Beggars, hawkers, and squawkers on every street corner berate you to buy their handicrafts or eat in their restaurants. Shops selling the exact same merchandise on every street and in every nook made me question how any of them made any money at all. Alpaca scarves and sweaters, woven tablecloths and table runners, chullos (woolen hats with earmuffs), embroidered purses and change purses, wall hangings, ceramics, knickknacks and other chotchkes...The cramped places of Cusco were stuffed with it all and we were in a buying mood! We were in Cusco for nearly 2 and half days before hitting the trail and all the guide books recommended taking it easy to adjust to the altitude. I love taking it easy, so sign me up, Cusco!! So far, a dull headache is the only notice Cusco has given me that I am so high above the earth.
Our hostel, the Pirwa Backpackers on San Francisco Plaza (just like in Lima...but not really), has us waiting for a room until 10:30 AM, as we arrived by 8 AM. In the meantime, we have some breakfast. I have my first panqueque (pancake) with honey and my God, it tasted good. We also have our first of what will be MANY cups of cocoa tea, or mate (mah-tay). [Allegedly, cocoa leaves, whether in tea or stuffed in your cheek and sucked, relieve the symptoms of altitude sickness. I don't know if those leaves actually worked or whether it was a placebo effect, but I believe in them. I believe in the mate. As many of the keychains and other souvenirs said, "Cocoa no es druga." Its not cocaine, folks, but an excellent herbal remedy for altitude sickness!!]
After some confusion over our reservation, we are assigned a room. This, after I fell asleep on a very short couch in the lounge of the hostel. Below, Ryan and Amanda watch TV and doze, respectively, while we wait for our room:
Our room is three bunk beds in a fair enough sized room. Not huge, but not too cramped. The wooden floorboards of the 500 year-old-building creak like a spooky haunted house. Late night visits to the communal bathroom will be heard by everyone...which, in the end would be the least of the noises heard in the middle of the night (late night karaoke in the hostel bar, anyone???). The last thing on my mind upon arrival is which alcoholic beverage I will drink. With the dull headache ebbing and flowing, being drunk is no grand goal...
So, we spend the day touring around Cusco. Here is the Plaza de Armas (of which there is one in EVERY city of Peru, if not South America):
At lunch, I have alpaca tenderloin and man, I need a new word for "so good!" It tasted so scrumptious, but it paled in comparison to the trucha (trout) I had at the Inka Grill for dinner (see below).
I wish I had the appetite for more dessert - Larry, Tami, and I split an incredible chocolate cake at lunch. I am completely overwhelmed by the language of this place, the architecture, the smells, sounds, and high energy buzz. It is hard to believe that already, all these sites and experiences have occurred in one day. I guess that's what the early bird gets...But I am also ready for a full night's sleep, with no 3 AM wake-up call. I think Amanda could have gone all night, as she shopped her way through Cusco and wore nearly everything she bought:
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TRIP STATS (thusfar):
Number of times I've said "No, gracias.": 50 million
Alpaca meat: 1
VW Beetles sighted: 600,000 (NO JOKE)
Chullos sighted: infinity
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