Exploring the Incans

One day closer to hiking the Inca trail! Last night I slept great and woke up fairly early. Right as I was getting ready for bed, the rain came hard which probably helped me sleep. This morning I had our standard breakfast with lots of coffee. I had a few things planned for today, so I made sure to get an early start. After breakfast, I brought my dirty clothes to a laundry place just 20 seconds from my hostel.

From there, I knew today might be my last day to go souvenir shopping. I know of a great area with lots of traditional Peruvian stuff. I roamed around the streets looking at different shops and got most of my shopping done. At one shop, I even got another free llama and a free pan pipe pin (of which I gave to adventure bear). After I bought stuff from that lady, she gave me a hug which was like giving a hug to a kid (most Peruvians are shorter than 5 feet, and love hugs). I did some more exploring in parts of Cusco I haven't been to yet. 

(Most famous stone in Cusco)

Along the streets are people dressed in the old traditional outfits and mostly carrying lambs. I got pictures of one girl and she took one of me holding her lamb. Later, I ran into 2 other ladies that I got pictures of. 

After I finished my exploring and shopping, I brought my stuff back to the hostel. About this time, the sun started to get really hot, around 83 degrees. I used my Shemmagh to keep the sun off my neck. With some time to kill, I went to lunch and had another glass of coca tea then went to market to get some snacks for the hike. 

Around 2, I went to the fountain in the plaza and met Sonya. We went to the Incan Museum and spent a couple hours there. It was full of artefacts from pre-Incan through Incan period. It was really cool. 

After we finished there, we headed back to Mercado de San Pedro. We walked around there and checked things out. We had both already eaten, but wanted to try the local foods. We stopped at a juice stand where they make custom juice. I ordered a mango, orange, passion fruit juice which was really good. We roamed around more and tried a few other local foods. 

The market was getting ready to close so we headed back to the plaza. There, we parted ways and I headed back to my hostel. I was able to video chat with my brother, sister, and grandma. We talked a bit then I headed out to pick up my laundry. With all my clothes back at the hostel, I was able to start packing for tomorrow. I got my backpack packed and ready to go, after my shower (last shower until after the hike). 

As I was packing, I found a surprise in my backpack: a package of shower wipes. I have no clue where they came from and know they weren't in there when I got here. But I know they will be vital while hiking for 4 days. 

I'm currently sitting next to the fire again. I'm going to head out and find something to eat. After that, I'll head straight to bed to be ready for the hike! This will be my last post until I get back from Machu Picchu. I'm not sure yet if I'll post on Saturday or Sunday. It will depend on when time we get back. You'll definitely hear from me when I get back!

Sacsayhuaman and more!

Another successful day in Cusco! Once again, I had plans to somewhat rest and prepare for the Inca Trail, but I was busy. I actually slept exceptionally well, waking up much earlier than I planned. Breakfast was good with eggs, toast, coffee, and tea. After breakfast, I was ready for the day. First thing first, I had to check in with my tour group. They require us to check in and pay the remaining balance 2 days before the trek with intentions of helping us get used to the climate. When I checked in, she went through the itinerary with me and gave me a map with our marked campsites. 

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!