crellston

Ambage - re Machu Picchu - to be fair to MP, we did not visit on the best of days. The mist/ fog did not really clear whilst we were there and added to this was the fact that I managed to pick up a stomach bug the day before which had kept me up most of the previus night (too much info??) so I was not in the best frame of mind for teh 5.30 start to see dawn break over the ruins. We got one of the first buses up to the ruins (about 50 were leaving at the same time!) it was not too crowed when we got there although it did fill up quite quickly.

The ruins themselves were undoubtedly one of THE sights in SA but I personally preferred Pisac.

As for Aquas Calientes. It is a dump! It is full of restaurants and hotels all overpriced and low on quality. We had been warned (by Peruvians)about the food there and did not listen. I found out to my cost the standard of food hygiene there. It is a necessary evil if you want to see the ruins at dawn but dont saty any longer than is absolutely necessary and take your own food.

Ollantaytambo is a delightful and very picturesque town. We spent a few weeks doing some voluntary work there at Hearts Cafe in the main square (well worth a visit for decent food). We commute daily from Urumbamba another town which is worth a visit. As I said, Pisac is a must see (try to go on a Sunday for the market) If you can, hire a driver to take you around and about the Sacred Valley outside of teh main tourist areas and you will see some wonderful scenery. For some more info and photos, here is a link to our blog.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tml#ENTRY_LIST

There are a few entries for Peru. If you need anything further just let me know. Have fun, we went for a week and stayed six!

Axel2DP

Hi Crellston,

I was curious as to your camera setup for the Great Barrier Reef. Very nice underwater pictures. I had thought about travelling to Cairns this year, but I think I'll do it next year instead so that I have enough time to figure out how I'll be able to do underwater pictures relatively inexpensively .

progol

I just discovered the blog of your trips - WOW! Is all I can say! I've just started to look at your photos, and they are spectacular! I love the shots of Sapa, Vietnam - the scenery is gorgeous but the shots of the children really are remarkable.

Looking forward to reading more.

Paule

crellston

Thanks for your kind words Paule. I am just in the planning phase for another long trip, this time for 6 months in South America starting in May covering some of the places we missed first time around and so will be starting another blog soon.