Bob and Ann in Peru and Equador in 2008

Cusco - Plaza de Armas - Iglesia La Compañía de Jesús


Cusco - Plaza de Armas

It was luggage out, a quick breakfast and on the bus by 7 a.m. After he helped us with boarding and luggage, we said good-bye to Manolo before going through minimal security check. Flight 021 left for Cusco a little late at about 10:00 AM, but landed at 11:00 AM after we flew down through the clouds to get our first look at the Andean foothills.

We had an easy exit from the airport where we were met by Eddie Perez who escorted us with luggage to our bus. We had begun thinking ahead on our flight when we ordered Inca Cola for our snack beverage, so when Eddie gave us the nod we bought some some coca candy to try. At the Jose Antonio Hotel Cusco while waiting for room assignments, Eddie urged us to try some coca tea prepared for us in the lobby. We stopped short of inhaling pure oxygen which was also provided for in the lobby. To prepare for Cusco's elevation of over 11,000 feet, most of us had prescriptions for altitude sickness, but folk remedies could not hurt.

We were pleasantly surprised at the comfort of the Cusco hotel and glad for the cool clearer air in the mountains. Lunch at a tourist restaurant off the Plaza de Armas was OK. A little drizzle followed us on our afternoon walk, but we were intrigued by Eddie's description of the monumental buildings around the square, many of them churches whose foundations were built from Inca stones.

Leaving the Plaza de Armas we followed a holiday parade colorful and buoyant with dancing and clowning celebrating both Ascunsion of the Virgin Day and Independence from Spanish rule with gusto. We visited an Alpaca sweater store near the end of this chilly afternoon, but most of us were too tired to make purchase decisions by then.

Dinner at our hotel was OK. Our choices from a limited menu mostly involved chicken. The soup was good, though.

Ann discovered that she had left her jewelry bag in the Lima hotel, so she called our previous hotel in Lima. Fortunately the room cleaner had turned it in. Gratefully, we went to bed early.