I'm feeling the pull

I have officially been in Cusco for two weeks (more than that actually) and in Peru for three. I can't say that the time has flown by, but the days are definitely passing by more quickly. I thought it was a good time to fill you all in on some of my new favorite Peruvian/Cusquenian things.

1. La Plaza de Armas: So close to my classes, this beautiful plaza is home to our group's favorite cafes, restaurants and discotecas (which have a HUGE following in Cusco). There are usually about a million tourists here, but it is so beautiful I hardly care. See what I mean:


2. La comida: I was so suprised by the abundance of potatoes in Cusco, there are more than 60 kinds! I think that Peru is probably Ireland's biggest potato competitor. My new favorite food is platano con leche. My host mom tells me its juice, but it sure tastes like a banana milkshake to me. ¡Que rico! (this means how delicious).

3. El molino: Also known as Cusco's black market, el molino is home to everything you could possibly imagine. After listening to my Spanish professor talk about it for two weeks, I finally went yesterday. I got a camping mattress for the jungle, a towel, and an entire season of Friends all for less than 50 soles, which is about 20 dollars. What a find!

4. Hiking: There are so many places to explore less than an hour away from the city. This weekend I went to Pisac, which was a 3 hour hike with beautiful ruins around every corner. It is about 13,000 feet high and when I would stop to catch my breath I felt like I was sucking air through a straw. Here I am about to climb the stairs up the mountain:

I'm heading to the Amazon basin on Wednesday, so the next time I write will be about the jungle! Until then!