Day 2 in Cusco
Woke up early on day 2. Not entirely on purpose. FYI, the Amaru Hostal in Cusco is dirt cheap - $17 a night. It's amazingly clean and comfortable for that amount of money. The rooms can get a little cold at night but you can rent a space heater for $3/nt. I ended up just sleeping with layers and was fine. So anyway, the rooms are a great value, but beware the thin walls. So like I was saying, I was awoken fairly early in the morning by a young couple. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I just decided to get up. It was probably only 7 am, but what the hell. Might as well check out Cusco since I only have a limited amount of time in the city.
Surprisingly, no headache or any obvious signs of altitude sickness so I adapted to the altitude ok. Definitely noticed a shortness of breath when walking uphill, but that's to be expected.
I spent the first couple of hours just walking around as the stores weren't even open. The vendors started putting up their wares around 10 so that's when the shopping began. I bought some convertible pant/shorts to go hiking in ("shants" as my friend calls them). The cloth zips off at the knees so it allows for more flexibility with the weather. I also bought some random souvenirs for friends/family back home.
I started getting hungry around 12, so decided to stop off for lunch even though it was pretty early and the restaurants were just setting up. I had to try a local delicacy (when in Rome...) so I ordered the guinea pig. Luckily I was eating alone or else my dining companion would have been utterly revolted as I was when the entree came out. They serve the guinea pig whole - head, feet, tail, all... I was starving and it was an experience, so I gave it a shot. (I had to cover the head though. Couldn't have it looking at me while I ate it.) The skin is fried, but still so tough that I couldn't eat it. The meat was pretty salty and tasted like chicken, but was very tender. It's not anything I would order again, but I felt like I had to while I was in Peru.
The afternoon was spent on a "city tour" around Cusco, which was actually 4 hours spent on ruins just outside the city proper. It flew by fairly quickly and I didn't feel like I had adequate time at the ruins, so I probably wouldn't recommend it. You can just as easily get to the sites by cab and there are locals in the area that will guide you thru.
By the end of the tour, it was 7 pm and I had my briefing for the Inca trail the next morning. Miguel, who would be my trail guide, stopped by the hotel and gave me the 20 min overview. Afterwards, there were a few last minutes items that I had to pick up at the market (i.e., water, Coco leaves, Gatorade, energy snacks, etc.) and then it was off to bed for an early start in the morning.
Surprisingly, no headache or any obvious signs of altitude sickness so I adapted to the altitude ok. Definitely noticed a shortness of breath when walking uphill, but that's to be expected.
I spent the first couple of hours just walking around as the stores weren't even open. The vendors started putting up their wares around 10 so that's when the shopping began. I bought some convertible pant/shorts to go hiking in ("shants" as my friend calls them). The cloth zips off at the knees so it allows for more flexibility with the weather. I also bought some random souvenirs for friends/family back home.
I started getting hungry around 12, so decided to stop off for lunch even though it was pretty early and the restaurants were just setting up. I had to try a local delicacy (when in Rome...) so I ordered the guinea pig. Luckily I was eating alone or else my dining companion would have been utterly revolted as I was when the entree came out. They serve the guinea pig whole - head, feet, tail, all... I was starving and it was an experience, so I gave it a shot. (I had to cover the head though. Couldn't have it looking at me while I ate it.) The skin is fried, but still so tough that I couldn't eat it. The meat was pretty salty and tasted like chicken, but was very tender. It's not anything I would order again, but I felt like I had to while I was in Peru.
The afternoon was spent on a "city tour" around Cusco, which was actually 4 hours spent on ruins just outside the city proper. It flew by fairly quickly and I didn't feel like I had adequate time at the ruins, so I probably wouldn't recommend it. You can just as easily get to the sites by cab and there are locals in the area that will guide you thru.
By the end of the tour, it was 7 pm and I had my briefing for the Inca trail the next morning. Miguel, who would be my trail guide, stopped by the hotel and gave me the 20 min overview. Afterwards, there were a few last minutes items that I had to pick up at the market (i.e., water, Coco leaves, Gatorade, energy snacks, etc.) and then it was off to bed for an early start in the morning.
posted by KC at
12:07 AM
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