Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Monday 30th
We arrive in Cusco just after 7am feeling pretty tired and hungry.
We wait in the terminal for our transfer bus to arrive. We can't get directly to our hostel as lots of roads are closed for Easter celebrations. We have to walk a few blocks up cute pebble and cobblestone streets. At the hostel we have an hour to freshen up before we go out for a delicious European breakfast. After breakfast our CEO takes us on a tour around cusco. He takes us to an alpaca wool factory to help us identify between real and fake. They give us small finger puppets. Their clothing is beautiful, but it's awkward being followed around the store by sales personnel. We walk through more squares and past more churches.
We walk through another local market where there are organised by rows ppl selling like products.
At the end of the tour we have free time so we buy some water and lip balm from a supermarket and then continue to the local markets were mal buys a Peruvian flute and we buy a fruit smoothie from the line of identical stalls selling identical menu. Mango and pineapple 4 glasses for s/. 6 ($2 approximately ).
There are lots of strange sights and smells. We try some roasted Lima beans. They are hard and crunchy and take a while to get used too. Nothing like the yum corn. We walk through a alcove of little shops/stalls selling virtually the same items. I am tempted to buy a small bag, but don't today. Maybe later.
In the square we see a small child squatting in the curb to relieve herself.
We decide not to join a walking tour as we just had one of sorts and very tired! Mal has a few naps and I read. It's a relaxing way to end the day. At 7pm our inca trail guide comes and briefs us our the track and answers any questions. We are only to take 6kg duffle for porters to carry and a day pack for water for ourselves. There are going to be more porters than participants. 10 in the group, plus guide and 15 porters. We have to get up early most mornings on the trek.
For dinner we went to a restaurant close to our hostel where we were approached by a man with a book/portfolio of paintings of Peru. We want to purchase some, but we don't have time now so we put him off. The others are going salsa dancing after dinner, but I am falling asleep, so we return to bed
- comments