Arequipa to Cuzco - 14th Jan 2018

We woke a couple of hours after our earthquake excitement for our early flight to Cuzco. Everyone swapped earthquake experiences (some actually slept through it, although goodness knows how!) and we learned that it had caused a lot of damage near the coast.

Despite Dennis' foreboding of frequent delays or bad weather in Cusco making landing difficult, we had an easy, and on-time, flight, putting us in our hotel by 10am.  We immediately went out for a walk around the centre - Dennis taking us to the gorgeous main square surrounded by colonial buildings and cathedral, plus no less than 10 churches.  Beyond we were surrounded by green mountains.  Cusco has a population of 1 million, making it the the fastest growing city in Peru. 

And you can quickly understand why. It has lots of coffee shops, restaurants, massage places, good shopping - everything from expensive alpaca and vicuna wool products to hiking kit (both branded stores and good quality knock-offs).  A procession was coming through the square just as we arrived - apparently Cusco has a procession pretty much every day - always for one saint or another, but they are wonderfully bright and colourful and I heartily approve. We can all do with more colour and music in our lives.

The cathedral was built on Inca stones/bricks which were taken from the Inca buildings by the Spanish and used to build colonial structures.  The Incas had remarkable skill as builders and masons, fitting massive uniquely shaped stones together without any mortar, and no space between them at all. One famous stone, despite having 12 corners on it, nestles seamlessly into the wall.  These beautiful huge stones have withstood countless earthquakes and fit together like a jigsaw. No two are alike - each one is a different shape and size from the other.  The Incas really were master-builders.

We headed to Jack's for brunch - a Cusco institution serving huge plates of wonderful food.  All starving from our early start with no breakfast, we tucked in with gusto.

Afterwards we walked headed for a quick drink in an Irish bar (another Cusco institution) and walked around the streets, looking for various items of kit we all needed for the Inca trail in the few days time.  I bought a good lightweight waterproof breathable jacket, for about a third of what I'd pay in the UK.  And a proper brand, so it should last.

At 6pm we had our Inca Trail briefing at G Adventures, so spent some time sorting out our kit beforehand.  What to bring and what to leave for our return.  Porters here are limited by law as to how much they are allowed to carry, so once you account for tents, food, water etc, we are each allowed 6kg, plus whatever we can carry ourselves.  It's quite a challenge, getting down to the right weight, including sleeping bags and mats, but eventually, after multiple trips to the hotel's weighing scales, we all thought we'd managed it.  We'll find out for sure when they weigh our bags at the start of the trek.

The briefing went through each day's hike, distance, altitude, our tents, crew and the daily routine.  It seemed quite fancy - cooks and porters bringing us 'wake up' tea to our tents.  And rainy.  We are told over and over to bring rain gear.  I think we're going to get very wet.  But given that it IS the rainy season, we can't really complain.

Dinner was another roast chicken affair, sitting next to a table of Peruvian transgenders.  For all we've been told about what a strongly Catholic country this is, they seem remarkably open!