Cusco

Today, Richard and I arrived in Cusco. We slept for maybe twenty minutes during a very comfortable...but excessively cold overnight bus trip! We spent the day exploring town and securing our train tickets to Machu Picchu. The altitude has only impacted our breathing a bit - so I have high hopes that my dad will gracefully transition to the 11,000 ft level here. Tomorrow, Richard will tour the sites - on Thursday, dad and I will take a look. Kat and Chris should also join us here in Cusco by Wednesday. Kat left Arequipa bound for Puno (which she is loving) and Chris remained in Calama for a few extra days.

The speciality here seems to be trout. We sampled some today along with a great crema de zapallo (squash soup). Much to my delight - Peru also has some awesome jewelry and like Bolivia...slower Spanish! To my shock - Peruvians seem to take advantage of the sun and altitude with solar powered hot showers. Ingenious. The plazas in Arequipa and Cusco capture the city life with buildings with long balconies lining each side of the square. Diners can perch above the crowds to people watch and observe the fabulous architecture of the churches here.