What happened in Cuzco...

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Kenya 2006

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Cuzco was a quick hour flight from Lima.  Cuzco is a city at altitude (3500M) so the advice is to take it easy here for a couple of days before doing any tours and also have your Spanish phrase book to hand.  Bombarded at the airport for places to stay we managed to get a good deal on a lovely hotel near the main square which was good for walking to.  The weather here is a burning sun, but as soon as you go in the shade it is freezing like a ski resort without the snow.  It’s a lovely place and very relaxed, much safer than Lima downtown and we sure have had to speak Spanish which has been fun!

 

You see all the new people in the town, walking around very slowly puffing for air.  We felt a bit like that, especially tied in with the time differences you feel shattered.  A few cups of the local brew “Coca Tea” should sort you out so they say.

 

Cuzco is a place to do active things so you see plenty of tourists with zip off khaki trousers, walking or trail shoes and back packs.  I’ve even had many a kid comment on my snazzy new trail shoes that I think need to get dirty…  With what time we have planned in Peru, this will be our base to do the three things we want to do here.  Go into the Amazon, visit Lake Titicaca (highest altitude lake in world) and do some trekking to Machu Picchu.

 

Guess what we only saw another religious procession on our second day here that went on for hours and hours.

 

After our relaxing day in Cuzco after the Machu Picchu trip we did our own trip to the Sacred Valley.  We caught a local bus to Pisaq about an hour away.  Being Sunday it was market day. 

 

This is another high altitude resort and the sun was hot but a great breeze.  Huge great market in the middle of the town.  We wheeled and dealed for a few bits and pieces and saw our first whole guinea pig cooked on a spit! NICE! 

 

We did the trek that took about an hour up to the ruins which was cool.  Another amazing sight so high up perched on the mountainside.  Funnily enough when we got back down to base we had more coffee and cake.  Good job we did as the bus ride back was an experience. 

 

The bus pulled up already with the seats taken.  Why did it stop?  Well in Peru safety regs don’t really apply.  Plenty of room and everyman for themselves.  So we bundled on, standing room only.  They packed us on then set off.  People even doze off to sleep while stood up.  One girl stood up just dropped her bag while standing and landed on the headrests slumped in a deep sleep.  Funny to see people having to shake her awake.  All back ok...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Procession day

Corpus Christi celebration

Us at the top of the ruins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pisaq Inca ruins

 

 

 

Plaza de Armas, Cuzco

One of many narrow streets

 

 

A couple of days here chilling out before we hit the Amazon.  Surprising how quickly a place feels like home for a while...except that when you do your washing at home you don’t lose any clothes!  We thought the hostel was doing us a big favour by offering to wash our clothes…only for Rachel’s one and only jumper to go missing!  Not your normal jumper either, a Polartec fleece.  All the hostel wanted to do was blame the poor maid who took the clothes to the launderette and take a month’s wages from her to pay for a new one!  We had to insist they didn’t do this and it was the hotel’s problem.  In the end we didn’t really get it resolved and we’re a jumper short!  Let’s hope our complaining to the tourist info people at the airport does some good for other travellers…

 

A couple of runs in the sunshine here and more coffee and cake consumed!  We also found a good little movie café showing some films on a projector which was good to watch some films we didn’t have time to watch in the UK.  They also had the new Stars Wars film for viewing as well…just didn’t get time to watch it!  Save that one for later.

 

 

Pisaq market

Pisaq town from the ruins

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