After our night on the bus Trev and I were quite ravenous, so having stopped at the reception for our hostel and listened to the chap explain about the Inca Trail tours he offered we headed out to get some brekkie. Whilst the tour he had explained sounded good, we wanted to check out some competition as well. So after brekkie we headed to SAS Travel, the one recommended in the Lonely Planet. They were much more expensive though and couldnīt offer as the start date of Tuesday, which meant that we would have to move flights etc in order to start on the Wednesday. Trev and I did one final check on the agency at our hostel, what we thought was Condor Travel on the internet to see what type of reputation they had. After a quick look it seemed that they were legit so we popped back to the hostel and booked our trip with them and booked our flight from Cusco to Lima for the day after we returned from the Trail. It wasnīt until the night before the Inca Trail that we discovered they were actually called Condori Travel - so our research was invalid. Still fortunately as you will see we had a great trip so in the end it didnīt matter ! After sorting a few things out in our room, we decided to check emails and the like. It was then we realised that we had a problem with it as a result of Mr Willis forgetting to pay the bill ! A few frantic email to the helpdesk later we were assured it would be back up and running soon. We headed out into the early morning to begin our exploration of the city. For once we had looked at the map first so set out for the square at San Blas, up on the hillside, looking at the market stalls and in the shops. We happened across the famous 13 sided stone in what is left of the amazing Inca Walls. A young schoolboy showed us around pointing out the puma shape in another wall and then another many sided stone, not so famous as it is imperfect. As we strolled up the hill to the square there was a lovely cake shop on the left hand side. I was by now hungry and tired from lack of sleep, so to pacify me Trev decided it was time for a cuppa and a sit down. I had a delicious apple pie, while Trev had a savoury empanada. Both were very tasty and put the spring back in our step. It was then back out onto the streets for more exploring. San Blas was a nice but very quiet square so from there we meandered back to the Plaza de Armas and set off for the craft markets down the narrow streets and then out onto Avenue Del Solle. We found the huge indoor market and had a good nosey about buying the odd bits and bobs. Whilst here I had a very unpleasant experience in the toilet, as both our guts were still not 100%. I dashed out of the loo to fill the bucket to flush it with, but the guy I had paid to use the loos was having none of it. He was adamant that he would flush it for me. With the use of hand gestures and pointing at my tummy, I tried to convey that I hadnīt been well. He was having none of it, so I quickly exited stage left, leaving him to it ! From the markets we ambled back to our hostel to have a nap and a shower before going out to get some dinner. We had a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant that overlooked the main square and managed to get some free Chilean wine as well - canīt be bad ! We then had to run the gauntlet of our road to get back to our hostel. People are constantly hassling you to eat at their restaurants, to buy cigarettes etc, it gets a bit much after a while and our narrow street meant you couldnīt escape it. In the end we just laughed at it all. The next day we were up early as we had booked a tour to the Sacred Valley. Both of us were shattered still and I was suffering badly with my cold, so we decided for once to take the easier option of a tour rather than work out which bus to catch and from where. We nipped to the square for brekkie, where we were once again hounded to have our boots shined and buy local products. The food was good though and set us up for the day. It was then time to head across to another square to catch the bus for our tour. The first stop was at a roadside market between Cusco and Pisac. It was fairly similar stuff to the Cusco markets so we had a quick browse before hopping back onto the bus. The next stop was the archaelogical site at Pisac. The bus stopped and we all piled out to do the 20 min uphill hike to the site. The guide stopped us a couple of times on the way up to give us info on the surrounding area and what the buildings we could see were used for. The scenery was stunning with all the terracing on the mountainside and jagged rocks exposed at the summits. At the top of the hike we learnt about the religious sector of the buildings and how various rocks were used in combination with shadows from the sun to let them know when June 21st was and to defin the times of the day, work, eat and rest. I wasnīt feeling so well so sat on the wall of a ruin while Trev dashed up the hillside behind to get a birds eye view of the ruins. All too quickly for Trev it was time to return to the bus and head to the centre of Pisac to the markets there. All off the bus again and another mooch around similar stalls. We only had 30 mins to look about so didnīt stray far. On our return we stopped at a local bakery and had some fresh bread stuffed with tomatoes, onions and cheese. It was mighty fine ! We stopped in Ullatamba for a discounted buffet lunch of salad, main course and dessert. By now though we were both fed up with the tour thing, being sheperded here and there with only limited time in places. Still it was serving a purpose for today, so on we went. We stopped next at Olutamba to see the archaelogical site there and have a quick look at the markets. The site was on the top of a terraced hillside so up more steps ! Halfway up we stopped to learnt more about the temple of the sun at the top of the hill as well as learning about the buildings which were halfway up the mountain opposite. These buildings although fairly inaccessible were used for storage to take advantage of the cold winds there keeping things fresh. There was also a shape of a face with a crown on it as well as the shape of an Inca man as well - all very interesting stuff. Then it was time to climb to the top to explore the site properly. It was another temple with similar rock protusions to the last one to help tell the time etc. It also had a religious sector which was built very differently from the rest. The stones that were used to build it were taken from the quarry 8Km away amd hauled up the mountain using ropes and pulleys on ramps, an impressive feat. Sadly we didnīt have long to explore here either - much to Trevīs disappointment. He feels he hasnīt got to know a place until he has clambered all over it ! After a quick look in the markets it was time to get back in the bus to go and see the final sight of the day. This was sold to us by the guide as going to see somewhere where they grow excellent potatoes at altitude. As you can imagine this whipped Trev and I up into a frenzy ! When the bus stopped we could barely contain ourselves. In the end it was quite a good sight. We walked up steep narrow roads to get to it. From the large market square you could see the terraces the Incas used to grow vegetables. You could also see the rather ugly church the Spanish had built in place of the Inca temple - rather gawdy and we suspect far uglier than the original temple. It was getting dark as we headed back to the bus, but I managed to sneak a quick purchase in - so canīt be bad ! On the journey back to Cusco we had a two man band on the bus playing Indian music - Simon and Garfunkel covers again ! They got off the bus halfway back and it was a relief to have some peace again. Back in Cusco we headed out to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. This time we got clobbered by 2 people offering a Mexican meal. Trev had one guy hounding him and I another. We told them we would discuss between us and choose. They both upped the amount of freebies they were offering at this point ! After a quick chat we choose the one that had the nicer atmosphere inside, given that prices and freebies were comparable. We had a 3 course Mexican meal for 10 Solles, about one pound fifty each with 2 glasses of free wine - we liked Cusco ! The next day we hadnīt got anything planned so decided on a lie in. As is always the case we awoke early ! Had a read though and a leisurely shower before heading out to find a place for brekkie. We managed to find a place that advertised an English breakfast and we were not disappointed after a feast of bacon, sausages, baked beans, onions, tomatoes and eggs. For once the bread took a back seat in the proceedings. With full bellies we stumbled across the road to catch up on emails and upload more piccies. We were there for a while, well until our bellies began to rumble again and then went in hot pursuit for a cafe for lunch and a book swap for Trev. We had a delicious lunch of advocado salad before finding a good book swap - much to my relief as Trev was becoming a pain again ! It was then time for more retail therapy around the markets and plazas. By the time we had finished moseying about it was getting late. So we popped back to the hostel for a brief relax before trying to find a good restaurant that did pasta. We wanted carbohydrates in preparation for the start of the Inca Trail the following day. We found a nice place at the corner of the plaza. Trev had a starter of Advocado and some garlic bread and then we both had lasagne. I followed up with a slice of lemon meringue pie, before heading back to the hostel to pack for the trip and prepare for the early start.