Cusco's Nightlife, Food & Machu Pichu
Okay Dokey, when I last left off I was mentioning the Irish couple, Owen & Emma, with whom we were planning to meet up with and tear Cusco apart, well as we were leaving the Internet cafe, who did we happen to bump into, you betcha!
Anyway Friday night started out with us doing the rounds collecting all the free drinks that are handed out by the hundreds around Plaza de Armas, before finally settling on a wee place called Mama Africa's (Dave, Steve & Celia, I know that you know this place all too well!). Anyway had a really late night there hanging out with some not so locals from Lima that we are gonna catch up with when we fly in on Tuesday (Lil has had her way again).
Easter Saturday was spent in bed for the most of it, I snuck out early to pick up some chocolate goodies we had spotted at the local Mega for Lil, which settled for Breakfast. When we finally pulled ourselves away from the TNT, WB & AXN channels we headed up the hill scoping out the Pi Shop, which according to the old LP served such goodies as Vegemite (our pack is still sitting in customs in Brasil), but all we came across was a couple of big blue doors where the Pi Shop once reigned. Heading back to the hotel for more cable, checking out apartment options to move into on the way, we stumbled across a joint called Jack's. Menu looked too good to be true! All day breakfast including Bacon, Eggs, Mushrooms, Fried Tomato, Avocado, Beans and beleive or not; Caffe Latte! Being in Peru, well South America for that matter we have to live life a little on the underpriviliged side and when you stumble across goodies like this, it's seriously like Christmas! Well for me and my massive breakfast hungry belly anyway.
Feasted and back home to bed and cable (we have been sort of spoiling ourselves in Cusco) for the remainder of the night except for the half hour before the movies were about to kick off when we headed out for some TA which we got stuck into as soon as we were back in bed.
Sunday we had decided to move accomo around to where Owen & Emma had been hanging, a little more central, cheaper & with a communal kitchen where for the first time in ages we were able to cook up a storm! We spent the day shopping for goodies and trying to confirm which agency I was going to head off with the following day whilst we signed Lil up at Spanish school. At the last minute my tour fell through, which I didn't mind too much cause it was a 5 am start. Pretty chilled night, getting stuck into some awesome stir fry and a bottle of wine.
Monday morning whilst Lil dragged herself out of bed early for school, I slept. Got up just before lunch so we could meet. Headed down to LAN so we could change our flights around a bit, after pushing our exit from South America out by about a month, we have decided to skip Jamaica, Panama & Costa Rica and fly direct from Miami to Nicaragua, before heading North through Honduras, 2 weeks in the Bay Islands, further North still through Guatemala and Southern Mexico where we deicded to skip Northern Mexico and fly direct from Cancun to New York instead of from LA which just seems too far away. Hopefully we will still have enough time and money to get to Cuba from Mexico (gotta get some cubans in before Castro carks it), but we're gonna have to see how we go.
Anywho, finally settled on a different tour which still got me back to Cusco by Friday to meet up with Lil as she rolled out of her Spanish classes. The tour was a good combo; Day 1 cycle 60km (mostly downhill, or so I was told), Day 2 hike 28km, Day 3 hike 22km and Day 4 marvle at the Lost City of the Inca's: Machu Pichu, before jumping back on a train/bus combo for Cusco. After a nice dinner out at the Inca Grill, I was packed and ready to set off.
After 'The World's Most Dangerous Road' in Bolivia, I was ready to take on anything, except probably the 60km that lie ahead. After sitting on a cramped bus for 3 1/2 hours, we jumped off and got going. Seriously, although what we did in Bolivia is supposedly dangerous, this road should be named 'The World's Most Muddy, Bumpy, Wet, Dusty, Rocky Road' and that's not to mention the killer uphills that I was told didn't exist. To make things worse, the only 2 guys in my group apart from my guide were 2 swiss guys that I swear have raced in the Tour de France several times each. I made it through the day, with only pushing my bike up 1 hill like a pussy, but ended up looking pretty deshivled by the end of it.
The next morning I dragged my aching legs, arse and hands out of bed for the next part of the tour. We hiked up mountains, through valleys and along rivers following little dudes home who had walked 3 1/2 hours to get to school and were currently on their return.
On the way we reached some Hot Springs
very unlike any others I have been to so far in South America, that is to say they were clean, beautiful and not cement tubs, where we hung out for a few hours before finally reaching destination 2 with even sorer legs. After dinner we chilled out with some piscola at the local bar where we met some people doing the Salkantay trek, which I was originally trying to get into, who had blisters the size of thier whole feet.
Day 3 we were off again checking out a Cascada in the moring where we were fortunate enough to leave our bags with a lady who breeds Cuy (Guinea Pigs) for the local community to munch on, she had thousands of them running around her kitchen! A delicacy here, I just couldn't get into it.
The afternoon we hiked along the train line pulling off some awesome Stand by Me shots,
before arriving into Aguas Calientes in the mid arvo. Pizza and beers for dinner and to bed early for our 4:30 start to hike up to the Lost City.
The early start was a drainer, especially the 1 hr of pretty much complete vertical to get up to the ruins, but to watch the sunrise over the mountains was well worth the effort.
We spent the morning checking out the different vantage points of the ruins before making our way up yet again to Wyau Pichu (the big mountain overlooking the ruins) where the Swiss boys and I took it easy
and enjoyed the awesome view.
We made it back just in time for our guided tour, which was actually pretty funny. The tour guide was a native, relative of the Incas, and he basically spent the whole tour bagging the Spanish Inquisition and The Peruvian Government. Interesting perspective on things that's for sure. I guess you can't blame him in a way seeing as a few years ago when the the President wanted to visit the ruins, he had the Oblisque in the Central Plaza removed in order for him to land his helicopter there.
Back down the hill to Aguas Calientes for a beer or 2 before our train and return to Cusco. Friday night Lil and I headed back out to our favourite restaurant for dinner, Fallen Angels, where we caught up on things over some awesome food, a few cocktails and a bottle of wine, before heading back to the hostel to pass out.
A very chilled day and night yesterday and today, been checking out a few local highlights and the black market today. Thought we were gonna have a big night last night but our bodies just wouldn't allow us. Gonna have a final all nighter when Owen & Emma get back into town from their trek tomorrow night before heading off to Lima on Tuesday. Mama Africa's, here we come!
Anyway Friday night started out with us doing the rounds collecting all the free drinks that are handed out by the hundreds around Plaza de Armas, before finally settling on a wee place called Mama Africa's (Dave, Steve & Celia, I know that you know this place all too well!). Anyway had a really late night there hanging out with some not so locals from Lima that we are gonna catch up with when we fly in on Tuesday (Lil has had her way again).
Easter Saturday was spent in bed for the most of it, I snuck out early to pick up some chocolate goodies we had spotted at the local Mega for Lil, which settled for Breakfast. When we finally pulled ourselves away from the TNT, WB & AXN channels we headed up the hill scoping out the Pi Shop, which according to the old LP served such goodies as Vegemite (our pack is still sitting in customs in Brasil), but all we came across was a couple of big blue doors where the Pi Shop once reigned. Heading back to the hotel for more cable, checking out apartment options to move into on the way, we stumbled across a joint called Jack's. Menu looked too good to be true! All day breakfast including Bacon, Eggs, Mushrooms, Fried Tomato, Avocado, Beans and beleive or not; Caffe Latte! Being in Peru, well South America for that matter we have to live life a little on the underpriviliged side and when you stumble across goodies like this, it's seriously like Christmas! Well for me and my massive breakfast hungry belly anyway.
Feasted and back home to bed and cable (we have been sort of spoiling ourselves in Cusco) for the remainder of the night except for the half hour before the movies were about to kick off when we headed out for some TA which we got stuck into as soon as we were back in bed.
Sunday we had decided to move accomo around to where Owen & Emma had been hanging, a little more central, cheaper & with a communal kitchen where for the first time in ages we were able to cook up a storm! We spent the day shopping for goodies and trying to confirm which agency I was going to head off with the following day whilst we signed Lil up at Spanish school. At the last minute my tour fell through, which I didn't mind too much cause it was a 5 am start. Pretty chilled night, getting stuck into some awesome stir fry and a bottle of wine.
Monday morning whilst Lil dragged herself out of bed early for school, I slept. Got up just before lunch so we could meet. Headed down to LAN so we could change our flights around a bit, after pushing our exit from South America out by about a month, we have decided to skip Jamaica, Panama & Costa Rica and fly direct from Miami to Nicaragua, before heading North through Honduras, 2 weeks in the Bay Islands, further North still through Guatemala and Southern Mexico where we deicded to skip Northern Mexico and fly direct from Cancun to New York instead of from LA which just seems too far away. Hopefully we will still have enough time and money to get to Cuba from Mexico (gotta get some cubans in before Castro carks it), but we're gonna have to see how we go.
Anywho, finally settled on a different tour which still got me back to Cusco by Friday to meet up with Lil as she rolled out of her Spanish classes. The tour was a good combo; Day 1 cycle 60km (mostly downhill, or so I was told), Day 2 hike 28km, Day 3 hike 22km and Day 4 marvle at the Lost City of the Inca's: Machu Pichu, before jumping back on a train/bus combo for Cusco. After a nice dinner out at the Inca Grill, I was packed and ready to set off.
After 'The World's Most Dangerous Road' in Bolivia, I was ready to take on anything, except probably the 60km that lie ahead. After sitting on a cramped bus for 3 1/2 hours, we jumped off and got going. Seriously, although what we did in Bolivia is supposedly dangerous, this road should be named 'The World's Most Muddy, Bumpy, Wet, Dusty, Rocky Road' and that's not to mention the killer uphills that I was told didn't exist. To make things worse, the only 2 guys in my group apart from my guide were 2 swiss guys that I swear have raced in the Tour de France several times each. I made it through the day, with only pushing my bike up 1 hill like a pussy, but ended up looking pretty deshivled by the end of it.
The next morning I dragged my aching legs, arse and hands out of bed for the next part of the tour. We hiked up mountains, through valleys and along rivers following little dudes home who had walked 3 1/2 hours to get to school and were currently on their return.
On the way we reached some Hot Springs
very unlike any others I have been to so far in South America, that is to say they were clean, beautiful and not cement tubs, where we hung out for a few hours before finally reaching destination 2 with even sorer legs. After dinner we chilled out with some piscola at the local bar where we met some people doing the Salkantay trek, which I was originally trying to get into, who had blisters the size of thier whole feet.
Day 3 we were off again checking out a Cascada in the moring where we were fortunate enough to leave our bags with a lady who breeds Cuy (Guinea Pigs) for the local community to munch on, she had thousands of them running around her kitchen! A delicacy here, I just couldn't get into it.
The afternoon we hiked along the train line pulling off some awesome Stand by Me shots,
before arriving into Aguas Calientes in the mid arvo. Pizza and beers for dinner and to bed early for our 4:30 start to hike up to the Lost City.
The early start was a drainer, especially the 1 hr of pretty much complete vertical to get up to the ruins, but to watch the sunrise over the mountains was well worth the effort.
We spent the morning checking out the different vantage points of the ruins before making our way up yet again to Wyau Pichu (the big mountain overlooking the ruins) where the Swiss boys and I took it easy
and enjoyed the awesome view.
We made it back just in time for our guided tour, which was actually pretty funny. The tour guide was a native, relative of the Incas, and he basically spent the whole tour bagging the Spanish Inquisition and The Peruvian Government. Interesting perspective on things that's for sure. I guess you can't blame him in a way seeing as a few years ago when the the President wanted to visit the ruins, he had the Oblisque in the Central Plaza removed in order for him to land his helicopter there.
Back down the hill to Aguas Calientes for a beer or 2 before our train and return to Cusco. Friday night Lil and I headed back out to our favourite restaurant for dinner, Fallen Angels, where we caught up on things over some awesome food, a few cocktails and a bottle of wine, before heading back to the hostel to pass out.
A very chilled day and night yesterday and today, been checking out a few local highlights and the black market today. Thought we were gonna have a big night last night but our bodies just wouldn't allow us. Gonna have a final all nighter when Owen & Emma get back into town from their trek tomorrow night before heading off to Lima on Tuesday. Mama Africa's, here we come!
posted by Sanchez at 5:43 AM
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