Alright, time to play catch-up. I definitely missed Puerto Ayora, especially during our big travel day. It had been so nice to be in such a relaxing environment. Ramsey and I both decided that if we were to change anything about our trip, we would probably end with the Galapagos Islands. It was hard to go from a stressful place to a peaceful place and then right back to a stressful place (especially spending a day in airports right off the bat). Also, it's winter in the southern hemisphere, so we went from a warm, tropical location to...coldness. It's really not so bad, but it was a bit of a shock to our systems when we first arrived in Cusco. We immediately changed from flip flops to sneakers. After some whining about the cold, we had to remind ourselves that we are, in fact, South Dakotans. Thinking about midwestern blizzards has helped us stay pretty warm.
So that first day of travel was pretty miserable. We at least didn't have to wake up too early, so we had time to go for a short jog in the morning. After getting our things together, we took a cab to the airport, took the ferry across again, and then rode the bus to the airport. It was sad doing things in reverse because the island is just so beautiful. To be honest, though, it would have been hard to stay there any longer unless we were going to tour other islands. We saw most of what there was to see on our island. Anyway, we flew back to Quito, waited there for a few hours, and then flew to Lima. Once there, we rode a cab sent by our hostel, and since our hostel is near the airport, we drove through the not-so-great part of town. It made us a little nervous about going there next week, but we'll be staying in the nicer, safer district, Miraflores. Our hostel in Lima was fine. We basically just fell asleep, woke up a few hours later, and then headed right back to the airport.
Our flight to Cusco was only an hour and a half, so that was nice. We were both very sick of planes by that time. Arriving in Cusco was wonderful. Lima was pretty overcast, but Cusco was sunny...although a little chilly, as I mentioned. We got to our hostel, settled in a bit, and then ventured out to explore. Unfortunately, Ramsey caught some sort of bug, so we took it pretty slow that first day. We walked around a lot, and we quickly learned that Cusco is not an easy place in which to maneuver oneself. Cusco was originally built by the Incans in the shape of a puma, which is confusing enough. Then add on growth and development, and it's quite a mess. We got ourselves pretty lost, so, exhausted, we headed back to our hostel for a nap. I slept for a couple of hours, but Ramsey still needed rest, so I checked out the market here on my own. After I got back to the hostel, we both went to this place called Chez Maggy's, which is a pizza place recommended in my guide book. The pizza wasn't amazing, but the atmosphere was great and the sauces served with the pizzas were delicious! Also, our waiter was pretty hilarious.
The next day, we woke up and made it our goal to find the ChocoMuseo. Rather than going on the Inca Trail, we're doing a tour through ChocoMuseo, which involves seeing where cacao beans come from. For an extra fee, we're also visiting Machu Picchu as part of our tour. Anyway, I paid my half as a deposit before we left the US, but Ramsey needed to make her payment. We walked all the way to Avenida Garcilaso only to find that the address didn't fit...there was no ChocoMuseo in sight, and no one knew what we were talking about whenever we asked! We finally learned that there is both an Avenida Garcilaso and a Calle Garcilaso. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of Cusco's map system. Other than that, I really love Cusco. It's a beautiful city with a wonderful mix of Andean and colonial influences.
After getting lost (again), we decided to visit Qoricancha/the Church of Santo Domingo. Qoricancha was built by the Incans in order to honor the sun god, Inti, but then the Spaniards came in, demolished it, and built the church. It was a great place to visit, and it provided wonderful views of the mountains and city. By the way, speaking of Inti, Inti Raymi, a festival celebrating Inti, is on June 24. Because of that, people are celebrating in Cusco all month long...it's been very festive! It's too bad we're missing Inti Raymi, but at least we're getting to see some of the festivities.
Alright, so after Qoricancha, we finally made it to the ChocoMuseo. Ramsey paid most of her fee, and then we enjoyed some coca tea, hot chocolate, and chocolate fondue. Yeah, we skipped lunch after that. Later, we made our way to the Iglesia de La Compañia and the Catedral del Cusco. The first was nice, but the cathedral....wow! It was stunning! Thankfully, the cathedral provided headsets so we had a good understanding of everything inside it. Basically, it's a beautiful meshing of Andean and colonial art and influences, which leads to quite a spectacle. One of the best things was a painting of the last supper with Jesus and the apostles eating cuy...guinea pig. After the churches, we had dinner at a great place called Jack's Cafe, where we ate with a nice couple from Austin.
Today was pretty laid-back. We went back to the ChocoMuseo, so Ramsey could finish making payments (her bank only lets her take out a little at a time). Afterwards, we visited the Santa Catalina Monastery, and then we had the genius idea to go get massages. Seriously, best idea ever. We've been walking so much, and I don't know if it's the elevation here or what, but it finally started to catch up to us. We were both so sore, so we went and got some very good (but very cheap!) massages. Sooo relaxing! After a quick bite to eat, we then visited the Iglesia de San Blas and another monastery. They were nice, but nothing compares to the cathedral here. After some more wandering, we eventually made our way back to Jack's Cafe (it's very delicious!). This time we were seated with sisters from Germany.
Okay, this got long, but I had catching up to do. Now Ramsey and I need to go pack up for our Choco Tour tomorrow! It should be pretty interesting. We'll be staying on a cacao bean plantation the first night and then we'll go on to Aguas Calientes, which is the town closest to Machu Picchu. The next morning we'll head up to Machu Picchu! Later that day, we'll make our way back, sleep, and then go on to Lima! I cannot wait to visit Machu Picchu!
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