Week 5 – We have now been in Cusco for 10 days, discovering the city and improving our Spanish at the San Blas Spanish School! We have the feeling to be in a “waiting” phase as we are here to acclimate to the altitude in anticipation of The Inca Trail which will start next Monday!
Cusco is a nice city, ancient and very well preserved. The neighborhood of San Blas is composed of hundreds of narrow streets and stairs, leading to small charming places. The bohemian atmosphere of this part of the city is reinforced by the artists shops and the numerous cafes and fusion restaurants.
The historic center of the city, spread around the Plaza Mayor (or Plaza de Armas), is beautiful. Churches, colonial buildings with wood balconies, small museums and places are truly charming.
I would say that one of the drawbacks of Cusco is its success in tourism bringing hundreds of street vendors harassing you for a massage, the same eternal paintings or the usual Andean sweaters and jewels! The other drawback is the cold weather which could be fine if the apartments had good heating system and efficient showers! True, I wanted to leave the confort of Europe and come back to basics… but after 10 days, a long warm shower would be exquisite! A hot bath, would be a luxury!
