Cusco Day 1

Our night bus just seemed to drag on forever. Allan and I agree, it's one of the worst buses we've been on yet. After the annoying delay in boarding, and the horrible smell and heat, it was only downhill. The road was insanely winding which meant we were sliding around all over the place which is not really ideal for trying to sleep (as well as the smell and heat). We tried our best, but sleep eluded us pretty much all night. It wasn't until the sun began to peak over the horizon that the road straightened out and we got a couple hours, maybe...

Because we boarded the bus late, we figured we would arrive to Cusco a bit late too. The hours just seemed to tick on by. With the spotty service, I did manage to get my visa application for Bolivia done though, so that was a plus. The road through the mountains was just not great and definitely contributed to the bus arriving four hours late. Yup, four hours late. That brought our journey to a total of about 15ish hours. Not ideal.

We immediately got into an Uber to head for the Bolivian Consulate in Cusco. The didn't answer any emails or phone calls so we didn't know what the deal was with visa appointments. It was so nice to be off of that horrible bus, but boy were we tired. The short drive to the consulate went quickly, but when we got there the door was locked. When we peaked through the curtains, the computer was still on so it didn't seem like they'd closed early (thank goodness). Eventually the guy working came back and after speaking with a girl who had an appointment, it was my turn. I explained about our late bus, and that I'd completed the application online but didn't have anything printed. He told me I'd need to print everything out and come back. That was fine, as expected. But I just wanted to double check I'd done everything necessary besides the printing, and he offered to print it all out for me! Unfortunately because tomorrow is Saturday, he couldn't complete the visa stamping process until Monday so I'll need to come back on Friday after the Inka Trail. He was very kind to do all the printing and check it over for me. Saved me a lot of hassle!

After the consulate, we stopped outside of a little cafe that sold fresh juice, so instead of ordering our Uber we stopped in for some juice and a sandwich. The sandwich was teeny tiny, but it was a whole pint of fresh squeezed OJ! Very mismatched, but it was good and hit the spot.

When we got to the hostel after our consulate diversion, we had quick showers and then headed out to get some laundry done, walk around the square, and get dinner. Cusco is absolutely thrumming with life. There are people all over the place! The main plaza is also very pretty with a fountain in the middle and lots of stonework around. I'm looking forward to exploring more of Cusco when we get back.

We walked around the small hills and stairs of the area around the plaza to a vegan restaurant. Allan had a quinoa burger and I had pad thai. Both were delicious (as per usual, we swapped halfway to share). Once back at the hostel, we had a meeting with our guide for the Inka Trail. He seems nice enough and like he's done this quite a lot. I'll definitely be the weakest link on the trek 🙈.

We ran some errands like getting some last minute sunscreen and baby wipes and picking up our laundry. We also had a wee walk around and found some live music and a stall selling cake from earlier. We ate our dulce de leche cake and listened to the music. It was nice!

After we got back to the hostel, we rearranged our bags in preparation for the trek. I'm excited for it, but also pretty terrified that I'll be very bad at the hiking. Fingers crossed everyone!

Hatun Quilla (twin w/ shared bathroom)
8/10
Facilities: 🙂
Comfort: 😀
Location: 😀
Cleanliness: 😀
Value for money: 🙂
Staff: 😀

Summary: Great little hostel not far from main square with very friendly staff.

Good: Please note this review is based on a twin room with shared bathroom. Please see my other review for double room with private bathroom. The hostel was close to the main square (5-minute walk) but far enough to avoid the chaos. The staff were extremely friendly and allowed us to store luggage for 6 days for free while we visited the Sacred Valley, hiked the Inca Trail and visited Machu Picchu. Staff were also transparent about the water issues (not always the case in Peru) and advised us the best time to shower to get hot water. Extra blankets were provided though not required. Twin room was spacious compared to private room in Lima and Nazca. Decent value for money in Cusco, though I would recommend spending slightly more for a room with private bathroom - it is around twice the size and more like a little chalet, split over two floors.

Bad: N/a. It would be unfair to comment negatively on the wider water issues, especially since the staff were upfront about this on our arrival.Read more