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Published: August 4th 2014
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Cusco, Peru is over 11,000 feet in altitude. We were given coco leave teas to help sooth the sickening feeling by the hotel and we also bought some coco candies. I was told that coco leaves are used as the primary medicine in this region for a variety of ailments. The taste leaves a lot to be desired, but it was effective at easing our altitude sickness. We found a great little place to stay right in the Plaza de Armas for a little more than $100 a night, El Virray Boutique Hostal. We couldn’t beat the combination of the price and the location. Our room had an adorable balcony that opened right over the plaza looking at the Cusco Cathedral. I sat there every morning for breakfast/coffee and every evening for a few minutes before going to bed. It was a great way to start and end the day. The staff could not have been nicer, as well.
We spent 2 days in Cusco, Peru. I wish we had stayed a little longer because the town has a lot of beauty and character. Everyone was so kind and welcoming, which I suppose is something one would expect
for a town the relies on tourism so heavily.
We originally planned to hike up to the Christo Blanco statue that has an amazing view overlooking the city of Cusco and surrounding mountains. After feeling the affects of the altitude, we opted to take the bus up there instead. We made our way through the Saksaywaman site. The ancient ruins were part of the Incan capital city and were thought to be a fortress. It’s incredible to see how perfectly the gigantic boulders are fit together in order to make the structure. No mortar needed. It is baffling to put the site into perspective by comparing it to some sites from our other travels. The pyramids are 6,000 years old, the Great Wall of China is 2,000 years old, Angkor Wat is 1,000 years old.. yet Machu Picchu and Saksaywaman are about 500 years old, but much more primitive. Different continents of the world were so isolated that technologies were not shared. The Incans did not have iron tools, the wheel or architecture advancements like window and door arches.
After experiencing Saksaywaman we made our way to the Cristo Blanco statue. It’s a redeemer
statue, like the one found in Brazil, but smaller. Most South American cities have redeemer statues in one size or another. We took a few pictures with the statue, but mostly just marveled at the view over Cusco. It is stunning. There was a cool breeze sweeping through and it was so quiet and peacefully. We could have stayed there all day relaxing.
Once we made it back to the city it was lunch time. We have fallen in love with Ceviche (and Pisco Sours!) and spent much of our trip trying it over and over again in different variations. This lunch was no different. We went to a place that the hotel recommended called Limo across the square. They have windows looking over Plaza de Armas, and we were looking forward to people watching. With our trout ceviche (serrano) we ordered aipaca steak carpaccio, which is thinly sliced steak in a vinaigrette sauce. It was wonderful and so was the service. We each finished off our meal with a Pisco Sour cocktail.
We visited the cathedrals and walked around town during the afternoon. By the time evening came around the locals were setting
up a festival in the center of town. Handmade carnival games, fusball tables, food and treats were lining the streets. We enjoyed ourselves eating food and watching the games. It was nice to emerge ourselves in culture. I even got myself an Inca Cola soda, which is as popular as Coke in Peru. It reminds me a lot of a much sweeter Mountain Dew.
In conclusion, we loved Cusco. The cobblestone streets, beautiful balconies overlooking the street, hanging plants, the inspiring views, welcoming people and delicious ceviche made our trip so enjoyable. Without Machu Picchu being so close, I would hope people would visit and appreciate what this city has to offer. We’d love to come back :-)
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Peru
One of our favorite countries.