Machu Picchu @50 Day 6

October 16, 2017

FLAG OF CUSCO (SCARF)

Through the night I started off cold and then midway had to throw the covers off. Also I kept waking with breathing difficulties...ugh. Just before I went to bed I heard a man across the hall vomiting profusely for quite some time. It was quite disturbing. I really felt for him as I’ve been in that position while traveling. Around 6am, someone was banging on the front glass door of the hotel. It echoed though out the hallway. Fortunately it did stop relatively quickly as I was going to get up and deal with it myself...grrr.

I slept in until 9am, got ready and checked on the girls around 10. They weren’t ready yet but I asked reception for 30 minutes extra for them. I was sunny out and I looked forward to my last morning in Cusco,

By the time we headed out to breakfast, it was raining and windy so there was quite a chill. The reception has given us a recommendation of Jacks Cafe for a good breakfast option. The three down hill cobblestone blocks seemed harrowing in the rain. We passed many little shops that we hadn’t come across...a little tourist Mecca. We stopped to consider some shoes for LaTrice as she had sandals on but she couldn’t find something attractive in her size. She gave up.

Jacks Cafe was a simple 12+ table establishment with a warm charm snd folksy local art. As we witnessed orders being served, the prospect for good food was quite exciting. We sat at a communal table with another couple. One was having the most grand chocolate cupcake...supremely decadent. He said that it was as good as it looks. Our meals were, as we’ve come to expect from Peru, fresh, interesting, and flavorful. I ordered fresh fruit, with yogurt snd honey, and scrambled eggs on toast with mushrooms. A MA ZING! I took a couple of pics of the art as it spoke to me and let the atmosphere settle in. I wished Naitro a happy birthday. What a great birthday brunch spot,

The sun had returned and We decided to split up at this point. We needed to be at the hotel and ready to go in 1.25 hours. They wanted to shop a bit and take a Starbucks break and I wanted to go to the XXX art museum, I had my map to follow and it was close by to the hotel. I also needed soles for payment at the hostel in Lima.

The first two banks atm were a bust but they had been on previous occasions ( Globalnet and Scotiabank. I was a little lost but with the help of a policewoman, I located the museum which is housed in the xxx bank,

The xxx museum -

I really enjoyed the small exhibit and was allowed to photograph about 2/3 of the exhibit. The remaining 1/3 was a special taste of Peruvian art as some sculptures were make from small bones. That portion was not photographable...grrr. I was able to buy two post cards of some of that part collection.

Exiting the museum, I got in line for the banks atm. The line was long but I was able to take out 200 of the 210 soles needed for my stay in Lima. I still needed 10 soles for transport and another 10 for the hostel.

I headed back to the hotel but remembered there was a shop integrated into the church building on the square. It turned out that it was a Peru tourist office with handcrafted items from many regions. They had a unique sampling of many types of work. I wanted a guide to the church but it was only available in Spanish. I bought a scarf with the stripes and colors of Cusco region, it comes very close to the rainbow flag that I hold very dear, :-). I also bought a dvd with views and explanations of the interior elements of the church. I asked if I could pay with US dollars as I needed some sole to complete the necessary transport and accommodation charges. My twenty dollar bill had a small clip off one corner so she wouldn’t take it. I’d had that issue before. So I asked if I could charge and she give me sole cod the other $15 that I had. She said sure and that resolved that issue with soles.

At the hostel, I changed into shorts as I was a bit warm and wanted to be more comfortable. I had a final shot of the oxygen ( don’t really think it did anything ) and waited for the girls. Soon the driver showed up and so I went in search of N and LT. They were relaxing at the Starbucks just above our courtyard. I think I surprised them with the the news of the driver being there.

I went back to the lobby and told the driver that they would be along soon. LaTrice had a last shot of oxygen and then in the trash it went.

Thirty soles and 20 minutes and we were walking into the airport. Checking in, my bag was 1/2 kilo lighter than when I arrived...surprising.

There were a really great little handicrafts shop in the terminal (Inka Treasurea). It was the first place that I’d seen any of the little houses with scenes in them like I have at home, I ended up buying a wooden painted llama in a modern interpretation...very cool.

Our flight to Lima was delayed several times as air traffic over Lima was backed up. The terminal was filled with passengers and this was a bit worrying, we did end up leaving at 5:30 instead of kit booked 3:50 time...not too bad.

We had separate seating to we couldn’t chat along the way, I was in a middle seat...least favorite but there was a very friendly lady at the window seat. There was a language barrier but still a few words and a smile are nice.

At the airport in Lima, picking up the bags was a breeze and after a quick goodbye ( more on my travel buddies at the end) I was out the exit in amazing time. It was quick to find my driver and by 7:45, I was in my room. Everyone at the hostel was smiling snd welcoming me back and asking about my journey. A little time to rest and a flight back to the US very early in the morning.