48 Hours in Cusco

Have you ever travelled to a place that wasn’t really on your radar before but ended up falling in love with it? I’d always wanted to climb Machu Picchu and explore the Amazon, but I’d never really though too much about Cusco. I knew that the the llama in the Emperors New Groove was named after it, thats about it. Thing is, Cusco totally surprised me! All of a sudden I was submerged in rich history all the way from the Incan Empire, to the Spanish conquest all the way to modern day. I was surrounded by mind blowing architecture, bustling markets and some of the friendliest locals i’ve ever encountered!

My first day I spent a good chunk laying on my bed at the hotel because altitude sickness hit me hard! If you've never experienced it before, I felt like I had gotten up too fast and got head rush and it never went away. When it started to fade I knocked back a couple cups of coca tea they always had brewing in the lobby and off we went! We started at the old Incan palace which is basically right in the centre of the city. Now, unlike castles and palaces of Europe, I had barely noticed we arrived at it, although its none the less impressive. Its because its surrounded by fortified walls that kind of run through the whole city! I don’t know how they did it, but the Incan’s could build walls! Completely smooth, so tightly placed you couldn’t get a piece of paper through and stacked perfectly, almost like legos. In the 50’s there was a terrible earthquake in Cusco that decimated many of the buildings, but all the Incan walls still stood. The palace is still used today during celebrations and festivals for the Quechua people, the indigenous people of Peru. A culture that is so rich in its own history it predates the Incan Empire!

So most people have heard of the Inca trail, but did you know its not just at Machu Picchu?! In fact its not even just in Peru! The trail actually connects to the main cities of the Incan Empire throughout South America! In Cusco, if you look down at some streets you will notice that it is part flat and smooth, part tiny little cobblestone. This is showing the way to the Inca trail! Its also split into two parts to show which side people had to walk and what side was for the llamas aka the cars. Theoretically, you could follow that trail out of Cusco, through the sacred valley and into Machu Picchu! I just followed it into the Plaza de Armas.

You can really see the Spanish influence in the architecture here, especially in the roman catholic churches and the in the archways of the plaza. It was buzzing with people, shops, restaurants, locals! My first time there was in the evening and had just rained, the way the old streetlamp reflected off the puddles created this warm halo of light. I was starving so my friend Joel, who’s from Cusco, told me where to find a local lady that sells the best tamales in the world! Not gonna lie, they were amazing. I feel like that’s always the case isn’t it? Its always the street food that is the best! They warmed up my cold hands and I inhaled them as I watched the rain start to roll in.

Speaking of food I think I ate three times my body weight in Cusco! Everything from the soups and sauces, meats and tortillas are so good. There are two dishes you will see just about everywhere you go; lomo saltado and causa. There’s a bit of dispute about where the causa came from, but the one I was told was that it was invented during the war with Chile in the 1880’s as a way to support the soldiers - thus the name causa, meaning the cause! I actually had the opportunity to do a cooking class in Cusco and learn how to make it! Its mashed potato with ahi amarillo, avocado, tomato, usually some form of chicken or tuna salad, egg and some garnish! Knock it back with a bit of Pisco and you’re living like a local! I ate it most days.

I’d heard that Cusco has an unreal cafe scene and I definitely wanted to check it out! The first one I wanted to check out was Monkey Coffee in the boho San Blas neighborhood. So Cusco is built on a hill. Hills plus very high altitude make it really hard to get around. Every cobblestone step took ten times the energy it would normally take me. The alleys of San Blas were so aesthetically appealing though! Colourful tapestries, pachamama dolls and artwork was bursting out everywhere! When I finally got to sit down and have my flat white I was in heaven. The cafe was stunning! Hidden out back through a little photography shop, it was so bright and people were quietly enjoying the most stunning breakfasts I’d ever seen. I ordered the most delicious alfajore as big as my head. I continued up and up and up into Cusco. The streets are winding and confusing so, naturally, I got lost. Eventually I ended up right at the very top, looking out over all the orange roofs, like a birds eye view of the city!

I was flying out at about 4pm on my last day so I was up an at em bright and early! I didn’t want to miss a thing! It was the catholic holiday of the Day of the Imaculate Conception, but it was a full on fiesta in the streets! There were dancers in traditional clothing, drums pounding, music and church bells ringing! I grabbed a fresh papaya juice and empanada at Cafe Panam, which had the most delicious baked goods, before wandering off to find the market.

No question, if you are in Cusco, you need to go to the San Pedro market! It took my friends and I a while to navigate our way there, but its one of the coolest markets I’ve ever been in! Everything from the food stalls, flowers, handmade trinkets, Pisco, cheeses, anything you could want! I’d recently learned that Peru has about 3000 different types of potatoes, so I spend ages checking out the potato area! It was busy, and unlike some markets it was actually a hub for locals. Thank God I had my friend Jessica with me who is a fluent Spanish speaker or I would have had a hard time haggling! I found myself a pair of black pucara bulls that bring good luck to your house, and an amazing salmanca to pour Pisco out of! Of course, we found another cafe, literally just a door in an alley, but we could sniff out the tres leche cake from outside and were dying to try. It was life changing. I tasted the most amazing cheese, felt beautiful hand woven textiles and found popcorn that was a big as my thumb!

The people of Cusco were so incredibly kind and welcoming. Everyone I met was happy to tell stories, encouraging me to practice my very broken Spanish, excited to talk about their city, and would even sometimes say a prayer to me to help me on my way. The people really do change the energy of a city and both historically and presently the story of Cusco is absolutely fascinating. I have loved the opportunity of being able to get to know the people, the history and culture of this amazing city.