Cusco, Peru (Part 1)
So here I was, finally in the legendary city in the minds of many backpackers. Cusco is one of the most touristy cities in South America because of its proximity to Maccu Piccu. There are many things to do around Cusco other than Maccu Piccu, it´s quite scenic and it has an incredible nightlife. This leads to very long stays by travelers. Me? Well, I ended up staying for two weeks. Worth every second...
I arrived on Tuesday night with a hostel already booked. I know, I was very proud of myself. Well, there was a Loki Hostel there so it was an easy choice. There are four in total in South America and every last one rocks. Tuesday was an early night because I had a long day of searching for bottom basement prices for my Maccu Piccu trek.
The next day I started early on travel agency bouncing. There are probably over 50 travel agencies that offer the same tours. Some are easier to barter than others. I was on a mission to get the lowest prices possible. You´d be amazed the prices you can get if you play hardball. Throughout the day I pretty much jump from travel agency to travel agency while exploring the city and checking out the touristy parts. It really worked out great.
That night I had a huge shephards pie courtesy of Loki hostel and their dirt cheap dinners. That was a great way to meet tons of people at the bar which I had drinks with after. I even bounced into a friend I met back in Buenos Aires. Both of us decided to head out to a discoteca which name completely eludes but had amazing music and some hilarious Peruvians. Overall, a super fun night and I got a St. Patty´s tie out of the mix from my lady friend. Score one for me...
Thursday involved a later start on the barter process but I finally found a place that was willing go down to $120. So we had a deal. I also decided to book the Sacred Valley tour through them. Other than that, it was more aimless walking around Cusco which is actually a good way to see the city. Later that night, I jumped on the internet to watch the Canucks first win against the Hawks. Strangely, I got lured to the table beside me to play King´s Cup. I can never resist King´s Cup. So after some drunken talking in the past tense and in the third person I managed to pass out earlier than expected for an early Sacred Valley Tour the next morning.
I don´t know how but I actually woke up on time for the Sacred Valley Tour without an alarm clock. The bus ride was a bit painful at first but I eventually woke up. The Sacerd Valley Tour is tour of the four main groups of Inca ruins not including Maccu Piccu. Each group of ruins had there own stories and shared amazing views of the Andes. The history of Incas was really cool and the tour is very complimentary to the Maccu Piccu Tour. I definitely recommend it, just don´t do it hungover. It´s a lot of information to take in.
It was finally Friday night and time to check out the most infamous bar in Cusco, Mama Africas. When you first see it, you wonder why it´s so famous. You have to experience it to know why. Just something about it I guess ;). Man, what a crazy night! I didn´t leave that place till 8am. Haha, I even found my friend having an argument with a cabby because he only had Brazilian Reals and he didn´t even realize it. Haha yep, he was out of it. Good night...
The next day I was soooooo sick. Preying to the porcelain Gods by noon. That was defintely a first. I pretty much slept the rest of the day because I was so out of it. No Saturday night for me.
The next day I still felt terrible but I was a little better. It was time to get a doctor, especially amidst the Swine flu scare. They have a on-call doctor at Loki Hostel so I was able to get a check-up easy. Turns out I had a stomach infection they day before I was supposed to do the Inca Jungle Trek to Maccu Piccu. Great! There´s no way I was going to cancel though. The plan was to just tough it out. I got my antibiotics and I was back to bed to rest as much as possible before the big trek. Man was that bad timing. Nobody likes the squirts throughout a 4 day trek...
I arrived on Tuesday night with a hostel already booked. I know, I was very proud of myself. Well, there was a Loki Hostel there so it was an easy choice. There are four in total in South America and every last one rocks. Tuesday was an early night because I had a long day of searching for bottom basement prices for my Maccu Piccu trek.
The next day I started early on travel agency bouncing. There are probably over 50 travel agencies that offer the same tours. Some are easier to barter than others. I was on a mission to get the lowest prices possible. You´d be amazed the prices you can get if you play hardball. Throughout the day I pretty much jump from travel agency to travel agency while exploring the city and checking out the touristy parts. It really worked out great.
That night I had a huge shephards pie courtesy of Loki hostel and their dirt cheap dinners. That was a great way to meet tons of people at the bar which I had drinks with after. I even bounced into a friend I met back in Buenos Aires. Both of us decided to head out to a discoteca which name completely eludes but had amazing music and some hilarious Peruvians. Overall, a super fun night and I got a St. Patty´s tie out of the mix from my lady friend. Score one for me...
Thursday involved a later start on the barter process but I finally found a place that was willing go down to $120. So we had a deal. I also decided to book the Sacred Valley tour through them. Other than that, it was more aimless walking around Cusco which is actually a good way to see the city. Later that night, I jumped on the internet to watch the Canucks first win against the Hawks. Strangely, I got lured to the table beside me to play King´s Cup. I can never resist King´s Cup. So after some drunken talking in the past tense and in the third person I managed to pass out earlier than expected for an early Sacred Valley Tour the next morning.
I don´t know how but I actually woke up on time for the Sacred Valley Tour without an alarm clock. The bus ride was a bit painful at first but I eventually woke up. The Sacerd Valley Tour is tour of the four main groups of Inca ruins not including Maccu Piccu. Each group of ruins had there own stories and shared amazing views of the Andes. The history of Incas was really cool and the tour is very complimentary to the Maccu Piccu Tour. I definitely recommend it, just don´t do it hungover. It´s a lot of information to take in.
It was finally Friday night and time to check out the most infamous bar in Cusco, Mama Africas. When you first see it, you wonder why it´s so famous. You have to experience it to know why. Just something about it I guess ;). Man, what a crazy night! I didn´t leave that place till 8am. Haha, I even found my friend having an argument with a cabby because he only had Brazilian Reals and he didn´t even realize it. Haha yep, he was out of it. Good night...
The next day I was soooooo sick. Preying to the porcelain Gods by noon. That was defintely a first. I pretty much slept the rest of the day because I was so out of it. No Saturday night for me.
The next day I still felt terrible but I was a little better. It was time to get a doctor, especially amidst the Swine flu scare. They have a on-call doctor at Loki Hostel so I was able to get a check-up easy. Turns out I had a stomach infection they day before I was supposed to do the Inca Jungle Trek to Maccu Piccu. Great! There´s no way I was going to cancel though. The plan was to just tough it out. I got my antibiotics and I was back to bed to rest as much as possible before the big trek. Man was that bad timing. Nobody likes the squirts throughout a 4 day trek...
posted by Kean @ 3:38 PM
1 Comments:
At 9:47 AM,
astern said…
Waiting for the next post buddy... You are back pretty soon right?
Post a Comment
<< Home