Day 10: Cusco

After a rather unplanned night out dancing with Shan, and following the previous rough sleep on the bus, I decided to take my first sleep in of the trip. Just up in time for breakfast, me and Shan headed out about 11 to take in some of Cusco that we didn't manage the day before. What happened instead was a morning spent meandering through the shops admiring the colourfully embroidered shoes and beautifully put together jewellery. After a trip to the market for a juice (or in Shans case, two) we got ready for the tour up to the Inca ruins in the outskirts of town.

We met a guide outside Q'orikancha, who took us around the town to buy our entry ticket to the 4 Inca sites (S70 - the tour itself cost an additional S25 which included bus travel, which was considerable in the end! All in all, very good value). We waited for the rest of our tour in the plaza outside Q'orikancha and at 3:30pm, as if someone had opened a barn full of wild turkeys, tourists tumbled and bumbled out of the place. We were introduced to our flag wielding tour guide and were promptly herded through the chaotic streets to the well-worn coach that would wind its way up the hills towards the Inca ruins. On the bus was a young girl representing one of the local tribes who was presenting their customary drink. Supposedly used for its medicinal purposes this drink tasted similar to Ouzo. The charming girl was selling bottles of the drink that were decorated with the colourful woven material so loved in the region. So taken in by this beautiful, exotic girl and her gorgeous language and accent I couldn't resist buying the pretty bottle of whatever it was! (Spoiler alert: this may be your present when I get home from my travels!)

We arrived at the first Inca site, Sacsaywamán, after a good half an hour bus trip from the city centre. The sun was still shining but there was a nip in the air. We sat and listened to the guide explain about this historic site with its zip-zag terraces that served as a fortress. Shan and I walked around and were taken aback by the awesomeness of the structure built from enormous stones, one weighing approximately 300 tonnes! From the top, the entire city of Cusco could be seen spreading across the undulating valley below.

With three more sites to see, we didn't have much time before joining the hundreds of other tourists who flocked towards their respective buses. Aboard the bus this time was a man selling a book about the various Inca sites... could I resist? He was selling it for a fraction of the price that it would sell for in the airport (apparently)! So, armed with my bottle of Ouzo and book, we arrived at the next site, Q'enqo, a site used by the Incas for sacrificing llamas and also for preparing their royalty for mummification.

As the sun was beginning to set, it was getting chilly, and having set out in the midday heat, we were truly unprepared for the drastic change of temperature. We arrived at the next site, Pukapukara, a sort of check point for visitors to Cusco from the highlands. A quick zip around in the cold air and back on the bus before our final stop at Tambomachay, a water temple. Ambling up the hill towards the temple we were all but ambushed by sellers. One woman in particular was desperate to sell me something. She had in her hand a big, fluffy poncho with llamas printed on it. Foolishly I demonstrated the minutest level of interest. "130 soles - buen precio!", "no gracias" I said. She dropped it to S100. I still said no. Somehow she took this to mean that I wanted to now wear the poncho, so all of a sudden I was wearing the poncho I didn't want while she continued to bargain. She wasn't taking no for an answer. She had now dropped to S70. As politely and firmly as I possibly could, I took off the poncho, and attempted to hand it back to her - her hands dead at her sides. "How much you pay?", "No, I said. "It's beautiful. But I can't take it. I simply don't have the space for it!". She refused to take it from my hands, so I delicately put it on the nearest stall and gestured to leave. Me and Shan, amused by the intensity of her pushiness, just continued on up the hill to meet the rest of the group. By this stage, light was all but faded and temperature was dropping fast, so after a swift visit to the site we made our way back down under the darkening sky. We were halfway down when behind us we heard a distant call, "Amiga! Amiga!" accompanied by frantic, chasing footsteps. The poncho lady was literally chasing after me down the hill with the poncho! "S50! Amiga! Muy buen precio" I could not believe it! Me and Shan were now in fits of laughter! How far was she prepared to go?! I had visions of her grabbing onto my ankles and dragging out of me as I struggled to get back to the bus... so I conceded. "De acuerdo. S50." I was the mortified owner of a very bulky (but very cosy) llama poncho. Back on the bus, drapped in the fluffy tourist-wrapping paper, my fellow travellers smirked as I embarked the coach...

Following one more chance to flog us stuff at an alpaca wool factory, (this time I resisted) we were dropped back into town were it was now freezing (llama poncho now very much appreciated).

Dinner in Los Perros, washed down of course with a pisco sour or two. After the previous night out, I tried (albeit weakly) to resist the invite for another drink after dinner. Happy hour and shots in a nearby bar and onto a club for night 2 of dancing. I can never say no to a bit of a bop! Nights out in Cusco were made for it.

Accommodation: Cusco Plaza II
Weather: Hot in the afternoon; cold in the evening, requiring the use of a llama poncho with a tog value of 1000