Come end of May, Nicole left me in South America for the USA to work at one of their ´summer camps´ as a counsellor. From here on, I knew the style of travelling would vastly change, and although naturally a social being, I booked myself into the famed party hostel known as "LOKI" in Cuzco before exploring more of the city itself.
LOKI had a great atmosphere, with an onsite bar, dedicated TV room, free Internet and a large chillout courtyard complete with hammocks for sleeping in the sun. In addition, despite 8 people per dormitory room there was plenty of space and the showers were actually 'hot and with pressure', which was a proper first since leaving Argentina back in April.At this point I bumped into many people who Nic and I had met previously at one time or another in the prior 3 months of our travel; a phenomena of co-incidence that has become accepted as the norm on almost every travelling trip I´ve taken to date :)
Cuzco with it´s unique mix of Spanish architecture blended in with old Inca stonework made for an unexpectedly romantic atmosphere, and although a bit pricey for Peru, it had countless great places to eat, drink, dance and party way into the nights. This was also my first opportunity for proper interaction of the local Peruvian people, of whom I decided were most likable due to their extravert natures and frequent cheeky smiles. Despite my Spanish still at ´phrasebook level´ I held a few amusing conversations with local street artisans, bar staff, store vendors and other randoms whilst there, which is always nice when experiencing a country on that level.
The following few days were spent visiting the famous Inca built sites, and a day trip in and around the nearby ´Sacred Valley´ which offered much to see in the way of fascinating archaeological sites AND much to buy in the way of local street markets, especially at Pizac. In fact the Cuzco area would be the perfect place to stock up on the next 10 year of Christmas presents cheaply, except one would have to carry everything out with them afterwards.Although I intended to stay in Cuzco longer, I decided to join friends Nicky and Phil from England and Ohio, USA respectively. So without much time to sleep in (let alone update this blog), I was off again, in the direction of ´Arequipa´ to travel the southern-circuit of Peru.
