Arriving in Cusco it was immediately obvious that we were going to like this city more than most cities we had visited. As our room wasn't ready yet at Pisko & Soul, they recommended we go to Jack's to get some breakfast. I remember being told to make sure we went there and we weren't disappointed. Jimmy got a huge vegetarian breakfast that looked like it could have fed 5 and I got creamy mushrooms. So damn good. The highlight for Jimmy however was the flat white. His first one in South America! Apologies for the crappy photo but I had to show you just how happy he was about finally experiencing a good coffee.
After breakfast I unfortunately went downhill massively with the same nausea and general feeling of being unwell I'd had on the way back from Coca Canyon so it was bed for me for a few hours.
After my siesta Jimmy very quickly realised the first game of the World Cup was playing in our hostel so we of course had to go and watch that. After the game about all I could manage was a quick dinner out at Lonely Planet's "pick", which wasn't anything to write home about. After our very sleepless night on the overnight bus we were quite happy to head to bed at a very modest hour of about 8:30pm.
Unfortunately Jimmy & I seem to be taking turns being unwell as the next morning at breakfast it was his turn to start feeling ill. As we couldn't check in for another night at our hostel due to it being fully booked, I decided to do some research into places we could stay in the Sacred Valley. Luckily for us a yoga retreat, Yoga Mandala had availability so we decided to catch a cab out there (bus was out of the question in Jimmy's state) and spend a few nights relaxing and doing some yoga.
Yoga Mandala was a beautiful haven in the middle of the Sacred Valley. It's lush green hillsides on either side of us gave us a taste of what we have to come in the Inca Trail in a few days time. Unfortunately a lot less exploring was done than we had hoped due to Jimmy being basically bed ridden, but I did manage an hour of yoga each day which felt like quite a luxury. As was quoted at the retreat, "yoga is a blessing and to practice is a gift". It certainly felt that way after each session I had, much like rock climbing, making me want to do it a lot more often when we return home.
Thankfully Jimmy had returned to a human form again by our departure date so we set off to Pisac to explore a bit and get some lunch. This turned out to be a bit more of an adventure than we had expected. The "bus" that was meant to come every 15 mins didn't come past after about an hour so we instead decide to get in one of their van buses which are everywhere. Forget any sitting down though, this van experience was us standing up near the front gripping on for dear life so as not to collapse on top of another passenger (who unsurprisingly were all Peruvian). I'm going to say there were about 22 people in this van that would normally seat say... 10. Yea. Needless to say it was the most uncomfortable 15 minutes of my life. I was screaming to myself on the inside "what the fuck are you doing, you crazy woman?!". After what felt like an eternity we jumped out in Calca and headed to the main road in hope of a less full van to Pisac. We were excited to see that the bus we had been waiting for was coming down the road so we jumped on and were over the moon to see actual seats! What luxury. Back seats were the only ones available and not long afterward an old guy decided he would sit next to me when a bunch of people got on. That would have been fine but awkwardly, even when the whole back seat was available, he decided it was necessary to remain as close as possible to me on the seat. So once again I was extremely relieved to exit the bus at Pisac.
Melinda from the retreat's recommendation - Mullu - turned out to be a good one and we were able to watch the goings ons of the Sunday market below us while enjoying some decent Thai food on their balcony. Despite being tempted by all the delicious looking fruit and vege below us, we unfortunately only had larger denominations which are looked upon with scorn here, despite being a cash nation. So off we went to try and catch another taxi back to Cusco.
What a joke that turned out to be with about 50 people waiting for these mini vans that were turning up once every half hour and all the Peruvians literally running for it and cram themselves in much like the van we had experienced earlier. After about 45mins we decided that we had no hope in hell of ever getting near one of the vans, instead opting to pay more and share a cab back with an American girl.
After a very comfortable taxi ride back, we checked into our new hostel, Home Sweet Home and then managed to tee up dinner with our Russian buddy Dmitiry who had come back to Cusco after a short trip north to catch up with a friend. Nuna Raymi was definitely worth the visit and it was so nice to catch up with Dmi. There is nothing like being able to reconnect with your travel family while on the road. Sharing experiences is what traveling is all about and people who are on that journey with you are the best people to bore with your stories (and you lovely people who are committing yourselves to reading my ramblings).
Well, that's all I have folks. Time to stop making people mad that I'm not paying attention to the game we are meant to be watching in the pub. Irish pub. At least there is heavily overpriced cider for me to enjoy!
Ciao mi amigos.
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