Just quickly, I've fallen in love with Peru.

I'm writing this from my iPhone, so it's going to be slow going, as well as badly formatted. My apologies. But I felt like I'm letting down (slightly) the handful of people I know actually read this. So! Here we are. In a hotel lobby, awkwardly stealing internets in el Valle Sagrado (thats the Sacred Valley for those of you playing at home.

I've well and truly fallen in love with Peru. It's beautiful, and fascinating, and all manner of fun. It's rolling sand dunes and deserts with dotted oases and colorful little towns, and cities teeming with life. I fell asleep on the bus from Nasca, then woke up amongst mountains and snowy peaks in the distance, with jungles and rivers around me.

Linc and I have spent the last week and a bit in Cusco. A week with the sweetest Peruvian family, who brought me tea when I got food poisoning. I was vomming my guts up, but that won't taint my thoughts of Cusco. I've met so many interesting people, it's obscene. We're the only Australians at Amauta. It's full of Germans, Dutch, Americans, Belgians, Swiss. It's amazing, how traveling is so conducive to chance, short encounters with the most fascinating people.

I'll tell you this much for free, I haven't been this happy in a long, long time. Months. Ages. Aeons. But fuck me gently with a chainsaw, I was on the bus to the Sacred Valley and I just couldn't stop smiling. It was truly idiotic, my face. But I was just SO GLAD to be here, I put on some Elton John ("Philadelphia Freedom", for whoever's interested) and just grinned the trip away.

I have not the slightest inclination to go home. This is just way too much fun. And if this is the happiest I've been in over six months, then who am I to fuck that up? What am I, some sort of chump? Haha.

Anyway, we're heading back to Cusco for a couple nights on Friday, then we're beginning a trek to Machu Picchu, for four days. Then it's off to Arequipa, then country number two. I think I'll be ready to leave by then, but I tell you what, Peru's gonna have a special place in my heart. Aw. Isn't that nice? It is. Time for lunch.
Xx