Cusco

The bus ride was a bit bumpy and I couldn't fall asleep until around 1am. I had 2 seats for myself and a blanket because it got cold despite the heating. But somehow I found the normal coaches more comfortable, where you could also fold out a flap at the front so you could rest your feet in a relaxed manner. This bus is from PeroHop, but I saved an overnight stay for that. We arrived in Cusco at 5:30. It looked dark and also rainy. We were then put into a van to be driven to the hotel. My hotel was last and somehow he took a detour the whole time. But in defense, there are a lot of one-way streets here in Cusco. When I arrived at the hotel at 7 a.m. I wanted to drop off my suitcase and then leave, but I was able to get into my room at 7 a.m. and they couldn't find my booking. And strangely enough, there are no other hotel guests here. Let's see if I can sit alone at breakfast tomorrow.

So I went into the room and took a shower. Then take a quick rest and then set off. I wasn't fit because I only did a few hours, but I wanted to see something of the city. I booked a free walking tour at 10 a.m. Shortly before 8 I went out and looked at the central square. A church was already open. Then I went to the market and they sold everything from food (breakfast, lunch, juices, fruits, vegetables, meat, bread) to everything else, from souvenirs to household items. I looked around the breakfast section and ordered a coffee with milk and a roll with a fried egg. Both together cost €1.50. Otherwise the products on the market are also cheap. The coffee alone was great. Afterwards I went to a museum at the Santa Catalina monastery. It only cost 10 soles (€2.50) and there were only two floors, but there you could see how the nuns lived in the monastery. Sometimes I imagine that I would have found it quite good in the monastery. How different life used to be. Nobody was stressing over a comment from Instagram, but instead they were working, eating and praying. Sure, on the one hand that sounds sad, but the nuns were educated in the monastery and I just admire the simplicity and minimalism. Afterwards I went to the main square and waited for the walking tour, which in retrospect wasn't necessarily the best idea after a night drive. Our guide arrived 15 minutes late and I had indicated that the tour would be in Spanish, but then the only option was English. Of course, if the tour is based on donations, you can't expect much luxury. The guide seemed bored, but I still learned a lot about Cusco, the culture, the church. We were at the market and it explained to us how the stone walls were built. The city is very touristy and unfortunately you get annoyed everywhere because of offers of activities, especially Machu Picchu. Towards the end of the tour it started to rain. At the end he took us into the office and asked for a tip, which I thought was ok. But when he then said that the standard is 50 soles, which corresponds to €12.50, I thought that was crazy. The page says 10-20 soles as a guideline. I gave him 10 soles. He did his job reasonably well, but I wanted the tour in Spanish and then there was the delay.

Afterwards I walked around briefly and discovered a cool shop where I ate a burger and a Philly cheese steak with Cambodia as a drink. And both tasted really really good. Both dishes each with fries. And there were chips as a starter. And I paid €17 for that, with a tip of €20. I thought it was a lot at first, but when I think I'm going to get a Bürgermenu again next week in Germany for 15-20€, I'll want these prices. Afterwards I was full and went out. I went to a museum where they learned more about Machu Picchu. I thought that was good again. Then I had my shoes cleaned. Of course he negotiated the price, but the shoes were extremely dirty and he had already been working on them for 10-15 minutes. Then I walked a bit through the city and behind the market there were so many streets that seemed to me like the bazaar in Turkey. Loud and stressful. Then I was at the hotel around 4:30 p.m. Now I'm going to take some rest. I don't have anything planned for tomorrow yet. At first I was thinking about going on a quad bike ride or something, but maybe I'll go to a viewpoint and explore the city on my own. Because the next day I booked a rainbow tour in the desert that starts at 3 a.m. That's why I won't do a full day trip tomorrow. I'm always torn between taking as much as possible with me and sometimes relaxing and having a quiet ball. I will definitely do something, because I will definitely treat myself to a sunny day in Lima.

I'm also thinking about whether I should go out again and get something to eat, or whether I should eat my snacks because I can have breakfast from 6 tomorrow morning anyway. I don't know yet and I think I'll just lie down for a moment...