last day in Cusco

This morning I was up at 5 as usual and no hot water as usual. So I went for breakfast. When I came back, several young men were pounding on another door trying to rouse their friend. It took about 5 minutes of yelling and kicking to open the door. What a din! I had to laugh though - Just get his shoes on and bullocks (several times) were two things I could make out. Then they carried him off to the front lobby - he was still drunk and had a silly grin on his face. I bet he got a pretty good "bullocking" later.

Hot water returned at 7am - every time I think I have figured out the pattern, it goes woolly on me.

I got back from Pisac at about 12:30pm and thought I would try a new restaurant, Moni Cafe, the vegetarian one that had been highly recommended and which claimed to have the cleanest toilets in Cusco. It was locked up tighter than a safe. I keep forgetting it is Sunday. So then I tried another one in the same area - closed until September 15. Bah!

On my way back downhill, a car turned the corner very fast and almost hit a small child who was crossing without looking. The driver went up onto the sidewalk (sidewalks are about 10 inches higher than the road), scraped his side against the wall for a full 5 seconds and then continued onward without stopping. The child didn´t pause either. I did stop as I was shaking - it happened about 10 feet away from me. An impressive example of German engineering :) - the car was a VW bug.

I bought a steak sandwich (about $1.50) from the same place I been to every day and as it is my last day, bought an Inka Cola to sample along with it. Trouble was when I returned to my room, I realized I didn´t have any way to open the bottle. Typical! I shall wander down the street and ask a storeowner to open it for me. Inka Cola is a yellow pop that is only available in Peru and it is very popular. Tonight is my last night before the trek so I´m having pasta at Chez Maggie´s. I tried to get some yesterday but the cook wasn´t in until 6pm and I was starving.

I have found in Cusco I need to drink water almost continually. It is hot, yes, but very dry and my throat is often parched. The sun is much stronger and I keep forgetting to put on lotion. Today I am quite tired too and preoccupied with packing. While we are away on the Trail, the hotel stores our suitcases for the 4 days we are gone, and then we get a new room for the last night. I also have to figure out what can fit in the 6kg bag and what I have to carry. They lend out a small scale at the front desk so I can play around a bit.

Hard to believe it is my last day in Cusco. We return from Machu Picchu quite late and then the next day I am early off to fly to Lima. I must say I am ready to go, though I will miss my Trotimundo´s coffee and internet access. It has provided me with a little home away from home. Four days was great to acclimatize and get my bearings in a different culture, to see the sights and do a little shopping. Churches and museums are not what turns my crank and I think I have visited almost every shop in this area. I want to see more of the scenery I´ve seen from the bus, the car and the plane.