Cuzco or Tarapoto? Morning reflexions in the middle of a trip

Cuzco City by Voyagers (to enlarge click over the image)

During the morning in Trujillo we decided to go first to Bolivia and we stopped our northern trip by Peru, we bought our bus tickets to Lima and then to Cuzco (our first idea was to go to Tarapoto and then to … who knows…) Lima was a futile step and the bus to Cuzco was a mix of good service and baby stinky passengers throwing dirty diapers out of the window (wtf!).

When we arrived to Cuzco, what a relief! We walked around the city, looking for a backpackers, we talked with some vendors, and they helped us to find a relatively good one near the main square. The location was perfect, because as it was located at a secondary/stone street the noise level was almost 0. We left our things in the hostel and we went for food and info for our trip to Machu Picchu.

We wanted to go fast to the area, because we were afraid of the weather turning very rainy and the way to the mythical city of the Inkas turning too wet, the sun in the city still warmed up the stones, but the next days the weather was completely different and a lot of water came to the Puma City.

Cuzco is a very attractive town, not only because of the ruins and history, but also for the restaurants, bars and people who arrive looking for a sightseeing, friends, cultural experiences or simply for a “must be there” sensation or because the book/guide said that Peruvian ruins and the souvenirs are cheap and beauty. Some people are taking notes and thinking: “with the price of cappuccino in France I have a 2 days trip to Machu, great!!! and for 2 bucks more I have a lovely bronze alpaca”.

Cheap or not, the possibility of staying in a place where ancient Inka walls, colonial buildings and modernity coexist is definitely something you should consider when planning your trip.