Cusco

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Due to a strike we had to leave Puno 1 day early which was a real shame as my mate Alex was due in town just as we were getting on a bus and we had hoped for a night out together in Puno.

Cusco is the most touristy place we have been so far on this trip and that's because it's the main gateway for everyone going to Macchu Picchu. As a consequence our usual good standard of hotel went down slightly - our room was like a cell which had been painted yellow, with only a tiny skylight! thankfully the beds were comfy though and it had a tv with cable for our CSI obsession!

the city has lots of beautiful churches, a cathedral and pretty main plaza with fountains and cobbbled streets. Over the next 4 days I explored the town with Harry and Pippa as 6 of the other group members had an add-on trip into the Amazon jungle. I had looked into this but couldn't justify the cost and was happy to saty in one place for more than 2 days.

we went out for nice meals, went shopping in the local markets. We also had a night out and hit a club which was full of both locals and tourists. One of the highlights was the horseriding to Saqsaywaman - an ancient Inca site and i had a lovely horse - Paloma. i was supposed to be going paragliding but in the end i didn't feel too great so had a relaxing day instead - saving my strength for the inca trail!

I ws happy when the amazon crew returned from the jungle and Alex arrived in Cuzco too so we had a few drinks to celebrate before heading to Arequipa the next day.

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Photos

Cusco cathedral
taken from a lovely little coffee shop

jill olympus 2 344
the tallest rock in the Saqsaywaman walls

how many people can you squeeze in a taxi?
8 plus the driver!

out for food and drinks
at los perros - fab restaurant

in honour of MJ...
Thriller moves