Cusco

We took the night bus from Puno to Cusco - quite a twisting hellride over hills and stones, where the bus driver seemed to be racing against someone. So we arrived all crumpled and much too early, then had to sleep for a few hours in the hostel's entrance area until our beds were ready.

Cusco - once the capital of the Incas, offers a great mix of pre-Columbian archaeological sites and a well-planned but charming Spanish colonial architecture. It is - at least in the old town - heavily touristy, as it is the starting point for many excursions, hikes, and sights. We also traveled from here for several days into the Sacred Valley and to Machu Picchu, to Vinikunka (Rainbow Mountain), and later (when we were just the two of us again) into the rainforest in Manu National Park.

A special highlight in Cusco was the last Carnival parade (Kachapari) of the season; despite the rain, there was a fantastic atmosphere in the city.

Otherwise, we enjoyed this beautiful city and its good tourist infrastructure. Marike got a new rain jacket, Freddy new trekking shoes (the first pair was already worn out and the soles broken), and Mercedes found some nice little colorful souvenirs for her friends and family. The Mercado Central San Pedro was a really great market with a wonderful selection and incredibly delicious food. Shout out to market stand 903, you provided us with the best food of the entire trip so far, and just thinking about it makes our mouths water! There were also many nice cafes with tasty coffee and cakes, which we enjoyed a lot. Life is beautiful!