The Cool Co. (Barrett and I) go to Cusco!

Hello again! Although we are just finishing up our time in the Colca Canyon, I continue to be one stop behind in my posts. Barrett had a cold during our time in the beautiful city of Cusco, but is doing much better now. After a train and then van ride to Cusco, we got to our first actually nice hotel, Tierra Viva. The king beds here are out of control huge. They are basically the size of two queen beds put together. I have no idea where they get sheets for these things!

After settling in, we headed out for a late lunch and then just wandered the main squares deciding what we'd want to do the following day.

Plaza De Armas in Cusco

We then had dinner at this amazing vegan restaurant called Green Point (no we're not turning vegan...yet). Our waitress spoke the best English of anyone we've met yet. It turns out she's from Venezuela but had been living in Canada for quite some time. While she was traveling around Peru, all her money got stolen from her hostel so now she's had a get a job and apartment and is trying to get enough money to go back to Canada.

The next morning we woke up and had a great breakfast at our hotel. It was a strange mix of things, including tamales, spinach bread, all sorts or fruits and breads, and an assortment of juices. We then headed to San Pedro Market which is huge and well worth a walk through. We saw all sorts of fruits, veggies, bread the size of old records, but the most interesting isle was the innards isle.

Seeing women with kids on there back is a cute and common sight all over Peru

*Caution* the next few photos might be graphic.

After wandering around some more we arrived at the Koricancha/Santo Domingo convent. It is a mix of architecture, as it has some buildings from the Incan Sun Temple, as well as a convent built around it during the colonial times.

We also hiked to the top of a hill that overlooks the city to take in some great views.

After that we shopped at markets and then had dinner at Nuna Raymi which was a very delicious meal. I had the Lomo Saltado, which is a traditional Peruvian dish with the most amazing marinated beef strips served with red onions and tomatoes and with rice and french fries on the side. Barrett got the alpaca steak served over mashed potatoes and served with two unique sauces. Our general thoughts of Cusco are that it's a fun city with plenty to do and places to eat!

Cusco Cathedral in Plaza De Armas at night