Enjoying the altitude in Cusco

This morning after breakfast at our hotel we were picked up and taken to Lima Airport to catch a 12:10 flight to Cusco. (Short side note- Lima Airport has a Dunkin Donuts... we don´t even have a Dunkin Donuts in California!). The flight was a little more than an hour and after collecting our bags, we met with our driver from Condor Travel and headed to our hotel, the Casa Andina Private Collection. We had a city tour scheduled immediately upon our arrival so it was a good thing that the altitude did not seem to be affecting me at all.

We left our bags and headed off on our tour of Cusco. Some highlights...

1) Cusco Cathedral- located in the Main Square, the cathdral was built in 1580 and is absolutely gorgeous, both outside and inside. You cannot take pictures inside but there is someone selling postcards near the exit. There is a unique painting of the Last Supper inside, in which Jesus and the apostles are sharing a meal of Cuy (guinea pig, a local favorite in Cusco).

2) Sassayhuaman- an example of Inca military architecture, part of the fortress is said to have been shaped into the head of a puma (with the remainder of Cusco forming its body).

3) Qenqo (Kenko)- a ritual site built of limestone

4) Puca Pucaro- a military installation made up of stairways

5) Qonkancha (Temple of the Sun)- once the most important temple of the Incas, it was later the Church of Santo Domingo after the Spanish conquered Cusco city.

After our tour we stopped back at the hotel to unpack our bags and enjoy some coca tea (to combat the altitude). We walked several blocks back to the main square and had dinner at Inka Grill, which was highly recommended both by our guides and by several sites I had researched before the trip. The food is very, very good and reasonably priced (about $11 USD per plate). I had the Aji de Gallina, a popular Peruvian chicken dish.

After dinner we wandered around the shops in the square and then headed back to the hotel for the night.

Tomorrow we are off to explore more of Cusco!

---

---

---