Cuzco Redefined

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The Night Bus

So I got into Cuzco at around 5am on the overnight bus from Puno. I was almost frozen because the bus was so cold despite me wearing a shirt, a sweater on top and then a raincoat. That is how freezing it was. I watched a movie called Full Metal Jacket in spanish with spanish subtitles. It was awesome. Just in case I did not understand what they said, I always had the subtitles to back me up. We all tried to tell the bus driver that we would not mind the subtitles in english and he noddes then locked the door to his cabin and the discussion was over.

Anyway, as we got off the bus, THE LOKI seemed to be a choice of hostel for most so I joined them. It was not in the book but you have to trust your fellow travellers. The place is actually really cool. They have a bar, a TV room and it is a big place...however, in order to get there from the main square is sort of like climbing mount everest. Only the top section which is about a 1/5th of the way has 114 steps. Yes, I was dumb enough to count! Now some days I went to town and back around 5 times and at 3500m that is quite a feat. It is like a warm up for the Inca Trail.

Nightlife - Always ON

That night, I found out what Cuzco had to offer for a nightlife. Team Israel already knew where to go and what to do so we went out. Around the main square which is called Plaza De Armas is where all the action is. It was saturday night so it was the big night out. All the touts outside try to get you to come into their bar so they offer you free drinks to come in. Ane me being a fully functional male said yes everytime. I would be an idiot not to. So I went into the first place. The action there was ok, but the drink was really strong. I got a rum and coke and it had to be at least a triple. I got real happy despite the strong taste cause I knew that my tastebuds would be numb after about two drinks.

And I was right, then we went to another bar where we collected the goods again and it was happy times from there on. After around 4 bars, we ended up in The Uptown, which is mostly an Israeli hangout. We returned back at around 6am. Cuzco is a funny place just like the rest of south america....no consequences for me in terms of a hangover. I woke around 12pm and it was like a reset button. I felt great and ready to explore the city.

I met up with the french girls that I know from Antarctica and we had a plan to book the trek to Machu Picchu. Since the Inca Trail is booked up until the end of june, there are other alternate treks that are just as good if not better and definitely cheaper and less touristy. We finally found a trek for 5 days including everything except the rental of sleeping bags for $130. The trek is called Solkatayan. It also goes to Machu Picchu at the end except via a different route. On the last night one of the girls that was going bailed on the trip and I got a little lazy myself and ditched the trek as well. I thought it would be better to go on one day tours around Cuzco and come back to my comfy bed.

The Local Delicacies

Naturally, happy with my decision, I went out to eat. I decided to try some Peruvian food. So I went ahead and ordered cebiche. It is a traditional local dish with raw fish marinated in lime juice with onions served with fried corn on the side. It is quite spicy and really delicious. The portions they give in Peru are enormous. That meal cost me around $6 however, which is not that cheap for Peru.

The next day it was on again. I went to try the Alpaca steak on red wine sauce. And once again it was really good. The only other thing I had to try was the CUY or the guinney pig. That came later on in the week. I really wanted them to serve it with the head attached and feet and everything...I assumed they would. But I did not get that, the head was cut off and so were the feet. What kind of a local experience is that? I took a picture nonetheless to celebrate the occasion of my conquest of the cuy. The taste was ok, a bit wild, basically nothing special but still edible.

It was party time again at night. This time it was a weekday but for some reason it still felt like Saturday. More locals, which i like better, free flowing booze which I like even more and lots of dancing which I like the best. This time my drunk ass supposedly stayed up until around 8am and I was told that I had fun. The last part of the night just kind of vanished for me...hehe. It is those memories that I will treasure forever.

The next thing I know, the stupid fireworks woke me up again at around noon. For some reason people in Cuzco are really obsessed about fireworks during the day...beats me why but it is an ongoing ritual repeated around 4 times a day everyday.

Cuzco is another place where you can be boiling one minute and the next you are freezing. I do not really know where I am going with this sentence as it does not lead to anything in particular. I will write my Machu Picchu blog in another entry as this is becoming rather long and whoever gets to the end of this one gets a prize. (however, not from me)

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Photos

Cuzco
Central Square - Plaza Des Armas

Cuzco
Market by the bus staion. Freshly made juices.

Cuzco
Coricancha - The famous temple ruins on top of which this church was built

Cuzco
Coricancha - The famous temple ruins on top of which this church was built

Cuzco
The famous CUY or guinney pig along with the drink PISCO SOUR in the back

Sacsayhuaman
The ruins outside of Cuzco...the city was built in the shape of a puma

Sacsayhuaman
The view of Cuzco from the ruins

Sacsayhuaman
The gate during sunset.