Lima, Thursday

1702 Been out for walk, at some small cheap Chinese restaurant for langostinos con curri con chaufa. Went into department store where they said 15 for SIM plus credit, left as seemed expense compared to what read on web. Walked, no major rush, seeing bit of city. Ended up at a Claro store (super regimented, and they insist on ID before even assigning you a ticket for place in virtual queue, tho think dept store wanted ID too) paying the same and a bit less convenient but meh. Walked through Parque 7 Junio, quite a few cats, presumably strays but looked in fair condition.

1735 Pretty good, bill 13 (with 500ml coke zero), will make it 15, then back to hotel via shop for some water. May go out tonight but will go back and maybe investigate Galapagos cruises and do a bit of laundry and stuff first whatever. Place is Chifa "Dragón De Oro".

0007 Didn't go out tonight, had Spanish lesson. Been looking into the fucking Galapagos since then. I was heavily leaning towards a cruise, as that sounded ultra safe from a spider perspective. But fuck me is it expensive. There's not even any logic. One website at least grades the boats by luxury, yet the 'backpacker' tourist class boats in some cases cost more than the first class ones for the same number of days. And the single person supplement is typicaly 70-80%. One boat has a 25% supplement, but when you try to look into booking it's a complete nightmare of wankily over-complex forms and no information about single supplements and sometimes no price quoted for flights, which you have to buy off the same company. The whole thing just screams 'suck the money out of the rich bastards'; I expected to go on a website, see a clean simple (if high) price quoted and pay it. Even an online booking.

The single room supplement can be avoided if you're willing to let them assign you a roommate; I really think that would be pushing it, especially for say six or seven nights.

If I momentarily assume the website is right, the best price I could get for a four night cruise is about a grand, plus flights. This is an insane per day expense. I'm not even that desperate to go FFS, there's just a kind of 'well I was going to go and I don't want to back out' feeling.

Most the online responses I've had suggest it's unlikely to see a spider in my room or elsewhere (but the odd one appears to back up the book I quoted that they are all over the fucking place). And for well under a grand I could stay in fairly good hotels. But am I going to get any peace of mind? Also if I'm going independent it seems a lot of activities involve walking around and am I going to just be in a constant palpitating funk every time I walk near a tree, or for that matter when I don't? I mean, I asked for advice and generally people seem to be saying it's fine but it isn't registering. Fucking hell.

The comment suggesting they are everywhere says the mainland is *worse*. I may be misinterpreting this. Why the fuck can't I get a clear fucking picture of the situation? Half wondering if I should stay out of Ecuador altogether.

Frankly - and I can't help thinking there's a meta-theme developing here, cf earlier comments on taxi safety - it seems like asking for advice or doing any kind of research is a bad idea. By the sounds of it, whatever the worst cases, 'most' people clearly don't have any spider encounters, so if I'd just gone without thinking about it I'd probably have been fine, and if something *did* happen at least I wouldn't have been worrying about it in advance. Now I'm starting to think I just can't risk going (except on a cruise, and that's so expensive it crosses my 'go fuck yourselves, I don't want this that badly' line) and that pisses me off when the general tone of the advice is 'don't worry about it' and it would probably be OK.

I don't know why, maybe I will e-mail a hotel and ask about the risk. I'm not likely to trust their response, since they have a motive for lying, but WTF, I am not sure *what* I'm looking for any more, it can't do any harm and might be interesting.

0128 OK, my skin is fucking crawling. I do find a scientific report on the web that in 2011 (ie when I was there) one was encountered for the first time in Iquique, Chile. They are also present in India (though don't know where). Now on the one hand this is deeply disturbing, on the other hand it does sort of encouragingly suggest that mere presence doesn't imply visibility. On the other hand, they are presumably far more common in some places than others, and presumably sighting frequency variest accordingly. I am hopefully-not-delusively reassuring myself that in truly urban environments the things are not too common.

I do also note that they are apparently very timid and scared of humans, so one might hope that after terrifying their victim they don't hang around.

As I think I already said, I do wish I could get a clear picture of the true risk of encountering these or similar fuckers in any given place.

0252 Finally in bed. Bit fed up. Meh.

Pisco-Lima

0932 At bus terminal. After standing there being ignored for five minutes while she did some paperwork, woman at ticket window told me I can't buy a ticket for the 1000 bus now, I have to buy it 'al momento' or as I infer when the thing is actually here. Fuck knows. This all gives me really bad feelings about security and so on. Asked hotel owner and the place I should get off is Puente Benabides.

Netbook indeed hadn't finished that fsck overnight, had to kill it and shut thing down. Bag is chock full and really difficult to shut; there's no more stuff in it than usual but because I've never had time to do a full wash all my dirty clothes are in a carrier bag which means they are 'lumpy' instead of folding flat. Due to feeling short of time I'm only in Lima for four nights but hopefully that will at least give me a bit of time to get things sorted out.

Can't find PB on OSM map; also noticed last night the whole city seems to be rotated 90 degrees on OSMcompared with what I expected, and yes I do have it set for north at top so fuck knows. I am just going to have to see if I can get off there and take a punt on a taxi. At least, assuming I can buy this fucking bus ticket, it should be daylight at the time.

I fucking hope the wifi works in my room in Lima.

Security shit around taxis especially is grinding me down. The advice seems to essentially say 'you are completely fucked whatever you do'.

0944 Oh, I was at Posada(s) Gino(s) here. At least it is only a very short work from the Flores terminal.

0950 World plus dog just shown up, all with identity cards and laser printed paper which I am inferring are ticket reservations. I am queueuing up randomly at the other ticket window. Neither is labelled as expected. This one is 'encomiendas y giros' and the one I tried before is 'canjes de essalud'. I haven't got a fucking clue. I am never going to get out of fucking Pisco.

0955 OK, she took my money (15) and gave me a paper ticket which says nothing on it. The word 'sencillo' came up which made no sense. I suspect I am going to have to take my bag with me on the bus, esp if I want to get down at PB, which is contrary to all the smug advice I read, so I can spend 4.5h watching my bag to make sure no one takes it. Maybe 'sencillo' means 'single', I don't know. Fuck me, I don't want to come back.

These buses are really fucking with my head. It would be fine if not for all the fucking advice about security *which does me no good since it appears I have no choice but to travel with Flores out of Pisco to Lima*, unless I want to go the route of flagging one down at Cruz del Pisco which sounds nightmarish and also any such bus by definition is also poor security.

1000 And yay, I've lost one of my padlocks, even though I could have sworn I deliberately locked them both onto one of my zips before leaving hotel.

1012 We're off. Got double seat to myself (unallocated). No, some more ppl getting on so maybe not. No one has checked my ticket, I hope this is Lima bus. If it goes to Ica I will just change there. Fingers crossed. Not mega rammed but obviously this is a fairly frequent route and not some enormously long haul high ceremony process. Still have double seat.

1016 Think just overheard chap on his mobile say he's on a bus to Lima. I got the front two seats on left, bag is overhead so as long as I don't sleep hopefully be obvious if someone tries to take it. Thinking I might need to deliberately ignore all the security advice which renders things impractical. Dunno. Maybe if I restrict myself to taxis with Sewhatsit on them that is as much as I can do in reality, the alternative is walking everywhere which is perhaps riskier.

Quite a few tuktuks in Pisco BTW.

1024 Woohoo, we turned south onto the Panamericana. I suspect this is just to get to some bus stop we have pulled up at, I should probably stop paying so much attn but would just like to get our basic direction confirmed. Yes, we seem to be doing a U turn so fingers crossed we are indeed heading north.

1029 Load of people just got on but I still have my double seat and the front two seats on right are free. Heading north.

1052 Guy just checked my ticket, so probably OK.

1442 At hotel. As I half hoped bus stopped at Puente Bwhatsit anyway. I had been torn about getting off at previous stop but didn't. Got a taxi on third try, he quoted 20 which seemed steep but not in mood to argue as felt bit vulnerable with my bag as always. Anyway, got here OK - I had the wrong location in OSM, I think there is more than one pair of streets intersecting and that caused me to get wrong one. WTF the lat/long cannot be shown on the booking page instead of just a no-use-when-in-transit map I don't know. Wifi seems to work in room, which is a relief.

Islas Ballestas and Paracas National Reserve

Wed 0709 Sat in reception. Dragged myself out of bed, wish had had more sleep but twill be OK, 4-5h not a huge amount but not nothing either, in part the slight tiredness I feel now is probably more my usual morning shitness than lack of sleep. Slightly hungry but going to try to hold off eating until after boat. Wondering if I should have a cereal bar though. Hmm, I'm not really properly hungry so perhaps best not to.

0714 No, sod it, I will have cereal bar.

1034 Fuck knows. After the tour the group dispersed. There was no announcement, even an incomprehensible one. I think someone said something to some about 1030, but as it is I am just milling around where we milled around pre tour in hope something turns up. Super fucking shit. I bought a sandwich from some vendor so not mega hungry but do I have an hour to kill or what? The one consolation is that one family I recognise as part of my group (though they are not necessarily doing the same second tour as me) is sat nearby apparently waiting for something.

Islands quite cool, no one seemed to get sick or get shat on, though I kept squinting due to sun (even though it was behind me, weird, next time I get glasses I am definitely getting photochromatic) and the way the strap on my cap broke (in the fucking bag a week or two ago, not while I was wearing it) meant I had it on mega tight and I also ended up sat in an aisle seat on the right and most of the viewing was to the left so it was a tiny bit crap like that, but generally pretty good really. Except that now I'm lost. Oh no, tour chap just came up to me - it's 1039 - and said 'here at 1045'. Tour seemed a bit short but OTOH with the sun and the uncomfortable lifejacket and so on I guess it was long enough.

1406 Had lunch - finally, I was gagging - waiting for cheque. Fairly decent grilled sea bass with rice and chips. We went round the Paracas National Reserve or whatever they call it, attractive in a sort of desolate way but I was tired and hungry and not super appreciative. Still bit tired but food has helped a lot. Bill 38, making it 42. Let's use bog and see if I can get an ice cream, we are reconvening at 1430 but no idea what we are doing.

Place is El Che. I did a moody circuit of the few restaurants here to compare prices, all about the same, avoided the ones with touts.

1424 Oh, did see some (I think) condors flying about in the park and swooping round the coast quite close up, quite cool (not captured on film, unless you sit there waiting for an opportunity by the time you see it swooping towards you and get camera out it's gone past and no longer makes a particularly good photo).

Fod was priceyish but couldn't be helped. I could have had chicken and rice or something like that for 20 instead of 30ish for the grilled sea bass, all the fish dishes (the majority) were more pricey but I figured what the hell. I think the 620ml beer was 8. Was going to finish with a coffee (largely to fill time) but they didn't have any.

1524 Been back at hotel 5 mins. Tired, slept bit in minibus. Will eat the apple left over from yday then go out for cash, bus ticket and more fruit.

1629 Got cash, fruit and cold soft drink. Woman at Flores office said she couldn't sell me a ticket. I asked why, didn't really understand but she might have said they could only sell me one when the bus arrived!? I just have to hope tomorow. Useless fuckers. In hindsight should have tried to freak her out by pulling out phone, turning recording on and asking her to repeat explanation for my Spanish lesson. I just had to give her a 'you're kidding me... but I guess it's no good to argue' disbelieving stare.

Owner said yday alt option is to go to Cruz del Pisco and flag down one of the buses passing every 5 mins. Rather not do that (robbery prone on such a bus? Fk knows) but probably not have too much trouble geting to Lima one way or another.

0014 Don't want to go to bed. Don't want to go on what I imagine to be foul bus tomorrow. One of my 32GB photo backup SD cards has somehow got screwed up as I tried to copy more photos on, netbook is grinding through fsck now but frankly I doubt it will finish by morning even if (as I plan to) I leave it on all night. Didn't (partly due to that) take it down to reception to research Galapagos Islands further, though I am worrying I am running out of time and prices will soar further. Inclining towards doing a half-decent cruise as the "safe" option but need to research it. Hope I am not going to be too run off my feet in Lima. Didn't go out for food or drink tonight, wasn't hungry after fruit and while in some sense would have been nice to have a Pisco Sour here it's not as if I often drink them, plus I wasn't really in mood and for better or worse guide book makes out that walking across the plaza/market area (it's a bit unclear where it means exactly, how unusual, normally it's *so* precise) after dark could be dangerous and all in all decided not to bother.

Not happy about SD card but do have other copies if it is a write off. I am almost certainly going to have to buy (at exorbitant prices) a couple of new SD cards here as existing ones nearly full anyway. Oh, and I have a suspicion that the wifi is switched off at midnight here, since both tonight and last night it has completely failed/disappeared as opposed to just being ropey as hell. Which is pretty shitty. I may ask about this tomorrow morning, but probably not.

0029 OK, let's go to bed.

Pisco, Tuesday

1758 Come to Polleria La Fogata near hotel. After showering and clothes washing went down to reception and as price was reasonable (50PEN plus about 20PEN of entry fes) for a half day as Isla Ballasteras (sp) and another half day at national park signed up, need to be in reception 7am, didn't try any other tour agencies as suspect all same and the one mentioned in guide book way more expensive. Deliberately won't eat tomorrow morning just in case.

Then had brief walk but non-combat trousers bit uncomfortable with all the crap shoved in pockets and it's v hot. Went to Flores bus terminal as advised by hotel owner and they do indeed do many buses a day to Lima, I asked and it's 15PEN and 4.5h. Need to read up on Lima and book hotel tonight. Guy says I can get off bus at Puente Bsomething if I stay in Miraflores instead of near centre and save myself PEN25ish for 20 block taxi ride. Right now have not a clue where I should stay.

Was tempted to have a beer as hot and to help me continue to wind down but didn't, found supermarket with fruit (though was waiting ages at checkout as they were doing some kind of accounting) and took it back to hotel with some cold Inka Cola zero. Bit stuffed now actually but wanted to come out and eat before it got dark, may have beer or a Pisco Sour (seems appropriate) tomorrow night.

1821 Food not bad, quite decent portion, glad took account of stuffed feeling and didn't have a half chicken. While I remember, was at Andean Dreams Ho(s)tel in Cusco.

1829 Back at hotel. I gave a 2 tip but can't remember what the woman at cash desk actually said, ISTR 15 but I paid with a 20 and I'm not sure I got 5 change so maybe she short-changed me and I still gave a tip, probably OK though and sod it. Still light out, very odd quality to the light, didn't have camera with me and prob hard to capture anyway, I can only try to describe it badly by saying the sky was totally overcast and the light had this vague 'artificial daylight' quality.

1854 Yay, the wifi is just completely unusable on my netbook now, it was flaky but just about useable before I went out to dinner. Connection keeps dropping and even when it's there most of the time nothing flows. FFS.

Room a bit warm and dingy but meh, could be worse, apart from the bloody wifi. I really don't want to have to go sit down in reception to book a Lima hotel. Not that I've even started reading up on Lima in guide book yet. Oh, rereading the stuff about buses to Pisco I *still* think it's confusing, especially since I was afaik on a bus to Pisco, and it doesn't use the phrase 'Cruz de Pisco' but since in its usual convoluted unhelpful way it does sort of mention the issue I definitely won't bother pointing it out to them.

0126 Finally in bed. Have booked a hotel in Lima, went and sat in reception to do it. Then continued to vaccilate/research Galapagos Islands. Five responses on Lonely Planet all a) non wanky, a pleasant surprise b) say they've never seen anything. Have posted slightly altered version of question on tripadvisor forum. If going to do it should prob be booking soon. Getting bit jittery in general, am wondering if there's a risk here for example, or in say Quito or Guayaquil. Prob not. The one indirectly cheering thing is I found an extract from a Seychelles Lonely Planet guide which had a sidebar saying arachnophobes might not be comfortable as iirc just about every tree is covered with silk produced by some 10cm-though-harmless palm spider. So the absence of such a note in the Ecuador guide book may be evidence this isn't worth worrying about - or it may just be one author has more awareness of this than another. Didn't come back to room til gone midnight and had to shower and shave and need to be up 630, oh well. I can hear someone snoring across the hall. Wondering if should shut interior window to reduce spider access but ffs, this is paranoia, I have no reason to believe there's anything too terrifying here.

Cusco-Pisco

1537 At hotel. As I half feared they had already arranged a taxi for 4, my query this morning re possibility being interpreted as a request. Difficult linguistic stuff I guess. They say it will be 10, chap at place bought ticket said something like 5-7 but can't be helped.

1559 At Cruz del Sur terminal. Ate last apple of the six, reminded in part by signs saying you aren't allowed to take fruit to Ica. (One apple was half rotten this morning so threw it away.) Here way too early but what can you do?

1605 I don't fucking believe it. The Nook, which was fine last night, has decided to crash/reset itself/whateve the fuck. Oh no, that's true but my fears that it had gone into the mode where it needs wifi to set itself up were misplaced.

1715 I see laptop computers are not allowed in checked baggage. I assume this is so it's easier for people to steal them. Temped to leave it in checked bag anyway but won't.

1741 There's a woman (probably a European/American tourist, 25-30ish) in the queue to check baggage with absolutely enormously flared/bell-bottomed jeans. Have I just been massively unobservant and this is in fashion now or is it just her?

1806 Off. Billy Joel's "Movin' Out" started to play on my phone almost at the exact moment. I felt somehow sad (not ttbomk about leaving Cusco) as soon as I got on the bus, who knows?

1830 Asked for wifi password, guy typed it in for me, dunno if secret. Can't surf heavily as phone batt won't stand for it but be nice if can check email.

1841 Fucking hell. We had a mandatory safety video. Now we have some guy burbling on live over the super low quality PA, insofar as I can understand a word of what he's saying he is repeating the video. Shut the fuck up and leave me alone.

0417 Slept. Illogical bad dreams about routing via some bizarre place to get  to Ica. Bus is fucking stiflingly hot. Had to change phone battery as first one down to 5%. Will try to go back to sleep. Had to dredge water out as felt super dehydrated. Short of breath after swigging, dunno if altitude related but GPS does show over 4000m here. Stifling stifling stifling.

0825 Nasca.

1117 Fuck a doodle do. I'm on a bus hopefully bound for Pisco. After I had a shit at the Cruz del Sur terminal I asked the chap there about a bus to Pisco. He said no one did a bus to Pisco, the closest was Cruz del Pisco or something where you could get a colectivo. He said you can't get a colectivo from Ica to Pisco. This is all completely at odds with what guide book said. I wandered around in the 'high crime area' near the bus terminals, not 'taking the usual precautions' because I wasn't sure what they were. More by luck than judgement some chap at the Flores cargo terminal said I could get a bus to Pisco at their office, which was 'on the left'. I blundered around madly and eventually found it, a surly woman sold me a ticket to Pisco for a bus leaving immediately and I panicked at missing it (however, only PEN4). I am on it and fuck knows what will happen. It hasn't left yet. Oh, OSM map shows a single bus terminal, despite at least Flores and Cruz del Sur having their own. Lonely Planet map doesn't deign to mention Flores at all. I am not at all sure they have CdS terminal in right place but I might have left a different exit. Fuckfest of epic proportions.

Oh, the Cruz del Sur chap kept calling me 'mister' which didn't help.

1246 Yay. Pisco is *not* final destination. We just stopped in (prlbably) Cruz del Pisco and now are heading north. I got window seat so couldn't leap off and the fucking woman next to me bought a jelly desert, obviously we are heading fucking miles and miles and miles. Oh, and we have a DVD of 'the immortal' on. Fucking hell. The bitch at the ticket office told me it was the final destination. The LP guidebook even shows a terminal for Flores in Pisco proper. Will just sit here and play it dumb for now.

What a fucking crock of shit. How was I to know 'Cruz del Pisco' counts as Pisco even though they are distinct places? Fucking fucking hell.

1404 At hotel. Wifi flaky in room. Top came off sunscreen in trouser pocket somewhere in that 5km walk back to Cruz del Pisco so it's lost and I have shit all inside that pocket. Managed somehow to get a collectivo (to myself) from the junction, dropped me in Plaza de Armas. OSM has no street names for this town; I think they anticipate an invasion as none of the actual streets have signs on. Sweating like a bastard so let's have a shower and wash my clothes and put some dirty ones on from bag (all the clean ones in bag are damply manky since they never dried in the freezing climate of Cusco) and see if we can organise this boat trip so I can leave Pisco behind forever. Chap at desk asked about a tour tomorrow morning and I said I didn't know, I needed to sort one out and he didn't persist for better or worse. Oh, and checkout is at 12am according to a billion signs. am. midnight. I am assuming this is a mistake and am deliberately not querying it in the hope of avoiding an extra charge if it really is midnight.

Cusco, Monday

0939 At Ñucchu for 'breakfast'. Bit tired this morning but not too bad. Shoved mostly damp clothes and other shit in bag randomly. Checked out dead on time, woman came to knock on door just as was eating an apple so I ended up wandering the streets trying to find a bin to throw the core away instead of dumping it in room bin. They let me leave my bag there and said they will be able to call me a taxi. She offered me breakfast but I stupidly declined, because I was a bit shaken and pissed off about being 'caught' in my room instead of making my own way to reception. Oh well, prob just bread and coffee or something. Found bin and got cash in plaza, now come here as it's cheapish and had enough of wandering. Going to go to Soysacwan (sp!) after, guide book says entry is only with boleto turistico but have no idea what that is (I understand the Spanish, but what does it offer and where do I get it) so I will just walk up there and hope I can buy one there.

Metro Bank card is getting badly scratched up somehow despite living in hidden belt. Can't do anything about it and it does still work, they are stopping their free cash withdrawals outside Europe on March 18 IIRC anyway so if it works til then that's something. Can always ask for a replacement once back in UK. As always, incidentally, *because* I have to scatter them so widely for 'safety' I have only a hazy idea where most of my cards are. Frankly I should have a fixed place for each and write it down. In theory it seems best to shuffle them around depending on whether I'm separated from my bag or not, but in reality most of them sit in some unused limbo and there is a slim but non-zero chance I've already lost one without realising it.

On a future trip I need *some* means, be it just a USB stick (or perhaps I will have a new netbook or replace the SSD in that one) of increasing netbook storage. Managing and keeping backups of my photos is such a tedious chore largely because a 2GB SD card full of photos from the camera only just fits in the free space on the netbook SSD. I would always want copies on big SD cards but if I could also keep a whole big SD card's worth on the netbook it would be enormously more convenient - for example, if after a trip like the MP one I had two full 2GB cards to process, I could do them in one go instead of having to copy each to my backup SD cards separately. Perhaps not clearest explanation but I know what I mean.

1025 Bill 23, make it 25. I had a coke zero, I also ordered a papaya juice but it never turned up (obviously my Spanish isn't up to conveying the idea that I might want two different drinks) but they didn't charge for it so wtf. I ate the small bit of tomato and cucumber on plate by way of scraping up something towards my five a day. It's fucking hard when you can't buy fruit; I bought a shrink-wrapped pack of six apples yday, but that was all they had apart from mangoes. Still, do the best I can and sod it.

1442 At Norton Rat's. I might be the only customer. I wasn't going to come here but I have an hour to kill. I was going to go into the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús but it doesn't open til 1530.

Went to Sancanwhatsit after 'breakfast'. Met a chap at the sort of entrance who was a guide; it was 70 for ticket and he wanted 35 for 1.5h tour. Was bit dubious as guidebook had warned about some crime round there, but when we got up to site proper he took me to ticket place and people seemed to know him and while I was permanently on very slight alert after a while I figured he was genuine. He later proposed to take me on a 1.5-2h walking tour of some adjacent sites covered by same ticket, charging 25 per site or 75 in total. We did all this in Spanish BTW. Was quite interesting, he showed me some carved snakes and monkeys on some rocks. See GPS track and photos for exactly where we went, I couldn't say. In the end he tried to charge me 110ish saying it was 75 on top of the first site. Now I had definitely said '75 in total?' to him or something to that effect, so I think he was trying it on but maybe I'm wrong. He didn't seem too insistent and I said 'digamos 80' (prob incorrect, but trying to say 'we'll call it 80') and he took that without any apparent ill feeling. I felt a bit awkward but I had been wondering if even 75 was steep (really not sure what would be fair) but since I had agreed to it was planning to make it 80 with tip anyway. So kudos to me for sticking up for myself, though I did feel a bit awkward. Anyway.

Went to KFC for super lardy lunch after then went over to where Museo Quijote supposedly is. Couldn't find it but in roughly same spot was small free museum run by Banco de la Nacion so went round there. Quite interesting, some slightly nightmarish paintings and sculptures by Jesús Venero. Then went and bought some seasickness tablets (made harder by saying 'dolor del mar' instead of 'mareo', meh) just in case for island trip from Pisco. I didn't get any instructions, but they said to take them morning, noon and night starting 15 mins before trip if I understood correctly. I don't intend to take them unless I feel shit, so I hope if I can keep them down for 15 mins that will be OK and they don't not work if you already started to feel sick. Could take them first but I will never know if I do suffer from sea/motion sickness if I don't try without them.

Oh, at start of tour we were making conversation re altitude and the chap pulled some local mint type plant off a wall, he called it muña, and said breathing the smell in helped open the lungs up. I wasn't in great difficulty, but I did sniff it and don't really know if it helped or not, but interesting. He *might* have been called Jose Luis but I wouldn't put much money on me remembering that correctly. He was probably about 50.

I forgot to locate hotel on OSM map last night with all the Galapagos shit, I hope to do it from hotel (possibly in street) when I go back for my bag.

1524 Nearly finished pint, don't think will be able to spin it out much longer and don't think another would be super smart (though hardly massively imprudent either). Will send this now then it might sneak out while I am back at the hotel.

Cusco, Sunday

1430 At Yakumama restaurant, bit shitly confusing menu but I am losing plot and think need food. I could swear phone alarm didn't go off. Got up 1310, had look at onward travel, Skyped parents, came out to go buy bus ticket to Ica before much needed lunch but woman in office was eating so I felt compelled to offer to come back in an hour. Couldn't find any other places which claimed to be authorised Cruz del Sur agents so forced to go for food then will go back. Bit worried will sell out but can't help it. Prob be OK.

Ica sounds quite horrible, nearby Huachachina (sp) sounds sort of interesting (dune buggies/sandboarding) but sounds like a Peruvian San Pedro de Atacama and I'm not in the mood. Also you apparently have to go by taxi to/from Ica which would be awkward for booking onward bus. Somehow my slight rush mitigates against an SPdA type place, and not really in mood for hordes of SYTs. So I've booked a hotel in Pisco, will get an onward from Ica (fingers crossed, only about 1.5-2h) then after couple of nights there can get bus from there to Lima, only 4hish. In Pisco there is some bird island you can go out to on a boat and not much more.

1514 Lomo saltado pretty good, reasonable portion. Orange juice good, oddly zesty, perhaps this is fresh squeezed and I'm not used to it. Bill 30 (I had mineral water as well, slightly pricey but not too bad), make it 33.

Place is in Procuradores. My legs are shot after yesterday, seriously stiff, stumbled as came out of restaurant. I suspect the downhill bit from MP to AC was the real killer but who knows?

0139 Was going to go to Museo Quijote but shut Sun. Went to Museo de Arte Precolombino instead. Some of the exhibit text almost ridiculously precious but I enjoyed some of the ceramics.

Not packed yet. Uploaded some photos and about 30% fiddled around with MP photos. Been drafting an itinerary. I spent about two hours (this is why I am up so late, really) looking into visiting the Galapagos Islands. I came within a gnat's whisker of booking flights (about GBP220, to spend about five or six nights on the two islands with associated airports - San Cristobal and Santa Cruz - flying into one from Guayaquil and out ofthe other to Quito). But then I thought I'd have a little check on the spider situation. The web is surprisingly unhelpful, and I can't believe the guide books make no mention of it.

But (after firing up w3m to avoid seeing all the images) we can find a few gems such as:

"Two of the most frequently encountered hunting spiders are the giant crab spider... Both of these species live in houses and other buildings where they chase around at night after insects. Despite their formidable size..." (a personal site on ic.ac.uk)

and

"Another feature in these isles is their emphatic uninhabitableness.. immense spiders" (Hermann Melville)

and

"The crab spiders... Heteropoda venatoria to the Sparassidae family. Heteropoda venatoria are often seen in hotel rooms on..." (Google Books extract from "Galapagos Wildlife" by David Horwell and Pete Oxford, I cannot get any more text in w3m, possibly a search in firefox would reveal a page image but my skin is already crawling so I'm not chancing it - aha, searching for that string allows me to extend the quote) "the islands, and occasionally on boats. They are harmless hunters and should be welcomed as expert..."

"Heteropoda venatoria...body size: female to 30mm; male to 22mm... At night, it emerges from its hiding place to wander over walls. Adults occur throughout the year." (www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online...)

(I am retyping these on phone from w3m on netbook, so can't copy and paste text or URLs.)

Proving itself as reliable as ever, Yahoo! Answers had one person say with a straight face there were no large spiders on the Galapagos Islands, which nearly took me in.

Am I letting my fear prevent me from doing something I would otherwise enjoy? Damn straight. Yes it is irrational but I have this fear and it would be fucking stupid to put myself in (mental) harm's way just because it's irrational and "shouldn't" bother me. I am a bit surprised there are fewer random blog entries (or hotel reviews, based on trying to use Google to search tripadvisor and booking.com reviews) mentioning anything like this, given how relatively common fear of spiders is, but still, the above sources seem fairly authoritative. Most blog entries re fucking enormous bastard spiders are from people who have spent time in cabins in the jungle etc, which is a) what I'd expect and b) consistent with my normal strategy of not going to really rural spots and considering myself safe. I just cannot help but find it ultra reprehensible the guide book offers not even the slightest warning. Maybe it really isn't that common, despite the above sources, but I'm really not feeling like taking a chance.

Ooh, continuing to search (it's now 0209 and checkout is at 9 but fuck it):

"Heteropoda venatoria (Banana Spider), inside a house, Santa Cruz" (photo caption - thank fuck for w3m - on www.darwinfoundation.com)

"The hunstman spider, Heteropoda venatoria... leg span of 7 to 12cm (3 to 5 inches)" (entnemdept.ufl.edu) [I assume that is the whole thing from side to side, not the leg length, but that's damn well large enough for me]"

Trying to assess the risk from such things in urban environments, a chance mention of Guayaquil in a blog turns this up:

"Galapagos Islands Days 23-30... the speedboat to Puerta Villami, Isabela... I'm staying at Coral Blanco Lodging...I have the pleasure of a gigantic huntsman spider in my room tonight, the biggest I've ever seen!" (pjclementson.travellerspoint.com)

I'm not super confident but I haven't been able to turn up any mention of the things in Guayaquil and I might assume Quito would be the same. I obviously need to be careful (eg if I go anywhere remotely rural), but to a limited extent it's different if I encounter a fucker like that "out and about"; what I think would really fuck me up would be having one *in my room* and/or the continual fear of such a thing.

Can't help feeling I've dodged a bit of a bullet by finding this out before going to the Galapagos Islands. I doubt the shock would cure me of my phobia. It is a shame but equally it's not as if I've had a lifelong dream to visit the islands; FFS, until tonight I was well aware they were an option (as the Ecuador guidebook mentions them in its title) but without having any spider-related thoughts I was kind of dismissive of the possibility of going.

0310 FFS. Not packed properly yet but as washed combats sort of hard to pack until they're dry and shit all over bed can be put away. Don't attach much weight to possible responses as my limited experience suggests the place is populated by arrogant travel bores, but have posted on the Thorn Tree forum to see what people say.

Need to have a quick shower and clean teeth and bed. Lack of sleep not great but I slept a lot last night and if I am tired maybe I'm more likely to sleep on the bus.

0336 Finally in bed.

Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu tour, Saturday

0701 On bus. PEN28.06 (and oh yes, they charge that 0.06, it's actually 28.10 with rounding) for single. Return is only fractionally cheaper at something like PEN53 so I didn't buy that. Modulo spider terror I intend to walk down, and I am hoping/assuming you can buy a bus ticket at MP if desired. You can't buy an admission ticket to MP at the site, there are signs about it and guy checked I had a ticket before letting me on bus.

Didn't sleep great but not too bad, bed bit short even for me, no eight-legged friends joined me there to the best of my knowledge though. V overrcast but not raining. Dragged myself out of bed 623 after snoozing on alarm and it disappearing; I think my current alarm clock program is buggy. Still, am probably OK for time so next hurdle is getting into park with bag...

0755 Phone GPS refusing to work (with some apps, i.e. the ones I care about to take a log) despite having rebooted the useless crock of shit. Fearsome looking insect on stairs as we came up to have tickets checked.

1253 At Sun Gate, met Peruvian family (iirc Gaby mother, Carlos & Diana 18-22ish children) from Lima on walk up - they spoke great English. Waffle more later, just wanted to jot down names while remembered. Also spoke to chap from Durham while admiring view. He said Inka trail itself is prob closed this week. I went about ten metres down it just so I can say that technically speaking I have reached Machu Picchu by the Inca Trail (after all, I'm here now again). I was going to walk back down road but Durham chap said there is a footpath which doesn't follow the road's repeated curves, we will see. I am intending to leave the site 1430-1500 then I should easily be in town by 1700, probably earlier, and can have food there before getting train back, I have to be at stn by 1830. Frankly leaving even at 1500 is perhaps a bit early but better safe than sorry.

1316 He's right, back on the Inca Trail and fiddling with OSM (which has v good coverage here) I can see the footpath back down the hill.

Oh, the views from up here are very cool, perhaps more so than being on the central part of the site. Also did the 'Inca Bridge' walk earlier which was cool and like up here hardly desolate but not as busy as main site. Quite evocative to imagine the Inca messengers running along these paths, esp with the vertiginous drops at places.

1556 Nearly in town. Come into practically first restaurant I've seen, but price not too insane. Having medium chorizo pizza and since it was an included option a beer, though it's only small (330ml Cusqueña). Bit weak but fuck it.

Trouble with GPS, I do wonder if in part being in such a deep narrow steep-sided valley causes problems. Has been spitting very slightly but despite ominous rumbling have escaped dry so far. Hope I'm not going to get soaked or forced to open my disposable poncho just to get to the train station...

Walk down slightly taxing on feet and I did slip over and fell on my back but caught myself with hands at one point. The surface is generally stone and it's not that bad. Not monstrously scenic and I tended to have my eyes on the path but glad I walked it.

Think I saw most of what was on offer (discounting the two 'special limited ticket' needed peaks) at MP, perhaps an extra hour might have been nice and as it turns out I probably could have stayed an extra hour, but I was getting a bit tired and I had to allow a safety margin and also slightly concerned to get down before weather turned if possible. I probably actually left the site about 1450.

Sustained myself until now entirely on 100g of chocolate-coated raisins, some guzzled discreetly inside site since no food is allowed.

1605 There's a ginger and white cat here, it's come and sat a couple of chairs down from me, though doesn't seem particularly responsive to my attempts to get it to come to me.

1629 Pizza OK if decidedly nothing special. Should perhaps have hung on but f it, it's not raining yet so let's pay and go find the station then can always go somewhere nearby. Bill 27 plus a 'tax servicio' making it 30, I guess that's OK as it's what I would have tipped anyway.

1651 While I think the guide today even said Aguas Calientes sprang up around the tourist trade, I am sat in the centre (well, the place is tiny) by the river and it really isn't so unattractive here. Seriously tempted to go and have a beer but probably resist, if nothing else if I have one (well, another, but the one with food not quite the same) I'm more likely to go out tonight, and if anything if I am going out tonight it's more important that I don't drink now. So better to be firm now and if, which I probably won't be, I am tempted later then at least I've shown a bit of abstinence here and lowered my consumption by that much.

I'm still a bit hungry, I might compromise and buy a snack, I dunno. But then maybe I'd be as well holding off and going out for dinner back in Cusco. But then that might tempt me to go out for a drink. Meh. It all comes down to boredom really.

1658 At station. It appears to be completely surrounded by market stalls.

1708 Come to some cafe restaurant place for cafe cortado.

1716 They have wifi, so infer place is La Payacha. Paid, PEN6 so making it 7 with tip.

1738 Was interested earlier to note that while getting lots of advice off that Peruvian family, they consider pollo a la brasa (sp) a classic Peruvian dish. I suppose just because it's pretty common elsewhere doesn't make that wrong, but stil interesting. I have a vague idea Valeria told me the same thing at some point.

Finished coffee, will use bog then go hang around at station. Not having another, it's just a smidge pricey and it will probably make me want to piss when I can't. Tis OK, at least now it's 'only' 50m til I have to be at stn and 1h20m til the train goes. I note I am in economy on this trip.

1751 In station waiting room. There is a cafe bar here, I flirted with a ham and cheese bap but it was PEN10 so I didn't even bother asking about mayonnaise. Could have a drink, alcoholic or otherwise, but as per above neither option is ideal.

I should say when I keep writing eg Owhatsit, it is in part so it's obvious I am not sure how to spell or can't quite remember place name. I should probably just have a go though, Future Steve (should he care) is likely to find it less irksome to correct an approximate name than a pretty unhelpful first letter only version. (Though I am sure consulting a travel guide and/or the GPS track would always allow them to be resolved.) Owhatsit is something like Ollaytantambo. IIRC the 'tambo' suffix indicates somewhere founded mainly as a rest stop between two more important places (in this case Cusco and MP) - this is based on what I remember guide saying yesterda at Owhatsit.

2252 At Norton Rat's. Train didn't get into Owhatsit til about 2050, about 2110 by time our minibus left Owhatsit and we got to somewhere not far from plaza in Cusco about maybe 2200. Times v approx. Walked to hotel, no probs but they are painting 'my' room (1) so I've been put in 13, which is a twin but has a sloped wooden beamed ceiling which just screams 'spiders' to me. Still, close inspection showed none and it's a million miles better than last night. I had a brief chat with woman on reception about heating, there is no heater but if I want one I can have one but she thinks it's a warmer room, and she could well be right.

Had quite good chat with F&F on train back, they seem very nice people (not that I ever thought otherwise, my avoidance of them last night was a reflection of my own mood). We spoke in Spanish this time, I understood about 70-80% of what they said. They didn't like the hotel either, they also didn't get a bus ticket included (so I may not go complain), they paid same as me. Apparently the reason it's so expensive is the train is USD50 each way - the tickets did show this. The USD100 trips are by bus and according to them it's 8 hours on a really bad road. Anyway, they basically agreed with me (hotel and buffet sucked, silver market waste of time but guides good and MP itself well worth all the hassle).

As I said wasn't going to come out tonight but I was feeling weak about it and the room and blah blah made me think I'd give it a go. It's not amazing here but meh. Will probably only have a couple barring social interaction and I'm pretty sated so I'm unlikely to go out of my way to initiate anything.

2309 "Jeremy" playing. Not that busy. Did occur to me earlier that given how tourism-oriented Cusco is (at least these bits), is Saturday really any different from any other day?

2322 Strange version of "Born to run" playing. F&F live in Santiago, she is from there, he is from Temuco. They reckon it's pretty safe in general, though as always slightly hard to follow the exact names of the regions (eg never quite sure where Providencia is). Will have second beer. They gave me some advice on Ecuador and we chatted a bit generally re travel.

Think have bit of sunburn on head, I did apply cream but only realised when reapplied it pretty late on it says to reapply every 2h, and it was pretty sunny at times. Don't think it's mega serious, it's not as if I was completely unprotected.

2347 F&F did say locals probably tended to say Santiago was more dangerous than it was. I keep dropping these little bits in as I feel up to the effort of writing them. Might jog my memory of the conversation in future. Didn't make any (slightly pointless really) effort to eg make facebook connection with them or the Peruvian family earlier. F&F did suggest we meet up if I was in Lima when they were but they are flying there and leaving (by bus to Tacna then cross to Arica and internal flight to Santiago since international flights are more expensive) Thursday and I am not going to be there by then.

Think my neck has sunburn too, oh well. Shouldn't take too long to recover, as said before not as if I was totally unprotected.

2356 Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians playing. Title eludes me but the lyrics go "What I am is what I am". Busy but not absolutely rammed in here. Probably have a third then maybe go. Is it called "What I am"?

0004 Yes, third. *Not* intending a repeat experiment but having had a few people tell me about the healing effects of pure/thin air re benders on ski holidays, I do wonder if the altitude could possibly be responsible for apparent lack of major ill effects after definitely six and probably seven pints of 5.5% beer on Wednesday night. I don't drink anywhere near as much as I used to and that was a pretty heavy night in theory, even if it was over a moderately extended period. Probably nothing in it but mention it FWIW.

0040 Let's head home. My total consumption this week is a bit high but I take comfort in the fact I can decide to go home after three, it's not as if I'm compelled to drink just for the hell of it when it's not fun. (Not a *bad* night but I am a bit tired and not really in the mood for staying out.) Going to walk home, probably OK but fingers crossed.

0049 Back at hostel, quite a few people in street except right near hostel but even then not deserted. Couple of dogs investigating rubbish bags but they didn't show any signs of being arseholes, minute or so wait to be let in but all good. As per above only Wed was a bit OTT and personally I see nothing wrong in cutting loose occasionally, as long as it is only occasionally.

I don't fucking believe it. This room is even worse provisioned with sockets than the other. The *only* one, including the bathroom, appears to be the one on the wall for the TV which is sufficiently recessed my plug adapter won't work in it.

No, I tell a lie, there's one low on the wall hidden at the foot (not the head, natch) of one of the beds.

0058 Delighted to see the wifi signal is super ropy here, worse than in other room, phone struggles to maintain a connection at all. Not tried netbook yet.

0107 If didn't already say this room is on UK 2nd floor, prev was on UK 1st. Had shower, thanks to wanky electric heater in showerhead had to turn water flow down super low to get more than lukewarm and then if anything it was a bit too hot but unable to find compromise. Could have been worse I guess. I have a hand towel to dry myself on, which is really OK but bit sucky. Going out to bar meant missed chance to buy water/snacks at nearby shop but I'm not really hungry and can always indulge myself tomorrow. Be good to do city tour but esp given need to sort out onward travel doubt am doing it tomorrow even if I get up early. Since checkout is 9am I guess I can maybe do that Monday before getting bus on to Ica in evening. Phone is on charge, I switched battery in minibus so need to get both charged but it appears for some reason to be crawling excessively to charge now, never mind that I'd like to use it to read myself to sleep on.

Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu tour, Friday

0327 Started to feel better after surfing a bit but feeling a bit trapped and edgy again now. This bites. But I know it's just temporary. Pretty sure I've had it other times, but it is possible the thinner air combined with anxiety pushes me a bit more into very slight 'aaargh, can't breathe' feeling which makes it worse. I certainly passed a baddish night in IIRC Puno in 2010, despite having passed weeks at high altitude, But it is probably largely just psychological, worries about tour etc, and I will doubtless feel better tomorrow. But right now I don't like the bed, there is a bit of metal inside the pillow which chinks annoyingly, the pillow seems to smel a little too and I am not super overjoyed at the thought of two more nights here after tour, but it's all OK really. And wrt altitude as I said in previous entry if anything that's not something to get worked up about as I'm going down tomorrow.

0813 Stood outside locked up tour office. Wearing delightfully damp clothes as in that frigid room 24h evidently not sufficient to dry them. Daypack weighs heavy on shoulder but mostly due to 2 litres of water. Bit hungry but what can you do?

0828 Dashed across to shop and bought couple of packets of crisps. Back at office was open, got inconveniently large envelope with two laser-printed train tickets and ditto MP entrance ticket. Guzzled crisps.

0930 Wow, we're at Willka Pukara Andean Handicraft Workshop for twenty minutes. Be still my beating heart. Maybe I'll buy an empanada, but would it spoil my lunch?

0935 Yeah, I bought one, resisted the novelty of alpaca, went for ham and cheese. Not bad.

1157 Slightly harried but not too bad hourish tour of archaeological site at Pisac. Impressive views, also got chance to see a terraced mountainside fairly close up (if not, alas, to walk on one) and as guide pointed out they look like steps from a distance but they're actually 4-5m high.

1223 Completely tedious and pointless stop at some local silver market. Not a fucking clue when we leave here, despite guy having said it in English as well. Might be 1245, not sure. Just standing by the bus, I have zero interest in silver jewellery and there's nothing particularly to see. Personally I'd rather have had this time at archaeological site as there were a few side paths etc didn't go down and it was all just a bit rushed, but what can you do. Not even clear when lunch is.

1348 Lunch. What a fucking joke. We have 40 mins, prob cos of fuckwits doddering back to bus earlier. The buffet line STRETCHES OUT OF THE FUCKING RESTAURANT. I'm standing here in the spitting rain. Fan fucking tastic.

Why the fuck did we have to waste 30 minutes at the shitty silver market?

1434 Got food eventually, staff serve you some dishes to stop you taking too much, and by time I realised I needed rice I was past that point and had to risk wrath of queue by doubling back. No free tables, I could have shared but wasn't in mood (not helped by one fucking couple sitting at opposite ends of a six seater table like a cartoon king and queen) so I stood up and guzzled it down with a teaspoon. The queue eased off so I managed to go round three times. The food was OK but not a great selection. I take comfort in fact lack of a table meant they didn't get a chance to sell me a cold drink and earn any more off me. Had a cup of mate de coca though hot water ran out so I actually had 0.25 of a cup then about 0.5 of another cup I didn't have time to finish as we seemed to be leaving. Took photo of place name but not mentioning it here.

Bit worried about missing train but I guess that is not my problem. The group is evidently a mishmash of people on different tours and I am a bit concerned we are going to be left to fend for ourselves once we are on the train. Since I didn't know the name of my hostel until this morning I didn't look it up on the net and hence have no idea where it is. It will be OK, push comes to shove can get taxi, but would hope this is just me worrying and won't be left to own devices.

Fell asleep on drive from silver market to here. Not a problem, just mentioning it. Don't think that's why I was in a bad mood at queue etc, I felt OK (if looking forward to lunch cos hungry) as we arrived at restaurant.

1650 Pan pipe version of 'My Way' just played on train... They took my ticket off me when I got on but I took a photo of it first, the train magazine thing suggests this is an Inca Rail train, I believe a few companies operate services.

1703 Skorpion's "Winds of Change" now on pan pipes. This is obviously what the train magazine refers to as "the life-affirming instrumental music of the Andes". I probably shouldn't sneer; apart from lack of leg room at the table-not-airline seating the train is quite nice, this is business class IIRC, fk knows what it cost me. We get a free snack and a drink apparently.

1746 Stopped to wait for another train to pass. Will write up earlier later but I asked guide and basically someone will meet us (me and a Chilean couple called Felipe and Francia, we shared a tuktuk to the train station) at the station in Aguas Calientes, so we're not left too much to our own devices.

1815 Met woman from hotel, waiting for F&F. Didn't sit with them as a Chilean woman making up the four at our table asked me to swap with her boyfriend who was in seat B31. Not a problem, just mention it as matter of trivia. Likewise I am known frequently here as 'Steven Graham' since presumably some cross-cultural confusion causes them to not perceive my surname as 'important' when they see my passport or small copy thereof.

1830 In room. We are meeting guide in reception at 7, presumably just to discuss tomorrow morning. The room is sort of OK but there's a fucking spider on the doorframe of the bathroom door, not a huge one but still. As we were walking from station to hotel we passed through a market and out of corner of my eye I saw a huge tropical nightmare kind of spider in a frame. I don't think I thought even for a second it was alive but I don't like the though that it might in any event be a representative of the local fauna.

I am wondering if I should just smash that one on the doorframe with my shoe, but it's borderline tolerable size, I am too fucking nice to relish the idea of killing it and also right now it's just sat there, if I try to smash it and miss I could be in a worse state. I've had a peer round under the beds and although there is a dangling thing under one of the beds it is not enormous. The room is decidedly on the grubby and under-decorated side but it does have a private bathroom and is moderately large.

No, that fucking spider has moved and seems to have gone into the 5mm gap between the doorframe and wall where I had already noticed several cohorts or their corpses reside. Still, perhaps all the more reason not to go whacking the doorframe with a shoe lest I trigger a mass exodus of the fuckers. Decidedly suboptimal but it will be OK, I will sleep in the bed furthest from there as well. Oh for a methrin-based insecticide.

1855 Cunts. Guide turned up early, went down to see her. My bus ticket to MP tomorrow isn't included; I could swear they saId it was. That's 10 fucking dollars. But the real icing on the cake is I have to make my own way to the bus station and get the bus and meet the guide at the entrance to MP. Yay. Still, you pay over two hundred dollars you don't expect decent service. I have to be at the bus terminal at 645 instead of 7 thanks to having to buy a ticket, I have to meet the guide at 745. Not her fault and I tried not to let my irritation show with her but I'm seriously fucked off with those cunts at the tour office. Also given the need to locate the fucking bus terminal myself (Mana's Eres Mi Religion playing) in reality I probably need to leave the hotel about 6am. My train back is not til 630pm, MP closes 6, the walk down (which they never said was included on bus) takes 1.5h (2h to walk up), apparently the guided tour takes 2h. So fascinating or not as the site may be, I expect I'm going to have my fill of it before I get home tomorrow. Oh, and you're only allowed to take 1 or 2kg of 'baggage' into the park so I will have to leave my bag in a locker at the entrance - that only costs 5 soles however. I assume I have to get myself back to the train station and I have no fucking idea what will happen when I arrive in Owhatsit on the train, I guess I just hope there is a bus waiting.

I am wondering if it's worth complaining when I am back in Cusco. On the one hand, I didn't think the meal tonight was included, and the prices here are a bit steep. On the other hand, why not have a polite but firm go, if I get my ten dollars refunded it's all good (obviously I can't get anything back for the shittiness of having to make my own way to MP) and if I can't at least I will have tried.

I hope F&F don't turn up while I'm eating, don't want to join them or for them to feel compelled to be friendly with me.

Guide said I should take a poncho, she showed me where to buy a disposable one - when the owner turned up five minutes later - across from this resaurant. (Place is Sumaq Mijuna Wasi.)

1921 Back at hotel. Left 3 tip on table since guessed would have cost about that for food. Not happy at all. Also, since you're only allowed 5kg baggage on train I couldn't have brought my main bag, even had I not been concerned I'd end up lugging it around. So I'm here with just my daypack. Now it turns out even that is 'too big' for MP. So what, I'm going to spend the day with a carrier bag containing a bottle of water, if I'm even allowed to take such lethal items in. How many fucking different bags am I supposed to be travelling with? Do they expect me to have two small backpacks with me?

1934 OK, the handwritten thing from the tour company is unintelligible re what's included but I may have a polite firm go at them anyway and see if it works as what do I have to lose. The sheet of paper the guide gave me says the restriction on backpacks is 20 litres, not weight. Mine I am virtually certain is 15 litres. I think I will chance taking it and if they cut up rough put the 'excess' items in a binbag (I brought one with me, half intending to use it as an emergency poncho) and put that in a locker (I am hoping this is a gym style locker not a cloakroom deal where my bag might be tampered with). I could leave the binbag here at the hotel but then that's just adding shit to deal with.

I am seriously torn about going out for a beer. I didn't intend to but there's no wifi and the early start notwithstanding I can't go to bed this early. I was just planning to read quietly in my room but frankly I'm not in the mood. I don't want to drink angry but I am not too incandescent right now. There are mosquitoes in the room too (no hook to hang a net on, not that I brought the one I've been lugging about ever since 2010, it's in my main bag back in Cusco).

Sod it, a litre isn't going to hurt, I have been drinking too much lately but I do also have abstemious periods and fuck it, I'm not sitting around in this room with just the spiders and mosquitoes for company. Also, just maybe I will reflect further over a beer on the hideously overcomplex logistics of going to Machu Piccu. The above does sound like a plan though.

Woo - I just thought, I can't check as I don't have wifi or an app installed to do the calculation - but it could well be dark at 0600 tomorrow as I wander out in a desperate attempt to locate the bus terminal. (Also, while I was already planning on not going out Sat night after Wednesday, I could have imagined my resolve slipping, but an 0600 start combined with being on my feet all day and not getting back til probably 2100 should help remove some temptation. The room in Cusco is by no means great but it only has one resident spider and there's wifi. So there's another making it up as I go along reason why it's OK to go have a drink tonight.)

Fucking hell, there's a big (big-in-the-UK standard, not tropical horror, grateful for small mercies) spider behind one of the three curtains in the room, the one I hadn't looked behind so far. Nothing I can do about it really. At home I'd spray the fucker, here it's splat or ignore and I'm not stirring any shit up unnecessarily. Definitely sleeping with the lights on tonight...

2002 At Rasta Bar simply because it's virtually next to the hotel. Expensive at 20 for a litre; it was only 16 where I had dinner but a) I wanted to shower before drinking, if I was going to drink - that's gone by the way, I may or may not shower when I get back, I expect to sweat myself disgusting tomorrow anyway so it hardly matters and b) I didn't and don't want to encounter F&F and since they will be going there for the included dinner that's a significant possibility.

The beer is Pilsen Callo, actually 1.1 litres. As always it's virtually impossible to read the ABV since it's in microscopic print on the back and it's too dark to see properly. Not rammed in here, downstairs me and two guys playing pool, can see there is an upstairs but why would I bother going up there?

2026 There's a cat here, which I think is the first nice thing I've had to say about Aguas Calientes. It might have let me stroke it but it seems in a funny mood and the last thing I need now is a bite.

2032 Wow, two cats. One's grey and white, the second seems a bit fluffier and is ginger and white.

24h from now I will be nearly back in Cusco. And in less than 10h I will have left that hotel room behind never to return.

2114 Phone is dog slow lately, fuck knows why. Anyway, back at hotel. Sounds like it's raining heavily but maybe the tiny walk back from bar was somehow under cover. I just hope it stays dry tomorrow morning at least until I get to MP.

Enormous bloated feeling developed towards end of beer, I did perhaps force the last glass down rather as somehow felt in hurry to leave, felt quite painful for a bit but has eased now.

2127 There is hot water so may have a shower. FWIW though I've hardly been unbiased or seen a huge amount of it I rather get the impression Aguas Calientes is a tiny little shithole which exists only because tourists have little choice but to come here. It could have a certain rough and ready charm if it wasn't so outright tourist oriented and just a small town.

2138 Oh, if didn't already say it, naturally both beds are nowhere near a mains socket to charge phone. Not going in shower yet, waiting for phone to charge a bit first as may take it to bed (not on Scribd, of course) and rely on it lasting when it turns itself off, plus I do have a spare battery which should be fully charged.

2144 Listening to some music (standing by socket) as wait for phone to charge. Dave Goulder's "Last Train" while totally unrelated in general makes me think of that feeling I had last night at 2am. Anyway, bus for today's trip was v like the one on the Colca Canyon tour, a slightly small coach, not a minibus. We went to Owhatsit archaeological site after lunch and before the three of us with 430 train tickets got train. I was bit worried about missing it so was bit extra harried but was quite interesting. Some people had tickets for 7 train. I guess they'd have missed the views, they were interesting if not ultra spectacular.

Woo, the phone is in arsey mode and deciding the charger is unsafe and 'not original'. Cunting piece of shit.

Listening to Carter USM's cover of The Smiths' "Panic" reminds me of Jon. Be nice to catch up with people on my return. Am still slightly heartened on setting reminders for (admittedly iirc a week after my return) to see they are 40-odd days in the future. Holiday's not over yet and I am determined to sweep away a certain amount of shit from my day-to-day life when I return.

2154 Sounds like it's pissing it down. Weather forecast for MP couple of days ago was rain/thunderstorms all week. Today generally quite sunny in Sacred Valley, few spots of rain at lunch but nothing too heavy.

2222 Should say today's guide (unrelated to tomorrow's guide) was fairly good, despite my general dissatisfaction with the time allocation and lunch. He did seem to get a bit arsey about people not listening and dropped speaking in English after a while, but in a way it was nice because I could understand 95% of what he said and it was a bit wearing listening to everything twice.

2232 Had shower which was pleasantly hot. If they'd just clean the corners of the room so it wasn't infested with spiders I'd consider this a passable (though no wifi a killer, how *surprising* that the only places which don't have it are those which come bundled with a tour so there's no market pressure) cheap (well, fuck knows what I'm actually paying) hotel.

The treacherous thought occurs to me that since I have been left to my own fucking devices tomorrow, if I get up ultra late (eg 9am) all I miss is the guided tour. I still have to fart around getting to MP myself. I can still get the same train back and the bus back to Cusco. Now, I don't intend to do this. I've paid for the fucking guide, the guided tour may be interesting and if not modulo tiredness/lack of supplies I have hours there after the tour to wander around solo. In the past I've found myself too short of time at archaeological sites, while I am in part just hacked off about everything, I do worry that tomorrow will just be too much time in a bleak 'no water unless you return to the entrance' desert, no matter how interesting. But we will see, and I do intend to be up in time to fart around enormously getting to MP in time for the tour.

Cusco, Thursday

0228 Need to get to bed. Don't think tonight needs much write up except to say the two women I met were Elsa and Helena, I will turn up at 9 tonight on offchance they do and if not I have already limited contact via email/facebook so may see them in Lima and if not meh, was fun talking to them tonight and they were patient with my slightly drunk Spanish.

0232 Did some laundry and faffed a little with photos more while trying to charge phone/laptop than for any other reason. Laundry seems to be drip drying more noisly and with more liquid to wring out of lower parts than usual. Phone still only at 68%, FFS.

1317 Awake in bed since about 10 or 11 but ridiculously lazy getting up. Anyway, have extended with hotel for Sat/Sun nights and can leave my bag there. Come out for food, fought off moderately persistent tout in plaza and in tiny cheap place El Carmen just off plaza for bisteck montado.

1329 That was pretty good actually, ate the small 'salad' (one slice tomato and some green leafy stuff). Having the coffee included in the deal now. Weather bit overcast today, have been wearing T-shirt plus jacket since I got to Cusco, not that it hasn't sometimes been v warm but not consistently.

1339 Bill 12, will make it 14. Breaking a 50, will try to accumulate some smaller bills today in anticipation of tour. Prob need to withdraw some cash later too.

1635 I am hungry, come to some restaurant for pizza which I somehow crave. No sign of any staff... I went to museum of sacred plants, which was sort of interesting if a bit jumbled and devolved largely into reading of huge volumes of (English) text. Then Museo de Inka (sp) which was interesting if a bit hard to take it all in and I was thinking about food and the now usual no photos rule was annoying. It was quite busy in MdI, not so much in sacred plant place, I was alone though just as I was leaving I had to wait to get out as a group of about ten people with guide filed in.

Being total lardarse and having medium not personal pizza, also pineapple juice (desperate five a day grab) and a sugar-free coke.

1704 Not a great pizza but meh. Easily ate the whole thing, glad I didn't have personal. Will use this as an opportunity to break a 100 then go withdraw some cash, do tiny bit of shopping and back to hotel.

Bill 30, make it 33. My right pocket has developed a hole, sigh, so have to start keeping change in left pocket. Meh.

1746 Back in room. They seem to have given me an electric oil-filled heater, without me asking. Maybe it was hidden somewhere in room and I just didn't notice before they pulled it out, but pretty sure it simply wasn't here before.

2058 At Norton Rat's, not entirely in mood but said I'd be here so... Sort of packed but due to cold room all clothes still damp. Was going to leave heater on when came out but bottled it. Prob have to pack clothes first thing in morning.

May feel different Sat - tho if we do have early start Sat may not - but after drinking a lot (I made it 7 pints of 5.5% stuff, maybe it was only 6) last night I might well not go out Sat night. See how it goes. That was an unusually boozy night and in general I don't think I'm drinking excessively.

2320 Back at hotel, they did turn up about 930, we had a chat, I didn't understand every word and there was a little bit of fake understanding on my part but in general it was OK. They are flying back to Lima tomorrow, I think there is a reasonable chance I will see them there. Only had 2 pints and a little bit of Miller which Helena gave me as she had it left when we were waiting for taxi; they gave me a lift back.

0225 Woke up about fifteen mins ago, feeling irrationally jittery re trip and slightly 'homesick'. Meh. It's not like I'm going to be stuck on the bus for hours even if it is crap, if anything I think the altitude is going to be *lower* than here, I will be back in this OK-if-nothing-else hotel Saturday night, etc etc.

Cusco, Wednesday

1210 Woke by self about 0950, snoozed on alarms, stayed awake in bed from about 11 til bit before 12. Didn't sleep too badly. Topping up phone which didn't leave on charge overnight as had it to read myself to sleep on.

Chap just came round for housekeeping, asked him to give me 10-15 mins. Bit hungry but will go to try to post off some souvenirs and a couple of photo backup microSD cards before eating.

1255 At small restaurant (Los Traviesos?) on Avenida del Sol, for lomo saltado. Posted stuff off, v quiet in post office, no queue, smidge pricey at PEN31 (mostly I would guess due to papery souvenirs, not the memory cards) but prob best get rid of them safely instead of lugging them around and I don't think I'm accumulating insane amounts of paper.

1306 See from paper on next table Ica and middle Peru hit by 5.6 earthquake. I was toying with going to Ica before Lima. Have to look into that later.

1321 Portion not huge but not bad and fairly cheap. I hope the peppers and fried onions will go some way towards my Five A Day (R) (TM) (FU) as I saw no sign of any fruit or vegetable selling shops yesterday despite looking.

1327 OK, let's pop off to Quorikancha which by luck is just round corner. Bill 14, making it 16.

1336 OK, here, strangely doddering crowds round entrance. Paid 15 for combo tkt which also includes Santa Catalina whatever that is. Miserable cunts don't allow taking photos even without flash.

1354 Descriptive text is rather lacking and I find myself perpetually being held up by tour groups. I should just listen without paying. No one offered me a tour, it's OK, the guide book says a bit and I'm not gagging to know too much but still.

1435 Sneaking odd photo here and there, not totally clear what is prohibited and what isn't. May just be the paintings. Art gallery upstairs contains fascinating and slightly disturbing sculpture El Guía by Xavier Cano, snapped that.

1540 Just been round Santa Catalina monastery, quite atmospheric and the notion of people shutting themselves away is a powerful one to my imagination.

I see from guidebook you can do paragliding at some action centre nearby, saw a tour agency advertising this (presumably same place) yday. While looking stumbled across dismissive comments on guided tours of MP (expensive and you only get a few hours at site, better to DIY). Some places, including the one I booked with, advertise 2d/1n MP for USD100 all inclusive outside, but when I enquired inside the one I booked at it was more than double that (as at all three I spoke to) so I assume noone really does it for 100. I suspect my tour will be as good as DIY, not sure about price, given I am getting to see sacred valley (guide says you can do this indepedently with a licenced taxi driver, esp if you have a group) and because it's 2d/1n we will be going to MP about dawn IIRC and presmably get most of the second day there before returning to Cusco. Given the logistics of coordinating train tickets and hotels in notorious exploitative Aguas Calientes and getting to and from the train station (at Owhatsit; you do indeed have to get train from there, or you can choose to go from nearer to Cusco) I think if I have paid extra (and I haven't tried to tot up the individual items) for the tour it's well worth it for the reduced stress. Besides, I don't think I'm trying to win any bragging rights about being a completely DIY tourist and in any case I am pretty independent on the whole anyway; it just seems smart to take advantage of prepackaged tours when appropriate.

1555 OK, just popped into tour agency on plaza re bus. Cruz del Sur do a bus to Ica/Lima every day at 2pm and 6pm. It's 15h to Ica, 22h to Lima. Ica costs about PEN190, it's 5 more to book at this agency but as she said by time you take taxi to go book at terminal it's not cheaper. (OK, I could walk, but rather not). Not booked yet as may stick on extra day or two (eg for paragliding), she said can book day in advance. I mentioned earthquake in Ica and she hadn't heard of it, she said if it wasn't that big it wouldn't get reported everywhere and she said the buses were running OK. Anyway, was meaning to find out about buses onwards and now have something to mull over. Apparently is wifi on bus, I think there was on the one I came here on but no one ever gave me password and didn't ask. That journey is kind of OK and although I might double check price of flights it strongly inclines me to go to Ica by bus. If I don't want to go to Ica, unless is somewhere else I could stop over (I don't want to go to Nazca this time round) Lima is probably next stop and that might be worth flying. But unless Ica is foul or completely in turmoil after earthquake I think going there for a couple of nights at least can't be a bad thing.

1610 OK, went in one tour agency but only bureau de change manned, went into another next door and had a chat. It's USD100 including transport, they need two people and neither Monday nor tomorrow do they have anyone else wanting to do it. Place where fly was somewhere beginning with U near a town beginning with C. I left my e-mail address and we will see if they get back to me. I would guess anyone offering paragliding is going to be reselling the same underlying offering (and it's not that commonly advertised, unlike various treks) so probably not worth getting hung up chasing round various different firms.

1806 Went round cathedral - interesting but ridiculously expensive at PEN25 and no photos allowed either - then back to hotel to Skype parents and top up phone. Since can't find any fruit/veg having second meal, come to Cafe Balcon del Sol, sat at table 3 just as was yday morning, having melon juice by way of clocking up an extra portion of fruit and pollo a la plancha. Then will go have couple of beers, not intending to make a night of it, but as will want to be preparing/going to bed early tomorrow night will go out tonight, also seeking out where to go on Saturday night which do intend to be more of a large on (depending how it goes). Not remotely seeking company tonight, will sit at bar if no tables free but not intending to make any great effort to socialise.

No idea why they are so fricking tight on photos here. I am not even putting it down to religious reasons, I have been in plenty of Catholic religious premises in Latin America without non-flash photography being banned.

1837 They forgot to put the juice on my bill, I am just so honest I pointed it out. 14 for food, 4.50 juice, call it 20. Food OK, ate the mercifully undressed cucumber and tomato slices to try to notch up moe fruit/veg consumption.

1845 At Norton Rat's pub/bar on plaza (as with CK yday in guide book). Getting a pint of their house special Norton's Pale Ale draught (10PEN) at 5.5%. Cheapest option would have been 620ml some domestic beer at 10PEN. Corona massively pricey at iirc 22 for a 330ml bottle, not that I wanted any but you might expect it to be cheaper here, maybe not, obviously it's marketed as premium.

NPA is not bad, slightly fizzy but only slightly, not served too cool, OK really.

2001 Third pint, sod it. Bit cavernous in here and though by no means empty not exactly heaving. Not too bad an atmosphere but not sure about coming here Sat night. Chap sat next to me at bar not long after got here for a bit, and some other chap has been sat at bar pretty much since I got here. Always seems odd to see other people drinking solo, maybe I just tend not to notice.

2012 Rolling Stones' "You can't always get you want" playing, raised a smile for some reason. We did have some Pink Floyd (from Wish You Were Here, can't be sure which track now) earlier too.

2048 Into slightly drunk contemplative mood, having fourth. This will be last unless something dramatic happens. Trying to dredge statistical knowledge up from depths of my brain. If members of a population have independent probability p of dying each year from birth (not realistic, I know), what is the expected lifespan of an individual? I am on the verge of convincing myself lifespans are Poisson distributed and thus the expected lifespan is 1/p. But I'd hesitate to put much money on it. Rolling Stones song can't remember title of but "we all need someone we can lean on" lyric playing.

2136 Getting a fifth (bite me, nothing dramatic happened), this is slightly OTT but on the other hand this is a relatively rare solo binge and I feel quite good so f it. Maybe I could have made an effort to socialise earlier but didn't feel need. Not that it's a problem - probably same as in Bariloche and it was cool to meet Colin there - but here it is probably so touristy anywhere I might go in Cusco it's more a question of socialising with fellow tourists than locals. Admittedly in Arequipa last Saturday - I realise as I write this I never blogged the details, maybe later, but I did cover them lightly in an email to Rab, so Future Steve can just read that as a memory jogger - I started the night with a Texan living in Arequipa to teach English but I ended it with a group of locals. Meh, last thing I want to be is a travel snob and I'd openly admit I love meeting anyone for a good chat, fuck their background, but still, Cusco - or at least the bars and also places I have been so far - is such a tourist mecca it's definitely more like Bariloche than (say) Puerto Montt, Arequipa probably lying somewhere between the two. Not that Arequipa isn't touristy - no shortage of tour operators in and near plaza - but that night in Brujas didn't feel too touristy (not that that's inherently a bad thing, even if I do feel more smug and also less boring if I meet locals - to a tourist I'm just an old-ish one of them, to a local I might be a bit more interesting).

Actually as I look round the bar an oldish group (older than me, I would estimate) group of tourists - or perhaps expats? - are playing pool. I'd still suggest the average punter here is a tourist of maybe 25-30 (perhaps it matters if you pick the mean or the mode). All this is based on dodgy inference, I fully admit. Saturday I might well try for conversation, it was never part of the plan tonight, not that staying out so late was either.

I'm sure Saturday will be busier but if I do come here Sat - and it's probably better than Crosse Keys, if only on price of a pint - I probably shouldn't turn up too early, 9 would be fine I guess.

2204 Musing randomly - lightly drunkleny, if you prefer - I am thinking about the holier-than-thou attitude to taking a tour to MP and they really can fuck off. Yes, sometimes being a tourist - traveller to use the smugger term - can be a challenge and sometimes in hindsight those challenges are strangely fun, but to deliberately seek out difficulties seems stupid. Life in general is tricky enough that there's no need to hunt out problems just for the hell of it.

Some people inside singing Happy Birthday To You. In a way it would be nice to live the - probably completely illusory - life of the smug young thing voyaging from hostel to hostel with new acquaintances everywhere made effortlessly in each new hostel (which I personally can't do, if anyone can, though to be scrupulously fair maybe I could if I really tried), but I do honestly feel (it helps being a bit introverted - but I do like to meet people too, I think the stereotypical binary definition of introversion is ridiculously unrealistic) it's better, from my perspective, to have the kind of encounters I have every now and then (eg Puerto Montt, maybe Arequipa counts) which you get when you're travelling solo and meet people who aren't doing the same. I do perhaps wish I could do that hostel friendship thing but if I could maybe I'd never get the other kind.

V nice views from bar balcony. For the record, after my irrational bile the other day, Cusco is v attractive with the colonial stone buildings and the hills around town, though the buildings on the hills look a bit poverty stricken even if they are attractive from a distance.

2222 Having another. This is OTT but I feel OK and I don't do it all the time and in general fuck you if you want to get judgmental. This probably will be the last. I believe hotel is 24h reception but haven't checked. I feel OK now but I am prob not too far off feeling pissed as opposed to pleasantly not really drunk but evidently it is affecting me, and while I am not worrying too much about my medically mandated alcohol allowance (I am relatively temperate in general) probably not great to push things, esp if want to be out Saturday. This is six pints and of 5.5% stuff too, good job I am an experienced toper but when the drunkenness hits it hits and I don't want that.

0113 Viva random drunkery. I struck up conversation with two women sat next to me (Helena & Elsa, at least phonetically) who were tourists from Lima. V enjoyable conversation, may meet them tomorrow night or failing that in Lima. They gave me a lift back in their taxi, the place was boarded up but on ringing the super-high bell they let me in.

Cusco, Tuesday

1028 Super hacked off in general. The room is cold, I don't want to have a fucking shower, I don't want to fucking Skype my parents, I don't want to look at the fucking guide book to see how to go about visit fucking Macchu Picchu, or even how to spell it, I don't want to go into some shitty tour office and try to book a tour. The wifi reception in room at least on mobile is shitty, it is OK for email but probably no more.

1040 I am really losing the fucking plot. The shower is one of those lethal electric head ones which just about manages to achieve lukewarrm temperature. I am in an irrational fucking rage, I really have had it with everything. Fuck the shitty hotel, fuck everyone.

1102 I am just *astounded*. Macchu Picchu is a complete fuckfest of epic proportions to visit. You have to get to Aguas Calientes then take a local bus. You need a ticket for the site purchased fuck knows how or when. You can get a train to Aguas Calientes but it leaves at 0742 or something from a place 13km west of Cusco. Fuck knows how you find your way round the site on your own, and if you miss the connection back you are presumably just fucked. There is some hill you can climb but you need to apply for a permit three years in advance enclosing hen's teeth or unicorn horn (at your option) and while not technically difficult the ascent is not recommended from people who suffer from vertigo. It's hot as hell when it's not pissing it down but you're not allowed to take disposable water bottles in. The guide book pages just reek of pretentious hiking style shit. I'm going to go and have a fucking enormous lunch then wander into some random tour operators and quiz them. Really not feeling the magic. I thought the guide book was supposed to help but as so often it seems more about posing about hard-core or difficult options. I don't think it even mentions the train. seat61.com has details which are quite clear but clear in that they demonstrate the mind-boggling complexity of going there. Fuck a doodle do.

Oooh, baby. Just managed to find something on train in guide book. It says the *only* way to access Aguas Calientes and Macchu Pichu is by train. So what the fuck is the deal with all these tour operators offering a bus service? Fuck fuck fuck. The one thing I have going for me here is that I think Jun-Aug is peak season.

1136 Found somewhere doing bisteck a lo pobre. Not going to write more now, hope food and being out of that fucking freezing hotel room (it's sunny out, but my feet are still cold from the room) will improve my mood.

1211 This place is Ñucchu. Food OK if not fantastic, came with some tomato and cucumber slices I have religiously avoided touching lest they be dressed, also a fried banana which I have eaten except where it touched the vegetables. One fried egg and some rice as well as chips. Not sure if I feel that much better but at least a bit.

1222 Bill 23, will make it 25. Still not really in mood for tour agencies but let's have a go.

1429 OK, spoke to three agencies, and I have paid PEN619 for a tour Fri/Sat to sacred valley Fri, train to Aguas Calientes Fri afternoonish, overnight there then guided tour plus free time at MP early Sat. I have to pay about PEN70 for entry to sacred valley on top of that and there may be an extra meal to pay for; I paid 25 extra for buffet lunch on I think first day. That includes hotel in AC. I was/am due to check out of here by 9am Fri so the 830 start is not too bad. I will need to leave my bag behind but depending how I get on with this room I may book to stay here Sat (and Sun?) nights on condition I can leave my bag between two stays, if not am sure I can get somewhere else to look after it if I book there for after tho be faff dumping bag there Fri morning. Not worrying about that until tomorrow as don't want to decide until I see how I get on with this hotel.

Oh, the agent muffed the USD to PEN conversion and was going to charge me just PEN350ish, but being super honest and wanting to avoid problems I said I thought that was wrong.

My teeth hurt, but I think it's because I was inadvertently clamping my jaws together on the bus last night/this morning.

Realised earlier today I have about six weeks left and that has to include flying to BA to catch my return flight. It's OK, still plenty of time and I am determined to make things less sucky when I am back home and I will sketch out an itinerary in next day or two.

1509 Been round small museum in Scotiabank saw when got cash earlier, though not allowed up to second floor, didn't understand a word the guard said but still. Was going to come into Museo de Arte Popular (sort of walked past it by accident) but if I read the sign right entry is PEN70 as a special offer, it is normally PEN130, so they can fuck right off.

1628 Bite me. At Cross Keys having a pint of Abbot Ale. Went to Museo del Convento de la Merced, building quite cool and also one v heavy metal album cover-esque painting showing the devil being tortured by various beats, but sadly photography prohibited even without flash. PEN15 for the pint which I guess isn't too bad, though it is served a bit cold.

Lashings of touts round the various plazas, though fortunately not too persistent. One woman offered me a flyer for an Indian buffet but I waved her off without thinking about it and then when I wandered back up street in hope of finding her again she was gone.

2141 In bed. Room not been that cold but sheets feel very clammy. No socket next to bed either, woo.

Arequipa-Cusco

2029 Will note FWLIW that I am leaving from Terminal Terrapuerto (not Terminal Terrestre). Was hoping seat next to me hadn't been sold but a young woman (with a megaphone) has just got on. Not a massive deal. Staff chap just came round videoing all the passengers and reading off the seat numbers as he did so. I guess if security has been a problem on buses in the past it's perhaps understandable and I feel less narked about this than airline security but still, not 100% happy about it.

0120 GPS says we are in Juliaca. Can't sleep. Pissed off. Hate overnight buses. Triple whammy: a) arriving arse o'clock in morning b) have to sleep on back c) can't just read until I drop off c1) because the Scribd app appears to override the auto screen timeout and it would drain battery c2) because the phone would then drop into my lap and potentially end up on the floor and be stolen or accidentally trodden on.

I assume it's geography but I get the impression there are no direct roads between most major Peruvian cities. Juliaca is nowhere near on a straight line between Arequipa and Cusco. And I have a horrible feeling going from Cusco to Lima involves travelling via Nazca. Meh. Sufficient unto the evening... I'm not making any big plans for today, I want to get checked in and I'm kind of looking forward to lunch and I might have an early night.

0802 Woo. Gmail app has lost chunks of this as written during night. I love solid, reliable software. Maybe I just deleted them in my sleep, that must be it.

Anyway, I'm at Cafe Balcon del Sol near hostel. Couldn't check in but left bag there. Walked from bus terminal as initially a big horde (well, 5 or 10, terminal not v busy, terminal Santiago I think) of doddering fuckwits stood around in the entrance and I wondered why they weren't taking taxis. Then they all disappeared. Then taxi drivers kept offering me their services but I didn't trust any of them after the actually more damaging than helpful advice about taxi robberies in Arequipa. Naturally the streets near terminal are designed to isolate and kill pedestrians, either by impact or by starvation while stranded on a traffic island. Also the street dogs here seem to like to have fights with each other, which adds an extra little dimension of terror.

Reverting back to what got lost from writing on bus, I was definitely awake til gone 3, probably til gone 4, maybe even 5. Was tired but couldn't sleep, I hate sleeping on my back and main problem with buses is I can't read til I fall asleep as a) scribd app would then drain battery, since it arrogantly overrides the auto screen off you configure b) it would drop into my lap and possibly from there to floor and hence be stolen or trodden on once I fell asleep.

Alternately stifled and frozen by the air conditioning. I spent most of the night talking myself out of panicking that I couldn't breathe properly due to altitude. (In a sense it is reassuring I was able to lug my bag over from the terminal with no problems.)

Urgh, papaya juice with breakfast (no simple choice like orange, was this or pineapple or something else) and I forgot it has an aftertaste that doesn't agree with me. Mind you, right now very little agrees with me.

Totally irrational but right now I fucking hate Cusco. It seems a bit of a tourist trap round hotel and the rest of it seems a bit run down and pedestrian unfriendly and the street dogs bother me in a way they don't normally in a city during daylight.

Oh, and for whatever reason I am near continually ejecting gas from my anus. I only don't call it farting because fortunately it doesn't seem to smell. Probably due to diet switching between fruit heavy and not. Fucking annoying though. Been going on all night (good job it doesn't smell). I don't need a shit, went to bog at terminal and confirmed it.

Did eventually get to sleep as woke up something like 530 or 6 feeling a bit better. We got in maybe something like 645 or 7.

It seems quieter that I would have expected near hotel, maybe it's not peak tourist season or they're all in bed. In really foul irrational mood so don't trust anything I say. Feeling bit better than I did on walk over but still not great.

Oh, and the phone GPS decided to crap out overnight so GPS track has gaps. I had to toggle airplane mode on and off to get it to lock when I wanted to confirm we were in Cusco not somewhere else when everyone entered 'about to get off the bus' mode half an hour before we actually got to the terminal. Crock of shit.

0839 Bill 8, made it 10. They couldn't change a 20 and I think the woman ran off to find change for a 10, but not clear, I just left (incidentally falling over on wet tiles at bottom of stairs, fortunately not too heavily - and fwiw I haven't had a drink since Sunday night). Wandering aimlessly now.