Grounded

Getting to Cusco proved more difficult than we expected as our flight with the local airline TACA was cancelled amid extraordinary scenes at Cusco airport. Irate passengers besieged the desk at the gate as they told us Cusco airport was closed due to bad weather. Meanwhile other flights left for the same destination and they even boarded our plane from a gate downstairs in the hope we wouldn't notice.  

As the truth became apparent we joined the scrum for the last few places downstairs, which were allocated on a "who shouts loudest" basis. When, like us, a group of middle aged women missed out they formed a human barrier across the gate to prevent the last passengers boarding. They were forcibly removed by security.

TACA got us back to the airport for a second attempt at 245am so that we could wait two more hours to check in. More rows ensued as they made a shambolic attempt to separate yesterday's passengers from the people they were going to let down today. It is clear that the people in the Sheraton, where we spent the night, are very used to looking after stranded TACA passengers.

But we made it to Cusco in the end this morning, less than an hour after the new scheduled arrival time and we still have three days to get used to the thin air here at 3,400 metres (11,000 feet) above sea level before we start the Inca Trail - the four day walk to Machu Picchu.