Cusco, Peru

Fireworks at 7:00 am to wake the city, spontaneous parades in the streets, endless markets of all kinds and elevation challenges sum up our time in Cusco. The city itself is sprawling, yet it is tucked into a valley surrounded by mountains. It also boasts a white statue of Christ and ruins called Saqsaywaman, which doesn't mean what it sounds like at all!

Returning to elevation brought some challenges for most of us, which we found surprising. Mark had trouble breathing at night and, therefore, trouble sleeping too. After a few hours of sleep, he would wake, not being able to get a deep breath. The first night, he got 2 hours of sleep, and the second night, he was able to get 4, but that was it. By the third night, he slept through once his elevation medication kicked in. We took advantage of some downtime in our apartment, reading books, napping, getting caught up on the blog and watching the news. Although we did some hiking, we all had to take things slowly. As soon as I started hiking uphill, I would start yawning, which was quickly referred to as my oxygen snack. 

Game time!!!

Cusco tucked in amongst the mountains.

Our first night in Cusco, we went out for dinner to an Irish Pub. I was dying for French fries and was certainly not disappointed by the huge bowl that was delivered! Little Mark and Sharon treated us to a delectable steak dinner, and we bought fresh fruit and vegetables at the market for our breakfast and lunches. Sherry Lee introduced us to custard apples and Lucuma yogurt, which was to die for. 

Delicious steak dinner in!!

Just what I was craving!!!

There were markets of all kinds in Cusco, regardless of what you needed... a drain for the sink, new running shoes, tapestries, ceramic bulls, or stuffed llamas, you were sure to find it down a cobblestone street or tucked into a market stall. Vendors sold items in the streets too; juice, fruit, veggies, corn and quail eggs were at your disposal. One vendor was even selling snail slime for your skin that other travellers said was amazing and ten times the price in the US. I wasn't convinced and decided to pass. 

Mark and I LOVE checking out the markets.

We hiked up to see the Christ statue that overlooked the city and were treated to a stunning view. We stopped to watch a parade whose significance we are still unsure of. It seems celebrations and fireworks are going off at any given time of day! Sharon looked it up and learned that fireworks are constant in Cusco due to the deep-rooted cultural and religious traditions of celebrating saints, festivals, and new beginnings with noise and light. The fireworks set off in the mornings (often mistaken for gunshots) are noise celebrations to wake the city and start the day with celebration. We could have done without those!

It was quite the hike up to Christo Blako and Saqsaywaman, especially when you can't get a deep breath!!!

Although Cusco is a rather large city, we all enjoyed our time here. The centre square was beautiful, surrounded by churches and ornate buildings. We all supported the locals by buying gifts to take home as our trip was quickly coming to an end. Rest and quiet time were enjoyed by all as we geared up to head to the Amazon Jungle.  All of us are looking forward to those adventures, and I'm sure there will be more stories to share with you soon... stay tuned!

No horns, yet fireworks can be set off at any time of day, lol!