Cusco

Kathryn >> Rising ridiculously early (thanks to a time zone change) we set about demolishing the fruit salad in the buffet breakfast, thankful that the Peruvians seem to embrace fresh, interesting food a little more! Headed back down to the tourist dominated Plaza where we had eaten dinner the night before, we walked through the weekend market that decorates our main route to and from the city square. The hot items of the day were red roses, tea cups and various other very kitsch mother's day items! We ventured in to talk to a few of the 100's of shops selling tours. Making a completely random decision, we booked a day trip to Machu Pichu for the next day. The trip seems outrageously expensive; a 2 hour train trip costing $75

USD one way! With an elaborate plan of bus and train hopping, that seemed the standard deal with every operator, we would make a 17 hour 'day trip'. Stopping to buy baked Oca (or NZ yams as I call them) from a lady who sold them out of a wheel barrow and churros, we continued on to find James some cheap (?imitation) North Face pants. North Face seems to be the favourite South American outdoor brand - the founder used to live in Chile, before dying of hypothermia - a little ironic given the down vests he popularised here! Heading deep into the market, I wondered at at least 4 different varieties of Oca, along with the pumpkins that seem even bigger here, and various other oddities. The butchery section offered us various offal, as well as a cow's nose and of course guinea pigs (Cuy). We ate lunch in the crowded market, a 'traditional' very salty chicken soup with spaghetti and pickled carrots, served expertly from a 50+ litre boiling pot.
Completing our touristic duties, we returned to our hotel, had a spa before heading out for a $16 massage. James had Alpaca steak for tea - incredibly lean, a little tough and tasting alot like goat.