The Amazon: It's better than National Geographic

Welcome to the Amazon!

(edited by Denise)
We just got back from 5 days in the Peruvian Amazon and returned to Cusco with many fun memories.
The trip included a plane from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado (far east side of Peru), a 3 hr boat ride (with a breakdown in the middle) from Puerto Maldonado to the first lodge, Refugio Amazonas, with an overnight stay there. The next day we took the boat again (which was 3.5 hrs late) for a 4hr ride to the second lodge, deeper into the Amazon at the Tambopota Research Center (aka TRC). We stayed 2 days at the TRC then had another night at the first lodge.

Pisac, Saqsaywaman and Co.

a.k.a My $1 poncho is better than your North Face rain gear

After Macchu Picchu we kept exploring the surroundings of Cuzco, including part of the sacred valley through Pisac. It is a little town 1 hour of bus away from Cuzco that houses a very big craft market as well as fantastic ruins a little higher up in the hills.
We took the bus from Cuzco with all the locals, so that we could save money and get a slice of real Peruvian life. The bus depot is really just a few buses waiting in the mud but everything went smoothly.

With the locals, but we got in early enough to have a seat!

We got to Pisac on time and after a lunch at a very pretty place called Blue Lama. We took a cab up to the Pisac ruins; the goal was to be dropped at the top and hike all the way back down (around 3 hours)
The day had been beautiful up until then but right when we exited the cab it started to rain heavily. Suddenly the hike didn't seem like such a good idea anymore....

The Inca trail to Macchu Picchu

We decided to do the 4 day trek of the 42kms of the Inca trail to reach Macchu Picchu, instead of the 3 hours train ride. It was recommended by some friends who had done it.  We used the services of a company that provides a guide and porters to carry our food and tents. We also hired an extra porter to carry most of Denise's stuff like her mattress, sleeping bag and most of her clothes. Frankly we highly recommend using that option considering the minimal extra cost, because parts of the trek are pretty darn hard.

Christmas in Cuzco

Today is the 25th of December so first, Merry Christmas to you all!

We've just witnessed what happens for Christmas here in Cuzco and it's definitely a crazy and festive experience. First, on the 24th the whole Plaza de Armas (the heart of Cuzco) is closed to traffic and completely filled with stalls for people to sell their stuff. What do they sell you ask? Anything you could need to build a nativity scene (la creche de Noel) next to your christmas tree.

Plaza de Armas

I Love Food! -and a bit about Cuzco shopping.

From Peru - Cuzco

Most of you know this.  I religiously go to the farmers market in San Francisco every weekend I'm in town.  I love the fresh fruits and veggies, and I love finding new ingredients and making interesting dishes.  The market is one of my favorite places not only because it's pretty, but also because I can't really feel guilty about buying food (like I can about buying myself a new pair of shoes that are smokin' hot ...but that I don't REALLY need).  
Once, when I discovered my grapes were missing from the refrigerator at work, I  sent out a really nice email to everyone at the company telling them all how much I love food and how sad I was that someone felt the need to take my grapes.  I know.  Freak!  

Less tourists, but more friends

We figured out where the tourists are... not here. After a delicious dinner we chatted with Matt, the Australian owner of a restaurant who's been living here for 6 years, and he told us that this is the worst december he's ever seen. Tourism seems to be at an all time low, even though Christmas time is usually a very busy time of the year. To put it simply, we were the only people at the restaurant where you usually can't have a table without booking in advance. It seems like the global economic slowdown is really hitting places like Cuzco pretty hard.

You never know what you're going to run into while walking around Cuzco

Arrival in Peru

Denise starting her Headstand project on Plaza de Armas

After 2 short nights, one before flying out of SF and one in Lima, we are now in Cuzco, starting point for trips to the Inca Trail and the Macchu Picchu.
We spent a total of 10 hours in Lima between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, in the industrial district next to the airport. Needless to say it didn't impress us with its prettiness yet.
Cuzco in comparison is very pretty with many parks and plazas, and many hills. Everybody seems very relaxed and the city gives out a good vibe overall.
Even though we don't see as many tourists as we expected in the streets (maybe we're a little off season) you can tell the city strives from tourism because of the many solicitations for various typical hats, sweaters or manicures (?). It's not as bad as walking the strip in Vegas and the goods involved are a little more... normal.
The city is also in continuous expansion, with a lot of public work being done all over the city.