On the morning we were to visit Machu Picchu, Tim and I had our first street food experience in Peru. It was 8am and we’d had just arrived in the sleepy village of Ollantaytambo when we spotted a little stand with steam rising from a hot pan in the chilly early morning. Perched on small plastic chairs, we hungrily dug into the Peruvian equivalent of a bacon and egg roll – a flat bun filled with thin slices of Peruvian feta cheese and a fried egg. Fueled for the day ahead, we hopped onto a train to Aguas Calientes, the tourist town from which we’d catch another bus to Machu Picchu. With the ‘lost’ city within reach, our excitement was growing…

It doesn’t matter how many times you hear how jaw droppingly spectacular Machu Picchu is, nothing can prepare you for it. It is simply awe inspiring. Rising up from a deep gully of luscious cloud forest, and often shrouded in mist, it is truly majestic. According to the history books and our local guide, Machu Picchu was originally discovered by Yale University historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. The ruins had remained hidden for some 400 years. Today, the legendary city of the Incas remains largely intact and you can literally spend an entire day wandering around the grounds. We found the best part of the day was sunset, when most of the tourists had already left.

The next day, we hopped on the train back to Ollantaytambo. However, unbeknownst to us this was no ordinary train journey. We’d barely settled in our seats when a large crowd of over 50s from Brazil filled the carriage, each clapping their hands and singing songs at the top of their lungs. Bottles of beer were cracked open and it wasn’t long before the entire carriage was dancing the conga. What the hell had we got ourselves into here? It was 10.30am in the morning! With a never-ending soundtrack of songs, it soon became clear that these guys were ‘in the zone’. It didn’t take long before we joined the festivities with a round of beers. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any more festive, the train staff staged a real life fashion show down the isle! The Brazilians went wild! Baby Alpaca jumpers, shawls, coats, scarfs – you name it. Carnival had hit the Peruvian railway big time…