Day 1,039
Cusco
Well I know it probably seems a bit rich, but we were in need of a holiday! I know, I know, aren't we on a year round holiday? Yes and no. Cycling touring is jolly hard work, and Peru is definitely making it that bit harder. So we needed a break, and where better than the old Inca capital of Cusco? Like most of Peru its history is a mix of myth and hearsay, with a few facts thrown in. We know the Incas fought a civil war after the death of the King, Huayna. He had contracted smallpox, brought to the continent by the Spanish. He nominated a successor, his oldest son, Ninan Cuyochi, but he too succumbed to smallpox, so two half-siblings fought it out. The winner, Atahualpa was then captured by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro. It was the end of the Inca empire, the civil war, smallpox and the Spanish invasion resulted in the death of 95% of the Incas.
Cusco though remains, extended by the Spanish, often using a lot of the stones from Saqsaywaman. They also destroyed many of the Inca buildings and rebuilt the city that we see today. Over half a million Peruvians now call it home, and over 2 million of us tourists visit every year.
We roamed the narrow cobbled streets, gazed in awe at the walls of Inca stones, dodged the street vendors trying to sell us endless trinkets, paintings, alpacas gloves, hats, socks, leggings, coats, jumpers etc. We could have our photo taken with a baby alpaca, a traditionally dressed woman, or we could have a massage, a necklace, or have our shoes polished. Then we turned into another street and it all started up again. We turned into Brits abroad and visited Molly's then Paddy's bars, both Irish pubs. We ate non-Peruvian dishes such as fish and chips, shepherd's pie and bangers-and-mash. Do not judge us unless you've been cycling as long as we have!
We headed to a few camping shops and we now have a working stove. Tom tried on every size 12 shoe in Cusco and now is the proud owner of a pair of trainers that almost fit. After 3 days of trying I found a bra that almost fits. Tom and I clearly are not ideal sizes for Peru. I have a walking pole, Tom a waterproof cape, neither of us have a much needed new pair of cycling shorts though, and don't get me started on the adventures of buying me a new shirt. Let's just say it ended without me buying a new shirt.
We have partied with lots of fellow cycle-tourers, who, like us, are having a break in Cusco. We have been reunited with our adopted cycling kids, Helene and Jeff. We've eaten and drunk a bit too much. Tomorrow we hit the road again, Cusco is surrounded by awesome Inca remains, including one of the seven wonders of the modern age, Machu Picchu. So we are cycling towards it tomorrow, then off to see a rainbow mountain before we head to the Amazon, over the highest mountain we will have tackled to date. I guess it's not a bad old life
