The Rest of Cusco By Day

June 8th 2008

The new crew (Anne, Fil, and I) awoke and hit up 3 museums before catching a cab to Tipon (30km away) for another set of ruins.

The aqueduct ruins were cool when we finally got there. Our private taxi driver drove us most of the way there but then started to renegotiate for more money (he didnt know the ruins were 5 k up a steep mountain and was scared his car would die). After too much uneasy arguing in the car, the 3 of us jumped out, paid him $8 too much (only considering he broke the deal), and hiked up the last 10 minutes during the 2PM mid-afternoon blistering heat.

On our way down we stopped in at a traditional Cuy restaurant that served all locals except us on the day. An oven baked Cuy (Guinea Pig), roasted potatoes, cilantro hot sauce, and pasta dish were served.

We opted to have the whole unchopped Cuy delivered so we could take some good photos. The taste was very strong but was likely from the herbs stuffed in the belly. There was not too much meat and the skin was like thick fried chicken skin. We did a good job and left feeling accomplished. The bus ride home was typically 43 people stuffed into a 25 seater but only cost 66 cents (for a 1 hour ride).

Back in town we went to another museum, a live Peruvian native dance show, the San Blas art district, and the last ruin on our list (Sasqaywaman). We grabbed our bags from the hostel storage and headed towards the bus stop for our 6 hour ride to Puno.