Cusco: A very picturesque town

Cusco, about 725 miles/1165 km from Lima, is the main city that people use as a base prior to visiting Machu Picchu. Normally, people have the option of driving or flying; however, the route between the two cities was heavily damaged by the earthquake, so a 1 hour flight is currently the only option.

At 11,151 feet/3,399 meters above sea level, visitors are advised to rest for 24 hours to get acclimatized to the altitude (similar to Leh, India). Upon arrival at practically any hotel/guesthouse, the locals will offer you "coca tea" (made out of the same leaves used to create cocaine - or so we're told), whose medicinal powers are said to help cure altitude sickness, hangovers and pretty much anything else you could imagine. Of course, thanks to Nancy Reagan, we only drank the tea.

Even though many people only use it as a launching point for Machu Picchu, Cusco should be considered a proper destination in its own right. The city has a remarkable blend of Incan and European influences: the grand plazas, numerous Catholic churches, cobblestone streets and outdoor cafes have a distinctly "old world" feel to them, while the colorful clothing worn by the locals, centuries old ruins, and backdrop of farmers herding animals across the Andes mountains add a splash of Peruvian culture. Its really neat.

The city can accommodate tourists of varying budgets -- you can find a guesthouse for $10 USD, or the royal suite at a 5 star hotel for $1500 USD. Not surprisingly, we picked housing on the far-lower end of that scale (except for Marie's birthday -- see below).

Cuisine is similar to Lima -- lots of meat. Guinea pig is the local specialty, although chicken, beef and pizza are found on practically every menu. And those raised in Ireland will feel very comfortable -- seemingly every meal is served with some form of potato.

Random thoughts:

Apparently the urban planners in the 16th century didn't anticipate the Cadillac Escalade -- the streets are extremely narrow, made of cobblestone and surrounded by buildings with high walls. By far the most common cars are the Daewoo Tico (a vehicle that could easily be confused with a riding lawnmower) and the Volkswagen Beetle, with the powerful 1300cc engine.

Buy your eyeglasses (or a backup pair) in Peru: Marie lost her glasses, and we had to purchase new ones here. All together: eye exam + frames similar to the ones she had + scratch proof lenses = $43 USD!!!!!

For Marie's birthday, we stayed at Hotel Monasterio, which as its name suggests, is a hotel built inside a former monastery. This was the first hotel we've seen that has its own church!!! Its also the only hotel in the world with pressurized rooms -- similar to airplanes, each room is pressurized to simulate the air at 9,000 feet, and also enriched with oxygen. This is said to help guests acclimatize to the altitude. However, as with the roads, the 16th century architects of the building didn't anticipate wireless internet; the stone walls are so thick its impossible for signal to go through them ;-)

Generally speaking, Peruvians are really short. Marie at 5' 6" (1.68m) is taller than most men. Our friends Jim and Raphelle were here recently, and we can't imagine what it was like for Jim, who stands at 6' 5" (1.96m).