Cusco or Cuzco

Cusco is the ancient Inca capital (not Machu Picchu – who knew?), and it’s also one of the more famous cities in all of South America.  It has a bit of a strange feel that took me a while to get used to.  There’s nothing inherently special about Cusco, it’s just the closest big city to a world famous set of ruins, and as such, Cusco gets so much tourist money it doesn’t know what to do with itself.  Like, ‘why is the largest Starbucks I’ve ever seen here (and yes Savannah and I want there for coffee),’ it didn’t make a ton of sense.  But it makes the town an absolute dream, super clean, tons of great restaurants, and things just run better than your typical third world city.  There is the annoyance of everyone claiming to be Pablo Picasso and selling the same cheap art for one sol, getting offered an endless stream of terrible (so I was told) massages, and markets galore selling the same junk in every shop.  One massive market literally had 50 venders selling the same exact stuff.

The food deserves its own section.  One of my buddies from Australia told me, ‘we spend 9 days in Cusco and did nothing but eat…’ well I spent 10 (not including the Salkantay trek) and he was absolutely right!  Savannah and I found a couple amazing places and just kept eating at them.  Jake’s Café, Los Perros, and Inka Grill were among the favorites, and trust me, the food was better than I used to eat back home.