🇵🇪 The Heart of Peru

Not two weeks into our adventure and memories of my hometown and the 9-5 were long gone; replaced by the penguins of Paracas, the monster sand dunes of Huacachina, almost being stranded in the Nazca Desert, and an aching 3 days trekking through the Valley of the Condors.

Now we’d made our way away from the coast, deep into the Peruvian Andes and the countries cultural centre of Cuzco. Cuzco is perhaps best known as the gateway to Peru’s world wonder; the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu. But more on that later. Cuzco has such a charm in its own right!

And with hills bordering it on every side, there’s a view wherever you look. If you find yourself wandering through Cuzco yourself, stop for lunch at Mistura Grill like we did and you can enjoy a fantastic panorama of the Plaza De Armas set against city’s surroundings.

In the build up to our departure to Machu Picchu, we managed to explore all corners of the city despite both of us nearly being incapacitated by the densest pizza on the planet. Innocent on first glance, it became glaringly obvious after a few bites that this pizza made up of 90% cheese might be the end of us both. Just look at Jamie’s expressions here. Trust me, I looked even worse by the end… a man filled with regret for 1) ordering this in the first place… and 2) buying into Jamie goading me to finish it

Surviving this terrifying experience, we did manage to make it out of the hostel the next morning, heading up into the hills of Cuzco to the ruins of the Moon Temple with our new Israeli friend Saskia. We realised upon arrival that ‘ruins’ was something of an understatement.

However, it was great to get away from the busy streets, and the whole trip offered some brilliant viewpoints across Cuzco. Especially as we made our way back towards the city. We’d taken a taxi up to the temple, but were totally winging it on the way back.

You’d expect navigating back towards the city centre might be an easy task. Especially when all we seemingly needed to do was keep going downhill. But take this journey, and you’ll see Cuzco’s suburbs become a maze. A myriad of beautiful cobbled streets, that make you want to get lost in them as much as they succeed in making this so.

Keep walking and you’ll see the endless passages, doorways, art shops, nooks, and steps leading you in exciting new directions.

This is Cuzco to me, and something I’ve grown fond of in many of my favourite destinations throughout my travels in 2019. It’s being able to wonder through the unknown, exploring and discovering new parts of new towns for the very first time. Finding those quirky art shops and cafes tucked away from view. The Plaza De Armas is pristine, but busy. Venture away from the hustle and the bustle of the city’s biggest draws and you can find those little gems that make your adventure your own.