible, endless, stone stairway we were greeted by young lads, quietly and patiently tending little ...