Cusco

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Hey Everyone

So, we left Lima on Wednesday after three nights there and took an overnight bus to Cusco, which is in the southern interior of Peru. The bus trip in total took 20 hours! It was not too bad because we upgraded to the 1st class seating on the 1st floor for ten dollars more, something we decided was definately worth every penny. The scenery on the trip was really amazing though. We were especially suprised by really how enormous Lima is. While we were in Lima, it did seem frenetically busy, but while we were driving outside the city, the new settlements seemed to go on forever! The ares outside of the city centre seemed to be mostly slums, since they didn´t seem to have sanitation systems, water or electricity. The landscpe was a complete desert, sand dune after sand dune.

The bus did tons of climbing since we crossed into the Andes at night. Something we learned, was to not take an overnight bus through the Andes if you are susceptible to motion sickness. However, we made it through the bus ride in one piece and now we are settled here in Cusco. Cusco seems like a place we will enjoy more than Lima, as it is much smaller, with a population of around 300, 000 and seems much less polluted than Lima. Also, since we haven´t reached summer temperatures yet, Lima was blanketed in a coastal fog the entire time we were there so today we saw the sunshine for the first time since we have been in Peru! Our hostel is really nice: clean, cheasp, spacious and with hot water! The lack of hot water in our first hostel was an definate deterrant to showering.

We spent most of today wandering around Cusco, in the central Plaza de Armas and the artisan neighbourhood of San Blas. The central area has beautiful architecture, it almost reminds us of Europe. The buildings were mostly constructed by the Spanish conquistadors who overthrew the Incas in the 1500s. Cusco also has much more of an Indigenous presence than we noticed in Lima. There are many vendors, shops and markets selling traditional Indigenous products. This morning we also found the spanish school we are going to attend for at least a week. The building is really beautiful and in addition to four hours of spanish class a day, the school offers seminars on Peruvian culture, Peruvian cooking and salsa dance! Also, Cusco seems to have a really good night life, with tons of backpackers. We think we will stay here for a while as it seems like Cusco has lots to offer. We´ll write more soon!

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Comments

[Kristine]

I finally found your blog!
Hi Guys!!! It's so good to hear that you're doing well and having a good time. Keep the updates coming!

[Karen G]

Wonderful
Hi Girls, Really like the pictures. Keep the blog going as we enjoy the travelling with you. Glad to know you are well and learning Spanish. Hola