Hola chicos,

Excuse typing errors – very worn out keyboard…We are back in Buenos Aires and I must say, this could be the undisputed capital of empanadas.  Today we went to a place called Ña Serapia, Las Heras, Av. 3357, and the empanadas were fragrant, delicate and so very delicious.

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=917

As well as the empanadas we had Locra which I can only describe as a soup or stew with heaps of corn and beans and other yummy things.  And just because it looked so good, we also had by far the best tamale I have ever had, anywhere.  This is definitely one to experiment with when we get home. We only have 24 hours left in BA and we are considering going back tomorrow before our flight…

So a bit of a recap since the transport strike.  We did manage to get to Machu Picchu and it was quite a journey.  Once in the town of Aguas Calientes one must locate the office to buy the entry pass and pay a rather large sum of money.  I think it equaled about 60 Aussie dollars.  Then you locate the place where you buy the tickets for the bus, and fork over another 15 or so bucks for a 20 minute all uphill, hair-raising, nail-biting bus ride.  Once inside the grounds you go up about a thousand steps to get the vantage point for the postcard photo of the actual Inca Ruins and the huge hill, Waynu Picchu!  Unbelievable.  After seeing it in so many documentaries and photos it is hard to believe you are actually standing there.  The depth and scale of it all is overwhelming!  I am so glad we got there.

We spent about 5 hours walking around and I think Andrew took over 100 photos.  It seemed we walked forever.

Back in town that evening we made good use of the hot springs that give the town it’s name and soaked our aching muscles.

Machu Picchu was the pinnacle for sure, but we also visited many other Inca ruins (Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, Ollantaytambo to name a few) and walked up and down numerous sets of stairs and terraced agricultural sites! The combination of altitude and stairs has been tough!

We got back to Cusco and enjoyed a few more meals at a favourite traveller’s haunt called Jacks where we had warming soups and herbal teas.

It has been an amazing adventure, not without a few hitches. Our flight from Cusco to Lima went fine then we sat in Lima airport for 5 hours waiting to get back to BA.  We finally arrived at our accommodation at 2am.

The B&B we are staying at in Recoleta is friendly and very comfy so we are resting up for the big flight back home.

What do we miss?  Our own bed and decent pillows! And Andrew’s Prawn and Pernot Risotto which he’ll make soon after we get back.

Would we do it again?  YES!  We are already starting sentences with “next time we come to South America…”.  There is so much more to see.  We would like to focus on Southern Argentina and Chile (and La Cumbre to see Tuti!).  But that’s another email.  We’ll let you all know when we get home safely and will post pictures on our Flickr site, eventually…