After a short flight from Lima to Cuzco we had to navigate the many people trying to sell us tours and offering us special deals. We did book a tour to Macchu Picchu with an official travel agent because it was going to be expensive to visit Macchu Picchu anyway- the prices go up every year. So if you want to go to Macchu Picchu, ten years ago was a good time.

We finally negociated our way into a cheap hostel and got rid of the man who was hounding us and trying to schedule our stay in Cuzco for us. We had flown from 0 to 3300m in an hour and the altitude was difficult to deal with. Our host made us some tea that the Incas/natives Cuzco people drink to help with altitude (So maybe it was coco leaf tea, but coco in a non drug form). It was good, not sweet, not too strong, and with an odd, distinctive, leafy flavor. In order to help our bodies acclimate to the altitude Cammie took a nap and I, well, I went for a run. I got nice and lost but managed to find my way back to the hostal with out needing to stop and actually look lost.

There are 4 kids that live in our hostal and two of them let me in (everything is locked here). We struck up a conversation ended up playing soccer in the courtyard of our hostal. The oldest was about 9 and I had a huge advantage because my legs are longer than they are tall. Cammie and I are taller than almost everyone here. Las Quechua Albuelas son muy cortas y tienen pelo muy largo en dos trenas debojo de sus espaldas. I bought a hat and poncho (alpaca, of course) from one such Grandmother.