Adventures in Peru, 2

Arrived

Wednesday 22nd April
We landed ahead of schedule in Lima and had allowed a good amount of transfer time before our flight to Cusco. This was to accommodate possible delays, navigating immigration, acquiring a SIM card and local currency. Everything went smoothly, though the plane to Cusco was half an hour late.
Lynne watched through the window as the plane descended between the towering Andes mountains.
Cusco lies at 3,400m (11,155 feet). Houses line the surrounding mountains, looking scenic, especially at night.
We determined to try not to exert ourselves too much, by adopting “an old boy’s pace”, respectful of our altitude.

We took a taxi the to our hotel, the Yawar Inka, located in the Avenue of Heroes, in a nice quiet area, happily removed from the busier tourist areas.

We went out for a walk to find a bite to eat and some bottled water. Crossing the road was our first challenge as zebra crossings don’t seem to count for much!

Then we spotted an unassuming eatery that promised a light lunch. We thought we were asking for the menu, but actually we were given the menu of the day, delicious and only £11 for all three of us.

We bought some water at the central market and repaired to our rooms for a snooze before dinner, managing jet lag as best as we could. It was a struggle to raise ourselves to go out for dinner at 8pm (2am in London), but necessary to try and enjoy a full night’s sleep later.

Dinner was at a nearby restaurant, Yuraq, busy with a western group, but soon becoming quieter as we were dining later than they were.

After dinner we enjoyed an invigorating post-dinner walk up the Avenue, checking out potential patisseries and restaurants.

We returned back, knowing we had a night battling jet lag ahead of us.