I must have been woken up at 7am this morning as scheduled, but it was 7.10 before I actually came round, and to the sounds of a slightly frustrated Spanish voice telling me to hurry up and get ready.
An hour later, the Dutch people, Luis, Emma and I were all at reception ready to leave. The boat ride back to Puerto Maldonado lasted two hours since we were travelling against the current. From there, we were picked up by the EcoAmazonia minibus and taken to the small company office to pick up our tickets and fill in some questionnaires before our final drop-off at the airport.
The airport was the tiniest I’d ever seen - even smaller than the one in Koh Samui, Thailand, where I flew into almost this time last year. There was only one cafe, so after we’d checked in our bags, Luis, Emma and I went for a drink before going through the single security conveyor belt to the two flight gates on the other side.
We were split up during the flight, but when we arrived at Cusco we found each other again and collected our bags together. When I rang Edgar, my cusqueño taxi driver friend, he said he wasn’t working that day, meaning I’d have to catch one of the really expensive airport taxis. Thankfully, Emma and Luis were being met by their tour company and suggested I came with them. Their tour rep happened to be one of the loveliest I’ve ever met, and said they could drop me just a few metres from my hostel, no problem.
I was dropped at the traffic lights and only had time for a hasty goodbye; luckily, I’d already exchanged details with Luis and Emma, who had suggested meeting up that night for dinner or drinks. After checking in at Milhouse and finding out that my friends from VolunTeach, Alex, Eleanor and Elise, wouldn’t be back from their walking tour for a while, I made my way on foot to Loki Hostel. We’re doing the Inka Jungle Trek with them tomorrow, so the final balance had to be paid by 5.30 today.
Walking up the massive hill to the hostel in the afternoon heat, completely out of breath from the altitude, was a challenge. I was glad to get it over with, though - now I could enjoy the rest of the afternoon without worrying about it. Job done, I walked to the cathedral, which is the focal point of the beautiful Plaza de Armas. It was S/.12 to enter, with a free audio guide in Spanish, and it was definitely worth the visit. Not only does this magnificent building feature a spectacular sixteenth-century exterior and interior, but it is also home to more than 400 works of the famous Cusco school of art.
Visiting the cathedral took me nearly two hours, since, typically, I had a million and one phone calls during it (thankfully my phone was on silent). Most were from Eleanor, who was by this time stressing about the payment details for the trek, but one was from little Nicole, my Peruvian sister, who’d phoned to see how I was, bless her.
When I came out, the warmth of the afternoon was already giving way to an evening chill, so I fetched my llama jumper from the hostel and dropped off all my valuables before walking down the hill to the handicrafts market. I’d expected to be able to buy all sorts of souvenirs there, but when my friends rang me at 6.30, I’d only bought a few things - including a very touristy Machu Picchu cap which I hoped, being so embarrassing, would at least protect my face from the sun on our trek.
I met the others at the main square, and we walked down one of the side streets to find something to eat. We struck lucky and found a restaurant offering a three-course meal and drink for S/.15 (less than £4). We were even able to try traditional Cusco cuisine; two of them even had roast alpaca.
We had to rush to be back at Loki in time for the trek briefing. The tour guide was already there with Matt, another VolunTeach volunteer I hadn’t met but had spoken to online. Opposite them was an Israeli guy in his late twenties, who seemed a lot more Western than Israeli in the way he dressed, looked and acted. He seemed like he’d be up for a laugh, at any rate.
After the briefing, the girls and I went back to Milhouse, where we packed our bags ready for the morning and made the most of the two-for-one cocktails that were being put on during the Peru-Uruguay football game. While we were sitting outside, an Austrian girl who Alex had met the day before came up to us (Alex is German, though she tries to forget it) and started chatting to us in German. I asked if she was German and, when she asked me if I was, I was pretty pleased.
With a very early start the next day, we weren’t out of bed long and decided to get a good night’s sleep before beginning our trek.
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