Day One in Cusco
OK so technically I am reporting this from the states but I wanted to finish up posting about my Peruvian adventures!
Although we were supposed to arrive in Cusco at 8 AM our plane from Lima did not leave until like noon so we did not get in until 1:30. Cusco in case you did not know, is the old Incan capital from way back in the day (like 500 years ago)! So its an amazing base for trips exploring Incan history, especially those who want to venture to Machu Picchu! Its interesting arriving in Cusco because although in Lima the tourist vs. local line is a lot more subtle and its easy to blend in with the everyday Limeñas (what you call someone from Lima). However in Cusco there is a very clear divide between tourist and local people and people assume they can overcharge the tourists on everything. For example, when leaving the airport there were taxi chauffers that approached you and said “taxi to Plaza de Armas” etc. Luckily we had asked beforehand and we were told that you shouldnt pay more than 7 soles. But what were they charging all the people who got off the plane? “25 soles!” WOW, we met at least 5 taxi drivers who were trying to overcharge us. Luckily we went outside the airport and walked half a block before getting a taxi for 5 soles to the Plaza de Armas. Ridiculous! Thank goodness Andrea was with me and she could tell everyone how we were Peruvians (I just had to keep my mouth shut). Also when planning our Machu Picchu trip, I had to pay 25 dollars extra for entrance tickets. And the train to get to Machu Picchu for foreigners is nearly 100 soles while the train for Peruvians is only 15 soles! Also going to any ruin outside of Machu Picchu cost more for me but less for Andrea. I mean its ok if you have money and can fuel the Peruvian economy but I was on a student budget!
Anyways enough about tourism in Cusco. We eventually made it to the town square, walked around and found a hostel (Called Hostel Mirador, it was OK), got a private room, reorganized ourselves for the day, locked all our stuff and set off to walk around! We had brought fleeces and jackets but it was sunny and gorgeous! Not grey like Lima. We stopped to get some food since it was the first time we had eaten since 7 AM. We ate trucha frita which is this sweet river fish that they cooked/fried. It was quite tasty! But my favorite was something called Piqueos. In Lima, Piqueos is a sample platter (kind of like appettizer platter with a little bit of everything) but in Cusco it was this yummy soup that was very reminiscent of the french onion broth with beef, onion, and potatoes. Super good!
After dinner we walked around to a tourist agency and planned a tour in Pisac with the agency. Then we just perused the town square (which has a stature of Pachacutec, the great Incan emperor who brought the kingdom to its height) wandered into markets, into the churches, etc. It was lots of fun for our first night! Then we went back to the hostel and responded to emails. The night however was intolerable, it was FREEZING. How could a place that was so sunny during the day be so cold at night? It must be the altitude since we were so high in the air: close to the sun in the day but far from it at night. Oh and Cusco (11,200 ft above sea level) is actually higher than Machu Picchu (7,970 ft above sea level) so we felt the altitude right after getting off of the plane. We stopped for some Mate de Coca made from the Coca plant which locals swear helps combat altitude sickness. I think it worked a bit or I just got adjusted because by the next day I felt fine!
