Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Cusco and the Inka trail Part 1:
We finally arrived in Cusco at 10pm after the ever so long and tiring journey from Copacabana. Cusco is a town filled full of Inka history and as it's also our meeting point for the Inka trail we was relieved that we made it there on time especially with the trouble we had getting out of Bolivia.
Jonathan decided a party hostel was in order this time, so arriving at Point hostel that night we were not surprised to find a chaotic atmosphere and a bar filled full of teenagers dancing about to deafeningly loud music and playing drinking games. We was 'lucky' enough to have been placed in a dorm room right next door to the bar, in which we was told only closes when everyone finally collapses in drunken stupors and toddles off to bed. Luckily I had ear plugs and a blindfold at the ready as music pumped from 9am in the morning continuously till 6am the morning after. I wasn't very impressed at all with the hostel as there was no security, no locks on the doors to the rooms and any stranger could wander in and out as they pleased leaving our few possessions vulnerable; Jonathan however was in his element looking on at the blackboard filled with all the happy hour drinks offers! However as all of the cheaper hostels in Cusco shared the party logo there wasn't much choice but to stay for the four nights before the Inca trail.
Cusco is delightful and situated mainly around two squares, Plaza San Francisco and Plaza De Armas with lots of little streets branching off. This town is full of old churches and cathedrals that are very impressive to look at as they are so vast they seem to tower over you. The squares date back to the Inka period in which markets where held and the Inkas would sell their crops of Potatoes and corn etc. Nowadays they are full of manicured gardens, fountains and benches in which you can sit and admire the view. Plaza San Francisco also holds street stalls in which you can buy hefty chunks of fresh bread, biscuits and seafood stews. We also visited a large local Market where you could buy anything from huge Pigs heads to Andean Black Sweetcorn and other traditional foods, drinks and souvenirs. Cusco is also great for massages so on arrival we treated ourselves to a 1 hour hot stone full body massage; very relaxing after our mini hike out of Bolivia and a bargain £7!
Jonathan insisted on a drinking session which on the Good Friday began at 4pm and finally ended 16 hours later. Myself not being a large drinker at altitude was awoke by Jonathan at 8am drunkily swinging off the bunk bed slurring away to himself. After finally belly flopping himself onto the bed, I was wide awake enough from his racket to not go back to sleep. Getting up and exploring Cusco on my own, I returned to the hostel at various stages of the day to see if Jonathan was alive and coherent. At 6pm that night he had finally sobered up enough for us to go out for some tea. However during the day I had explored the chocolate museum... and learnt about how to make chocolate from the bean aswell as all its healthy properties, I also went for another massage and a nice spot of lunch washed down with a few Inca Colas (tastes like Tizer); After abit of window shopping the day on my own had flown by!
The parties in the hostel continued well into the Easter weekend and by then we had quite enough of the noise (even Jonathan was fed up with it) and longed for peace and quiet. It didn't help the situation that Cocaine was starting to become heavily noticeable and used, and the manager of the hostel didn't even bother to stop it and instead joined in. On the last night of our stay Jonathans temper was frayed as one of our Dorm buddies ventured back to the room hourly to feed his habit; Luckily I didn't stir.
The following morning checking into Prisma hotel for the Inka trail felt like luxury having our own room and bathroom and we could relax in front of the tv and watch a movie. I also began to read the Lonely Planet guide to see what this hike entailed; I shouldn't have read it and stayed oblivious as to what was expected as it warned even the fittest people can struggle! We was all set for the talk which began at 5:30 to tell us all about our adventure to Machu Picchu and what to expect (Lonely Planet fears confirmed) and what we would need to take. Main items on our list was chocolate bars and walking poles which were recommended for energy and balance and to take pressure off our ankles and knees due to the many slopes we would be climbing and descending. We also met our guide Rosie, and the rest of our trekking companions, 15 of us in total and ages ranging from 19 to 65.
The first day was a guided tour of the Sacred Valley and visiting the Inca ruins of Pisac and Ollantaytambo. This was our 'tester' for altitude sickness and staircases, which we were told both would play a huge part in the following 4 days Inka trail to Machu Picchu. Luckily within our group of 15, I wasn't the only one apprehensive about these elements and everyone evidently puffed their way to the top of the ruins. However at the top of the staircases we was greeted by beautiful sights of the ruins, mountains and countryside... It was well worth it! After a day of exploring and visiting a community to learn about Andean culture and traditions (also to feed some Alpacas) we settled into a hotel to prepare ourselves for the trek ahead. Hayls and Jonathan x
- comments