Cusco - Back to Civilization at 3400m

From Iquitos we flew to Cusco with a stopover in Lima. Already at Lima airport, we were looking forward to civilization again, where we could eat and relax at well-known chains. When we arrived in Cusco, it was already 10 pm. Thankfully, the hostel owner personally picked us up, so we didn't have to worry about a taxi here. But as soon as we stepped outside, we realized that things were different here. After 30 degrees in Iquitos, it was suddenly only 5 degrees in Cusco. Fortunately, we were well equipped and had our down jackets ready. After the drive, we had to walk a few hundred meters because the road was too narrow and steep for the van. With our backpacks on, we immediately noticed how exhausting this short distance was. We quickly ran out of breath and were gasping for air. Wow, the altitude really hits you hard! At check-in, we were provided with fresh, hot coca tea. It was not only to warm us up, but also to help us adjust to the altitude. Coca tea actually tastes quite good, it doesn't have a strong flavor and is even better with some sugar. Upon entering our room, we realized that there was unfortunately no heating. Therefore, the room was very cold, especially since we came from a very hot region. Fortunately, there were three thick blankets, so at least we didn't feel cold when sleeping. However, we spent as little time as possible in the room over the next few days because we were usually freezing. Overall, we spent 9(!) nights in this hostel. So Cusco was our longest stop during the entire trip. And honestly, we were still feeling quite cold in the room until the last day, when we were not sleeping. You are probably wondering why we didn't just go to another hostel? Apart from the cold, we felt very comfortable in this hostel. Firstly, because the hostel owner's family was very warm and friendly, and secondly, because we felt like we were the only guests. We never saw any other guests. Additionally, it was super cheap at just 15€ per night including breakfast! We also had a wonderful view of the city from the hostel and were centrally located to the tourist areas. As the number of nights suggests, we felt very comfortable and safe in Cusco. The old town impresses with its beautiful architecture, cozy cafes and restaurants, and beautiful parks. However, it's not all that beautiful, because at Plaza de Armas (the central park) you get approached by street vendors every 2 minutes. They sell clothes, jewelry, artwork, or services like massages and shoe shining. But you get used to it over time. It's also interesting to see traditionally dressed ladies walking the streets with alpacas and goats, offering to take photos with you (of course, for a tip). With so many culinary possibilities and a sense of security, we let ourselves drift from day to day in Cusco. We spent a lot of time planning our next destinations, so we also had quiet "laptop" days. Nevertheless, Cusco is also THE central city for various tours and sights related to Inca history. In addition to the most famous Inca site, Machu Picchu, there are many other places to visit. These include Rainbow Mountain, the Sacred Valley, Saqsaywaman, and many more. On the first day in Cusco, we made a rough plan of what we wanted to see and decided on a total of 4 tours: - Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu (we will write a separate post about this) - Rainbow Mountain - Cusco City Tour with 4 Inca sites Unfortunately, we couldn't do a multi-day hike because Roman was limited due to his torn ACL. Leonie was less disappointed than you might think. But there are various hiking trails through the Andes, and through our tours, we were able to imagine how beautiful these hikes can be. Before embarking on the tours, we stocked up on warm clothing at the local market. You can find "typical" clothes at every stand and also from street vendors in town, which are actually worn mostly by foreigners in Cusco. Nevertheless, we wanted to fulfill the backpacker stereotype and bought sweaters, gloves, hats, scarves, and even alpaca wool items. Allegedly, everything is made from 100% baby alpaca wool. Baby alpaca wool is one of the most luxurious fabrics that can be used for clothing. Most likely, our clothes were not made of pure baby alpaca wool, considering that we paid about 40€ for everything. But since we couldn't tell the difference ourselves, it didn't matter to us at the time. The most important thing was that we wouldn't freeze! Equipped perfectly, we embarked on the first tour - the Sacred Valley Tour. We were picked up from the hostel at 5 am. The itinerary included 4 Inca sites and lunch. We covered quite a distance because the places were scattered far apart, but it allowed us to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the Andes. We were impressed by the backdrop that was offered to us. Additionally, the Inca sites were fascinating. Our guide taught us a lot about the Incas, and we were often amazed. For example, the Incas were excellent gardeners. The typical terraces that you see in pictures were used to grow different plants. Depending on the altitude (the lower, the warmer and more tropical), different plants were cultivated on the terraces. They also used the terraces to acclimatize the plants to the altitude. Very impressive from our perspective! The Incas also conducted a lot of research on astronomy and incorporated it into their religion. Exhausted from the journey, the many impressions, and the altitude, we fell into bed after 14 hours. Another tour was the Rainbow Mountain Tour. We had a lot of respect for this one because the viewpoint is located at almost 5000m. Even the base camp of Mount Everest is "only" at 5364m. Nevertheless, we didn't want to miss out on Rainbow Mountain and booked the tour. At 4:10 am (we cursed the start times of these tours, by the way), we were picked up from the hostel, and a long bus ride awaited us. We made a short stop for breakfast at 8 am, and then we finally arrived at the summit around 9:30 am. There were already many other tour vans that had brought tourists in masses there. We joined our group on the completely crowded hiking trail and walked around for about 1.5 hours. The view was simply stunning, and every minute of the drive there was worth it. In addition to the rainbow-colored mountains under a bright blue sky, glaciers could be seen. We took every opportunity to take pictures and enjoy the view. However, it must be said that the promotional pictures for the tour were a bit exaggerated in terms of color contrast. To show you that, we will upload an edited and an unedited photo here. See the difference for yourself. Nevertheless, we were glad to have done the tour. And what about the altitude? You're probably wondering. Well, we took herbal tablets for altitude sickness beforehand and drank a lot of coca tea. Roman felt slightly nauseous all the time, and Leonie quickly ran out of breath. But both were bearable for this short period of time. After all, we were rewarded with the beautiful view. In the end, though, we spent a total of 11 hours on the bus to walk around on this mountain for 1.5 hours. But there are certainly worse things! But we were completely exhausted and fell into bed. To recharge, Roman had something special planned for the next day. He wanted to try the local delicacy - guinea pig. On the first day, we had discovered a very delicious restaurant, and the waiter probably offered the best service we had experienced on this long trip. Besides valuable travel tips and tour contacts, he showed us how to prepare coca and muna tea. He also highly recommended their guinea pig dish, which stuck in our heads. However, it had to be pre-ordered, so we couldn't try it that day. So Roman seized the opportunity and pre-ordered the guinea pig. We went to eat there in the evening with Marleen and Stephan, with whom we had already done the Free Walking Tour in Lima. When the food arrived, we were all very curious about Roman's plate, and the sight alone was a highlight. You could actually still recognize the head, claws, and almost the whole body. It may be a little macabre to us Europeans, but it is a delicacy for Peruvians. In terms of taste, the guinea pig didn't convince us. In terms of texture, it was most similar to chicken or rabbit, but taste-wise, it wasn't really delicious. Leonie didn't dare to try it, and Roman's appetite was somewhat spoiled after seeing it. Maybe it was also because he wasn't so convinced by the taste. But it was an experience worth it! Besides guinea pig, Roman also tried alpaca. That, on the other hand, tasted good, but unfortunately, it was a bit tough, otherwise it could probably be compared to beef. Now, back to the tours. We did the City Tour on the last day of our stay in Cusco. During the tour, we realized that we were slowly getting a bit tired of sightseeing and couldn't get really excited about what we saw. Nevertheless, the Inca site was beautiful, and the price of only 6.50€ was definitely worth it. On this tour, we tried freshly cooked corn as a quick snack. The special thing about it is that the kernels are about 4 times larger than in Germany. This made nibbling on the cob much easier. Taste-wise, it was similar to corn in Germany. But what's even crazier is that they also have black corn here. However, it is squeezed and drunk as a juice. "Chicha Morada" tastes very sweet and fruity, typically cinnamon is also mixed in. Depending on the preparation, it was very delicious and a good alternative to water or (Inka) Cola. After the city tour, we stopped by our favorite café in Cusco, ate delicious tuna baguettes, and then got on the night bus to Puno. We chose the night bus because we could save on hotel accommodation and bridge the "lost time" on the bus by sleeping. Whether that worked out as planned will be revealed in the next post :)