Cusco - Ruins & Ripoffs

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Unbelievably our bus arrived an hour earlier than expected into Cusco so we were left at the bus terminal in the middle of the night not too sure what to do. Taxi drivers and touts were in abundance despite the hour so it was not like we weren’t short for advice!

We had a coffee and took a look at Lonely Planet to see if we could find any candidate hostels and also to check the “dangers and annoyances” section to see if it was safe to be around town in Cusco at that hour. We went slightly against the advice of LP and at 0400 we selected the only cab driver that left us alone to take us to a hostel. It seems that not all hostels are 24 hours however and we ended up getting a lift to Plaza de Armas where we figured at least there would be a few people and some well lit areas.

By 0500 the sun was rising and we walked a few blocks to another hostel. Another few blocks sounded easy but it turned out the hostel is up a very steep street and several sets of stairs. With backpacks on board we were completely stuffed by the time we got to the door that - thankfully - was answered. We booked in for three nights at Albergue Hostel S40 (NZ$20) per night and were allowed to go straight to our room.

We were asleep the moment we opened the door and - except for a brief appearance in the land of the living when some fireworks were let off - we finally got out of bed at 0900.

There are so many tour operators in Cusco offering the Machu Picchu tour and the expense is so high that we spent 3 hours in the morning visiting agencies and running numbers until we figured the best bet was to make our own plans. We did book the backpacker train return from Cusco to Aguas Calientes through an agent at a painfully high US$100 each for the 3 hour journey. Locals have their own train at much, much cheaper rates but travellers have no other option than to book on this service. We also were given US$143 each for a flight from Cusco back to Lima which is considerably cheaper than we thought it would be.

Jo was keen to take a look around Convento de Santo Domingo, a colonial church built on old Inca Ruins (Coricancha). We spent a good hour wandering around the various parts of the church that is actually a series of areas and buildings based around a central courtyard. Some of the items on display were magnificent but I found a huge irony in the fact that we had passed several beggars on the way to Convento de Santo Domingo and yet all this money was tied up in artefacts owned by the Catholic Church. Every wall had a ¨no photos¨ sign on it but we were the only visitors taking any notice apparently so we have no pics of the inside. The mandatory postcard shop at the exit also failed to materialise.

We walked 3 blocks away from Plaza de Armas and Convento de Santo Domingo to find lunch. Many establishments in Peru have a set menu, chosen mainly by locals so we thought we’d give it a go. The entree was an egg and potato mix, followed by a big bowl of thick vege soup and the main was chicken and rice in a light curry sauce. Cost per meal - S6 (NZ$3!). We left well eaten and headed for the indoor market for some window shopping. I couldn’t help but wonder just how many Peruvian Beanies the world’s population needs. On the walk back to Plaza de Armas I bought a Cusco Soccer T-Shirt for S20 (NZ$10) and we stopped in every camera shop to try and find a polarising filter before we got to Machu Picchu. To give an idea of how long this took let me take you through the average Peruvian city street… Photo Processing and Cheap Camera Shop / Travel Agent / Restaurant / Repeat ad nauseum.

We finally found a filter at a shop just off Plaza de Armas that had what we were looking for at S155 (NZ$80) which was a little on the high side - but then almost everything in Cusco to date has been.

We staggered back up the hill to Albergue Hostel where we passed time on the deck watching the sun go down over the Andes. The hostel is perfectly located with views of Plaza de Armas and we couldn’t have asked for a better spot.

We spent a few hours at an internet cafe before retiring at 2220.

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Photos

Plaza de Armas
... from the hostel balcony

Cuzco
... from the hostel balcony

Plaza de Armas
... from the hostel balcony

Iglesia de Compania
... from the hostel balcony

Plaza de Armas
... from the hostel balcony

Football stadium
... from the hostel balcony

Plaza de Armas
... from the hostel balcony