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I arrived in Cusco after a 16-hour journey from Ica. I'd decided to book into Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta, a small hostel 15 minutes or so from the main square. I wasn't sure how my body would react to the altitude change so I opted for a quieter place rather than one of the big party hostels. I settled my stuff into the 3-bed dorm and headed for the center of town. Cusco itself is a picturesque town set into a valley, with narrow streets and colourful buildings. The huge main square was busy so I sat and people watched a little. Walking around was proving to be a tiring process as the altitude took its toll. I had to consciously reduce my walking speed as normal speed would mean I was tired within a few minutes. Steps were a real struggle. Every flight that I had to navigate was like a nightmare ending in a short period of breathlessness. Even so, I managed to explore a few of Cusco's plazas and a local market as well. That evening I bumped into Pierre, an Aussie and we arranged to meet the following morning and head out on a day trip.
Pierre and I set off at around 10:15am. We took a collectivo for S/3.5 to Tambomachay, a set of ruins around 10km outside Cusco. We headed back into Cusco, visiting three more sets of ruins along the way (Pucapucara, Quenqo and Sacsayhuaman). The walk was beautiful, through the valley surrounded by green mountainsides and in the backdrop some snow-capped peaks of the Andes. The ruins at Sacsayhuaman were impressive, constructed with gigantic rocks. I couldn't believe that the Incans had transported these here without wheels. Once back in Cusco, I took a nap (the altitude has a habit of making you feel very fatigued) before meeting Pierre and an American girl for dinner. We ate at a small local restaurant suggssted by the security guard. It was simple food (Milañesa de pollo - breaded chicken with rice, some fries and salad) but at $3 I wasn't about to complain. After dinner we headed to a bar (Mushrooms) on the main square for a couple of happy hour Pisco Sours. One of the Peruvian girls working at the hostel had suggested a local bar/club to us so we headed there. We were the only gringos in the place which was great. The atmosphere was so relaxed and friendly compared to places back home full of people trying to find someone to go home with. Better still, there was live local music. I had started to feel a little unwell and so I called it a day relatively early.
The following day I was feeling really awful. I spent pretty much the entire day in bed with a headache, temperature and fatigue. The fatigue was the worst. Just walking a few feet was exhausting. The day of rest paid off and on Saturday I felt much better. I decided to still take it easy. The weather was fantastic so I sat in the main Plaza for a couple of hours with a book, glancing up to people watch every so often. I popped in and out of a couple of nice little coffee shops and then visited a museum just off the main square. There were some interesting artefacts and some religious paintings which highlighted the importance of art for the Spanish in converting the locals to Catholicism. Also, the exhibits explained the importance of Cusco to the Incans. It was seen as the centre of their empire, which stretched from Ecuador right down to Chile.
I'd moved to Milhouse Hostel for the weekend. This was one of the bigger party hostels. I bumped into Pete who I'd travelled to Huacachina with and we were joined by a couple of Irish girls for dinner. We went to a restaurant near the hostel where I had an Alpaca curry, which was delicious. The Alpaca meat is similar to beef in texture but with a different flavour. We headed to the hostel bar and then a club on the square.
Sunday meant another hostel move. I had booked into Hostal El Tuco, a few blocks from the main square. It had good reviews as a quiet hostel which is what I wanted for the night before heading off on the Inca Trail. I spent part of the day in a church which had been built by the Spanish on top of the foundations of an Incan building. There was more interesting artwork here and more explanation of the importance of Cusco to both the Spanish as conquistadors and the Incan empire.
Monday morning meant an early start as I was being picked up by the tour company (Bamba) at 5:30am.
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