We left Lima on October 5th around 5:30pm on the Cruz del Sur bus headed to Cusco. The bus was everything that we had hoped for - comfy recliners, great TV´s and pretty tasty food! We watched a few movies and had dinner before trying to fall asleep that night. Sleeping was a bit difficult due to the absolutely crazy driving of the bus driver; we were swerving around corners and lights kept flashing warning us that he was going way above the speed limit. Needless to say, it was not a very restful night. We woke up bright and early stopped on the highway in the middle of the Andes. Looking out the window, we noticed one of our rear tires was laying on the road surrounded by the crew. Unfortunately, at this point we were feeling the altitude sickness setting in too. Eventually, we got back on the road and drove for another 3 hours or so before stopping in a small town, Abancay, in the middle of the Andes. At this point, they asked us all to get off the bus because a new bus was coming to get us. To our surprise, when we exited the bus we noticed that the back tire was completely missing! Apparently, they drove those 3 hours with a missing rear tire. We laughed a bit but then thought Holy Shit! That probably wasn´t the safest way to partially cross the Andes. But, the most important thing is that we made it safely to Cusco after 24 hours worth of bus rides.The Andes Mountains is a truly special area that we will forever remember.
Cusco has been absolutely amazing so far! We are staying at the Flying Dog Hostel which is located nearby the main square, Plaza de Armas. Our room is colorful and even has a balcony overlooking the street, Choquechaca. We´ve spent the last few days roaming the city checking out many plazas, markets and the nearby ruins, Saqsaywaman (pronounced Sexy Woman).
On our first evening here we were fairly exhausted so we got settled in and went to a nearby restaurant, Nuna Raymi. We had the set menu which consisted of an appetizer, entree and dessert. We both really enjoyed this Peruvian cuisine and it only cost us 16 soles each, not bad!
The second day here we ventured out to the Plaza de Armas which is very beautiful and surrounded by cathedrals and shops. We even found a huge market nearby that sold everything from bull frogs to coca leaves. Mark got yelled at by a Peruvian woman for taking a picture of the bull frogs; she even sent her son out to yell/bark at him! It was pretty funny, but we were also pretty freaked out.We apologized and ran away as fast as we could. Now we know, do not take pictures of bull frogs!
After the market, we stopped by a ancient cathedral in the Plaza. A nice man gave us a tour and we ended up getting an amazing view of the Plaza de Armas from there.
Dinner was spent at a restaurant on our street called Jack´s Cafe. Hot sandwiches and soups are their specialties and they were delicious! We even had leftovers for the next day which is always great when your on a budget.
We had a fairly relaxing day yesterday visiting the local Chocolate Museum and watching a colorful parade. This month is known for it´s celebration of dance, music, and art which we have been very lucky to experience! At a local market, we bought Alpaca sweaters (to stay warm) and journals.
We bought bracelets from this local woman and her baby Alpaca, Jessica.
Today has been one of the most memorable days as we climbed up to Saqsaywaman and to a lookout on top of one of the mountains. We were amazed by the ruins and spent a good amount of time up there exploring and taking pictures. Pictures to come!
All in all, Cusco has been absolutely great. The people have been more than friendly and you could easily spend weeks exploring the streets and nearby mountains. We are off now to grab a late lunch and then off to the Mushroom Pub with our new friends, Chris and Jackie. We hope all is well at home and will be sure to blog again soon!
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