Talor: After MP, we had no desire to spend anymore time in Ollantaytambo or Pisac (another small village between Aguas Calientes and Cusco) cause by then, we were pretty burnt out on these small, touristy villages. In fact, we couldn't get back to Cusco fa
st enough! Made for a long day, but when we rang the doorbell at Hostal Qorichaska at 8:00pm, it felt like coming home. We exhaled, took a hot shower then went out for a celebratory pisco and a beer... or two... or three...
Badly hung over the next morning, went to Flaherty's Pub for some comfort food: a full Irish breakfast stuffed into a baguette (why?) and a slice(?) of shepherd's pie. Both were big, hearty and hit the spot. Energized, we decided to settle in and study Spanish for a week. Signed up for two hours of one-on-one instructions in the mornings then spent the week getting to know the city.
Couldn't have asked for better weather... although it is the beginning of the rainy season, we woke up to the sun coming in through the skylight of our room most mornings. Went to visit some of the cheaper sights in town forgoing the churches and museums where they charge $10 just to step in the door. Even hiked up to Christo Blanco (a big white statue of Christ on a hill) and Saqsawaman (more ruins). Checked out some of the nightlife, which left something to be desired... the music venues were kinda hokey with either a guy doing Beatles covers or a band's curious rendition of reggae. So we hit Flaherty's several times for happy hour and left it at that.
The nicest part was that we had settled into a comfortable place for awhile and even got ourselves into somewhat of a routine. Cooked several meals
(including a disastrous pasta that was way too pasty, and made Erik yell, “No more pasta!”) in the Hostal's kitchen and exercised on a regular basis (by climbing the steps up a hill just a block away). We were happy to discover a cute little eatery in our 'hood that served up nice menus for lunch and yummy thin-crust pizzas for dinner.
But after a week we were ready to move on. Packed our bags, and said, "Adios!" to our friends at Qorichaska. Set our sights on going further south to Puno, Lake Titicaca then onto Bolivia, but as will happen with best laid plans, life happened... another strike. With our route to Puno blocked with protesting Campesinos, we've unpacked once again and have settled in to wait it out. Stay tuned...
Cusco photos part 2:
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