Thanksgiving & Two Extra Days in Cusco (Nov 24-26th)

Thanksgiving in Cuzco didn't come with turkey and stuffing, but rather with laundry, a lot of phone calls to the family over Skype, resting up after three days of the Sacred Valley, and a fun night of karaoke with Liz, James (who had just returned from the Inca Trail, Marcelo, and Ryan, a fellow American from Oregon who had many a story to tell despite his young 22 years. Oh, I also nursed my first sunburn of the trip, acquired atop Waynu Picchu. Apparently, after interrupting my sunscreen application in order to take a picture for a group of Italians, I neglected to finish and got my just desserts: a U-shaped slash of crimson across my upper back. Oh, well. Not too bad.

I had originally intended to head out to Arequipa that evening, but what was supposed to be a quick follow-up with a doctor about haven been ill the week prior turned into a three-hour wait, and I missed my bus. Fortunately, I was more than happy to stay on with the crew I had met in Cuzco.

The following day, Ryan, James, and I hung out in the courtyard and ate lunch at Jack's with Kaisha and Rachel, two Yorkshire lasses who dubbed me the only American they'd ever liked.





Again, my intention was to leave Cuzco that evening, but James and I had decided to travel to Arequipa together, and he had turned in a load of laundry that morning, which wouldn't be be ready until that evening. So I postponed again. Yes, I postponed my departure for my friend's laundry. ;)

That night we started off at the Pariwana bar before heading out to the bar of the Wild Rover Hostel, a big party hostel down the street. (That's James and Liz.)


That's Ryan, going all Lawrence of Arabia in is newly purchased alpaca scarf.


The Wild Rover definitely packed in the people...


... but James and I were hungry, so we headed to Fallen Angel, a quirky spot in the bohemian San Blas neighborhood where the tables basically consist of glass panels atop bathtubs filled with fish.


On what would be my final day in Cuzco, I got a massage and manicure. The streets of Cuzco are quite literally packed with women shouting out to passersby, "Massage, lady? Pedicure? Massage, lady!" I had politely said no to each proffer, until finding out the cost from Kaisha, who had taken advantage of said services the day prior. Basically, for a pedicure and an hour-long massage, I paid $15. Fifteen dollars!! It was fantastic. One girl administered the massage, literally climbing onto the table to work on my back at the right angles because she was too tiny to reach them otherwise, and her sister worked on my feet afterward. The massage room looked like any other I had been in, but for the pedicure, I simply sat on a couch, while the second sister brought out a towel, a stool, and a basin of hot water with which to work.

Afterward, I had lunch with James at a charming organic restaurant called Green's, where I had a much-needed salad. The cuisine in Peru is excellent, but very rich, typically made with much butter, salt, sugar, or a combination of the three, and often fried. I was seriously craving some greens.

We returned to the hostel, hung out in the lounge, sent some emails, said our goodbyes, and caught a taxi to the Cruz del Sur station. James, who had elected to take the bus despite forebodings as to its safety, fell asleep almost immediately, which proved fortunate, as our driver navigated many a sharp turn without slowing down despite rains throughout the night. But have no fear, we arrived safely in Arequipa at 6am the following morning.

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Location:Meson De La Estrella,Cuzco,Peru