Been a very relaxed day in Cusco today.

Despite a disrupted sleep, due to the altitude, ironically I've felt much more alert than i've done up to now. Finally beginning to adjust to the time zone!

It was nice to have a couple hours just to relax for a bit, watching the England-Sweden game, and not have to launch myself into catching a plane or a bus. You definitely feel like you have less energy up here, or rather you need more of it to do anything.

After checking out and putting my stuff in storage, I headed down into the city to find some Bolivian currency. The first few Casa de Cambios I found gave me blank looks, but after about the tenth exchange house, I got some Bolivianos, at a pretty good rate, almost identical to the official (2BOB to 1PER).

I then had the best meal I've had since landing in South America. Guinea Pig was extortionate, so I went for an alpaca curry, which was delicious. Even better, I was joined by a pair of Brazilian backpackers from the southern city of Porto Alegre - Artur and Stefania. Despite taking time toacclimitize to each other's accents, we had a really enjoyable conversation!

Otherwise, it's just been a very relaxed day, meandering around the colonial alleways and crazed markets of Cusco. I really, really like Cusco. Yeah, for sure, it's touristy, but that doesn't stop it from being unpolluted, not too busy or too quiet and it has a fantastic setting. Even the touts, seem to take no for answer, unlike in Huacachina for example.

There is clearly a glaring disparity in the city. The centre is well preserved and swanky, but you can't ignore how much the city has sprawled into the surrounding valleys. Ever-present, amongst the kids playing in the streets are the homeless grandmothers and street kids trying to sell trinkets. Cusco's omnipresent tourist police stop it from becoming a magnet for petty crime, but making ends meet through tourism is clearly on the mind of most local Cusquenos.

Anyway, going into my final hours in Peru until mid-August, Bolivia awaits...

Vamos!