Cusco

Cusco, high in the mountains of Peru, is one of the nicest places I've seen so far in South America.  It is characteristic of colonial times, and has a mix of Incan and Spanish tradition.  There are plenty of cute cafes, gift shops selling alpaca clothes and many many traditional handicrafts.  The main plaza is a big happening cultural center, with a lot of little alleyways leading to more craft shops.

It's also a huge hippie destination, most likely because of the Incan culture and the clothes.

There are ruins near the city, not nearly as awesome as Machu Picchu but it just goes to show how tenacious the human civilization has been over the last few millenniums.

And the mountains, oh the beautiful mountains.

That said, it doesn't hide itself as being a major tourist destination.  The city is littered with travel agents and Machu Picchu tour groups, plus many things are listed in USD (this not being the local currency).  Very expensive city too.

Someone in my hostel got a terrible stomach bug and threw up constantly all my first night.  Yikes.


The first two days were spent just wandering the city.  My third day, I met some people in the hostel and went with them to a local festival.  Every. Single. Stand. had the following foods: G