Welcome back

Well, you’ve returned for more. For the rest of the trip (day 6 and 7), I decided to avoid the boring chronological structure I have used previously and write about the experiences that stuck out in my mind. So here we go!

Cusco Proper

Cusco is a really great city. Its beautiful and full of history. The weather is fantastic. The prices are good. I thoroughly enjoyed strolling around the city.

I also love traveling places that speak other languages. I got to use my Spanish a lot, and it got better as a result.

And of course, its a “developing country”, so there are plenty of dogs wandering the streets.

San Pedro Market

“They will steal the socks off your feet without taking off your shoes”.

That’s what the nice lady that owned our hotel told us about the San Pedro market. Encouraging… Given that advice, we were careful to keep cell phones and money in front pockets, and we had no issues.

The market was something to see. Just about everything was for sale, from fruit juices to arts and crafts to… well… you’ll see.

This is Carmencita. She makes fresh juice.

Delicious!

Christo Blanco

Si senor, “White Jesus”. You have to go see that guy. Christo Blanco sits atop a hill overlooking the city of Cusco. Not only do you spend some time with JC, but you also get some fantastic views.

Check out that deep blue sky. No filters.

We found this alpaca on the way down. He probably won’t be there if you go, but you should go anyway.

Guinea Pig

Guinea pig is one of the unique dining experiences you have to have when you go to Peru.

They make sure to bring you the complete thing before preparing it for consumption. It makes for much better pictures too.

So was it any good? Absolutely! There was a decent amount of meat, and it was tasty. I definitely recommend it.

Hotel Torre Dorado

I championed the hotel in an earlier post, but I will do it again. Great people. Great services. Clean rooms. Good breakfast.

We used the hotel laundry service and this is how my clothes came back. I don’t think I could do this myself if given 100 years. Impeccable. I think Cooper and I talked about the laundry the entire rest of the trip after this.

Alcohol

There are all kinds of goodies in Cusco! Craft beer and Pisco were two of my favorites.

We went a number of different places.

• Limbus – awesome bar with great city views. Hot as hell, literally.
• Cholos – craft beer bar. Cool vibe, good beers, out of most IPAs though
• Museo del Pisco – solid Pisco sour, good small bites as well
• Paddy’s Irish Pub – pub food, solid, I didn’t have much appetite cause I had zero sleep before going
• Fallen Angel – interesting atmosphere, nothing subtle about it, sort of high prices for Peru, good beer options available
• Cusqueno – not a place — its the (cheap) local beer. We had them everywhere, including on the trail in the Andes

 

Craft beer really is taking over the world.

We checked out this bar called Limbus. Really great view. Really no AC at all, and definitely 90+ degrees inside. Its a little tricky to find, but we managed. Google maps will never let you down.

I would say Limbus is the best view of any bar I can think of. So I will say that. Its the best view of any bar I can think of.

Lima

Lima is a big city. We didn’t have a ton of time there, but we did hit a restaurant that was well-known for its ceviche.

Literally translated, Blue Point. We had a restaurant called that in Atlanta once. I ate there once. I got food poisoning when I ate there. This version… much much better. Fantastic, tasty, fresh ceviche. Great pisco sours too! Cool, vibrant atmosphere. Multiple floors and (as you can see) terraces overlooking the street. With the nice weather, it was all open-air.

After ceviche and some pisco sours… I don’t recall how many… churros are a winner!

Yes please!

Really, these churros were amazing. We found this place (which I can’t even tell you the name of, but its close to the park in the middle of the city) by seeing it overflowing with people. Churros, chocolate, and espresso is the greatest combination ever.

With a few more hours to kill before returning to the airport for an awesomely timed 2am (I think) flight, we swing by Barbarian. Cool bar. Awesome music — lots of 90’s alternative. Great beer list. Nice bathroom too. I bought a hat there.

Barbarian is the BEST bar I have EVER been to in Lima. It’s also the only one. But its the best!

Saying Goodbye

Unfortunately, we had to go back home to America. Peru was beautiful and my Spanish improved by roughly 17% during the trip. I can’t wait to get back again in the future. I want to spend more time exploring the Andes and enjoying the delightful cuisine and amazing people of this beautiful country.

This concludes my writing for my trip to Peru. I’d like to say thanks to Peru for having me. I would also like to give massive kudos to Hotel Torre Dorado. To the Salkantay Trekking company: two thumbs. To our guide Jimmy: Tres Souls (inside joke). And to the Guinea Pig I ate, I hope your owner finds a new pet soon.

I’m grateful to have met all the awesome folks in our trekking group and hope to cross paths in the future.

And I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this completely non-educational, mostly unhelpful, stream-of-consciousness banter. I, for one, am sad to see it end.

In parting, I leave you with these words of wisdom: Always remember to wear shoes in the San Pedro Market if you want to keep your socks.

¡Hasta luego amigos y Salud!