I arrived in Cusco very early in the morning and tired as I was not able to sleep well on the bus - even after popping a few valium pills. Cusco in an amazingly beautiful city built in an amazingly beautiful valley. The city is much larger than I expected and more touristy than I had hoped but, WOW!! All of the red tile roofs, cobblestone streets, colonial buildings built on top of the ancient Inka foundations and the ornate cathedrals are increadible. Tiny alley ways are filled with shops and restaurants catering to tourists and the Plaza de Armas is killer. Mimes, marching bands and other street performers are always around putting on a show.
The Loki Hostel here is amazing. It is a restored 450 year old building that used to be the mayors house and a wannabe governers mansion. The hostel sits high up a hill above the Plaza de Armas making for a good workout each time you walk back up. Cusco sits at about 11,000 feet so the air is thin and many people have issues with altitude sickness. Luckily I have had no problems. The hostel is huge with over 250 beds total. They issue each of us armbands so the security gaurds no who to let in. My room only has 8 beds so it is cozy with a killer view of Cusco below.
I rented a mountain bike and did a few trails, rented a horse for $5 and took it up to the Sacsayhuaman ruins, and checked out the local food market where all the cow & pig hearts, intestines, brains, heads, etc. are on display and for sale. Each morning I go to the market for a juice smoothie made with fresh bananas, apples, papaya, pineapple, beets, mangos and a few other unidentified fruits. I go to the same lady and get three full glasses for about 66 cents!!!!
The arts and craft for sale here are mostly handmade and very affordable. Alpaca sweaters for $7, killer jewelry is dirt cheap and there are thousands of unique items to choose from. I have not started buying things yet as I do not want to carry them around for the rest of my trip. The food here can be as expensive as in the states (around the Plaza de Armas) or you can get a great meal for $5 just a few block away. The preffered beer is Cusquena (similar to Harp) but I like the Cuscena Negra, their dark beer. The most popular soda is Inca Cola - much more poular than Coca Cola. It tastes like cream soda with bubble gum flavor added to it. I dont care for it much. The local moonshine is called Cunasco and I'm sure I could run my truck on it!
The street vendors here are pushy, especially the 8 year olds out trying to sell gum & candy at 2AM. Every street corner has a person yelling "llamadas!" selling individual calls on cell phones. The police keep better control of traffic here and it is much safer to cross the streets than in Lima.
My first night here I fell victim to a scam. I was pretty blitzed in a disco when an extremly beautiful Peruvian girl came up to me running her hands through my hair, telling me how sexy I was and grinding on me on the dance floor. I thought it was too good to be true - and it was. She was in cahoots with the bartender, the taxi driver, the doorman & bartender at another bar. Luckily I escaped any harm and was only out about $80 before I realized she was pumping me for cash for sex. I made my way back to the hostel and the security gaurd knew i had been scammed and had a good laugh at my expense. Another lesson learned....
I have met travelers from over 30 countries. I have spent a lot of time with several cool Canadian kids I met in Lima and a group of girls from Argetina and nice lady from Iceland. I really like this Hostel style of traveling as opposed to regular hotels. It is much easier to meet people when you have to share bedrooms and bathrooms every day.
Next step in my adventure is the four day Inka Trail trek to Machu Picchu. Pics and more blog coming soon. I'ts almost 5AM and time for me to sleep. . . .
Stay tuned
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