Cusco, I’m finally here. Peruvian chronicles. Day 2.

I landed on Cusco in the morning, but after the time planned due to a delay in Lima. I was surprised to see rain when I got off the plane because it was July, dry season at its best. The thing is that in the Peruvian Andean area, in stead of having four seasons, the year is divided in two. The rainy season from November to April and the dry season, from May to October. I went out of the airport to wait for the car I had previously hired via the hostel/bed & breakfast where I was going to stay at. Though way more expensive than a regular taxi, this was my first solo adventure and I was carrying some fears with me, one of them was the tourist scammer taxi drivers.

On the way home from the airport -I always refer as home to the place I’m staying at- I was looking at absolutely everything with such wonder that I would pay to see my face in that moment. Houses without completion -a couple of days later I knew why-, huge street markets, other smaller ones, the poultry, the people, the street posters (ok, this last item may be product of my career), and the traffic that never ceased to amaze me.

At home I was welcomed like…well, like at home, super kind people. I was explained of the kitchen area mechanisms, the breakfast hours, the keys, the wifi and pretty much everything. And after all that, my first coca tea, delicious. I gained a little energy and went to walk the streets of Cusco.

Under strict recommendation of some close people who did moreless the same trip I was starting, I hadn’t made plans for my first day, because you never know how 3600 metres of altitude can strike you. Until my first walk, I hadn’t felt absolutely anything. So far, I’ve had a worse experience produced by a medication prescribed to prevent altitude sickness that I had taken 48 hours before the trip. Note: not appropiate for people with tendency to low blood pressure, like myself.

I hadn’t walked two blocks when I noticed I was agitated. I was walking at my normal pace that is rather quick, but with less oxigen available. Recalculating. I kept going, but slower and now…altitude, I’m your master.

Before going out, I had asked one of the girls in the hostel how to go to the main square because, rookie mistake, I hadn’t taken a map with me and had no internet connection on my mobile phone. I walked two blocks as I was told and I got to a sqare, that didn’t look like Plaza de Armas, but, what did I know. I kept walking and got to an avenue that looked important so I took it (later I discovered that was Sol Avenue, one of the most important in the city and half a block before getting to the main square) and from that point I started walking doing zigzags aimlessly, and of course, I got lost. I kept walking until I saw this big walls I thought I recognized -and I did- and that’s how I went back to a known spot, San Francisco Square.

This is Avenida del Sol, the place I got to without knowing what it was.

This is the first square I got to and thought it was Plaza de Armas, it clearly was not. This is San Francisco Square.

Another Saint gives its name to the Central Market, San Pedro. I was desperate to go to this place thanks to the stories told by many of my cousins who had been there before. Besides its picturesque nature, it’s so so so economic! And well, I have to say that those of you who are easily impressionable, please go cautious. As soon as I got in the market, I ran into a man who was carrying his plate of chicken soup, and I know for a fact that it was chicken soup because of the chicken leg coming out of the plate. This is one unforgettable mental image, thanks. Another one are the guinea pigs, one the most typical dishes of Cusco’s cuisine, are there ready to be roasted. But going back to the cheap food, I had a fried egg with white rice (and french fries and salad, because everything is served with the THREE things on the side) for 3 soles (the equivalent one American Dollar). However, myself, a big picky eater, didn’t have the raw salad, but those of you with a delicate stomach be careful with raw food, you don’t want to ruin your trip. You’re welcome. Take your time to walk around the market because you’ll see a beautiful variety of colors and it’s worth all the chicken legs and bald guinea pigs in the World.

One of the many sections of San Pedro’s Market.

I went back home to watch the South American Football Cup, but I fell asleep. After my nap, I went out again and now I did get to Plaza de Armas and Kusipata Sqaure.