Cusco
Located on the skirts of Plaza de Armas, this cathedral stands in the forefront of some grass covered mountains of the Andes mountain range.
This Incan is said to be looking to Sacasayhuaman, a fortress outside the city of Cusco.
My second day in Cusco was spent running around the city, soaking in as much Peruvian culture as possible (although since Cusco is the prime stop of Machu Picchu go-ers, it is laden with tourists and common scams). I still found it to be a very charming city, with a gorgeous mountainous backdrop. My favorite museum was the Machu Picchu Museum Cusco, which I highly recommend to anyone who plans on visiting Machu Picchu. It went through the history of of excavating the site in 1912 and the process of re-discovering it and the ancient Incan culture. I learned that Machu Picchu is some of the last remaining remnants of the Incan Empire and was constructed about 500 years ago. It is believed to be the Incan King's summer residence during the 1400s but was never actually finished due to the Spanish Inquisition.
The history of Machu Picchu is
After exploring the museum for a couple hours, I was more than pumped for my action packed visit the next day (even though I had to wake up at 4 AM in order to get there for my 10 AM ticket). After some more wandering around of Cusco's winding alleyways, and hundreds of stairs, I grew tired and "hangry". Luckily I stumbled across an incredible restaurant, Cuse, tucked away in the artsy neighborhood San Blas. I had a fulfilling meal of tacos (I know, not exactly Peruvian) and beer. I was ready for Machu Picchu the next morning!
This woman offered me to take pictures with her llama (for a minuscule fee). I politely declined but what happened next was hilarious. The llama laid some droppings. The woman turned around and angrily yelled at the llama. This was the llama's big break and he ran for it.
The llama continued to run for it. A poor stranger decided to do the right thing and grabbed his leash to accompany him to his owner, but the llama wasn't having that. The llama spat in the man's face, when finally the woman walked over to retrieve her loyal pet.
Looking down after an exhausting stair climb. This is the point where I got lost and had to wander around gasping for air.
DAY 2: OUT AND ABOUT IN CUSCO
Ticket to Machu Picchu- website in English and Huayna Picchu
TRAVEL TIPS: CUSCO
After the Galapagos, I returned back to Peru to visit one of the world wonders, Machu Picchu. I took an overnight flight from Baltra Airport in the Galapagos and after a quick stop in Quito, Ecuador, I arrived to Cusco fresh-faced (and thoroughly tired) in the wee hours of the morning. After collecting my big backpack, I was immediately ambushed by taxi drivers offering rides into the city. It seemed that everyone spoke a lot more English than in Lima. Apparently the path to Machu Picchu is a well paved one.
Looking down at the Andes mountain range as we were landing
After getting a taxi into the city, I arrived at my hostel, Pisco & Soul, located in the winding streets of Cusco. The hostel was amazing, and let me check in at 7 AM, so I could get some shuteye. They also had excellent service, including a breakfast of eggs, toast, and plentiful amounts of coca tea. Now since Cusco is 11,000 ft above altitude, people drink LOTS of coca tea or chew on coca leaves, which is known to prevent the symptoms of altitude sickness. (Interestingly enough, Machu Picchu is actually a lower altitude at 8000 ft). I decided to bypass the coca infused edibles and just take altitude sickness meds, to make sure I could really spend quality time in Cusco. I had a total of 3 days in Cusco and planned to visit Machu Picchu on the third day. I planned to spend the first 2 days to roam and explore the city of Cusco and experience the rural Peruvian atmosphere. But the biggest question (and most important one) remained: how exactly to get to Machu Picchu. I had done lots of research, and it wasn't as simple as just taking a one mode of transportation all the way up there. That was my first important task to do in Cusco.
I started my roaming and "research" at Plaza de Armas, a common name for the main square in South American cities. There was a lot of tourist activities around the area, including women dressed in typical Peruvian attire offering to take pictures with baby llamas and goats. Eventually I found the ticket office to collect my Machu Picchu entry ticket. My purchase online didn't go through so I had to repurchase one at the office. I was relieved they still had spots left, but I wasn't able to secure a spot to hike Huayna Picchu anymore. A bit bummed, but I was still excited to secure my entrance!
With that down, it was time to find out how to actually get to Machu Picchu. I found that there were many options of getting there including joining a tour, hiking part of the way, or doing a train + bus combo. I opted for a bus + train combo and visited both the Peru Rail and Inca rail offices to get the options. The next day I decided to go with Peru Rail and booked my ride up. Once that was squared away, I was free to visit some museums and churches in Cusco.