Sunday, September 10, 2006

Feeling Fine in Cusco!

Happily, the bus ride from Lima wasn't as long as we thought! After leaving Lima at 3:30pm on Friday (we're on Central Time right now because Peru doesn't use daylight savings), we arrived in Cusco 21 hours later (at about 12:30pm on Saturday). Yes, the bus ride was long, but we saw some amazing scenery of the Andes and the indigenous people along the way, saw a few good (and a few bad) movies, and played BINGO in Spanish! I also think taking the bus helped us to acclimate to Cusco's high altitude more slowly than if we would have taken a flight there. The bus and the flight were our only two options; there aren't any trains that go from Lima to Cusco.



Anyway, enough about our bus trip. I have to be somewhat quick here because we're hungry and need to go soon, but I wanted to tell you all a few things before we go:

* We took all the precautions we could in preventing altitude sickness and it worked! In addition to taking the bus to help us acclimate a bit more slowly, we took some medication that we got from the travel clinic to prevent altitude sickness, took a long nap upon our arrival, drank mate de coca (a tea that helps), and ate light meals. It paid off and we're feeling good.

* Our apartment is GREAT! We have lots of space: 2 bedrooms with skylights (one on a loft), 2 work areas with desks and shelves, a living room with comfy couches, plenty of pots and pans in our kitchen, hot water in the bathroom (now that we've figured it out), and a private patio with our very own cactus garden! Plus, it's in an enclosed private area with other families and businesses, is within a 10 minute walk to Plaza de Armas (the main square), and the neighborhood isn't at all touristy. We've spent some time walking around Cusco, and are really liking it. We were just commenting on how nice it would be to just stay at this apartment, but when it comes down to it, I'm sure we'll travel more.



* Some of you know that we were a little concerned about the food and if we'd like it. So far, so good. We've had potato soup as an appetizer and chicken (for me) and beef (for Jeremy) on rice at a "chifa" or Chinese restaurant for $1 each. Last night, we had Italian pizza. This morning, Jeremy had eggs and chorizo sausage with fresh fruit and I had muesli with yogurt, fresh fruit and honey. We also had the Cuzqueno waro (a type of white bread, kind of like a bun) with strawberry jam. VERY TASTY! Mom, when you get here, I think you'll do just fine with the food!

* I've figured out how to post some photos (check the previous entry as well) and plan to put up more as we go along. Let me know if you have any photo requests!

Here are some photos of Sarah's tour around the Cusco area with her TEFL group.



Anyway, I think that's about all for now.

We'll write again soon!

Sarah & Jeremy

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