Following the frosty encounter on the bus I watched as Zaza and Vicky avoided any sort of contact for the rest of the day. They didn’t look at each other, walk together or even sit together at lunch to enjoy the traditional offering of ceviche – a dish made of raw fish marinated in chillies, onions and lime juice. While Zaza and I sat in the sunshine trying to enjoy our food, with small talk about how refreshing and light the meal was and that we’d have to try and recreate it at home, we avoided the whopping big elephant of their earlier exchange. Meanwhile Vicky opted to sit with Gillian and Betsy, the two women in their seventies who we have found out are from Manchester and have been best friends since they were born, thanks to their mothers being neighbours and inseparable. She looked thoroughly immersed in the conversation and I couldn’t catch her gaze to encourage her to come and sit with us at all.

It’s funny how we’ve come away from home and I’m still clinging to the security of having my mates near. This isn’t how I used to be on my trips with Pia; I’ve always thought of myself as someone who can easily slot into any situation, but I realize now we always had each other during those adventures. We had the security of never being on our own, of having a teammate. I wonder if there’s only so much change we are able to comfortably deal with in life. Not that any change in the last year has been at all comfortable.

Vicky keeps her distance again for our trip to the Sacred Valley, opting to stick with Gillian and Betsy, and I get separated from Zaza here too; while she ends up with Claire and Sammi, I walk with ‘the kids’ Josh and Ben who have come away with their mum. Josh is as tall as me and Ben isn’t much smaller. Age-wise they’re not far off Claire and Sammi, yet because they’re with their mum the group seem to be collectively referring to them as ‘the kids’. I recognize their hunched-over stances and moody faces from my own teenage years and can’t help but feel drawn towards them.

‘You guys having fun?’ I ask at one point.

Josh shrugs and Ben nods politely.