First week: Cusco

Right now, I am sitting at Plaza de Armas and waiting for a friend from the USA whom I met in Lima and who is going to school in Cusco for a week.

On Friday, I slept in a bit and talked to my friend from Germany on the phone. Then I walked to Plaza de Armas and discovered a super cozy and modern café on the way with incredibly delicious ice cream. After treating myself to some ice cream, I visited the "Catedral de Cusco". Once again, I left the cathedral feeling a bit skeptical and confused. The holy figures were made of plastic. The Last Supper was served with guinea pigs. Jesus on the cross was wearing a skirt. Syncretism? Definitely a bit confusing. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take photos. After the visit, I did some shopping.

On Friday, I went to bed early as I was supposed to be picked up at 4 a.m. in the night. I was a bit afraid that no one would show up at the meeting point, as it was somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but close to my accommodation, and my roommate had already not been picked up twice. After waiting for 30 minutes in the middle of the night, I thought that no one would come. However, it turned out that the bus had been waiting for 10 minutes, but wasn't sure if I was part of the group. Likewise, I didn't dare to approach the van because it was empty and dark. After driving through Cusco for an hour to pick up people, we drove another 2 hours to a breakfast place. Then we took the bus again to a "campsite". From there, we walked straight for 30 minutes to a second campsite. From there, we had to climb 400 meters in altitude at an altitude of about 4000 meters. I met a Brazilian and a German with whom I spent the day. We walked up together. While some rented a horse, we struggled to climb up with a lot of effort. The view while walking was indescribable. When we finally reached the top, we had a beautiful view of Laguna Humantay, so the momentary shortness of breath (😂) didn't matter at all. After spending some time there, we headed back for lunch.

Today, I visited "Inglesia de la Compania de Jesus". From the church balcony, you have a beautiful view of Plaza de Armas. After that, I had a smoothie at "Mercado de San Pedro". There you can buy coca candies and powder, alpaca sweaters, fruits and vegetables, spices, etc.