You havent been to Cusco unless............

Since our last blog a lot has happened. We made our way from the Galapagos into Peru passing one of the most interesting boarder crossings we have encountered- interesting in so much as it didnt really exist. Luckily the bus company knew where the offices were so we could get our passports stamped. We visited Trujillo, a layed back surfing town with perfect right handers around 3 to 4 foot that seem to go on forever. Not only is it a great surfing spot but it is also the home of some very ancient pre incan ruins belonging to the Moche and Chimu people. The chan chan civilisation at the time of its existence was home to the largest city in the world. From Trujillo we had a brief stop in Lima before taking the incredibly long bus journey- almost 24 hours- to Cusco. As our blog title suggests Cusco really represented for us the end of our trip- despite the fact we still had 4 weeks to go. Who can beliveve our time has gone so fast.
Before arriving in Cusco we were warned that it was very touristy and that we needed to have our wares about us. We were presently surprised to find a beautiful city with an exquisite main plaza, unfortunately our first impressions wouldnt be our last. To be brutally honest we really had a nightmare of a time.

• You havent been to Cusco unless you book a tour and the tour doesnt include anything for which you paid.
• You havent been to Cusco unless youve been held hostage from 12.00am to 2.30am on a bus before the police are called to resolve the situation.
• You havent been to Cusco unless you get charged for your accommodation twice.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 2 days.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 5 hours and the military needs to come in to clean things up.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 5 hours and stones are blocking the road.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 5 hours and you have to get out of the bus and carry your 30kg of baggage 3km and then board another bus which is then delayed.

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. The surprising thing was when we explained this to locals they just thought it wasnt funny. Our discussions with other tourists seem to point to similar experiences. We therefore have some good recommendations for anyone who considers going to Cusco.

• When booking a bus do so directly with the bus company.
  
• When booking a tour have low expectations to avoid dissappointment.
• When getting a cab agree the price beforehand and make sure they are not charging per person.
• When getting a cab always have the correct change for the fare.
  

All in all we remained bouyant throughout our time and learnt a lot about ourselves during the experience.