Acclimation for Machu Picchu
We all booked our flights to Lima, Peru through a TravelZoo deal we found (~300 from JFK to Lima). After arriving in Cuzco, we were all at higher altitudes than any of us had been before. I definitely noticed my breaths being longer trying to take more oxygen in.
We checked into the WalkOn Inn. The staff of the hostel brought us coca leaf tea that helps with altitude sickness. We hung out in the sitting area that was basically outside with a plastic roof. It then started to hail very hard with large chunks of ice bouncing into the lobby area.
After getting settled in our rooms, we explored Cuzco and started at the Plaza de Armas. We were being solicited everywhere we went to get a massage or buy hats or eat at restaurants, etc. We had not eaten since arrival, so we stopped at Le Nomade to eat.
Plaza de Armas
After eating, we headed to Templo de San Blas. We stopped in art galleries and admired the colorful hand made hats, bags, and sweaters. It started raining pretty hard on the way back to the hostel, so we ducked into a grocery store to buy snacks and drinks for the next few days. We started to notice how everything in Peru was inexpensive, which was a nice change.
Cuzco Panorama
We got back to the hostel and took a nap because traveling made us tired. After resting, we went to dinner at Pacha Papa, where we ate outside and had delicious Peruvian food. Andy ordered alpaca, which I tried and found to be tasty. After dinner, we strolled around the Plaza de Armas while trying to avoid the children peddlers selling cheap souvenirs.
My yummy dinner!
Post Machu Picchu
After taking the train and bus back to Cuzco from Machu Picchu, we arrived back to WalkOn Inn and were reunited with the rest of our belongings. We found food before hitting the sack for our last night in Cuzco. In the morning, we woke to the morning sun, repacked our packs for our next adventure: the Peruvian rainforest. With little time before needing to catch a domestic flight, we headed towards Plaza de Armas to discover a ceremony being played out by the locals. I was able to photography some the young boys clothed in traditional, bright Peruvian attire before heading back to the hostel for our cab ride to the airport.
More in this series:
What is your favorite thing to do in Cuzco?
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