So we arrived (exhausted) in Cusco at 8am and couldn´t sleep, or risk confusing our body clocks even further. We flew in over the Andes, high peaks that rival the Remarkables for steepness and jaggedness (I´m inventing words here!), some snow covered, but mostly not. Then we did a loop around and got the first view over the city -was amazing - everything so dry and brown, and every house tiled in terracotta or brown tiles. The city sits in a bowl between mountains, with houses creeping up the sides in a disorganised fashion. We found Jimmy (Dr Borja) at the airport...luckily he had a sign with our names on it, as we were harrassed by taxi drivers from all directions! The first breath of the air here was sooo cold and dry, unlike anything I can describe. Jimmy drove us home, and what a strange thing to be driving here for the first time - everyone in tiny cars, a gazillion crazy taxi drivers all in little Puntos or similar, driving on the right hand side, no road markings, even fewer road rules...absolute madness! The streets are dry and dusty, with holes and piles of rubble everywhere - unfinished roadworks, like the apparently unfinished buildings everywhere. Street vendors are dotted at intervals everywhere, mostly selling sweets, juices, chicha morada (a drink made of purple corn, sugar and maybe some spices - very nice, despite how awful it sounds!) and other items... I´m not sure what half the time! The people look hardy here - they are very poor, and will crouch on a street corner all day with the hope of selling their wares to the passers-by. However, they are very forward, particularly in the town centre, where anyone who looks like me (a gringo= white person, tourist!) is harrassed by those selling paintings, trinkets, alpaca wool hats, and my favourite -selling photos with them dressed in Inca garb, sequins included, with either lambs or llamas!!! The colours here are great though - fabric of every colour imaginable, bright bright dyes and great patterns. Loads of locals wander around carrying their babies or other loads in the brightly patterned mantas (shawl-like carry pouches slung over their backs, like in all the tourist pics!).
View over the city of Cusco, taken from San Blas
Home is an appartment in the fancy suburb of Santa Monica (about 10 - 15 mins by taxi to the centre of town), owned by the doctor. It sits over a childcare centre that his wife runs, so we have noisy kids from 8-9am each morning! We are sharing a room that is completely glassed on 2 sides, and overlooks a glass-covered inside courtyard which doublts as the kids "outdoor" play area, and is home to several exotic-looking plants! We have 2 bathrooms, both tiled with no shower curtains so we soak the floor every time we have a shower! Downstairs we can use the kitchen attached to the childcare centre, and we have a maid who comes and makes our breakfast each morning! She´s lovely, and works in Jimmy´s home normally, though seems to think we can´t boil water on the gas hob, so prepares a thermos each morning in case we want tea later! Little does she know we do everything ourselves in NZ. Trev got in trouble for washing dishes this morning, she had disappeared, so we thought we´d help out!
We unpacked - more difficult than it sounds at altitude, as I got so breathless after walking up stairs, or even moving across the room that I had to lie down every 2 minutes! Plus exhaustion didn´t help... but a cup of coca tea fixed that, and after unpacking, Jimmy took us into the town centre, we had a little walk up some of the narrow cobbled streets, looked at the Plaza de Armas (the main square in the town centre) and had lunch in a swanky french-peruvian cafe. Doctor´s status and all that...Trev and I won´t be frequenting that one too often! Then sleep....
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