The flight into Panama was long (5 hours). I didn't sleep well on the plane but did get a little nap. They served us complimentary breakfast before landing in Panama City where we had a 1 hour layover. The layover, however, didn't seem long. I wasn't at the gate long before we started to board.
The next flight was smooth as well and I did manage to sleep. We only flew for 3 hours, but that nap helped. I also had my own row. They did serve us a dinner of chicken sandwiches and salad.
We landed in Lima, Peru and went through customs quickly. For a small airport, it was busy. I decided to exchange some currency for Peruvian Soles. I didn't realise how good the exchange rate is. $140 comes out to 407 Soles. I claimed my baggage then took a taxi to a small hotel called the Caribe. I wasn't originally planning on getting a hotel, just sleep in the airport. But I'm glad I did because I felt quite refreshed the next day.
I took a taxi back to the airport where I checked in and rechecked my baggage. We flew from Lima to Cusco (my final destination). It was a short 1 hour flight that seemed to fly by (no pun intended). I had my own row on this flight as well. As they served us complimentary drinks and snacks, I tried their soda called Inca Kola, which tastes a lot like a fruity bubble gum. Cusco has a small airport, so after landing, it was easy to claim baggage. I repacked my carry-on (a drawstring bag), and programmed the address into my Garmin Etrex 20. Cusco isn't very big, so I figured I could walk anywhere (even though I was bombarded by taxi drivers). It was a nice walk through the busier part of town. I can say, Peru is different than what I expected. The culture is something you just have to see to understand it.
My GPS took me right to my destination: Peru Treks. I figured I would check in and pay my remaining balance with the group I'll be backpacking with. Unfortunately, the office was closed (it's Sunday and almost everything is closed). Fortunately though, it was on my way to Plaza de Armas: the main square.
It didn't take long to get to the plaza. I figured it would be busy, but not this busy! It's obviously one of the hot attractions in Cusco. There's 2 cathedrals on the square along with restaurants, travel agencies, currency exchanges, and travelling salesmen. All throughout the plaza are locals walking around trying to sell things, mostly artwork. There are also police EVERYWHERE. This just supports that Peru isn't really as dangerous as some people think. It also didn't take long to figure out that it's good to know at least a little Spanish. That has really made this trip easier.
I walked around and explored the plaza, along with the town around the plaza. There is quite a bit to see and there's an abundance in travel agencies trying to sell me trips. There's also an abundance of locals dressed in traditional Peru dress, which is kind of cool.
My hostel checkin wasn't until 1 pm and I arrived at 6 am, so there was plenty of time to kill. While at the plaza, I had some more currency exchanged. I tried to rest on the benches periodically because of the high altitude. Cusco is at 10,000 feet and the air is obviously thinner. I didn't seem to have much of an issue with it though. When I stopped to rest, I could feel it. It's not necessarily harder to breath, but I find myself breathing faster and occasionally taking a deep sigh. I also found that it's quite hot here. Around 8 am, the temperature was in the low 70s and by noon, it was almost 80. With little cloud cover, I got sunburned on my first day.
Around 9, I went to a restaurant that was serving breakfast and had an awesome egg dish. They also make their own juice using fresh fruit. I also decided to try the traditional drink Chicha Morada (purple corn, pineapple, cinnamon, and cumin). It was a lot better than I though it would be.
Later in the morning, (probably more like noon), there was a small parade through the square. Locals dressed in traditional Incan dress, playing music and dancing. It was really neat.
When 1 came around, I headed to the hostel: Intro Hostel, with the help of my Garmin. They quickly got me checked in and showed me to the room and gave me the choice of top or bottom bunk. I was glad I could get a bottom bunk.
The hostel is unique with a villa, open design. The center is open and there's a boardwalk that stretches around the perimeter to get to the rooms. I was surprised to see that the self service kitchen is in the open area. They also have their own travel agency which I might use in the next couple days (you know, white water rafting, bungee jumping, etc.) Not sure, though what all I'll do for the next couple days. I decided to rest for a bit at the hostel since I'd been walking all morning with a 21 lbs backpack. I hung out here for a bit and took a nap.
After my nap, I decided to find dinner. I had my heart set on trying cuy (roasted Guinea pig). I walked around and compared prices to find the cheapest. That's one of the things about Peru: if you see some thing you like, keep walking and you will probably see it cheaper. I found a nice restaurant and ordered my meal and It was good (tastes like squirrel), though the skin has a weird texture. I probably won't eat it much because it's pretty pricey. I also tried coca tea, which tastes like a mix of chamomile and grean tea.
After dinner I headed back to the hostel where I got a shower in. The restrooms/shower houses are a little different. The downstairs one is co-ed and the upstairs one is men only. Different from what I'm used to. Now, I'm able to sit back and enjoy the fire that the staff just started. I originally had planned to take it easy today to get used to the altitude. I ended up doing a lot more walking than anticipated, putting in 6 miles. Tomorrow should be a more eventful day with plans to see sacsayhuaman and a miniature of the famous statue in Rio Dejinero!
