Arrived in Cusco on Wednesday May 15. The flight coming in to Cusco was kind of crazy. The plane was dipping between the mountains through the valley. I was hoping there was a space to land. After settling in at the hostel (Hitchhikers Backpackers Hostel) we wandered around the city. It's really beautiful. A mix of old Incan and colonial buildings from the Spanish times (the 1500's). We caved when we saw a Starbucks and enjoyed our coffees there with wifi.

First day we bought our "boleta turistica" which is a package of tickets to the main sites in the area. One thing Peru isn't is cheap, especially if you are a tourist. After factoring in the train to Machu Picchu at $140 each, the bus that goes up the hill to Machu Picchu at $19 each, the entrance to Machu Picchu at $60 each, and now the boleta turistica at $50 each, I can honestly say I have done my part to support the Peruvian economy! It's all worth it though.

We took a collectivo which is like a sherut but more crowded, up to Tambomachay which is the furthest Incan ruin on the road between Cusco and Pisac (about 7.5 km) and then made our way back to Cusco on foot, visiting Pukapukara, Qenko and Sacsayhuaman on the way. We almost gave up when we arrived at Tambomachay and the rain started to come down as soon as we got off the bus. But we put on our handy rain ponchos, bought 26 years ago from the 3 Vets before our trip to the Far East. They still do the job! With that protection we started our way back, stopping to see the different ruins along the way. The weather with swirling fog and drizzle gave a different perspective on the ruins.

Just as we were starting to think the rain was getting the best of us we stopped at a little house on the road where the lady provided us with hot soup and coca leaf tea. Then the sun came out and she pointed the way to a quicker path that led to the next site and we were on our way. The path was really pretty, through a grassy valley and then a eucalyptus forest before arriving at what was without a doubt the best of the Incan sites - Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "Sexy Woman" sort of). It was a really spectacular place showing beautiful examples of Incan building and stonework. They used huge stones to build their walls and fitted them together with no mortar. I haven't seen anything like it before. After we wandered around there for a while we found the path that led down a steep hill back into Cusco. The views over the city were amazing.

Later that night when we were looking for a place to eat we bumped into Eli, a friend of Sivanne's from Vancouver. We met him last summer when we were there. This is the second day that she has met friends from her travels while walking in the streets. What a small world it is, or at least the "Gringo Trail" is pretty small here.