2008 Peru – Cusco
9th March 2008
We woke early for our 6.30 am flight to Cusco, the Inca capital. What with the early start and the gruelling trip the day before we were both shattered when we arrived at our hotel after the two-hour flight. Cusco was situated at 3400 metres so it was back to a high altitude. Walking up some stairs at the airport I had to stop twice to get my breath back. In the arrivals hall I saw a man in a distressed state, struggling to breathe and being helped by his friend like he had been injured on a battlefield. What had I let myself in for? I saw a shop selling aerosol cans of oxygen so I bought one despite not having a clue how to use it and little confidence that it would work. There was no mask, I just had to spray oxygen into the plastic top of the can and breathe in quickly.
I knew it would be cold in Cusco but I was expecting our hotel to be warm and cosy. When we first arrived we sat in a very nice lounge which was also the dining room but I was surprised at how cold it was. People were eating breakfast with their coats on. We checked in and had some breakfast before going to our room where to our horror we found it was just as cold. After complaining, they gave us a heater but despite leaving it on all morning, the room was still cold and the bathroom was freezing. It was such a lovely-looking hotel which must have cost a fortune to build but not a thought was given to the comfort of their guests. I would have understood if it was only cold for a few weeks of the year but because of the altitude, at night it ranged from cold in the summer to freezing in the winter. In their brochure they claimed to have “Central heating” but I really don’t think that putting a stand-alone electric heater in the middle of a room qualifies as central heating. After a short rest in our room with me wearing my winter jacket and a woolly hat, we went looking for another hotel. We found a few which looked good and were not much more expensive but they were full all week. Then Federika scoured the internet and managed to find one that was not only available but a bit cheaper. It was owned by the hotel chain Best Western and although many of these hotel chains can be lacking in character, I liked them as they were usually good value and well-managed. The receptionist was very friendly and introduced us to a man called Guido who showed us around several rooms so we could choose the one we wanted. He was a warm and friendly man and by mistake, he quoted us the price for agents so after the receptionist gave him a mild reprimand we ended up with a hotel that was not only much better but cheaper than the hotel we had booked. It was such a relief to be warm again and we even had underfloor heating and a large shower room.
After all the messing around with hotels we were finally free to explore Cusco and started at the Plaza de Almas which was very impressive. There was a cathedral on one side of the square and a church about the same size on another side, the result of two factions of the Spanish Catholic church competing against each other. In the church, the wall behind the altar was full from floor to ceiling with the most ornate carvings and statues covered in gold leaf. I wonder what God was thinking while religious leaders competed against each other building bigger and grander churches while people were starving and homeless. On the steps outside, Federika got into a long conversation with a young boy offering his service as a guide who was able to sneak us into places without paying. She had no idea whether he could have delivered on all he offered but she declined and gave him the tiny fee he was asking for anyway as it was worth it just for the entertainment. 
It was a relief to find that in the daytime the temperature rose quite a lot so it was only necessary to walk around with a light jacket. One thing I found irritating about Cusco was being constantly harassed by people selling things. On one occasion I bought something in the hope they would go away but that only made it worse as it attracted other street sellers who saw the transaction. Every time we walked past one of the million restaurants in Cusco we were pressurised by someone standing outside to go in. It was counterproductive with us as we only went to restaurants that left us in peace to look at the menu and decide for ourselves.
A more acceptable money-making venture the locals employed was to dress up in national costume and offer to have a photo taken with them. We saw five cute little kids, each with a baby animal in their arms including a cute baby goat. One of the boys demanded a contribution because of the baby alpaca he held in his arms. I was no David Attenborough but even I could see it was a bog-standard puppy. We questioned the authenticity of his claim but he swore blind it was an alpaca.
I was fascinated by the extraordinary workmanship of the walls made of giant blocks of stone that fit together so tightly that you couldn’t have put a cigarette paper in between them. 
Even after a few days in the Cusco altitude, I still didn’t adjust to it. I tried some very expensive altitude pills and drank a lot of coca tea but nothing helped. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the place but did mean I had to be careful of my diet. Federika was very good at knowing what I should eat and drink and on the one occasion I mutinied and had a burger I felt bad for the rest of the day. One of the local delicacies was Cui (guinea pig) which I was keen to sample but it was quite heavy and so strictly off-limits. Another popular but not quite so exotic dish was choclo and cheese, which is a giant, white, corn on the cob and sold everywhere except in restaurants.
2008 South America
