Cusco, Peru

I walk into town to buy more Paracetamol, I used up all my supplies yesterday on my coldy headache. I also buy a bus ticket to Cusco, Peru for 80 Bs. It leaves at 13:30. Copacabana is famous for its Inca ruins, both on and off the Isla de Sol but ½ day doesn't do it justice. And yesterday's narrow Police escape proved I need to exit Bolivia today. I decide to visit it on my next trip round South America. As the days roll on I'm more and more convinced there will be another trip.

I board my tourist bus, it's full. 10 minutes and we're at the border. I join the queue for the Bolivian exit stamps, it moves quite quickly until it gets to me. Passport, flip, stamp. Passport, flip, stamp. My passport, flip, hesitate, hesitate, hesitate. He stares blankly at my passport, stamp in hand hovering above it. I can the see the mental arithmetic adding up in his head, counting the days. Then finally, ka-chunk, it's stamped. Phew! I'm through. The Peruvian stamp was easier to obtain. As I was tipped by Ana I convert all my Bolivian groats into Peruvian solars (at a rate of 2.6).

At the Puno bus station I'm kicked off the tourist bus and given a local bus ticket to Cusco. What a rip off! And then the bus is some 45 minutes late. I wouldn't normally mind but I'd only just found out that from Puno to Cusco is some 7 hours! Doh! A couple of Brits sit behind me (also from Copacabana) and one of them sounded exactly like that Colin Bird that Timbo's marrying!

Arriving at Cusco I whip out the name of the hostel that Ana and Isabelle are staying at. Unfortunately the detailed address consists of, "Uphill from the plaza". Great. I try it out on the taxi driver anyway. "Hostel Resbalosa, yeah, up the hill from Plaza de Armes, I know it!" he says in Spanish. Result! Although he charges me 14 sols, I later find out it should have been 4. Oh well. I check myself into a coffin sized single room for 20 sols pn (£3) and told I can change into a dorm tomorrow for 15 sols pn (£2.50).

It's 00:30 am and as I slept on the bus, I'm feeling a little perky. Plus it's Friday night, I'm in Cusco and decide it's time for a quiet beer. Cusco is full of little cobbled streets and passage ways and they all look fantastic lit up in the streetlight. It's also a lively place with plenty of clubs around the main Plaza. All the would be quiet bars are closed so I try a more local bar called Ukutus. It plays great music and has a mix of locals and a few gringos. I stay for a few beers and head back.

The same lad answers the doorbell as last time. I ask for my key, assuming it's kept behind the desk as he didn't give me one when I checked in. He says he doesn't have it. Very funny. I ask again. He doesn't have one. Not amused I ask in my best Spanglish what I'm supposed to do until the morning! (Well, drink beer did enter my head I must admit!) He stares at me for a few minutes but I don't disappear. So he decides to wake up the owner and taps on his window. The old gentleman appears with my key. I apologise and thank him. To my surprise he smiles and slaps me on my back, "No problem!" Cool. Bed for 03:00.

Posted by Steve Eynon