Cusco

9-22-08

We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Highlight of the day was finding a restaurant called Mijunachis. It had 3 menus that ranged from 10 soles ($3.00) - 15 soles ($5.00). The menus were three courses which included an appetizer, soup, and entree, and also tea or lemonade. We ordered Alpaca (our first time trying this food). It tasted kind of like beef but probably a little gamier. We ultimately ate there 4 more times during our stay in Cusco. Great city.

9-23-08

Sara and her friend Elli were checking into the hotel as we were waking up. We decided we wanted to continue to get acclimitized by walking around the city some more (on a side note I had been taking altitude sickness pills for two days and they caused blurry vision which I thought was altitude sickness. It wasn't fun not being able to see for two days but once the pills wore off I got my vision back) We took Elli and Sara to Mijunachis and they liked it too. We started looking for a tour operater so that we could do the Salkantay trek. We went to South American Explorers and they recommended a company called Quechuas. The owner seemed like a nice guy and quoted us a price of $210 for 4 nights, 5 days, entry to Machu Picchu, hotel on the last night and train back to Cusco. This price was a lot better than the $430 that Unger and I almost spent to do the Salkantay Trek. We decided to book the trip that would leave on September 26. We went back to the hostel relaxed for a little while and then went to the store to buy food since Unger and I were cooking dinner for the girls that night. We made chicken and pasta but the pasta turned out soggy and clumpy (Not our fault, we didn't have a strainer). We then decided to watch a movie. We started Hostel which I thought was completely appropriate since we were staying in a hostel in South America but when we got to the point in the movie where the guy cuts the kids achilles tendons I was forced by the other three to turn the movie off. We watch 40 Year Old Virgin instead; not a bad second choice.

9-24-08

We wanted to do some excercise to make sure we were ready for our trek. We took a taxi up the the ruins that are about 6 miles from Cusco and then hike down the mountain stopping at about 4 or 5 sets of ruins on the way (a little advice if you are ever in Cusco: don't leave your hotel wearing just shorts and a tee shirt because the weather can change very very quickly. We left and it was about 80 degrees and by the time we got to the top of the mountain the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. I ended up buying an alpaca sweater which I very much overpaid for. Peruvian crafts people = 1, Brian = 0) The ruins were interesting and we got lost several times and had to ask for directions on how to get to the next ruins. I'm pretty sure we left Unger in charge of directions. The last set of ruins we encountered before Cusco were incredible. There were 3 tiered walls that probably went up about 100 feet or so. It started to rain so we made our way back to Cusco. We met the Swedish girls and went to a restaurant called Kusikoy. We proceeded to order our entrees and Unger, Sara, and I decided it was time to sample the little Peruvian delicassee, Kuy. We had actually decided earlier in the day, hence the restaurant's name Kusikoy. Now this is a very special dish and takes about 40 minutes, since I guess they put it on a rotisseree or something. We ate our entrees and about 10 minutes later the waiter brought the little critter out. Now, the best part about this meal is that they don't filet, skin, remove paws, head, etc. The cook the little guy up, full body intact and serve it just like that. It arrived with teeth still intact as well and a huge pepper in its mouth. I thought it was a nice touch. I can't really explain how it tastes so I will just say that it tastes like the dark meat of chicken, with a little bit of a difference. I enjoyed it but will probably never eat it again. Scratch that off my list of things to do before I die. I am unhappy to say that the most expensive meal by far I have eaten in South America was a rodent. The good news is that I didn't get sick.

9-25-08

It was a very uneventful day. We wanted to try to conserve some money, since at the moment with Machu Picchu and Galapagos we are haemorrhaging money. So we hung out at the hostel, went to the store to buy water and snacks for our hike, ate at Mijunachis, and returned to the hostel. We met with our guide so we could go over a little pre-trek information and then I went out to dinner with an Irish girl we had met in Quito who happened to be staying at the same hotel in Cusco. I had to finish packing up before our 4am wakeup and I barely slept about 2 hours.