Just cuz it´s co

Our arrival in Cuzco was mostly pleasant - the hostel owner picked us up from the airport, and was super helpful in making sure we get our train tickets for Machu Picchu on time, taking care of our luggage, and generally going out of her way to make us feel welcome. The hostel (El Triumfo, in case anyone is headed this way anytime soon) was truly awesome as well. Super-tidy, modern bedrooms and bathrooms, decent breakfast, and very helpful staff. It´s also right next to the central square (Plaza de Armas), with a nice bohemian chic feel to it - the entrance is through an art gallery / atelier, and the artist actually bunks in a sleeping bag at the foot of the stairs... We also came across a progression with some people in traditional clothing playing folklore songs, and walking some llamas or alpacas (can´t tell the difference) with them.

I was feeling pretty terrible due to altitude sickness - Cuzco is 3,400 meters above sea level, and the air is even thinner than Quito. I´d run out of breath from walking just one block, and hit a heart rate of 180 bpm just from climbing a flight of stairs. I guess now I know what it feels like to be 80 years old. I also felt a fever coming on; I assume the same thing happened in Quito, which is why the night had felt so incredibly cold.

But without letting these minor annoyances get in the way, we teamed up with an Ecuadorian guy called Camillo we met at the hostel, and headed out for dinner and some traditional Inca dances. We were originally going to watch a dance show at the cultural center, but missed it by an hour, so ended up getting dinner at a "traditional" (if slightly touristy) restaurant that also put up a dance show. I got alpaca noisettes for my mains, and the stuff is actually very tasty, although a little tougher than beef. The inca dances were an energetic affair, with brighly coloured costumes and a few more fantastic creatures joining the fun. At some point the Inca maidens (in sinfully short skirts) picked a few guys from the audience to dance with them, and of course I got picked. The dance was easy enough, but with the altitude sickness felt like a marathon as far as the physical exertion goes. However, afterwards I felt much better, and got a few photos of me making a fool of myself as a bonus.

Camillo turned out to be a really nice guy, although he was very self-conscious about his English, so I ended up chatting to him in Spanish most of the time. He might come up to Quito when I go back to Ecuador, so hopefully we´ll have a chance to catch up again.

After our dinner, we were the last guests so the staff offered to let us try all the desserts left over from the buffet for free. Some good stuff there, so definitely happy we came to the place.

Back at the hostel, the staff offered us some coca leaf tea, as well as dried leaves to chew on. They taste slightly bitter, but are supposedly good for the altitude sickness, as they relax the muscles in the throat and therefore increase your air intake. Unfortunately they also make your mouth go numb, which feels a little like a visit to the dentist. But the numbness wasn´t too bad, and I think they did help me sleep better. We made it an early night, as next morning´s train to Machu Picchu was set to leave at a ridiculously early 6am.