Cusco for the first time

12.11. Cusco

Without any notice, we stop at the bus terminal. Ripped out of half-sleep, we gather our things and retrieve our backpacks from the trunk. We let the two soles for the cart driver slide, we are too tired and weak. The taxi ride to the hotel costs us 20 soles, even though it should only cost 10. But the taxi drivers take advantage of the demand and coordinate prices with pre-prepared signs. Well, luckily we can check in at the centrally located hotel and get some hours of sleep...

A bit more rested, we eagerly explore the city center. Cusco is truly beautiful, albeit ambivalent: the pretty alleyways and houses with wooden balconies from the Spanish colonial era were all built with stones from Inca buildings and walls. Some of the many powerful churches and cathedrals are built on top of Inca sacred sites... history you can touch.

Nevertheless, Cusco has an incredible amount of charm! During our tour, we discover a branch of the Thai-Fusion restaurant from Arequipa and decide to stop by.

It is becoming increasingly clear to us why Cusco is THE tourist hotspot: countless alpaca clothing stores, Peruvian women in traditional attire with little lambs and alpacas in tow, museums, hotels with picturesque courtyards that invite you to linger, and the best Peruvian cuisine at a high level.

In the evening, a man comes to our hotel to perform an antigen test: tomorrow we're heading to the jungle! We also meet our guide for the next 6 days, Michel, and Fidel, the owner of Manu National Park Tours. We receive 2 duffle bags for our clothes and important information about the course of the trip.

During dinner, despite the excitement for the days to come, the mood is a bit down: fatigue leads to silly misunderstandings and a sour atmosphere - but in the end, we manage to turn things around. ;)