When I arrived in Cusco it was like arriving in a different world. From the plane I could to see the majestic Andes mountains and after landing my altimeter indicated 3400m above sea level. I arrived from Managua, Nicaragua which is just some meters above sea level and felt pretty dizzy at arrival. But finally it was possible to breath fresh air again after the hot and humid days in Nicaragua. At the airport I got to know some other travelers and we shared a taxi to the downtown area. The staff at my hostel gave me a warm welcome and it felt more like a family than people who work for a hostel. In the room I noticed that my laptop was out of energy and charging wasn't possible because the cable was broken. Finding apple products was not possible so I decided to let the laptop in my bag for the rest of the travel (that's why I write the blog a couple of months later in Germany now).
Next morning I had a traditional coca tea. Coca leaves are supposed to help you to lower altitude sickness and to vitalize you. I still felt quiet tired, not really concentrated and was out of breath fast. This kind of forced me to slow down and to explore the city in a quiet easy going way what I liked! The historical buildings and the traditional clothes of the people impressed me. I was lucky because there was a street parade going on when I was in town and people made music and danced on the streets. My favorite place was the big market with traditional Peruvian clothes and a big colorful variety of fresh food.
In the next days I explored more of the city, met friends and learned about the Inkas in the Inka museum. In the evening I took time to plan my trip to Machu Picchu. It feels like there are hundreds of different companies and possibilities to get there and it was far from easy to get things arranged. Finally I decided not to book a arranged package from a tour company and took the local bus the next day.