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Published: January 24th 2011
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We’re now around a quarter of the way through our travels and so far so good – no wild scams or dodgy tummies, lovely hostels with OK showers and beds, loads of great new friends and so many awesome memories... it’s actually hard to pick our favourite moment or place.
20 hours in Lima We caught the plane from Santiago to Lima on 13 January. We arrived around lunchtime. We had heard so many dodgy things about Lima and to tell you the truth it really made me want to hide in our hotel and not come out (plus we had cable TV with movies in English!). We enquired about catching a bus to the city from our hostel and were told it would take over an hour and three bus changes... maybe not! In the end we had a relaxing time and ate great, cheap food at some local cafes and recharged for Cusco.
Cusco, wonderful Cusco! This city is amazing... With a population of around 400,000 it is small enough to feel homely and quaint. It is a tourist Mecca, but for us, it still felt so foreign and different (probably helps that at this
time of the year 99% of tourists are from Argentina and Brazil).
Stone streets, white washed walls, stunning churches, markets galore... I don’t think we could ever get sick of the place. We even extended our stay a few nights.
OK, where to start... Flying into Cusco was an experience, the plane actually tilts and dips in between the mountain range. Apparently it can be an awful flight but we survived unscathed... lucky considering how motion sick we both get! We checked into Pirwa Hostel for three nights, great little hostel close to the main Plaza (Plaza de Armas). We then did the Lonely Planet’s walking tour of the city to get our bearings. Nestled in the mountains with terracotta roofed houses creeping up the mountain sides, the city is stunning. Where ever you look there seems to be something to take a photo of or marvel at.
There are still loads of the older generation that wear very traditional clothing – leg warmers, flared knee length skirts, cardigan, a bowler type hat, and long, long hair in two plaits down their back. There are also many young girls walking around in the traditional costume with tiny
baby llamas (or lambs or puppys) charging around $0.40 for a photo. They are very cute and hard to resist. Baby llamas!!
The food here is fantastic and cheap. We have fresh juices from the markets, great set ‘menus’ for little more than a couple of dollars and the yummiest corn snacks that I have ever had... I actually posted some home yesterday, sad I know. Loads of perfect avocados, weird and wonderful corn varieties, freshly made chorizo (we’re having some for dinner tonight)... I could go on. I am beginning to truly see the gap in Australia’s food supply – fresh, local, seasonal food is challenging to come by. Woolworths and Coles have so much to answer for.
A few traditional meals we have had included Cerviche – raw fish marinated in lime (delicious) and Cuy Al Horno - guinea pig (very picky and bony, but quite tasty).
I must admit
we have had some delicious meals in some very un-authentic places – Jack’s Cafe (run by Aussies) was one of the best brekkies I have had and Paddy Flaherty’s (highest Irish pub in the world supposedly) serves killer curries and cider from the UK!
Two words... Pisco Sour. Yum, yum, yum. When our friend Wendy said we HAVE to try them, we didn’t give it much thought but after we had our first...my god, I’ve stopped counting how many we have had! (4 for 1 specials don’t help!!) . A pisco sour’s main ingredient is a Peruvian brandy, Pisco, made from the pisco grape variety. The other ingredients in this wonderful cocktail include sugar syrup, egg white, lime juice all blended up, finished with a dash of bitters or cinnamon. Pure heaven boys and girls.
Inca ruin walk One morning we caught a bus to Tambomachay to visit some Inca ruins and then walk back to Cusco town via three other Inca ruins. It was a great
day. It was an easy downhill walk and the ruins at Tambomachay, Pukapukara and Q’enqo were all quite small but lovely. They seem to be in the backyards of farms as there were horses, pigs, donkeys and llamas wandering around!
The best was the last on the walk – Sacsaywaman – If you only have a short time in Cusco, visit this one. It was a huge sprawling ruin with beautiful Inca stone work, lovely green fields/Inca terracing and some pet llamas to top it off.
Great sites in Cusco A few we really enjoyed:
Qorikacha / Plazoleta Santo Domingo – beautiful building built over actual Inca ruins. Modern art gallery up
the top and wonderful paintings inside. The connected church next door was beautiful and had many quirky things inside.
Plaza de Armas – people watching heaven! Apart from locals wanting to clean your shoes or sell you paintings/beanies/etc, it is so relaxing and a great place to just sit and enjoy the sunshine. Plus it’s surrounded by the most beautiful churches and buildings.
Iglesia y Monasterio de Santa Catalina – just a nice little convent that is still home to 13 nuns.
Great paintings and exhibitions about life as a nun.
Mercado San Pedro (markets) – probably our favourite place to hang out. Fresh food to buy (everything!), little places to buy juices and meals and souvenirs... all under one roof. It is the best and should not be missed.
...plus the above mentioned Sacsaywaman of course!
Next blog... The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu!!! The highlight of South America!
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Sally Pickett
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Loving the blog. Thanks for sharing it with us all! Was in Newie last weekend and missed seeing you. But am sure we will catch up soon. Safe travels xx