Welcome to Peru, it's been waiting for you.

... For over 4,000 years. 

Welp, we made it. Four airports, 18 travel hours, and 3 hours of sleep have delivered us to the 11,000 ft high (3.4km for our metric fans) city of Cusco, Peru. 

First impression- wow, that's a lot of houses! There are hundreds of small houses and buildings packed into downtown Cusco, spilling up into the hilly landscape because, as our driver- Vidal- explained, "we run out of flat."  As we rode through the busy unlaned streets, Vidal pointed out monuments and points of interest from Cusco's most important eras: the Inca era and the 1990's. Apparently, the 90's were a big "rebranding" time for Cusco and Peru.  It seems our wardrobes weren't the only ones who survived a pivotal upgrade during this decade. 

We pulled up to our hotel, which clearly stated it was a boutique and spa hotel. Oh really? You fancy huh? We were unsure what that meant, as this trip's budget falls somewhere in between hostel backpacking and comfortable accommodations. But as we approached we were beyond pleasantly surprised. There is a quaint garden with beautiful view of the city, an in house spa and restaurant, and to our utmost delight a happy hour menu in the main lobby. 

We soon met with our hiking tour guide, Willie, which ironically is the same name as our assistant guide on our Mt Kilimanjaro climb two years back. I'm thinking that is a good sign, because Tanzanian Willie, much like Peruvian Willie was very soft spoken and sweet, but above all else, knows his hiking and trail stuff. We discussed our mini hike to the Sacred Valley tomorrow and our longer (4 day) hike on the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu starting the day after. 

Willie answered all of our questions and slightly entertained a few of our jokes (we'll wear him down sooner or later) and he left us with an endearing "you señoritas look like you need sleep." Yes Willie, it is that obvious, but thank you- hasta luego. I'm surprised he didn't encourage us to shower as well, that was equally obviously necessary. 

Cue 2 hour epic blackout nap session.

Feeling clean and rested, we ventured out into the town of Cusco on a mission. Buy water, exhange money, and oh yeah, see some churches and neat stuff too. So we did. We tiptoed down steep and narrow streets and explored shops and cafes and found a perfect spot for a latte and pastry. It was sandwiched in between a really cute boutique selling exactly what we would sell if we opened up shop in Peru, and The Llama House. Nuff said. We fueled, walked, accomplished our mission, and then got soaked in a thunder storm. 

Feeling accomplished for our first day, we decided to retire to our impressive accommodations and prepare for our upcoming hikes. But first... We check out that happy hour...