Cuzco Day 2

Today was a pretty chill day by our recent standards.

We got up and had breakfast just before 8 so that we could get an Uber to the Bolivian Consulate. The man took all the documentation, I had to remind him he'd already looked at it a week ago when he confusedly looked at his stamp and signature, and told me to come back at 12:30 for the visa and receipt.

We went back to the hostel after the quick consulate visit and did some chilling out and admin work before we went back and collected everything. It was a weight lifted to have that sorted. We made more of a trip of it this time and walked to the nearby shopping center to get some groceries and lunch without the inflated tourist pricing where our hostel is. We even splurged and got ice cream cones for 2.50 Soles each.

We ubered back to the hostel and got organized to head to the cathedral on the main square. It definitely didn't give cathedral vibes from the outside so we weren't sure which building it was. We did find it eventually and when we walked in, we discovered that the building actually actually holds 3 different cathedrals: Triumph Cathedral, Main Cathedral, and Holy Family Cathedral. They are all side by side joined by a main hallway. There were no pictures allowed so we tried to get some sneaky ones.

We started in the Triumph Cathedral which has a beautiful orange dome with small mosaics around the sides. There were also a lot of statues of Jesus in various stages of his Passion or on the cross wearing different clothing. It was interesting. There was also a statue of what looked like a Spaniard on a horse with an Incan underneath. Maybe that's why it's the Triumph Cathedral...

Next was the main Cathedral that held a beautiful gilded altar. Allan along the sides of the aisle were huge paintings depicting different religious stories. There was also a choir area with the traditional cedar wood carvings we've seen in some other churches and monasteries.

Finally the Holy Family Cathedral was very bright in comparison to the other two. The lights were brighter in here, but so was the decor. There was more white and blue with the gold. This one had less surveillance (humans walking around) so we managed a couple decent pictures.

After the cathedral we made our way to the Machu Picchu museum, but sadly the guidebook times were wrong and the museum was closed. Instead, we made our way to get some dinner and then walked around the different squares on our way back to the hostel for a relatively early night. I've got to be up to get a bus to Rainbow Mountain for 3am!

Hatun Quilla (double w/ private bathroom)
9/10
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 double room with private bathroom. Please see my other review for twin room with shared bathroom. The hostel was close to the main square (5-minute walk) but far enough to avoid the chaos, including a 2-day long celebration with marching bands and fireworks. 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. Room was more like a chalet, split over two levels, and almost twice the size of the town room. Having stayed in a town room before the Sacred Valley/Inca Trail/Machu Picchu, I would definitely recommend paying slightly more for this room type. The only reason I have not rated this 10/10 is because the breakfast was on the basic side.

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.Læs mere