Cusco, Peru

The bus trip from Copacabana was rather uneventful. I crossed the Bolivia-Peru border without any incident and now have another stamp in the passport. Sarah and I met a British girl named Tessa on the bus and when we arrived in Cusco we all shared a taxi to Plaza de Armes.

My first experience (that I know of) trying to be scammed in South America:

At the bus station the taxi driver agreed to take us to the plaza for 5 soles, but when we got there he said it was 5 each. We explained to him that we were only going to pay 5 soles total, then he started bargining, " okay, eight" he said. At that point we were sure he was scamming us and it wasn´t just a miscommunication. I said "five" a few more time, gave him a five coin and got out of the cab. We grabbed our bags from the trunk while the driver looked on, disappointed he couldn´t squeeze a few more soles out of the selfish gringos. I would have been okay with paying extra, I just don´t like to be scammed.

So after that we were standing in the plaza at around 9pm and did´t know where we are going to sleep that night. After consulting the trusty Lonely Planet we head uphill to the Loki hostel. We were a block away when we got to the bottom of a very steep street. The girls decided to wait at the bottom of the hill and I would check if the hostel had any rooms. I thought I would double time it up the stairs but forgot about the large backpack on my back and the fact that Cusco is at 3300m, needless to say I was completely out of breath in about 10 steps. Luckily after that climb they had space, we checked in, went for dinner at one of Cusco´s best restaurants Jack´s cafe, came back to Loki for a few drinks and then went to bed.

The next day Sarah arranged to meet up with her friend Laura so we all waited on the steps of the cathedral at exactly 12pm. We waited until 12:30pm when we decided she wasn´t coming. We found out later that she had a touch of Typhoid and therefore had a vaild excuse for not showing up as she was in hospital. She is okay now with some rest and a little help from Louis Pasteur, but that sort of thing isn´t uncommon here. After waiting in vain we had some lunch at the Irish Bar which is where I decided to have food involving avocado everyday in Peru, mainly because it is one of my favorite foods but also because it is so pleantiful and cheap here. As we were wandering aimlessly around Cusco playing with the idea of doing something productive I spotted some friends from home, Kia and her friend Kristin, across the street. Kia and Kristin had just arrived in Peru and were at the beginning of their trip so they didn´t have the same feeling of indifference regarding cultural sights as we all did. I decided to borrow some of their fresh cultural enthusiasm and join them for a whirlwind tour of the major sites of Cusco all included in one ticket. Luckily the ticket was half price for students and I was able to prove my student status with a quick flash of my Care Card (sometimes the language barrier can work for you). Back to Jack´s for dinner again that night because it was just that good.

The next day I met Kia and Kristin for breakfast at a cafe on the square. I was trying to decide whether to do a 4 day trek to Machu Picchu or do take the easy and leisurely train ride there. Kia and Kristin had booked a two day trip from home so decided to join them instead of doing a trek because it is always nice to travel with some familiar faces. We spent most of the day arranging the trip and the girls booked a flight for their return trip. That night, after I found some ice cream that solved all my problems and South America got even smaller. On the mysterious streets of Cusco I ran into Graham and his girlfriend Megan. Graham is a friend from home, an exroommate, exclassmate, future accountant and my new roommate come September. I´m not sure of the probability of running into the two groups of people you know are travelling on the same continent within 24 hours of each other, but I´m sure it´s quite slim. We all went for dinner that night at a place called "Fallen Angel" with excellent steaks and tables made from old clawfoot bathtubs filled with fish.

MACHU PICCHU, WAYNA PICCHU and AGUAS CALIENTE Next Post.

Back from Machu Picchu and into the train station at 10:00pm. I saw Laura (recovering from the Typhoid) on the train and we made our way back to good old Loki where I was able to get a room for the night.

The next day I went for breakfast, updated my blog and did my cultural event for the day: Saqsaywaman, or as it is known by most travellers - Sexy Woman. This is only about 2km walk from the Cusco, but is mostly uphill and the incline and the altitude makes you feel you are very out of shape. Dinner that night with Kia and Kristin at Jack´s (of course), before they jumped on a bus to La Paz. I was able to lighten my bag by giving them some cold weather gear I had bought for the salt flats as they were considering making the trip themselves.

The next day I finally decided on my next destination, Arequipa. I booked a bus ticket, then killed time in Cusco by eating one last time at Jack´s and wandering around. I went back to the hostel and picked up my bag, had a sandwich and few beers while thinking about how much I was going to miss Cusco.