Tambo Hotel, Cuzco, Peru
Arrived Cusco around 6:30 am. The overnight bus was pretty good! Tucked away on the first floor of the bus, cuddled up under the fleece blanket provided, I drifted in and out of sleep for most of the night. As long as I had one foot propped against the armrest ahead of me, I could brace myself as the bus rounded sharp turns and nailed on the break. When we finally pulled into Cusco, we both felt pretty good.
We gathered our bags, hitched a taxi into the old city centre and found our hostel. Thankfully, our room was available and we weren’t long before we stowed our bags away, freshened up and set out to explore the city.
We wandered the cobblestone streets for hours with no particular purpose but to soak in this beautiful city.
Cusco, lies 11,500 ft high in the Peruvian Andes and is the former centre of the Inca Empire. Most travellers use Cusco as a launching point for Machu Picchu, Peru’s largest tourist attraction but Cusco is well-worth a visit in itself.
It takes time to acclimatize to Cusco’s altitude. If you fly here from Lima, many travellers become ill for a few days; shortness of breath, malaise, nausea, headache etc. Such was the case of a fellow Canadian we met in Huacachina. She was a conditioned athlete who flew from Lima to Cusco and said she physically could not move out of her bed. It took two days before she could even stand.
Fortunately for Paul and I, we spent so much time in Arequipa, which is 7600 ft in altitude, that our bodies were well on their way to being acclimated.
Taking the slow bus ride the rest of the way here also helps the body adjust. Admittedly, our stride is more measured but we really did hit the ground running.
Eventually, we settled in the town square, Cusco’s Plaza de Armas. Lining the plaza are restaurants, bars, coffee shops - many with great views overlooking the plaza. A cuppa and a light meal, we sat back in one of the resturant balconies and watched people buzzing about.
On the periphery of the plaza are several churches, all Catholic. After lunch we managed to visit one, Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesús, and pop up into the belfry to check out the view. It was pretty impressive!
Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesús was built by the Jesuits in 1571 and was reconstructed after the 1650 earthquake.
The Jesuits planned to make this the most magnificent of Cuzco’s churches. The archbishop of Cuzco, complained that its splendour should not rival that of the cathedral (standing only a stone’s throw away) and a squabble grew to a point where Pope Paul III was called upon to arbitrate. His decision was in favour of the cathedral, but by the time word had reached Cuzco, La Compañía de Jesús was just about finished, complete with an incredible baroque facade and Peru’s biggest altar, all crowned by a soaring dome!
By the time we finished investigating the church, the doors were closing for the day. It was dark outside and we were feeling a little tuckered. We headed back for the night with hopes of an early start tomorrow morning!
Pam Seath
2019-10-04
Looks amazing. Hope you are feeling aok now.
Diane Davis
2019-10-04
Glad you're top shelf again. Hope ya said one for me!
Nancy
2019-10-04
You guys are absolutely amazing! Love your pics and you both look great! Enjoy and take care!❤️❤️
Jill
2019-10-05
You’re looking pretty healthy, Dina. I’m glad you’ve recovered from your ordeal. The smiles on both your faces are definite signs of happy travellers.
Lee Anne
2019-10-06
Stunning photos! Glad you are feeling better my friend! Xo
Linda
2019-10-07
So glad you are doing well,have a great hike