Monday April 11, 2016
April 10, 2016 Cusco has been one of our favorite cities to visit in our entire trip. The city sits in a very large valley in the Andes at over 11,000 feet. Inside the valley are many hills that the city was developed on. We are staying in one of the cheapest hostels to date. At $15 a night, including breakfast, it is only 1 ½ blocks from the central plaza and many wonderful old Spanish colonial streets and alleys to explore. The rooms of Hostel Jamuy are large and comfortable with shared bathrooms. Just a block away there are hotels that start at $200 a night.
From Wikipedia:
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. In 2013, the city had a population of 435,114. Located on the eastern end of the Knot of Cuzco, its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft).
The site was the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th into the 16th century until the Spanish conquest in 1533. In 1983 Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It has become a major tourist destination, receiving nearly 2 million visitors a year. The Constitution of Peru designates it as the Historical Capital of Peru.
Every day we have taken a different walking route to see where we wind up. We are living history in the many churches, cathedrals, museums, and small passageways some with an Arab influence. Plus the many varieties of food makes the day delicious.
Today Jocelyn went on a 15 hour trip to explore the Rainbow Mountains (Vinicunca). This area is multi-mineral rich and thus provides for extreme colors. This trek entailed a 3 hour van ride, 4 hours of hiking up to over 17,000 feet, breakfast and lunch, and a long trip back to Cusco. She loved it and is now fast asleep. She called it her favorite hike of all times. I on the other hand decided to pass as the hiking seemed a bit much to me after Machu Picchu. I spent the day walking the streets, and exploring more churches and museums and a little bit of shopping. Tomorrow we start our 29 hours (flight and airport time) to Hawaii for my niece’s wedding.
We received an email from this website about getting ready for a bicycle tour that we would like to share.
http://bicycleadventures.com/blog/2015/06/05/psyched-cycling-bike-tour-infographic/
