Cusco part 1

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Wow so it's all been very non-stop until now! I'm back in Lima with a lot to catch up on with a jam-packed last week!

After the tranquility and beauty of Arequipa we finally made our way to Cusco to be there in time for Inti Raymi (the second biggest festival in South America after Rio) and to plan a trek. The streets were absolutely alive with people, dancing, colours, music, happinness, and people selling you massages! The only sad thing was that we didn't get to completely enjoy all the festivities as we wanted to find a good company to trek with, wanted to find a good trek, and wanted to have it all sorted. This took a lot more time than imagined as there are about a million companies. And what we know now is that it really doesn't matter who you pick at all. We went with a company called Apu Salkantay who had been recommended by another couple who were put on their tour, and another blog entry. After two visits, meeting the guide, agreeing what was included, asserting that we MUST have 2 guides and we MUST have first aid kits and the like, we went with them. Except it turns out that the way the Salkantey trek works is that you give someone your money, and they put you with whatever tour company is going. So we didn't go with Apu Salkantay at all but some shoddy half-wit tour operator (and sadly everyone elses was the same no matter who you booked with).

So apart from missioning around talking to people over and over, Cusco is beautiful, I really want to go back to see more of it and the sacred valley and maybe go next year and properly enjoy the party! It was amazing. They had a parade going around the main square that literally went on from first thing in the morning until the early hours of the next day. Not once did we walk past and nothing was happening. And the locals are all dressed up in various costumes and have different dances, and are so happy (probably drunk by the latter stages). On actual Inti Raymi day itself, the square was packed for the procession of the reanactment of the sacrifice to the sun/moon god or something. It really was quite impressive and they went all out. A really nice atmosphere, everyone just happy to party and celebrate the Cusqueñian heritage. Sadly this also coincided with my wallet being miraculously stolen from my bag so our day was spent going to the tourist police which is cunningly situated miles out of the city centre, then you have to go back to the centre to pay your 3 sol tax to the National Bank, then head back to the tourist police station to get your certificate. All made even better because the bank was shut so there was sod all I could do. Bit of a dampener but just a few bank cards down and some cash, could have been worse.

The evening was so crazy. We were trekking the following morning at 3.30am so we played it safe and quiet, but it looked like so much fun. The squares were full of people, drinking, eating, dancing, chatting. I'd have loved to have just sat and eaten all the anticuchos and potatoes and many treats on sale but we didn't want to get poisoned before camping for 5 days. Even so, definitely recommend for a good time (just keep your hand on your wallet, I still have no idea how they got through the velcro and the zip without me noticing). Fantastic atmosphere. Fantastic party. Fantastic people. Everyone very friendly and really nice to be in the centre of a traditional celebration of their legacy, it's a shame we don't have anything left of our culture like that.

And then we were off trekking for a whole new adventure...

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