Cusco or Cuzco, either way adventures around every corner!

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We have spent about 4 total days exploring Cusco, the ancient capitol of the Inca Empire. Cusco was the direct center of the empire, and therefore the world. It is about 3,400 m or 11,200 ft above sea level. Altitude sickness can be a big problem here, but luckily neither Becca nor I have had a problem!

We got to Cusco on January 5th, left for Machu Picchu the next day, and have been back in Cusco since the night of the 7th. We explored churches, museums, random alleyways and possibly everything in between. I will admit, after spending so much on Machu Picchu, the idea of spending money right now is not that appealing to me! So we are mostly sticking with the free stuff, which is still pretty cool and means we wonder around the city more instead of spending the day in museums. We really get to see the area and the culture.

So, our first day was spent wondering and exploring some churches and museums. We then decided to try cuy. Cuy is a Peruvian dish....that is guinea pig. Yes, that is right, both Becca and I have eaten guinea pig. It would have been fine, except they serve it with the head and claws still intact, and I think I found the esophagus in my part. Ew.

If you go to Cusco, and want to try cuy, I whole-heartedly suggest a small, hole in the wall place called La Chomba. It's a small place, and so when they seat you, you will most likely be sitting at a table with other people. Becca and I sat with three guys from Brazil. We were going to try to go to this dance exhibition thing, but ended up spending most of the night talking to these guys. They were really nice. One spoke English very well, one fairly well, and one barely at all. It was interesting trying to communicate with them all. Spanish was the common factor, so Becca took the lead and I was pleasantly surprised that I understood a fair amount, though to be honest it might have been the beer...The guys were supposed to catch a bus towards home, so once we all tried another Peruvian specialty, a drink called Pisco Sour, they left. Becca and I chilled a while longer, finishing our drinks. Yes, it took us a while to drink our Pisco Sours, and it probably would for most people since one of the main ingredients in this cocktail is egg whites.

However, the bus was cancelled and maybe ten minutes after they left, the three Brazilians were back, ordering everyone another round. All in all, it was a fun and interesting first night in Cusco, though Becca and I almost lost our jackets.

Our next day was spent waiting for 3 p.m. to roll around so we could get on our way to Machu Picchu. We spent the morning stocking up on water and roaming around the Chocolate Museum. This museum really kept my attention, which if you have traveled with me before, it a feat in itself. I will be honest, besides the Jacki Traveling Diet, I rarely like to go to museums. After a while, I find them boring. I would much rather explore the city and see the people in action, so to speak. If you come to Cusco, go to the chocolate museum. It tells you the history, the manufacturing, and if you are willing to pay, you can make your own chocolate the way the people of the Andes make theirs!

Once we got back from Machu Picchu, we decided to have a recover day, where in Becca’s words: We will be sloth-like. I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t hurting as bad as I thought I would be from (literally) climbing mountains. Our sloth day was spent figuring out what we might do in Puño, booking our hostel and figuring out how we would get there. Due to some rain and cold, we did spend a lot of time in our hostel (Wild Rover’s, if you go to Cusco, stay here!). We met some people from Australia and Argentina, and listened to some people play at open mic night. If there is one thing I am learning, the hostels in Peru all have a club or bar in them, which can be good or bad.

Our last day was one big adventure for us! When I was reading through the Lonely Planet guidebook on Peru, I came across a section called “other adventures.” In this section, it talked about Action Valley Park, a place where you can play paintball, rock climb, get slingshot across the sky, or bungee jump. For $65, which included the taxi there and back, Becca and I decided we would bungee jump. I will admit, the whole taxi ride there, I was wondering what I had just gotten myself into. However, I had paid, so I would do it. There were only workers there when we got there. They have you sign a release form, and in true Becca form, she asked if the address they wanted was for our parents in case we died.

I decided to go first, mainly because I told myself I had to be strong for Becca, and I knew I could potentially chicken out if I saw her do it first. They have you run two laps around the area and do some stretches to get your heart rate up and to make sure your body is loose. They then weigh you. Afterwards, you start getting the harness on and then lay down on a mat while they strap your legs in. The entire time, I kept thinking that I didn’t need to have feeling in my legs, so please get it as tight as possible. On the ride up in a cage, the instructor tried to crack jokes. It didn’t help. He tried small talk. It didn’t help. When we were almost there he started to tell me how this jump would work. I would take the 2-3 steps to the edge of the platform right outside the cage. I would have my hands holding onto the harness in the front, and would leave them there until the first rebound. He would be holding onto me from the back. He would count down from three, and I would lean forward and fall. There would be three rebounds. On the first one, I was to move my hands to cover my face for five seconds. After that, I would be free to put me arms out like a bird.

I kept repeating these instructions to myself over and over, afraid I would forget…The hardest part was not looking down when I stepped onto the platform. He said, “ready?” I said “no, but let’s get this over with.” Deep breath. Lean forward. Scream bloody murder. The first drop was terrifying, but after that, I will admit that it was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done. It took me 10-20 minutes after jumping for my arms and body to stop shaking. Becca apparently thought I was crying when I was actually laughing.

The rest of the day was spent roaming around Cusco some more. We hiked up to the top of this mountain and got a beautiful view of Cusco. We also did some shopping, but I think I’m going to do most of mine once we get closer to the end of our Peruvian adventure.

Next stop is Puño and Lake Titicaca.

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Photos

Viva el Peru
Written into the side of the mountain.