Day 7 - Peru - Cusco

My alarm went off at 4:45 am - UGH! We had to leave for the airport at 5:30 am. Our 45 minute flight left at 5 minutes to 8. I got lucky and had not only the fire exit seat with extra leg room, but no one sat beside me. I only wish the flight had been longer. I slept almost the whole time - JOY!

Our hotel rooms weren't ready yet in Cusco so we went for our orientation walk shortly after we got there. If I had known how long it was going to be before we got back I would have taken more things out of my backpack.

We walked by many churches and squares and we covered a lot of ground.

Cusco is a very hilly city and the elevation is just over 11,000 feet. I was struggling to keep up and I felt 20 years older than I am! Some of the streets are extremely narrow and the sidewalks are as well.

If it weren't for my altitude sickness pills which I taken morning and night, I'd be in bed with a headache. The air here is so incredibly dry as well to the extent I bought saline solution for my nose, something I never use back home.

Some of the group went for lunch together and others did their own thing. I had an alpaca burger and it was great. Our waiter brought us all kinds of specially made sauces. Some were good and some were Hot! Cusco is big on tourism, unlike the other places we've been. As a consequence, we found the restaurant's service to be much better than we have experienced so far. I'm sure our waiter made good tips.

After lunch, Pele our guide, took us to a place where they make jewelry. We were shown how to tell the difference between real silver and nickel. You can actually rub it and tell from he smell of the metal. Their showrooms had such beautiful stuff and I got swept up with the others. I bought a gorgeous multi-coloured silver bracelet, as well as some silver earrings with a small orange round shell in the middle.

Then we went to an alpaca wool factory and there, we were shown how to tell the difference between real alpaca wool, products and fake ones. Again the showroom was nearby and I found a gorgeous sweater I just had to have.

By then it was getting to be late afternoon. While the rest of the group walked back to the hotel, I stayed in the square taking photos and buying a few souvenirs for people back home.

On my way back, I found an ice cream store and bought a small chocolate brownie cone.

Some of us went for supper in the hotel around 7 pm. We all just had soup because our lunch was so substantial.

I. Am. Beat.

Day 6 - Peru - Arequipa City

I slept well and appreciated the later start today. At 9 am we met our local guide and began with a walking tour of the city. She was quite knowledgeable about Arequipa and its history.

Our first stop was in a park area in the front in the San Francisco Church, built by the Spanish. There were 2 very tall trees with large purple flowers.

They are jacaranda trees, also found in Australia. There was a Peruvian lady out in front selling bags of seeds and grains. She stopped and explained what each of them was and we all bought some to try.

We stopped at a couple of small museums, the first one was called the Casa Museo Vargas Llosa. He is from this city, and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010. The other was a quick stop and didn't have much significance, to me anyway.

The Plaza de Armas is the main square in the city. It is a very beautiful, large area and is filled with people. We didn't spend much time there but continued onto to the Santa Catalina Convent.

It is billed as a 'city within a city' and it is quite extensive. Without a guide, I would have surely gotten lost. At any rate, her explanation of the history was most worthwhile.

Founded in 1579 by the Spaniards, it has housed nuns ever since. We visited the sparse living quarters, the laundry and kitchen, the chapel, as well as an art gallery and a gift shop.

The architecture was beautiful in its simplicity and I took so very many photos of doorways, windows, alcoves, narrow passageways, and flowers.

Upon leaving there, we were picked up by a bus and given a short city tour. We went to an area with an amazing view of the city, the volcanoes surrounding Arequipa, as well as small plots of terraced farmland right in the middle of the city!

There was a food kiosk there and I bought some fresh made coconut ice cream as well as some coca candies. Coca leaf products are to help with altitude sickness and the tea I've had here is delicious. Unfortunately it has more caffeine than coffee, so no drinking it late in the day. And you can't bring it back into Canada as it is considered illegal. Apparently chewing the leaves can make your mouth numb like being at the dentist. It is possible to make cocaine from it our guide said, but it takes an awful lot to make a little bit.

We went to another park called Yanahuana Park. It is very popular for wedding photography and it is quite pretty. There is a lovely church nearby, and the City Hall buildings are also near.

Our lunch was wonderful! We ate at a popular place called La Nueva Palomino, and several of us shared the Americano platter. It was a huge sampling of various types of food that Arequipa is famous for. We had rice, stuffed peppers, layered potatoes with cheese, beef, squash, corn and a few other things which I can't recall. It also came with a drink that tasted like a combo between fruit juice and beer. I didn't care for that part of the combo at all.

It was nice to sit for awhile. After lunch we were on our own and shared a cab to the city square. We browsed in some of the shops and I found a few small souvenirs. We also went to a grocery store as well as an art display across from the plaza.

Several blocks away was the food market that the locals use. I enjoyed photographing the colourful fruits and vegetables, some of the over 3,000 varieties of the potatoes they grow here, various grains, meats, and cheeses as well.

We returned to the pigeon-filled square and I took photos of the kids who were fascinated by them.

Across the way was the huge Basillica Cathedral and we went in to rest our feet.

We met others from our group and we to a nearby roof-top restaurant to watch the gorgeous sunset.

The restaurant didn't have what we wanted off the menu so we just had something to drink. We notice that restaurant service is particularly slow here. Ordering, getting your meal, getting your bill, then paying the bill all take so long almost every place we go. On the way back to the hotel I bought some ice cream. That was my supper! That and an orange and a banana I bought along the way.

It is early but it feels late. We have another SUPER early morning tomorrow - yikes!