Cusco

Overlooking Cusco 

We got up horribly early to catch two separate flights both leaving at around 5.30 from Lima to Cusco. We set off on time leaving my mum and Sue and Dennis to catch their delayed flight.  As we got near to Cusco in thick cloud, I half woke up to the engines roaring and the pilot announcing that if weather conditions didn’t improve, we would return to Lima as he couldn’t make contact with the airport to land.  Fortunately after a bit of circling we landed in the rain without incident.

As we were nearly an hour ahead of the others we jumped in a taxi to a hostel which we had reserved upon the recommendation of a scruffy Welshman who was going through a tricky patch with his Peruvian wife and currently living in the hostel where we stayed in Lima. Cusco is at 3,330 metres above sea level and as we trudged up steep allies through the rain to the hostel which cars cannot reach, we could tell the air was a lot thinner. The hostel, though not appalling, had ladders to the rooms, shared bathrooms, many cats and an overemphasis on alternative therapies. Our own therapy was to leave our backpacks there while we went to find a nicer hostel. After a bit of running around we found the perfect place, got ourselves booked in and conveniently bumped into a taxi load of parents who had had a completely seamless journey; even the rain had stopped by this point. 

The rain never came back and we had a great time (debilitating sickness aside) exploring cobbled streets lined with magnificent Inca walls, fine colonial architecture and endless, vibrant craft and alpaca wool shops.An Inca wall where tourists can always be found having their photos taken. One of the rocks has twelve corners which apparently makes it very special, it also features in the design on Cusquena beer bottles. 

An evening stroll panting our way uphill to a lovely view point over Cusco.

Due to health concerns, our eating options were limited (any more veg with tripe or raw fish were out) but luckily we found a German restaurant supplied by its own dairy and run by a nice man who took a special shine to Sue. He recommended she drink ‘happiness tea’ and eat plain food, which she then did for the rest of the holiday. We’re not sure what was in the happiness tea but it seemed to do the trick and Sue has bought a special mug (area for herbs at the top) to try and recreate the experience back home.  I was very impressed by the option of hot milk with honey for 60p per half litre.

There are lots of lovely places overlooking the main square to enjoy a coffee or hot chocolate.

The scale of tourism in Cusco is quite unlike anything we have experienced thus far on our travels.  You cannot walk 5 metres in the centre without being offered a painting, a woolly hat, a massage or the opportunity to take a photo of a child in traditional dress with an alpaca (small llama). In the mornings an endless stream of modern tourist buses whisks people off into the hills on trips to the Sacred Valley of the Incas or to Machu Picchu. Despite all this, Cusco retains a certain charm and we like it.