We're a titch tired from our trek ~ Bruce still has some difficulties with altitude sickness, fluid on the lungs. There's really nothing for us to be concerned about, as we are taking our Diamox meds daily, while we are traveling and living at this high altitude.
And, my tummy is a titch upset, so I'm not eating as 'creatively' as I would like to these days. (A real 'downer' for me!) Both of us want to be relatively healthy for our next adventure, our 5-day trip into the jungle via Puerto Maldonado.
So, after resting this morning, we went touring Cusco on our own, again! Cusco is quite a beautiful little town, situated in a mountainside valley, with hills surrounding it all. It has narrow, cobblestone streets and walkways, so one takes care. Tons of vehicles are one the streets, and as there are no pollution control devices on these vehicles, the fumes and pollution do get to us. This is the 'dry' season in Peru, with brown dust and dirt everywhere, but the people do their best to keep the walkways and tourist centre clean.
Ninos Hotel is a 10 minute walk from the main square - Place d'Armas. On our walks we pass by many small businesses, restaurants, convenience stores, tailors, internet cafes, etc., housed in rooms that are 8x10 ft, or 8x12ft. We wonder how these people make a living!
Wandering down to one square, we saw children and adults dressed up in local costumes for another parade. Bruce was able to catch a few good photos of children, once we received permission from their parents. One Mom asked for a million dollars in return - I invited her to visit us in Canada instead, and she laughingly agreed!
We checked our e-mail, then walked down to the airline office, LAN, and purchased our tickets for our return to Lima on June 23. Venturing into other areas of town is interesting! (We were unable to return to Lima via Ayacucho, as the road from that town to the next was washed out during the last wet season, so unfortunately we will miss this part of the Central Highlands, which Bruce wanted so much to visit.)
Visited Andean Treks office and made arrangements for two additional tours - the country-side ruins and Salt Pans for tomorrow, then a city tour and other sacred sites for Monday.
All this planning takes time - so at 2 p.m. we stopped for lunch, returning to the Place d'Armas, eating pizza and cokes. (Very Peruvian - what can I say!) We still do not understand why there are so many Italian restaurants around - every restaurant (almost) serves both Italian and Andean cuisine - interesting!
Wandered down Avenida El Sol, searching for 'the' Saturday street market. It was not what we expected - an inside mall with tons of Peruvian tourist goods, none of a quality we would want to purchase.
Back to the hotel! My knees are now 'talking' to me again, so we had to take a 'tea' break along the way. Rested at the hotel for a bit, then ventured out for dinner. We ate at a lovely restaurant on the square - there are so many to choose from!
Bruce's meds were found by Cesar, our guide, and returned to the hotel. All is now well with the world!
Weather is still gorgeous. We had our first cloudy morning today, but it soon cleared up, with the blue skies and strong rays of sunshine making it quite warm and enjoyable to be outdoors. Evenings are coolish, always, so we dress in layers.
As we settled in for the night, Bruce & I talked about how lucky and thankful we were to be able to do this trip, see Peru, and have our eyes opened up to a world of new experiences, new people - just delightful!
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