Wow, well here we are again for another adventure. It was hard to leave home this time as I didn´t feel like I had enough time to kick it with my friends and family but I kept telling myself that it is only 4 months and then I will be home again. As much as I love travelling, I think after this year out and about I will be ready to settle down a bit. Don´t get me wrong, this is the life but I miss my friends and family so much that it is sometimes hard to enjoy wherever I am at. Also, this is the first time I am travelling solo which is cool and scary at the same time.
After a full 25 hours of travel which included 5 hours trying to sleep on the floor at the Lima airport I arrived to Cuzco. Since no one I spoke with had anything nice to say about Lima, I decided to skip it and go straight to the heart of the country. I landed about 7AM and searched around Plaza de Armas for a cheap place to crash. The plaza is the center of town and also very beautiful. That first day was tough. No sleep combined with being sick caused me to spiral into a place where I was questioning what the hell I am doing here all alone for the next 4 months. There are people back home I love who I want to share these moments with and here I am all alone. I didn´t pànic as I knew that this feeling would pass and it did after a solid sleep and some food. The first day I slept and walked around a bit trying to catch my breath and get acclimated to the altitude. After dining on Alpaca steak for dinner I decided to check out the nightlife. I went to a bar called Frog´s and sat by myself in a corner trying to pull myself together. 3 Chilean dudes waved me over to their table and we began chatting. They don´t speak English so it was my horrible Spanish (its not that bad but isn´t where I want it to be) and hand signals that lead the conversation. These cats are super cool. Young college students on vacation for a few weeks. We bar hopped a little before I had to call it a night.
The following day I decided to walk up the hill to Saqsaywaman which are ruins overlooking Cuzco. On my way up I started chatting with a dude who offered a horse ride to more ruins around the area and I accepted. It was super fun to be a Caballero for a day and it was just me and the guide who only spoke Spanish. A few hours later I was left to explore the ruins on my own and also walked up to the white jesus which overlooks the city as well. It was a beautiful day. For lunch I decided to go with the traditional chicharon (fried pork) and inka cola (most similar to vanilla cream soda mixed with an energy drink). By this time I started to figure out the routine. After the hike up the mountain and horseback riding I came home for a siesta then went to dinner around 10PM. Shortly after I ran into my Chilean homies and we continued our research of the nightlife. We started at a Chupeteria which is a shot bar. While there we struck up conversation with some international (Germany, Holland, France and Denmark) kids who have been studying Spanish here for a few weeks. They told us which spots to go to and when so after a few shots we headed to the next venue. The most cracking clubs are located on the Plaza and we had a blast. Everyone is super friendly, the music is great and the beer is delish! I can safely say that dancing is a great way to get acclimated and we tore the floor up until the wee hours of the morning.
The following day I decided to find the best Cuy in Cuzco. A few locals that I spoke with told me that I had to go to Tipon for that so I headed out not knowing where or what Tipon is. I actually thought it was a restaurant in the city but it turns out that it IS a city about 45 minutes from town by bus. It was a super fun adventure and great way to see the area. When I arrived at Tipon it became apparent why I was sent there. Almost 50 restaurants specializing in Cuy lined the streets. I got off the bus and started looking for the most authentic place. A older woman dressed in traditional wear approached me and asked if I wanted the best Cuy in Tipon...HELL YES! She led me down the street then up an alley to her restaurant where I was the only gringo. Cuy is guinea pig by the way. The plate arrived with the whole cuy stretched out, head and all. The woman cut it into pieces for me and left me to explore the food. There was a stuffed pepper on the plate that was insanely hot but delish along with a few potatoes and some pasta. It was a great meal but I don´t think I will be eating cuy again. As I did the day before, I came home for a siesta then headed out for dinner around 10. Since it was Friday night we all knew it was going to be major. I ran into the Chileans again and we started our pub crawl. Super fun dudes and super fun times. The music was classic club tunes (stuff that we played in the states a few years ago) and bumping all night. I made some great friends last night. A few dudes from Florida that are doing a documentary here, a group of Aussies and Brits that were raging their faces off and some very cute girls! I am going to try to link up with the Aussie/Brit group as it seems they know how to do it and are heading the same direction I am (towards Puno for the Festival de la Candelaria). I still need to do the Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu before I leave so I may do that tomorrow and the next day or possibly push it back a little.
I met two very colorful ex-pats here that were super helpful. Simon and Tim. Simon was the guide for the Brit/Aussie group I met at the bar. He is a South African that is married to a Peruvian and has been living here for over 15 years. After meeting him at the bar I asked if we could connect the next day so I could plye him for info about the Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu. The guy was super cool. I brought him one of my major mixes and we started chatting. As you will see in the next chapter, his information was invaluable. If you are coming to Peru, get in touch with him at simonmgap@yahoo.com or by his cell at (084) 974-790411. He has given me hookups in Puno and beyond. He is an amazing resource and very cool dude.
Tim is from New Mexico. He has been here for 10 years and lives with a beautiful Peruvian woman (couldn´t tell if they were married or not). After about 5 minutes of chatting he brought me back to his house and showed me some amazing artifacts and various things. He is an old ´dead head´and kinda plays that part well. His prices were a little higher than Simon´s but he is a cool guy and full of good info on places to eat and see while there. Shousecalls@yahoo.com or 957-728510.
Nuts and Bolts:
-I stayed at Las Caceres on Plateros around the corner from Mama Africa for 20 Soles a night. Most hostels I checked out were at least 30 for a dorm room. I had my own room and shared bathroom. This was the best deal I found near the plaza.
-Ate the local cuisine of Cuy, Chicharon and Alpaca along with local drinks of Mate de Coca and Inka Cola...along with all the local beers and pisco drinks!
-Checked out the ruins near town along with the cathedrals and mueseums.
-There is a great veggie restaurant on Tigre, Los Perros has an amazing burger (kinda pricey), Jacks is a great place for food.
-We spent most time at Mythology but also were at Mama Africa, InkaTeam and the other clubs located around the plaza.
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