Cuzco is an amazing city that I absolutely fell in love with. What was once the capital of the Inca empire is still a beautiful and thriving city. Though the city definitely has a tourist feel, it has managed to keep some of the traditional elements. Walking around Cuzco there are still locals dressed in traditional garb (some even who are not trying to con you into taking pictures or sell you things) and the architecture has been preserved magnificently.
If I had more time on my trip, I would have camped out in Cuzco much longer, a month perhaps, and taken Spanish courses.
My time in Cuzco was split in two parts - the three days I spent there before the Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu and the two days I spent there after.
I arrived in Cuzco at 5:30 am on Saturday after a 22 hour bus ride. The journey was split into two parts, Ayacucho to Andahuaylas and Andahuaylas to Cuzco. Though most buses here are lovely, the first half of my trip was far off what is known as the "Gringo Trail," or the touristy backpacking circuit, and the bus was mostly locals.
I boarded a 12 hour bus with no food or bathroom in front of a man who brought a live chicken in a cardboard box and two gerbils in a cage. I told myself that I was going to stay awake for the first 3 hours before taking sleeping medication to hopefully sleep through the middle to second half of the trip.
The road from Ayacucho to Andahuaylas was rough and bumpy, however, the bus was not up to date, and the local man next to me insisted on singing outloud. I lasted a full 45 minutes before taking a sleeping pill.
The second bus was much more enjoyable, but needless to say, after 22 hours on buses, I was more than grateful when my hostel let me check in at 5:30am and go straight to bed instead of the enforcing an 11:30am check in.
I had plans to meet my friend Sinead, an Irish girl I had met on my first week of my trip on the trek to La Ciudad Perdida in Colombia. When she checked in, we walked down the street, had a fixed price, two course lunch for 4 soles (or about $1.67,) and set off to explore the city.
We walked around the plaza and through the markets. While exploring though, we had one specific goal in mind. We were staying at the Loki Hostel in Cuzco, known as one of the top ten party hostels in the world. The Lokis are also known for their theme parties, and that Saturday the theme was Disney characters.
Sinead and I discovered very early on that we share a mutual love of dressing up and after a few Google searches decided that the 101 Dalmations would be a costume that we could make easily, would fit our minimal backpacking budgets and we wouldn't need to carry around after. Our plan was to tape black and white spots that we would cut from construction paper onto our black and white clothing, paint spots on our faces and use construction paper and ribbon to make collars.
As much as I love Cuzco, I will tell you that it is nearly impossible to find face paint in that city (especially with a VERY limited vocabulary.) We must have gone into over 20 stores and spent multiple hours looking for face paint. Finally, we found all of our necessities at a copy shop. While we couldn't exactly find face paint, we did find a water based paint that we hoped would both do the job and wash off in time for our Machu Picchu trek a few days later.
For dinner that evening we tried - for the first time - to find a place called Dolce Vita, a place my new friend Mark who I had met while sandboarding in Huacachina said was a MUST. Dolce Vita served something called Causa, a pie like dish made from layers of avocado, mashed potatoes and chicken. A friend of Sinead's that she had met in Taganga, Colombia, Leigh also happened to be staying at the hostel and came with us for dinner.
We found Dolce Vita, but it was an ice cream shop, apparently there are 3 in Cuzco, and we ended up at the wrong one. Instead we went to Jack's, another place that had been highly recommended, a great burger and milkshake shop that reminded me of a place that could be at home.
The Loki is uphill and the 120+ stairs back are a bitch. At an elevation of 3300 meters (9,900 feet,) you can definitely feel the altitude in Cuzco. Once backt Sinead and I set about making our costumes while having our own happy hour in the room. (Two things not to do while trying to adjust to altitude... Eat meat and drink alcohol. Cheeseburgers at Jack's and rum and cokes all evening... Check and check.)
When we got to the bar downstairs, we were basically the only ones dressed up, except for one girl dressed as a mermaid and the staff, but another thing Sinead and I have in common is that we don't get embarrassed. We further proved this to each other and everyone else when we went to the main Gringo bar in the square, Mama Africa, STILL dressed in our costumes. We did manage to get free drinks from the bartenders for wearing our costumes, though,so it was well worth it.
On Monday, Leigh, Sinead, and I along with Luke, (Leigh's travel partner who Sinead had also met in Colombia and our 4th muskateer for the week) decided to visit the four ruins in Cuzco. The main remain is called Saqsaywaman (dubbed sexy woman as a moniker the gringos will remember). The remains were okay, but since we weren't with a guide we weren't ever too sure what we were looking at. The views of Cuzco from above, however, were stunning.
After the ruins we went on a free walking tour of the city with our hostel. We covered a lot of ground and learned a bit about the city. Afterward we had another unsuccessful attempt to find Dolce Vita and went back to the market to eat lunch.
We had visited the market during the walking tour and it was truly amazing. We tried a fruit called Grenadina, which is about the size of your fist and has slimy little seeds inside (similar to ppmegranate.) I absolutely love it.
The meat section of the market in particular was amusing/repulsive. They has everything from guinnea pig (cui,) a South American delicacy, to massive bull's testicles, to entire bone facial structures of cows, alpacas, etc. The women cutting the raw meat would taste bits of of while they were cutting it.
It was a bit difficult to eat there after seeing everything, but it was one of the best meals I had had (though basic and classic Peruvian.) For $1.25 we had rice, tomato, cucumber, onion, egg, avocados and french fries. That evening we had our information session for our Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu, packed, and went to sleep early for our early wake up the next morning.
Five days later, we got back from to Cuzco at 1:30 in the morning. After a 4am wake up and some strenuous uphill climbing at Machu Picchu, we were exhausted and went straight to sleep. When we woke up the next day we were happily surprised that two of our friends from our Lost City trek and another boy I had met in Colombia were all staying at the Loki for the weekend as well.
We treated ourselves that afternoon and had a Machu Picchu reunion lunch at a nice restaurant. After lunch we all split ways, and while walking around town we FINALLY found Dolce Vita. We had literally looked every single day since we'd been in Cuzco and decided we'd go for dinner that night. In what could only be the comical ending in a series of errors, when the six of us went for dinner that night, the restaurant only had two pieces of the famous causa we had been hunting left. We all shared the two small pieces and ended up getting a proper dinner at another restaurant.
Again, that evening there was another theme party at the Loki, but this time we were well prepared. We found a street with multiple costume shops and bought masks. Our masks, combined with the supplies we had saved from the previous week, were more than enough to rock the Carnival theme. We partied at the hostel for a while, and went out again to town for some late night dancing. Clearly still in our costumes, the bar tender recognized us from the week before and showed us a picture he had on his phone of us dressed as the dalmations from the week before.
After a very lazy Sunday, Sinead and I headed out on an overnight bus to Arequipa. We said goodbye to Leigh and Luke, and as always, they were quick. I'm sentimental though, and it's always difficult to leave new friends, not knowing if you'll ever see them again. For the past week, the four of us had done everything together - ate all of our meals, slept in the same rooms, shared hundreds of laughs and been to places and seen things that many people will never get to experience in their lifetimes.
Though a week may seem short in comparison, while backpacking, traveling with someone for a week feels like a lifetime. Luckily, though, the four of us have already made plans and booked a hostel together to spend New Years in Buenos Aires.
Pictures:
- Cuzco from our hostel balcony
- Sinead and I as 101 Dalmations and Luke as Mogli from the Jungle Book
- Grenadina
- Michael and I dressed for the Carnival party
- Luke, Leigh, Sinead and I above Cuzco on our ruins tour
If I had more time on my trip, I would have camped out in Cuzco much longer, a month perhaps, and taken Spanish courses.
My time in Cuzco was split in two parts - the three days I spent there before the Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu and the two days I spent there after.
I arrived in Cuzco at 5:30 am on Saturday after a 22 hour bus ride. The journey was split into two parts, Ayacucho to Andahuaylas and Andahuaylas to Cuzco. Though most buses here are lovely, the first half of my trip was far off what is known as the "Gringo Trail," or the touristy backpacking circuit, and the bus was mostly locals.
I boarded a 12 hour bus with no food or bathroom in front of a man who brought a live chicken in a cardboard box and two gerbils in a cage. I told myself that I was going to stay awake for the first 3 hours before taking sleeping medication to hopefully sleep through the middle to second half of the trip.
The road from Ayacucho to Andahuaylas was rough and bumpy, however, the bus was not up to date, and the local man next to me insisted on singing outloud. I lasted a full 45 minutes before taking a sleeping pill.
The second bus was much more enjoyable, but needless to say, after 22 hours on buses, I was more than grateful when my hostel let me check in at 5:30am and go straight to bed instead of the enforcing an 11:30am check in.
I had plans to meet my friend Sinead, an Irish girl I had met on my first week of my trip on the trek to La Ciudad Perdida in Colombia. When she checked in, we walked down the street, had a fixed price, two course lunch for 4 soles (or about $1.67,) and set off to explore the city.
We walked around the plaza and through the markets. While exploring though, we had one specific goal in mind. We were staying at the Loki Hostel in Cuzco, known as one of the top ten party hostels in the world. The Lokis are also known for their theme parties, and that Saturday the theme was Disney characters.
Sinead and I discovered very early on that we share a mutual love of dressing up and after a few Google searches decided that the 101 Dalmations would be a costume that we could make easily, would fit our minimal backpacking budgets and we wouldn't need to carry around after. Our plan was to tape black and white spots that we would cut from construction paper onto our black and white clothing, paint spots on our faces and use construction paper and ribbon to make collars.
As much as I love Cuzco, I will tell you that it is nearly impossible to find face paint in that city (especially with a VERY limited vocabulary.) We must have gone into over 20 stores and spent multiple hours looking for face paint. Finally, we found all of our necessities at a copy shop. While we couldn't exactly find face paint, we did find a water based paint that we hoped would both do the job and wash off in time for our Machu Picchu trek a few days later.
For dinner that evening we tried - for the first time - to find a place called Dolce Vita, a place my new friend Mark who I had met while sandboarding in Huacachina said was a MUST. Dolce Vita served something called Causa, a pie like dish made from layers of avocado, mashed potatoes and chicken. A friend of Sinead's that she had met in Taganga, Colombia, Leigh also happened to be staying at the hostel and came with us for dinner.
We found Dolce Vita, but it was an ice cream shop, apparently there are 3 in Cuzco, and we ended up at the wrong one. Instead we went to Jack's, another place that had been highly recommended, a great burger and milkshake shop that reminded me of a place that could be at home.
The Loki is uphill and the 120+ stairs back are a bitch. At an elevation of 3300 meters (9,900 feet,) you can definitely feel the altitude in Cuzco. Once backt Sinead and I set about making our costumes while having our own happy hour in the room. (Two things not to do while trying to adjust to altitude... Eat meat and drink alcohol. Cheeseburgers at Jack's and rum and cokes all evening... Check and check.)
When we got to the bar downstairs, we were basically the only ones dressed up, except for one girl dressed as a mermaid and the staff, but another thing Sinead and I have in common is that we don't get embarrassed. We further proved this to each other and everyone else when we went to the main Gringo bar in the square, Mama Africa, STILL dressed in our costumes. We did manage to get free drinks from the bartenders for wearing our costumes, though,so it was well worth it.
On Monday, Leigh, Sinead, and I along with Luke, (Leigh's travel partner who Sinead had also met in Colombia and our 4th muskateer for the week) decided to visit the four ruins in Cuzco. The main remain is called Saqsaywaman (dubbed sexy woman as a moniker the gringos will remember). The remains were okay, but since we weren't with a guide we weren't ever too sure what we were looking at. The views of Cuzco from above, however, were stunning.
After the ruins we went on a free walking tour of the city with our hostel. We covered a lot of ground and learned a bit about the city. Afterward we had another unsuccessful attempt to find Dolce Vita and went back to the market to eat lunch.
We had visited the market during the walking tour and it was truly amazing. We tried a fruit called Grenadina, which is about the size of your fist and has slimy little seeds inside (similar to ppmegranate.) I absolutely love it.
The meat section of the market in particular was amusing/repulsive. They has everything from guinnea pig (cui,) a South American delicacy, to massive bull's testicles, to entire bone facial structures of cows, alpacas, etc. The women cutting the raw meat would taste bits of of while they were cutting it.
It was a bit difficult to eat there after seeing everything, but it was one of the best meals I had had (though basic and classic Peruvian.) For $1.25 we had rice, tomato, cucumber, onion, egg, avocados and french fries. That evening we had our information session for our Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu, packed, and went to sleep early for our early wake up the next morning.
Five days later, we got back from to Cuzco at 1:30 in the morning. After a 4am wake up and some strenuous uphill climbing at Machu Picchu, we were exhausted and went straight to sleep. When we woke up the next day we were happily surprised that two of our friends from our Lost City trek and another boy I had met in Colombia were all staying at the Loki for the weekend as well.
We treated ourselves that afternoon and had a Machu Picchu reunion lunch at a nice restaurant. After lunch we all split ways, and while walking around town we FINALLY found Dolce Vita. We had literally looked every single day since we'd been in Cuzco and decided we'd go for dinner that night. In what could only be the comical ending in a series of errors, when the six of us went for dinner that night, the restaurant only had two pieces of the famous causa we had been hunting left. We all shared the two small pieces and ended up getting a proper dinner at another restaurant.
Again, that evening there was another theme party at the Loki, but this time we were well prepared. We found a street with multiple costume shops and bought masks. Our masks, combined with the supplies we had saved from the previous week, were more than enough to rock the Carnival theme. We partied at the hostel for a while, and went out again to town for some late night dancing. Clearly still in our costumes, the bar tender recognized us from the week before and showed us a picture he had on his phone of us dressed as the dalmations from the week before.
After a very lazy Sunday, Sinead and I headed out on an overnight bus to Arequipa. We said goodbye to Leigh and Luke, and as always, they were quick. I'm sentimental though, and it's always difficult to leave new friends, not knowing if you'll ever see them again. For the past week, the four of us had done everything together - ate all of our meals, slept in the same rooms, shared hundreds of laughs and been to places and seen things that many people will never get to experience in their lifetimes.
Though a week may seem short in comparison, while backpacking, traveling with someone for a week feels like a lifetime. Luckily, though, the four of us have already made plans and booked a hostel together to spend New Years in Buenos Aires.
Pictures:
- Cuzco from our hostel balcony
- Sinead and I as 101 Dalmations and Luke as Mogli from the Jungle Book
- Grenadina
- Michael and I dressed for the Carnival party
- Luke, Leigh, Sinead and I above Cuzco on our ruins tour
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