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We´re here in Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas and neither one of us can breathe. 11,000 feet above sea level ain´t no joke. Just walking a few feet up hill we get winded, and everything in Cuzco is uphill. I´m getting tired just typing this out.....
So, we arrived in Lima very late May 2 with a taxi waiting for us at the airport to whisk us to our hostel in the Miraflores district. Whisk would be a gentle term. Eduardo (our driver) definately has a lead foot. More like ead legs and a heavy hand on the horn, riding the bumper of the car in front of us and squeezing his little Toyota Carolla between vehicles he shouldn´t probably be squeezing in between. Lots of taxis in Lima. Seems like the overwhelming majority of vehicles. Our guidebook said something like 1 in 7 cars is a taxi. Seems more like 7 in 1.
Lima is pretty much what I expected. Run down, dirty, and overly congested. Despite these drawbacks, we still enjoyed some of its´colonial charm and seafood. We took a taxi to the Plaza de Armas to view some of the cathedrals and governent buildings.
Very muggy and humid day. Ugh! We stopped off for lunch in a tiny little bar that has been serving sandwiches de jamon (ham sandwich) and pisco sours (the national drink of Peru-similar to a margarita made w/ Pisco-white grape brandy) since the turn of the century. Lots of character and charm. Very cool that we stumbled upon this place. We also toured the Monestario de San Francisco nearby, a lovely church and monsetary w/ catacombs in the basement. They didn´t allow pictures in the monestary and I was pretty disappointed as it seemed like an excellent photo opportunity around every corner, especially the catacombs and library. We were able to photograph the church service inside the Cathederal though. Very interesting to see locals, vast majority devoted Catholics, in their own setting.
We then took another taxi to the beach for some mariscos fresca (fresh seafood)! We ended up in a new outdoor courtyard/strip mall right on the beach complete w/ a Chili´s, TGIFridays, and Tony Roma´s. Not exactly the culinary Peruvian experience we were hoping for, we settled on a slightly more expensive retaruant. More expensive than we planned, but the food turned out to be excellent. Ceviche
(raw seafood marinated in lime juice, onions, cilantro, and chilies) and Pisco Sours were fantastic, and amazing ocean view to boot.
Our flight to Cuzco the next morning was a quick 1.5 hrs over the Andes mountain range. I´ve never spent so much time staring out a window! Snow peaked mountains and tiny terraced villages below. Such a beautiful view, even w/ our scratched window.
Once we stepped off of the plane, the elevation hit us both immediatly. Not terrible, just winded after walking a few feet. The hostal we are staying at has complementary coca tea for newly arrived guests. Coca, the plant used to make cocaine, has been used for hundreds of years by the indigenous people of the Andes and is still a large part of their society today. (A local man just purchased some coca candies in the internet cafe we are in!) Mainly used to prevent and treat atlitude sickness, it is made into tea, candies, cookies, and even infused w/ Pisco. Can you tell I like the Pisco?
Today we took it pretty easy and just explored our imediate neighborhood. Walking any more than 20 feet uphill leaves us winded and
our hearts racing. Hopefully by tomorrow we´ll feel it a little less. We´re staying in a beautiful part of the city, the San Blas barrio! Cuzco is amazing! Huge Inca stone walls are at the foot of many buildings w/ Spanish colonial stones filling remaining spaces in many of the walls. So cool. Cuzco has the utlimate weather (hopefully it stays this way). It´s probably 70 F and maybe 58 F at night. Sunny and little chilly breeze, but not extreme by any means. Lots of artisan shops, restaurants, and cafes. Tasty food, tons of shopping and loooots of other tourists.
All of the little shops we have been in, the owners were more than friendly and extremely patient and hospitable. We stepped into a local artists´ gallery who had the most fantastic paintings. Dreamlike addaptations of ancient Incan civilizion w/ lots of beautiful colors. Might stop by again and get someWe have both studied Español in the past, but are quite rusty. Despite our misuse of words and especially conjugation of verbs, the locals seem to really appreciate our efforts and jabber away in Spanish to us. We get some of it and kinda pretend we understand the
rest.
Susan and I both are really enjoying this city and can´t wait to explore some more tomorrow!!!
PS. I took some pictures, but this computer sucks and is really really slow. Maybe I´ll try to add some tomorrow from a different internet cafe.
Buenos tardes!!
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surtrek
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your story is so nice. Cuzco carries the title of the archeological capital of America with pride, because there is no other place in the whole continent where you easily can reach ruins of a amazing culture, which are still in a good condition. The contrast between autochthon and western, history and present gives Cusco its special beauty.