Hotel Cusco Plaza II

We´re in Peru - we have survived our trek - it was quite tiring and at high altitude. Having a great time. We arrived in Cusco to nice sunny weather - a great place to wander around and take in all the beautiful buildings. Whilst having lunch it started to rain - not sure I´m liking all this rain lately. That evening we had a briefing on our trek - sounds wicked - far better than the Inka trail (not that I´m bitter we didn´t get on it). I had a touch of altitude sickness and poor Ade went wit...

Cusco is full of history as the capital of the Inca empire, covering 10 countries. It is full of culture, remnants of old inca walls, wonderful cobbled steets, churches and plazas. The main square is stunning with a giant cathedral that stands along one side, inside it is among the best I have seen, full of treasure, glittering alters and numerous murals, all with their own story. Among the paintings inside is "the Last Supper" by Marcos Zapata, with Jesus and his disciples feeding on a plump...

Cusco Wednesday 2nd July We were not sorry to leave Lima. The perpetual grey sky, the barren landscape, lack of any real green space and the dirty air start to get to you after a couple of days. I am convinced that aggressive driving of the locals is due, in part, to their depressive environment. For us Lima falls into the same category as Quito; a gateway to somewhere else. For us today, this gateway was to Cusco. The flight from Lima to Cusco is only 1 hour yet they are worlds apart. We wer...

Friday 4th July Our half-day tour set down for this morning was cancelled. We were elated. One of the things we have missed on this organised tour is the flexibility to do what we want, when we want. I made full use of the free morning to do one of my favourite things, especially when traveling. That is, going for an early morning walk around the city and checking out the sites free of tourists whilst listening to the local music station. I was quite a sight apparently though and received muc...

Monday 7th July This was our last full day in Cusco. We chose to have the day to ourselves and that started with an early morning walk for Mark and I. You have to be careful when out walking at this earlier hour. Less traffic means that the cars and 'killer combies' that are out travel much faster. The traffic police don't wear crash helmets for nothing!!! The killer combies are a Lat Am, if not Peruvian, phenomenon. They are the cheap and preferred mode of transport for locals. They are priv...

its difficult to write the experiences of the past week into words...but i kept a wee journal so dont worry! 2 DAYS BEFORE THE INCA TRAIL. our group consisted of 6 tourists, 1 guide, 10 porters, 1 chef, 1 assistant chef. we met 2 other treckers as well as our guide at the briefing held in our hotel 2 days prior to the trek. Amber and Christie spoke very good Spannish and had come down from Ecuador as part of their pharmaceutrical undergraduate program in Wisonsin, USA. Both were very friendly...