Blatts in Peru- We've Arrived in Cusco

Sporting our Tourist Gear!

Arriving in Lima late Thursday night, we dredged up an overpriced taxi to our hotel in the nearby slums.  The hostel was ridden with prowling cats (yes, I am allergic), and no water at all. No matter, because we were up at 3:30 after four hours of "sleep" to catch our plane to Cusco.  The cab we had arranged didn't show, so we hoofed it, walking very briskly through the sketchy neighborhood and whizzing traffic to get back to the airport under a vaguely lightening sky.

Finally,  we arrived in Cusco.  Our hostel, Kurumi, is built around a tranquil courtyard, were we've spent much time chatting with fellow travelers and drinking coca tea,  which relieves some of the symptoms of altitude sickness.   Much of our first day, we napped, ate a little and napped some more!

We woke up headache-free the next morning, and headed, for the first of many times to Plaza Las Armas, where we shopped for ethno plundered sweaters and caps, until the four of us looked like we had stepped out of a dorky tourist catalogue, goofy hats and all.

We ate in the San Pedro market, where, for about a dollar, we each had soup, rice, lentils, salad and fried trout.  Twice in the evenings, for just a few bucks more,  we ate delicious two course meals at Las Nuecas, a small bistro on some cobblestone street nearish to the plaza;  the road name sounded somethting like Chachuecha....(but I might have that wrong...go figure).  It's nearby two kebab places, if you're looking for it!   

Guneau Pig is serve!

There, we dined on quinoa soup, fried cheese with guacamole, and stir fried alpaca.  We haven't yet tried the guinae pig which we have seen at the market restaurant stand, but we've heard it's chewy!

The first full day, our walking tour led us up the mountain toward Cristo Blanco, where we ended up spontaneously being willingly conscripted into a horseback rding event (see Marina's blog post) which turned out to be the hghtlight of our trip so far.

Yesterday, we did some more souvenire shopping, as the prices here are sooooo much lower than the astonishing cost of goods in Costa Rica.  Steve is oparticularly fond of the well-made North Face knock-offs; pants, jackets and more are great deals.   We should have brought an extra suitcase.  Really.

Later, we sat n the square and water-color painted the beautiful plaza and the church.  Many curious locals looked on and watched us paint as we sat on the benches in the shade. Benji was especially popular with a group of kids, one of whom wanted to paint, too.  Benji showed him how to use the brushes and colors, andthe boy really enjoyed adding in to Benji's picture.  It's times like these when I'm so glad that the kids speak Spanish!

Right now, we're on the bus to Lake Titicaca for a few days.  Poor Benji is puking intermittently, so I'll wrap it up here, and hope for the best.  'Til then..