We leave Dan and Jennie on the plane as they continue to Lima, at Cusco we are very high up 3400 meters above see level. Straight off the plane Colin complains of feeling breathless. We get hassled outside the airport lots of people offering us taxi's to their hostel. The taxi starts off being $50, but we manage to get one for $20 that will actually take us to the hostel we are booked into. It is much cooler in Cusco then we are use to as it was well into the 30s in the jungle.
The roads are very similar to that of Mexico are either unmade or made, with and without pavements all very random. However, most of Cusco's centre has made up roads with pavements, which are pretty good, even if the roads are so thin you can only squeeze one car along them. Our hostel is up a small road where the taxi driver drops us off, with a short walk which is pedestrians only. This short walk at this altitiude is murder with us both puffing. We reach the hostel it is lovely with an indoor garden area with climbing plants growing up the walls. Our room has two single beds and is on the 1st floor at the back, so we still have to carry our packs up to our room before dumping them here. It is a nice clean little room with our own bathroom.
We are hungary so soon head out down the road to find some food, just up the road and down some steps is a local restaurant full of locals, it seems to sell just chicken and chips or rice. Again no English is spoken but we manage to order a set meal and coke. When it comes it start with soup, which is of course chicken but unlike soup at home it is full of bones which is rather off putting. The locals are sitting eating theirs, but when they find a bone they seem to sit and chew and suck it for a while. Not quiet what I am use to but eat some of the soup any way. When the chicken and chips comes it is lovely, quarter of a chicken with real chips lovely. Maybe the food in Peru will be better than Mexico, certainly can't be worse!!! The walk back to the hostel is a killer we have to walk up all the steps and back up to the hostel, really hard to get your breath.
We spend the rest of the evening in the hostel and have an early night, through the night it is very cold as the hostel had virtually no heating and there are gaps between the windows and walls.
I wake up and have breakfast, eggs on toast, scrummy, but soon I come down with awful altitude sickness and so decide to go back to bed. Colin however decides to go and watch the England football game and disappears off to the pub, typical.
Next day I feel better, which is a good job as we have decided to move to a cheaper hostel as this hostel is $100 a night very expensive. Colin on his way back from the pub yesterday looked for another hostel and found some cheaper ones. We plumb for the Wayki hostel as it has free computer access and someone that can arrange trips who speaks English and it is only $40 (8 uk pounds for the room ) a night with breakfast bargin.
When settled in to our new room, although not as nice as the previous room, is still quiet nice, and when I ask for more pillows and blankets they are given by the helpful staff.
We wander off and find a tourist market that Col found yesterday on his wandering, it is lovely, loads of things I would love to buy, but where will I put them. Scarf's, handbags, jumpers, t-shirts, rugs, blankets, really beautiful stuff wish I could buys suitcase full and very reasonable too.
We book a tour for tomorrow the 17th to go to Pisac and other areas of interest within the scared valley. We have to get up early as it is a 9.30 am pick up, except the stupid girl in the hostel, although speaking fluent English (apparently has a great many English boyfriends), has not booked the trip and so we are rushed into a local taxi/death trap and escorted to pick up the coach from a local hotel, while she phones the coach to make sure it wait for us.
Once on the tour we join a party that has been together for a while and we feel a bit like gooseberries, but soon we start talking to people and settle in. We drive past ruins just outside Cusco and we plan to walk to these later there name sounds just like sexywoman.
First stop is a tourist place where we get given some cocaine tea and get to buy stuff, unfortunately we where told by the STUPID girl in the hostel that we wouldn't need any money for the trip and so we only have $150 which is loads of money in Peruivan terms a new junper cost only $35. However she failed to mention that tickets into the sacred valley is $140, which leaves us with no money virtually.
Second stop is Pisac, our coach stops at 3400m and of course we have to walk the rest. No one warned me that it would be down a path that is about 2 feet wide with no hand rails and a drop of hundreds of meters, eekk. Then of course we have to go up a similar path, up and up, finally reaching the ruins at 3700 feet. Unfortunately my sinuses start to burn and I soon have a nose bleed due to the altitude. Although the ruins are worth it and the view is spectatular our guide is really informative too.
Now we stop for lunch a buffet of course we have no money and they don't take credit cards in the middle of nowhere, so have to wait outside hungry, we have enough money to buys a bottle of pop at the local store, how embarrasing. Worse we explain our situation to wonderful Irish couple and they offer to buy us lunch as they decided not to eat at the buffet, but next door and see us waiting outside. Of course we say no, but Mary is already of ordering us a chicken roll each. What a lovely couple, I offer them English money but they both refuse, so nice of them.
Next off to Chinchero where we get to see the Inca terraces that where used to grow crops for hundreds of years and are still in use. Of course again a climb this time up hundreds of steps to reach the top. However feeling brave we decide to take the path back that shows other interesting stuff, only to find out the path is very scary and very, very narrow with of course a huge drop.
Next we go to Ollantay Tambo, thankfully no climbing or horrid drops. We get to see women in traditional dress who show us how they use local plants to create soap to wash the lama wool and the other plants to dye it different colours and then how they spin the wool and then weave all the lovely things they make. Of course we can't buy anything!!!! Unfortunately we also see a run full of guinea pigs which of course will be lunch or dinner.
Next we climb through the little village up to the church, which dates from the early 17th century and was built on Inca temple foundations, it is small and sweet seating on top of this mountain, the view however from outside is incredible you can see the snow capped peak of Salkantay mountain, so close it look as though you are as high as it.
One the way back to the bus a little girl (all the children here sell stuff to the tourists) looks all cute and sweetly at Colin and he buys me a finger puppet of a lama for $1 ( 20 pence), the only thing we can afford. However, I love it it is detailed and really cute.
We finally get back to Cusco late, but after a really enjoyable day.
Today we have the bright idea of buying finger puppets and scarfs for people at home and having photos developed for those without internet access so they can have a look at what we have been up too so far. We end up have a manic day buying stuff and posting it (really expensive far more than the items we buy). Also we find out that there are very few pictures of us together, will try harder to get more. Also did our washing today dropped it off at the local launderette where thery do it for you, brill. We also buy our ticket to Agus Calientes where we will stay to go to Machu Piccu.
