Friday, April 29, 2005
30cents an hour
yep - that's how much internet costs here. it's great!
Robin and I are at an internet place a stones throw away from our hostel. we arrived in Cuzco yesterday by plane, and were immediately *attacked* by a bazillion people trying to get us to stay at their hostel. we followed one girl (actually, her counterpart in Lima accosted us first and had someone here with Robin's name written on a piece of paper) and checked out her place. it was definitely nice, but we ended up opting to wandering around the city a bit more and followed a recommendation from Lonely Planet. the place is called "Hostal Qorichaska" and the owner (?) is Sonja - a really nice lady with a motherly kinda nature about her. our room is very basic with two beds and a bathroom down the hall, but very clean and has a homely feel.
we spent yesterday taking it easy running errands like booking and paying for tours, including our Inca Trail tour with SAS (note: many people told us we could book the trail tour when we get to Cuzco, but I would advise doing this in advance. we just bumped into a fellow hosteler from Lima and he's having a heck of a time finding a tour that leaves within the next month - I think some of the rules regarding the trail have changed and require a bit more planning). the food here is awesome and incredibly cheap - imagine paying the equivalent of $3-5 for a days worth of good food and never at all being hungry. we've yet to try (...vegetarians may choose to skip what I'm about to say next...) guinea pig.
today, Robin and I took a tour of the Sacred Valley. Sacred because it seemed to be unaffected natural disasters, had rich soil that allowed them to grow food for the empire, is absolutely beautiful and was considered the naval of the world. the views into the valley are breathtaking and some of the villages are still being built ON old ruins (and there's really no reason for them not too. the Incas knew what they were doing and the roads and aqueduct system they built are still in fantastic shape). we were suppose to be on the "English Only" tour - in hopes of meeting fellow travelers - but ended on the English & Spanish tour anyway. we were a little disappointed at first - because eventhough we're picking up on the Spanish it's still difficult to have a conversation - but it worked out in the end and we met some great people from Spain and Brazil who knew some English, particularly the Brazilian guy, Fabio. everyone was raving about how great Bolivia was, particularly the cities/towns(?) of Uyuni and San Pedro. and we've been recommended time and again to bike "the most dangerous road in the world", so... lots in store! I can't believe it's only really day 3...
anyways, we should be off to bed soon. we need to be up EARLY (i.e. at 5am) to get ready and start our Inca Trail tour. soooooooo excited!
hasta luego :)
Robin and I are at an internet place a stones throw away from our hostel. we arrived in Cuzco yesterday by plane, and were immediately *attacked* by a bazillion people trying to get us to stay at their hostel. we followed one girl (actually, her counterpart in Lima accosted us first and had someone here with Robin's name written on a piece of paper) and checked out her place. it was definitely nice, but we ended up opting to wandering around the city a bit more and followed a recommendation from Lonely Planet. the place is called "Hostal Qorichaska" and the owner (?) is Sonja - a really nice lady with a motherly kinda nature about her. our room is very basic with two beds and a bathroom down the hall, but very clean and has a homely feel.
we spent yesterday taking it easy running errands like booking and paying for tours, including our Inca Trail tour with SAS (note: many people told us we could book the trail tour when we get to Cuzco, but I would advise doing this in advance. we just bumped into a fellow hosteler from Lima and he's having a heck of a time finding a tour that leaves within the next month - I think some of the rules regarding the trail have changed and require a bit more planning). the food here is awesome and incredibly cheap - imagine paying the equivalent of $3-5 for a days worth of good food and never at all being hungry. we've yet to try (...vegetarians may choose to skip what I'm about to say next...) guinea pig.
today, Robin and I took a tour of the Sacred Valley. Sacred because it seemed to be unaffected natural disasters, had rich soil that allowed them to grow food for the empire, is absolutely beautiful and was considered the naval of the world. the views into the valley are breathtaking and some of the villages are still being built ON old ruins (and there's really no reason for them not too. the Incas knew what they were doing and the roads and aqueduct system they built are still in fantastic shape). we were suppose to be on the "English Only" tour - in hopes of meeting fellow travelers - but ended on the English & Spanish tour anyway. we were a little disappointed at first - because eventhough we're picking up on the Spanish it's still difficult to have a conversation - but it worked out in the end and we met some great people from Spain and Brazil who knew some English, particularly the Brazilian guy, Fabio. everyone was raving about how great Bolivia was, particularly the cities/towns(?) of Uyuni and San Pedro. and we've been recommended time and again to bike "the most dangerous road in the world", so... lots in store! I can't believe it's only really day 3...
anyways, we should be off to bed soon. we need to be up EARLY (i.e. at 5am) to get ready and start our Inca Trail tour. soooooooo excited!
hasta luego :)
# posted by doris : 6:53 PM
