In 2010 I went to Cusco, Peru for a conference (lucky, eh?) to discuss the metal Molybdenum, one of Peru's exports. Usually these conferences involve a visit to a local mine or plant but as the hosting company's copper-moly mine was difficult to get to, they decided that the visit should be to Machu Picchu instead - you've never seen a more enthusiastic bunch of conference goers or a higher take-up of the trip! Although the altitude did cause some people problems a couple of cups of coca tea, which was available on tap in the hotel lobby, sorted most of us out and kept the headaches at bay. For those of us who stayed for the visits post-conference (which let's face it, was nearly everyone), we were treated to a tour of Cusco itself, a visit to the ancient Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman and took the train to Machu Picchu itself where we spent a day wandering around the ruins of this Inca city, high in the Andes. I was blown away by the beauty of the mountains and amazed at the sheer tenacity of the Incas to build a city in this inaccessible place.
