Meeting up with my parents in Lima all ran to plan, and we spent the following day sightseeing in Peru´s capital.
I still wouldnt describe it as a beautiful city, although there were several old and intricate cathedrals, palaces and churches, particularly those centred around the central Plaza de Armas.
The highlight of the day was a visit to the Museo Larco, which featured pottery, war instruments, and other daily artifacts dating back to 1,000 B.C. More interestingly though was its Museo ´Erotica´ wing, which housed ancient pieces of pottery dating from late B.C. to the 15th century. These pieces VERY graphically displayed the explicit sexual practices of the ancient Incas and their descendants. Artifacts featured men, women, animals and skeletons, in any combination of the above! Highly amusing, if not maybe a little confrontational for my mother! Oh, how life was different before (and shortly after) Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit! I will upload some photos from the museum so you can see for yourself the ´experimental´ and explicit nature of the ancient Peruvians!
Following this, we enjoyed an early dinner at China Wok, a small asian restuarant close to the hotel. We then hit the sack for an early night, given the 3am start the following day!
After an early wake-up call, we packed up, enjoyed a 4am breakfast, then headed to Lima airport for out flight to Quito.
The flight arrived safely, and we made our way to our hotel. As is typical upon arrival at Cusco, we were given ´coca´tea, which is supposed to prevent the effects of altitude sickness from setting in. (Altitude sickness is a frequent problem in Cusco, given the town sits 3,400m above sea level).
After a morning sleep (which is again recommended to limit altitude difficulties), we ambled the streets of beautiful old Cusco. Although the entire city itself is extremely picturesque, the Plaza de Armas is the focal point, with its lovely green square, surrounded by ancient palaces, churches, restaurants (and of course, travel agents!).
However, I had to rug up and overlook my issues with the cold, as despite being spring, Cusco has had an unexpected bout of cold, wet weather. We are hoping it clears before we head up to Macchu Picchu on Thursday.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner at a restaurant overlooking the grand plaza. Although originally offered the A La Carte menu, as all tourists are, we requested, then demanded the Turistico menu, which my parents had become aware of through a fellow traveller. This ´Turistico´menu, which exists covertly at many restaurants, is the same price as one entree, and includes a starter, a soup, a main, a dessert, and a drink! However, the restauranters are not keen for tourists to discover it, as it is meant more for the locals.
This morning, we are heading into the Sacred Valley on a day tour. Will let you know how it goes!
