Cusco, Peru

We arrived into Cusco in the late afternoon via a collectivo from Urubamba (about a 1.5 hour trip). We stayed at Carlos Guest House which was extremely well priced considering we were just a 10 minute walk from the historic centre. From what we have heard staying near the historic centre can be pricey, so I would highly recommend Carlos - the rooms are well equipped, comfortable, clean, the bathrooms are decent considering they are shared (hot showers included), and there are cooking facilities.

We walked into the Historic Centre to find some food but everything was relatively expensive so we ended up cheaping out and getting some KFC.

Unintentionally we had arrived in Cusco during the Festival of the Sun - a 15 day long festival celebrating the different colonies of Cusco and the communities in the Sacred Valley. So much colour, music, food and festivities in and around the Plaza de Armas de Cusco. It was so enjoyable to watch them, and the vibe was electric in town. If you can line up your dates for Cusco in the middle of June and in particular the 24th of June - when the Day of the Sun is celebrated - you are guaranteed to feel the energy of the locals.

We had been told that the best way to save money in Cusco was to check out the local markets. Just another reason to choose Carlos accommodation - we were just a seven minute walk to the San Blas Market where we found the most incredible Vegan/Vegetarian market stall - Govinda Lila. We cannot recommend this market and this store more highly! She makes the most incredible Falafel wraps we ended up trying to go there another 3 times that week (only having success one of those times presumably because she was at the festival).

Some friends that we had met earlier in our travels were heading into town to watch the England vs Croatia FIFA World Cup match at Molly's Irish Bar so we thought we would join. The pub was great, the food and drinks all LOOKED good but they are expensive. If you are on a budget I would not recommend going there, or any of the surrounding pubs or restaurants. You're in for prices you pay back home for sure. But the vibe and atmosphere in the pub was incredible. Obviously it wasn't a very Peruvian experience but Molly's is a great pub for watching sporting events if you are looking for that.

After the game we sat and watched the remainder of the day's festival. The festival days start early and can finish late. There are not many places in the world that you can go and watch an entire town celebrate for over two weeks straight from morning to night. It felt pretty special to be apart of.

Despite heading to the vegan/vegetarian market and discovering she was not open, we still managed to find some great fresh sandwiches (two sandwiches for 14 soles / $6 AUD) to fill us up in preparation for a day of hiking. We had organised with a group of friends who we previously volunteered with at a nearby dog sanctuary to take a tour to the Waqrapukara Archaeological Site. It was 700 soles between 8 of us to get to and from the site (a 2 hour trip from Cusco). They stopped at a big market for us to grab some snacks for the hike and we were super lucky when we arrived that there was no payment needed to enter - apparently it can be hit or miss if it's free.

The hike was incredible! Alongside vast mountains and a beautiful valley you are surrounded by wonderful sights. The guide said it was a 45 minute hike to the top, but it took us over an hour at least. Naturally the altitude is above 3500 metres and for most of the walk you are going uphill. Particularly the last climb, which is about 300 metres of nothing but incline to the top. But when you reach the top it is amazing to see the structures there. Why they would build anything this high and on the edge of a cliff makes little sense to me but it obviously made sense to them.

We enjoyed relaxing at the top and exploring the ruins for about an hour before heading back to the van. The walk back is much more enjoyable. And we took the chance to take some group photos amongst the beautiful sites.

We were knackered at the end of the day, but decided to run and grab some groceries from the market to save some money by cooking dinner. An early night for sure.

Knowing that we had just finished a massive hike yesterday and were about to embark on a big hike around Machu Picchu we took the day very easy. Our vegan/vegetarian restaurant was once again not open unfortunately so we walked our way to the other famous mercado in Cusco - San Pedro Mercado. The market is considerably bigger compared to San Blas so do not be overwhelmed by the entrance (or the stalls prior to finding the entrance). After meandering around for five minutes searching through the endless fruit juice stalls and chicken or beef restaurants we finally found another vegan/vegetarian stall - Vegan Point. The food was delicious - maybe not as delicious as Govinda Lila - and the portion sizes are monstrous! You get a great tasting soup to start and then a main meal of your choice for just 15 soles each ($6 AUD). Once again, the market did not disappoint.

Today was the big day of the festival so we went and found a good spot on the edge of the Plaza de Armas to enjoy the festivities. It was like sardines in the Plaza. But, the festival was incredible. It was honestly hard to leave. Despite wanting to take it easy, we had heard there was a nice walk to the Cristo Blanco (Cusco's equivalent of Christ the Redeemer) to get a better look at the town during the festival.

It is a steep walk up, but it is only 30 minutes from the centre. We could still hear all the music and festivities of the Sun Festival. It is a beautiful lookout that I would highly recommend visiting, especially around sunset time (5:30pm in June).