Peru I, Cusco

Three days have passed since I am back from my vacation to Peru, and I am still unable to find the words to describe my experience. Beautiful, breathtaking, inspirational and spiritual are a few that come to mind, but those still aren't close to an accurate description. The best I can say is that it was life changing, but keep in mind, this is coming from a novice traveler. Over the 12 days there, our group took 6 planes, 2 trains, 3 boats, countless buses and even a bicycle equipped for a driver and 2 passengers. After several connecting flights, we began our adventure in the city of Cusco, and with the city being about 11,000 feet above sea level, you felt it as you got off the plane. Higher altitude, lower oxygen levels, more difficulty to breathe. It took a little getting accustomed to, but I was too excited to let it affect me. We got to our hotel, which was on a narrow stone covered passageway, which I found out later on, that this was how most of the roads were in the city. It really added to the charm of the place. We unpacked and took a walk around the area, fortunately, we were about a 10 minute walk from the main square, Plaza de Armas, where we all met up for the first of many group dinners. At dinner, a live band preformed some traditional Peruvian music and I ordered some delicious ceviche as a starter, then for the main course, I ordered alpaca medallions, something I never thought I would be daring enough to try. We all enjoyed our meal and the music and headed back to rest up for the first real adventure.

The next day, we took a tour of the city, visiting various Inca archaeological sites, namely Saksaywaman, Tambomachay and Q'inqu (which had an altar where the Incas practiced mummification). We also visited the Christo Blanco (White Christ) overlooking the city. Walking around the city itself was also impressive, and had gems like Quirkancha and the Cusco Cathedral, and quite a few other architecturally beautiful buildings. Even the market places were enjoyable to visit, with all the locally crafted items. The central market had a wide selection of fruit, vegetables, meats and even a restaurant section selling meals prepared with the very same ingredients on sale. This was a fantastic little city with a rich history, but this was just the start of the journey.