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Day 1
It started with a “what do I do?” over the 4-day Thanksgivingbreak; that should have probably been answered weeks before, but my procrastination got the better of me. Anyway the situation was salvaged by a last minute decision – 24 hrs before boarding the flight in fact. I threw a few things quickly into the backpack, booked my ticket and made sure I did not need a visa to enter... so just the essentials!
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Boarded the flight from Los Angeles to Cusco, Peru on Wednesday at 7:30pm with a stopover in Bogota, Columbia and was in Cusco by 10am the next day. I never realized Bogota was such a big city. As we took off from the airport I was able to get a good aerial view of the city and it went on for miles. After landing in Cusco; which is at 11,000 ft; the immigration and customs process itself took no more than 30 minutes. It was more a formality than anything else.
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I had booked a room at "Hostal El Triunfo" for the night and got into the taxi without negotiating the price before hand and the 20 min taxi ride costed me USD $20. The driver would not let me go until I paid him in USD. I inquired at the reception of the hostel and was told that it should not have been more than 20 Sole (which converts to about $6). The hostel itself was in a very narrow street, but I guess everything around the Plaza de Armas del Cusco runs along these narrow streets. The area around the plaza is very clean and there are tons of shops, restaurants, bars and of course; plenty of tourists traps.
After getting settled into my room and a quick shower I took the time to explore the city of Cusco which was once the capital of the Inca Empire. The weather was perfect for a stroll through the streets. You will realize that the city is both old and modern at the same time. The old building structures have been well kept and some of them still have the old Inca architecture; on top of which the newer colonial construction was superimposed.
The inner streets are all made of cobblestone and that adds a nice architectural aspect to it, as it brings out both the ancient and vintage feel of the city. As you walk through the streets you will see a lot of the antique doors made of both wood and metal.
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The Cathedral del Cuzco and Iglesia De La Compañia De Jesús are the main attractions at the plaza. There is a fountain in the middle of the square and tons of tourists walking about, and with tourists come street hawkers. You will find plenty of locals going around selling stuff from sunglasses, to key chains, to paintings, to scarfs, to massages. Some of them will come back to you over and over again and ask if you changed your mind about buying there stuff. Their artwork is pretty good actually and only for 1 sole
(so not a bad deal). I dint come prepared with the right luggage to bring it back (without folding them); so no purchases here​
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There were a few of the locals dressed in traditional attire walking about. Being an Indian I am familiar with bright clothes, but here its a lot louder and many more shades thrown in which are almost competing with each other to standout. Some of the locals would even let you take a picture with them for a price.​
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I spent a good amount of time just walking about. Stopped over at a place for some lunch with a glass of chicha morada; which is made from a Peruvian variety of corn known as the purple corn. Its origin can be traced back to before the Inca empire. Anyway, its not a very sweet drink, but good for a hot day with some ice.
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I decided to retire early for the day, since I had to be up and ready by 4AM the next day to start on the 2-day Inca trail hike to Machu Picchu​
Google Photos - Day 1
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