From Lima to Cuzco

Yesterday, June the 12th, was the day we had to say goodbye to the Villa Rica Hotel. Shortly after we said goodbye, however, we were on a taxi to the airport to go to Cuzco!

The Study Abroad Group and I left the Villa Rica Hotel at 5:30am and arrived at the Lima Domestic Airport around 6. It was interesting to experience some of the differences between American airports and Peruvian airports deal with their procedures. For example, at the Lima airport, I didn't have to worry about maintaining the prescriptions and receipts for my medication, since they didn't stop and check me; the opposite is true in the American airport I went to on the 31st of May. Another noticeable difference is that, at the Lima airport, I didn't have to remove my shoes for the airport security to scan, though in America I do. I've enjoyed both experiences at the airport so far, and it will be interesting to see if these procedures are more or less consistent for the flights from Cuzco (or Cusco) to Lima and Lima to Atlanta.

Once we got through customs, we got to board the plane, and, I personally, were that the flight would only take one hour as opposed to the six hour trip from Atlanta to Lima. I was lucky enough to get a window seat, and I am sure glad I was able to get one. Even when ascended above the clouds, I could still see some peaks piercing through their cover. There were vast areas of mountains and hills, which were occasionally occupied by a river, lake, town, or even snow. I regret not taking any pictures during the flight because so far the highlight of the flights I've taken has been seeing the beautiful landscape of the Andes Mountains. The service on the Lima to Cuzco plane was pretty good itself as well, though I'd rather flight on a much roomier plane.

Once we arrived in Cuzco, the "capital of the Cuzco region, as well as the capital of the Cuzco Providence ... (and) was the capital of the Incan Empire" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cusco and claimed our bags, we went into a mini-bus that took us to our hotel. While I was a little lightheaded upon leaving the airplane, due to the altitude change, I was nonetheless very taking back by the beautiful rolling hills and busy streets. After we road around for a while, I observed that Cuzco is a very different city than Lima: While both have chaotic traffic and "hole in the wall" shops, Cuzco seems much less chaotic, the streets are made of brick and mortar rather than concrete or asphalt,  and Cuzco's main appeals are the vast hills and mountains, along with the village atmosphere, as opposed to Lima's street and night life. Tourists in Cuzco are also more abundant, with Cuzco being the most important tourist destination in Peru (according to Wikipedia).

After arriving at the hotel, the group and I stopped to drink some hot cocoa tea (tea with a lot of cocoa leaves in it), as well as to relax and put up our baggage. We then decided to go to the local grocery store and buy what we wanted to get for a small snack. I was personally shocked when I saw that a jar of Peanut Butter was 16 soles! Though it makes sense. Still, I have enjoyed Cuzco so much very far and cannot wait to the see different sites like the Plaza de Arms, large marketplaces, Inca Museums, and eventually, Machu Picchu. For more info on Cuzco, go to the wikipedia page, or go to http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/273.