trip within a trip pt. 9: Cusco, Peru

From Arequipa to Cusco was a super fun (sarcasm) 10 hour bus ride. (total bus time 61 hours) Cusco is a very pretty coty and is very culturally and historically important for being the Incan capital. There are many old Spanish buildings and the Incan culture is still present in Peruvian society in Cusco. I was feeling altitude sickness again here, but I tried the Incan solution of chewing on Coca leaves and it worked like a charm, though the taste wasnt the best. This city also seemed to be overran by tourists in the downtown part, making it a bit more expensive than it should be, but I guess thats the nature of the game. We spent one day here before going to Macchu Picchu. Im drawing a blank on a city comparison, theres nothing this old in the USA.