Sunday 12 February 12  Cuzco

Didn´t sleep all that well and was up at 06:30.  Made Malcolm and myself a cup of Coca tea which is pretty awfull tasting stuff but supposed to help with altitude sickness.  On the road again to the airport by 09:00 and with our guide, Eva, who helped us check in for the 10:30 LAN Chile flight to Cuzco. The plane arrived late and we didn´t commence boarding until 10:30 and then sat on the runway for an hour because of the heavy airport traffic, although we only saw about three planes land and take off.  This is South America where everything runs to it´s own schedule and we arrived in Cuzco 1.5 hours late.  But for the late arrival, American Airways could learn a lot from LAN Chile on how to run an airline and present their staff.  Overall it was a very professional and slick operation from LAN.  In Cuzco we were booked into the Casa Andina by 14:20.  A lovely hotel close to the middle of town.  Whilst I was pottering Malcolm organised a guide for the afternoon¨. Pamela arrived at 14:00 and took us for a drive through the city to see the old and the new.  Our brief for the guides is always show us the real people and how they live and not the touristy stuff that everyone else goes to! Our first stop was at a local country market where only the locals go.  It was amazingly clean although by Australian standards it wouldn´t pass.  The people who are mostly Inca backgound are truly poor but they make a real effort and the good thing is that you don´t see beggars on the streets here, everyone works or starves. Next to the oldest part of town with narrow little climbing, winding streets.  Most of the buildings here are on top of Inca stone foundations. Near the church in this section are also some art shops who produce work in the style of the 17th century, so in order to help the local economy and support the painters I purchased a couple.  We visited the historical church of San Blas purported to have the most beautiful pulpit in the world and carved from local cedar by local Indian Inca craftsmen. Many of the paintings in the church were undertaken by an Inca artist who was converted to Chritianity. Walked the narrow streets by evening street lighting, visiting a tiny little shop selling souvenirs.  The little girl running the shop couldn´t have been older then 8 or 9 years and lived there with her mother behind a curtain.  We didn´t buy anything but gave her two dollars US which is a lot for the poor.  Arrived back at the hotel at 19:00 and had dinner at the hotel which cost us US$135 which included a tip. The wine cost $40 for a bottle of Chilean Merlow.  Wine is expensive here because only the rich people drink it.  We were both tired because of travell and the altitude of above ten thousand feet.

Photos to follow.