Lima to Cusco: Adjustments

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Day 1 – Lima to Cusco



The Tuesday before we left was set to be an evening of setting intentions and excitement for the upcoming adventure. Quite honestly, it was a mess of an evening and truly set a bitter tone all the way up to our layover in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday. However, as we had a 7 hour layover, we took the opportunity to Uber to Hollywood Beach and the sun and open air really cleared the shit out a bit. I’ve never left the airport during a layover, but I have to say it was well worth it.



Arriving in Lima at 11:00pm, we slowly made our way through immigration and customs and then paid 50 soles (even though our Couchsurfing host told us to catch a taxi outside of the airport for 15) to get to our host’s house. As a first Couchsurfing experience I have to say it was pretty awesome. The people of Peru proved to be helpful and I was gratefully surprised to find my Spanish was still in tact enough to maneuver through what needed to be done.



The following morning we left at 6:00am to head to the airport for Cusco. Bought our first jugo de naranja (OJ) and palta con pan (avocado sandwich) street food and flawlessly made it to Cusco where our AirBnB host met us and escorted us to their lovely house. I love puppies (obviously) so 6 month old Chiquita was a pleasant surprise and our host provided a ton of info about Cusco and getting to the start of the Salkantay Trail the following day (which we ignored, but more on that later).



Our first day in Cusco could be summarized by headaches and altitude adjustments while walking in circles around the Plaza de Armas to find vegetarian food (something I predict to happen frequently over the next 5 months). Eventually we found a little spot called El Encuentro (The Find) and got some 35 soles massages (approx $15). Orion's dad had forgotten a few things, and we needed to get cooking fuel and a lighter, so we popped into every tourist shop to find what we needed.

Fortunately for my former travels to Ecuador and Thailand, a lot of things that would have been jolting culture shocks were already expected: bathroom etiquette, street dogs, poverty, aggressive sales pitches, traffic/driving customs. In fact, it felt really comforting to return to some of these things that make travel such an adventure. Things that remind me I'm somewhere new and I should stay open to the differences. After all, I chose to travel to another country, not the USA.



TIP: If you visit Cusco, always accept the coca leaves. You will not get high - there's a big chemical process before it becomes cocaine. The altitude really is something, even if you are invincible and stubborn like me. Drinking a ton of water, walking around slowly and chewing on coca will help with the adjustment. Like idiots, we only planned about 18 hours in Cusco before we were to head even higher in altitude to start the Salkantay Trail…

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Photos

Chiquita puppy!
She greeted us at our Cusco AirBnB and kept us smiling after a long day of getting lost in the city