Hotel Royal Qosqo Cusco

... a visit to Pukara, Sicuai, Raqchi, and Andahuaylillas)<br>*<br><br> Cusco City Tour<br>*<br><br> Guided visit to the Sacred Valley of the Incas<br>*<br><br> Tour in Machu Picchu<br>*<br><br> Bus ticket Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu / Aguas Calientes<br>*<br><br> Train ticket from Cusco to Aguas Calientes and from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo<br>*<br><br> Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco<br>*<br><br> Entrance ticket to all ...

... if I were to make my way back up to Bogota the same way it would cost half the dollars but I would spend four days in transit. And then Ill take a boat from Iquitos to the Brasilian/Colombian border and then take a flight from Leticia all the way up to either Bogota or Cartagena. I hear that the river boat travel is long and boring because there´s nothing to do but watch the river as you go by, but the pictures will likely be amazing. So if I don´t get jungle tomorrow, then I´ll get it ...

... haven&#8217;t thrown that all out the window, arriving here, getting my &#8220;mountain legs,&#8221; and finally booking a hostel for more than 3 nights in a row has been an important reminder of depth vs. breadth. In contrast to my hasty introduction to the city sights in Lima, I felt excited to settle somewhere for a while &#8211; take time to truly get to know the community, and live here &#8211; rather than &#8220;tour&#8221; or &#8220;sight-see&#8221; my way around ...

... and return to the lounge. Cerveza would be nice, but coca tea is in order as the cold is still doing a number on my lungs!<br><br>The group decides to head out for an awesome post-climb dinner at a local restaurant, having already agreed that tonight is the night to try the local delicacy- Guinea Pig! Kitty is the key instigator in this, but about half of us agree to go along and at least taste the little rodent.<br><br>The roasted Giunea Pig comes ...

... back. We were then taken back to the station &amp; I had to confirm my statement by not only signing it &amp; giving my passport number, I was finger printed too!<br><br>We had to go back again today (Monday), after going to the national bank &amp; paying to receive the report. However, the report misses out vital parts of my statement which they wouldn´t change..... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH<br><br>xx<br>

... Denmark, US, Hong Kong and Canada and they were all different ages (and fitness levels - me being at the lower end of this scale). Cusco is really high up (3300m) and most people who arrive there get altitude sickness - to counter this we drank loads and loads of water and chewed on Coca (plant that cocaine is made from - apparently good for altitude sickness) and except for me wandering around whinging on the first day neither of us got sick which was rewarding. We ...

... the Long Branch at 2:30 am for dibs on the really drunk girl<br>wearing a cowboy hat and only one shoe. Alas, his beaming smile<br>slipped from his face as he watched us veer off toward another driver<br>who suddenly appeared in the gap carrying a sign bearing Laynni's<br>name, which was, against all odds, spelled exactly right. I could<br>almost feel the original prize-winner slumping behind us, bottom lip<br>all the way out, petulantly kicking dirt around. A harsh world ...

... spread the good vibes. Oh my gosh, my first coins don&#8217;t get on the playing table. This is harder than it looks! There is body positioning, hand and arm technique and eye-body coordination. But most of all you need to remember your sense of humor. Julio won hands down. I&#8217;m sure that Harvey put a few extra coins in the slots when I wasn&#8217;t looking. We all worked up a thirst ...

... never to purchase it again.<br><br>Clinic Trip &amp; Random Wandering (28 July)<br>The previous day I suspected I had developed some kind of UTI to add to my previous doxycycline-induced ailments (good times) so in the morning me and Claire went hunting for a clinic which had a big poster advertising its services in the main hall of the hostel (having already seen an Ecuadorian medical professional, I evidently though it would be fun to see a Peruvian one, perhaps start a list ...

... eats and plans on avoiding food like salad while she was in Peru. I really thought she was overreacting. However, because of all her talk, I started to get paranoid too. I stopped eating the salad and focused on the rest of the plate instead. After having my seconds and thirds, we all got a move on and hopped back on to the minibus which took us to our next stop which was the town of Ollantaytambo. <br><br>If I knew beforehand what a quaint and beautiful town it ...