I wasn't really sure what else I was going to do today other than hike. But as I was getting my stuff put away before checking in with the tour group, 2 girls in my room were talking about a free walking tour. I asked them about it and got the information. After checking in, I went to the fountain were the tour was to start. I saw a tour group just leaving when I got there. Another tour guide was there to give me and another, an Australian girl, a private tour. He was friendly and very knowledgable of the Peruvian and Incan history. We toured around the square, then down some original Incan roads to ruins of Incan palaces. We even got to feed and get pictures with an alpaca!
We toured through San Blas (part of the historical district) and ended up on a lookout that overlooks Cusco. Our tour led us to the Mercado de San Blas, a food trading market. They also had people fixing meals. We decided to eat there as the tour guide left to start another tour. The Australian (Sonya) and I stayed and ordered the Machu Picchu sandwich, a huge sandwich that was amazingly cheap (US $2). There was also a Portuguese couple that we got to know and they suggested a fruit juice containing mango, orange, and carrot. He let us try some of his first which was really good. I ordered one which costs US $.80 and ended up with 2 huge cups of it, so I shared with my new travelling partner. She ordered 2 other Peruvian juices that we tried.
I had some other plans for the day and so did she, so we agreed to meet at the Mercado de San Pedro for dinner and parted ways. From there, I hiked a LONG, tiring staircase to the top of one of the nearby mountains. It was worth it! I got to see the Blanco Cristo, a small replica of the famous statue in Rio Dijenero. This statue overlooks all of Cusco which was an amazing sight. It is actually visible from the main square.
After enjoying the sight, I hiked up to Sacsayhuaman, the ruins of an Incan palace. The trail itself was pretty awesome and the ruins were just as impressive. Unfortunately, to get to the top costs 70 Soles, so I decided to pass it up since I'll be at Machu Picchu at the end of the week.
From there, I hiked back down to another lookout where some Perivian woman were dressed in the traditional clothes. One was weaving and the other 2 were there with there llamas. I rested there for a bit before hiking back down to Plaza de Armas.
At the plaza, I rested a bit since the hike was pretty steep and the temperature reached 81 degrees. I decided to head back to the hostel where I showered and changed. I was going to bring my dirty clothes to one of the many laundry places here, but did not have time before dinner.
I packed up my day bag with what I needed and headed to San Pedro, a 10 minute walk. I met Sonya there and we walked through the market which was amazing! It was huge and filled with stands selling all kinds of Peruvian fruits, cheeses, etc. There were also stands selling clothes and other handmade souvenirs. Unfortunately, it was getting close to closing time and the stands selling meals were closed. We decided to walk around and find a cheaper restaurant.
I brought up a restaurant on my GPS and walked about 10 minutes to get there. It was a nice restaurant with awesome Incan decorations. I had the pimiento rellano which I have been wanting to try. We hung out there for a bit, talking about travelling. About the time we were ready to leave, a Peruvian band came in and started playing. They were probably the best musicians I've seen so far here. And so far, Peru has had the most street musicians of any other place I've been. We decided to meet up tomorrow to tour the Inca museum.
I headed back to my hostel where I decided to rest after the long day. I put in another 5 miles today. Now, I'm relaxing under the open sky next to the fire pit, in the rain. So far, definitely a trip I would recommend!
