South America Day 36

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17th February

Another 7am start as today we were moving on to Cusco, the capital of the Incas. We booked onto a bus leaving Puno at 7.30am, arriving in Cusco at 5.30pm stopping off at various sights on the way and including lunch. The bus was virtually brand new with high, comfortable seats with plenty of legroom. The first stop on the tour was at a pre-Inca museum with artifacts and stone carvings from pre-Inca cultures. The bus then made its way through fantastic scenery to the highest pass on the road at 4,300m backed by high glaciar covered peaks of the Andies. After a buffet lunch the bus passed through a fantastically scenic valley stopping at the ruins of a large Inca settlement with temple and mills and finally at a church built by the Spanish to convert the Incas to Catholic. The church is considered the 'Sistine Chapel of the Americas' and was full of huge paintings in gold frames, a gold alter taking up the whole end wall and art work and statues everywhere - pretty impressive.

On arriving in Cusco a short taxi ride from the bus terminal was the main square where we found a hostel and went on the hunt for information about visiting Machu Picchu - the lost city of the Incas. Machu Picchu is located 120km from Cusco and can be visited in one day but that would be rushed, however the better option is to stay in a village close to the site, Aguas Calientes then head up early for a full day in and around the ruins.

So, timetable for the next few days;


Weds 18th

Day in Cusco around the city

Thurs 19th

Train to Aguas Calientes, afternoon at the nearby hot springs

Friday 20th

4.30am start to walk or bus (weather dependent) to Machu Picchu for sunrise then all day to spend in and around the ruins. Train back to Cusco in the evening.

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