The Vagrant Gypsy Life

Day 195 Sun 13/3 Cusco

I decided to leave my hostel and join the girls at their hostel which is a lot cheaper and much quieter. I also was encouraged by the fact that some drunk had mistaken the shower for a toilet and had somehow managed to do his business there. I woke up to a young English couple having sex in the next bed! I wonder what miss manners would have to say…

The girls and I started out to the market after breakfast, where I bought my ma a bag. Cristina was kind enough to take it with her to Spain and save me the trouble of carrying it around a year. I hope to have a re-union with the girls again in Barcelona next year.

After that, it was off to the ruins around Cusco. Tambomachay, Puca Pucara & Q’enko, all included in the boleto turistico. Interesting ruins, well worth the visit. We did see quite a few folks we had run across in Machu Picchu at the ruins. It was while we were in Q’enko that poor Ester had some young lad threw, from a van, a whole bucket of water on her. We had forgotten that Carnaval had started in Cusco, but were reminded in quite a startling fashion. Poor Ester, she was quite indignant and we were sorry for her.

After lunch, we were off to Sacsayhuamán. It is quite an impressive place to be! Full of tourists and guides. We flopped down on the floor and tred to make sense out of about 5 different guides talking about the site. I managed to fall asleep for about 15 minutes before I was woken up.

Next stop, the christ statue on top of a hill overlooking the town. Who should we run into but Yevgeni and his lass, Pam. Another re-union at the top of the hill! We head down to Cusco and have coffee and a snack and Yev and I manage to catch up on the last 4 months.

Dinner was quite a late affair and we had trouble finding a place to eat – we finally ended up eating hamburgers off a street cart! Delicious affair; even I was impressed. Off to listen to some music and bed. Yengeni and Pam were supposed to join us, but they never showed up. Too tired after their night out the previous night!

Day 196 Mon 14/3 Cusco

Off to Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporane after breakfast and a cold shower. Apparently the pressure of the water determines the temperature and I was quite too impatient. The art museum had a couple of exhibitions and I truly enjoyed it!

The girls had a bus to catch in about 3 hours and we decided that we had enough time to visit the Choco museum, a chocolate place in town. We got a tour of their plant and information about the history of chocolate and the chocolate production in Peru. The samples didnt hurt either.

Time then to say goodbyes to the girls. After being so cruelly deserted, I wandered around town for a while and managed to take some photos and have dinner at a really nice vegetarion place.

I had always assumed that I would have trouble travelling with other people. As much as I enjoy being on my own and seeing places at my pace, the past few days had been a lot of fun. I found myself missing the lasses a bit over the next couple of days.

Day 197 Tue 15/3 Cusco

It was a slow day in Cusco. Museo de Sitio Qoricancha, which took about 1.5 hours, then a long aimless wander. Lunch and like an old man, I nodded off while watching a Champions league football match. It is a pity, since it ended up being a really good match!

The evening was spent in a couple of bookshops. Browsing books in old bookshops is one of the most fun and enjoyable things to do and I gave myself to temptation!

Day 198 Wed 16/3 Cusco

Quite a busy day as I started out early to visit Incan sites which are quite a bit far away from the town.

Chinchero is about 50 minutes by bus and is quite lovely. It started raining quite hard when I was there and it made it tougher to walk around and climb the steps. The town is very small and I got the impression they depend on tourism and agriculture.

Next stop, Moray, where I strike up a conversation with an Argentine-Peruvian couple. Moray has terraces where the Incans carried out experiments. Each terrace was a degree lower than the one below. Another picturesque setting!

I then manage to add another transportation experience. After waiting half an hour and not seeing a single bus go by, I managed to get a lift in a truck to Ollantaytambo. The driver was amazingly sweet and informed me that there was some sort of a strike in Chinchero and that they werent allowing buses through.

I spent a couple of hours at Ollantaytambo and was quite tired when I caught a collectivo back to Cusco. The magnificient scenery however, which included snow capped mountians and lakes, kept me awake. Cusco is surrounded by beauty!

Day 199 Thu 17/3 Cusco

Last day in Cusco as I have tickets on a bus to Ica on Friday. I change hostels again. I had walked by a hostel whcih was in a colonial house and building looked really interesting and I figured I would try staying there a night.

A visit to Museo arte popular, and a wander in the neighbourhood of San Blas manages to occupy my morning. It was while I tried to purchase a Coca biscuit that the helpful girl told me that someone conned me with a false 5 sole coin. She explained how to tell, but it is quite hard for a stranger!

Lunch and some shopping – I needed a bag as mine is starting to show the signs of being on the road for 6 months. I try out the bargaining tips the girls taught me. WHile I may have saved a few soles, I still walked away thinking that I was taken advantage of by the seller.

Cusco is lovely and night and I walked all around town, visiting all the plazas, by way of goodbye. St Patrick’s, but I was too tired to join in the festivities and was in bed before 10:30pm.

Day 200 Fri 18/3 Cusco/ bus

A day of walking around and getting ready for a 18 hour bus ride. My bus left at 2pm and it was extremely comfortable. Cruz del Sur has the reputation of being the best bus company operating in Peru and they proved it on the trip. So much more comfortable than even a plane! Good service and even some decent food for dinner.

The road from Cusco also took us through some stunning scenery. I managed to stay awake to take in as much of it as I could.

Tags: Travel

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