Back to Cusco
Trip Start
Jun 01, 2008
1
15
22
Trip End
Jul 27, 2008
Cusco,
Peru
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Cusco is great - lots of variety with shopping including some huge handicraft markets down the Ave del Sol. It also has the best variety of food we have found so far on the trip. The food offerings for vegetarians has been very limited. While our friends are tucking into their guinea pig (cuy) and alpaca steaks we have to settle for a tomato salad or veggie pizza. We´re just about over pizza to be honest. Anyway, the cheap price of beer makes up for it a bit although wine is pretty expensive and not that good. We have a couple of favourite restaurants here - Sumac Misky which serves Andean food but with more interesting twists. We´ve also found a sensational Indian restaurant (the only one we´´ve seen on our travels) - had a pig out there with 3 vego dishes and rice plus fantastic bhatoora bread and a 1.1 litre bottle of beer for $20. Can´t argue with that!
Cusco has some amazing churches and cathedrals, many of the roads and walls are Incan in origin - Cusco was the centre of the Incan culture. So lots of history, museums and things to see. It also has a beautiful Plaza de Amas. These plaza´s appear in most towns we´ve visited so far and represent the cultural centre of the towns. They are great meeting places - usually with people everywhere just chatting - shame we didn´t have something like them at home.
Had a tour round the Sacred Valley which contains many, many Incan sites. Also, did a horseback tour of some other sites. That was an experience! Nic had a horse called Colleen which apparently means short tail. Turns out Colleen was a boy with a very dodgy hindquarter action! Very uncomfortable!! Pam had a nice palamino called Bano which we promptly converted to Baño (pronounced banyo which means toilet - charming.) Simon, Laura and Kenny came along as well and we were all walking with straddled gaits by the end. The saddles were the most uncomfortable we´ve ever encountered but the horses seemed well cared for!
After some serious shopping action it´s time to move on from Cusco. The others have returned from their jungle excursion which they said was okay but lacked a bit of action. They didn´t see alot of wildlife either. Seems like our Ecuadorian jungle experience might have been more fun!
Next stop Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca - the highest navigable lake in the world!
All´s good, adios!
nic & pam
