Peru - Cusco

Whilst Lima is not a city I would be desperate to visit again, with its chaotic traffic, hair raising drivers, derelict down town area and lack of infrastructure, it certainly is a place to visit for food lovers. In the short time we were there I can honestly say that my lasting impression of the city is of the sensational food - I have certainly enjoyed some of the best meals I have ever eaten. Last night was a gastronomic delight at a highly regarded and excellent restaurant where we enjoyed a 12 course tasting menu that was a cacophony of taste sensations. A most memorable experience! 

This morning it was an early start as we were collected at 7.30am to get across the city in the horrendous traffic to get to the airport. (With jet lag I am waking up at 4am so not a problem - even had time to catch up on Blip journals). It is eyebrow raising to see the way drivers approach a four way stop, they barely slow down and cross it, all squeezing past each other dodgem style to get to the other side. No roundabouts like the UK! Not surprisingly most cars have knocks and dents and your heart sinks when your taxi/Uber arrives and you see the condition of the car. Thankfully this morning the transfer to the airport was with the tour rep in a decent taxi, and the traffic was so awful, taking nearly 2 hours to travel 10 miles. We would have missed our flight if it was not for him, phoning ahead and getting us to the airport through a special entrance and then getting us checked on in no time at all.

From Lima we flew to Cusco as arranged, but instead of staying in a hotel there as per our initial itinerary, we found it it had changed and we were now staying in a lovely hotel in the Sacred Valley. On arriving in Cusco we were collected from the airport by the tour rep, and taken to lunch at a fantastic restaurant. The food was so delicious yet again - more ceviche! We then had a 3 hour guided tour of the city, having a detailed visit to the cathedral followed by a visit to the monastery which was an Incan settlement. This is an image of the cathedral, and I loved all the flags in the foreground. There is an extra of a religious festival that was taking place where they carry a statue of the virgin all through the city. We learnt so much about the Incas, they were such an advanced nation and ahead of their time with their knowledge.

Cusco dates back to 1000 BC. As the oldest living city in the Americas, Cusco has been inhabited continuously for over 3,000 years. It was the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to 16th century until Spanish conquest, and now is a major tourist destination- receiving nearly 2 million visitors per year. I really enjoyed Cusco and wished we could have spent more time here - especially as we did not suffer from any altitude sickness despite it being 3400m above sea level!

We came out to a heavy rainfall and hail, but managed to get picked up by our driver and then set off for the Sacred Valley where we are staying in a luxurious hotel in Urubamba which is like an oasis in the middle of a very third world rural area. Our guide is very knowledgeable and told us so much about his country and the challenges it faces. He said he cannot believe that the Incas were so advanced, having knowledge of advanced maths, physics and engineering to build what they did build, and yet today his country lags its neighbours. 

Tomorrow morning it is another early start - our guide is collecting us and we are visiting some of the sites in the Sacred valley, including Ollantaytambo, before barding the train to go to Machu Pichu where we are staying for one night.