Cusco and the Monochrome Rainbow Mountain

After our four-day adventure on the Inca Trail, we needed a day of rest. Unfortunately, we couldn't sleep in due to construction work at the hostel.

Tourist city Cusco

By noon, we headed towards San Pedro Market. A huge market hall near the center offers everything you could wish for in terms of food and souvenirs. And we went for it! After all, Chregu can now take our souvenirs home and we don't have to carry them around anymore... We also had to make a quick stop at a juice bar - fresh passion fruit, orange, and lime are simply delicious!

The city of Cusco is generally very beautiful - everywhere you can find traces of the Incas, great colonial buildings, and modern restaurants and shops. It's bustling with tour providers and sellers, and sometimes it can be a bit annoying when you get approached for a massage for the 10th time in the last 100 meters. But they are not pushy, so it's not that bad. A beautiful city that fully embraces tourism, which is completely understandable due to its proximity to Machu Picchu.

For dinner, we later went to the highly recommended Limbus Resto Bar. But we weren't quite as impressed. The kitchen is very inflexible when it comes to combining different dishes, and unfortunately, that was necessary because the menu was rather small and Seraina had a bit of trouble with the selection. The drinks were good though, and we were able to toast with our guide Rey and our fellow traveler Rahera.

Day trip to Rainbow Mountain

Since Chregu is leaving soon, we planned another highlight. The Rainbow Mountain, famous through Instagram, can be reached from Cusco on a day trip and is offered by countless agencies. We received a recommendation and booked there. So far so good.

Once again, very early - this time at 3 o'clock - we were picked up and in the minibus we drove into the night for about 1.5 hours. After a stop with a breakfast buffet, we continued for another 2 hours. We were ascending, the road became rougher and slipperier, and through the fogged windows, we saw snow on the mountain slopes. Somehow we already knew that the Rainbow Mountain might not be as colorful today.

We were almost the first ones at the large parking lot and prepared ourselves for the ascent. The trail is not too challenging. It goes from about 4,600 meters to 5,000 meters and the only challenge should be the high altitude. But when it's snowing, the path becomes quite muddy and you have to be careful not to slip. After a few meters, your shoes and feet are already wet, which doesn't make it much more enjoyable.

We didn't let it spoil our mood and managed the ascent in just under 2 hours. But when we reached the top, our fears came true - we saw a white, monochrome rainbow mountain. Instead of the seven different colors created by different layers of rock and minerals, it looked more like a snowy landscape. The view of the mountain panorama and the valley behind us was beautiful - but not quite what we expected.

A little later, we started the descent and here too, we decided not to rent a horse and ride down on its back. Some tourists - including an Asian man who was quite overwhelmed with his Crocs footwear - gladly used this option though.

And so we made our way back, with some very unique photos of this trendy Rainbow Mountains. With another food stop in between, the drive back to Cusco was uneventful, and there Chregu slowly started packing.

Farewell dinner

Trying the local specialties and eating something you wouldn't normally think of is part of our tradition. So, of course, we also initiated our guest Chregu, who by the way was traveling in South America for the first time, into this beautiful tradition. Following another recommendation from our local guide, we walked to a larger Peruvian restaurant outside the city center to eat "Cuy". Guinea pigs are served as normal and everyday dishes in Peru and Ecuador. So we ordered oven-baked guinea pig twice and deep-fried guinea pig once. Having the animal on the plate is unusual at first. And it's not our favorite food. It doesn't offer much meat, so it's rather cumbersome to eat because it's not familiar.

Sacsayhuaman ("Sexy woman")

After saying goodbye to Chregu, we spent three more days in Cusco - but we didn't do that much. But in the end, we still walked the 2-3 kilometers out of the city and visited the Inca site on the outskirts. From up here, you have a great view of the city and the military fortress of the Incas, which is probably a former one, offers some huge stone elements that make you marvel.