High in the Andes

Bad Moon A Rising



City Of Cusco from the Hostle

Mountain top in the Andes

The bus trip took longer than expected. After twenty one hours of winding through the Andes hillsides the bus finally arrived in Cusco. Along the way farming villages dotted the mountain sides. In some villages entire slopes were covered with fields. The Andes are full of vegetation in contrast to the barren Himalayas. Green mountainsides rise from the brown rivers in the valleys below.
After one sharp turn the city of Cusco appeared in the valley below. Spanish style rooftops were all that was seen from the mountain side. In the city giant cathedrals surround plazas with water fountains, gardens and park benches. People fill the seats all day and well into the night.
The hoslte is a four hundred year old mansion nestled on a cobblestone street high on a hill side. Views of the whole city can been seen from the common room where couches, tables and computers are present. Over one hundred and fifty backpackers from all over the world stay here every night. Some dorms have thirteen beds in them and most are co-ed.
It took almost two full days to get acclimated to the altitude. Walking up the hill to the hoslte is still difficult. To fight the altitude sickness it is comon to drink tea of coco leaf. In the hoslte restaurant a coffee and tea station is completed by a large bowl of coco leaves. Also there is packaged tea bags of coco leaf. However it is no stronger than a cup of regular tea and can be bought in any supermarket.
Dinner last night was a two course meal. The first course was vegetable soup with bread followed by a plate of rice with a fried egg, a fried plantain, cucumber and tomato. It also included a cup of mate tea. The total cost was four Soles, about a dollar thirty US money. It felt like robbery.