Cuzco, Peru

We arrived more than an hour earlier than expected in Cuzco at about 5.30am...didn't get more than a couple of hours sleep unfortunately. We managed to find a taxi and got to our hostel by 6am and luckily for us there was someone there to let us in, and we were able to check into our room immediately. Sandra managed to get another three hours sleep but no luck for me. The main accomplishments of the day were locking in our onward travel plans for the remainder of the trip including getting to Lima, accommodation and flights from Lima.

In the afternoon Sandra ventured outside into the light drizzle and overcast skies to explore a little, and in the evening we had dinner at an Irish bar but we were in bed by 10pm and very much in need of a good night's sleep.

Let's call it 'aclimatisation' but today we didn't do very much at all. It was cold and rainy anyway so why not rest up ahead of Machu Picchu? The highlight was breakfast overlooking the Plaza de Armas which was host to a large scale parade complete with army soldiers in uniform and marching band. Apparently it happens every Sunday but the theme changes, today it was for the medical fraternity (doctors, nurses, farmacists etc) who had travelled from far and wide to participate.

Had a good night's sleep, and was up at a reasonable hour for breakfast before locking in our accommodation for Macchu Picchu for tomorrow night. Today the weather was slightly better than yesterday so we took the opportunity to explore town a little more. We walked up the hill past our hostel to the church which provided a great view over Cuzco and afterwards headed back down again and found a nice little place for lunch. Later we made our way back to the hostel via some loccal shops and the Plaza de Armas and ended the day quietly ahead of the train trip to Aguas Calientes tomorrow which is the jumping off point for Machu Picchu.