Peru: Cusco
Cusco was our last stop in Peru and what a pleasure it was! Initially I planned on staying here for one week, but kept extending my stay and ended up staying here for three weeks.
On the 5th of August we arrived in Cusco from Arequipa. We only stayed for one night, because the day after we went to Taray (a small village) to perform in a ayahuasca session. This was something we talked about for quite a long time, so we were super excited for it! The session started at 6PM and ended at around 10.30PM. Unfortunately, I didn’t really feel that much (even after taking two cups of ayahuasca), but it still was a good experience. Being for almost five hours in a dark tent with twenty other people who are crying and vomiting is really something I will never forget 😉.
The day after, we already went back to Cusco. As a preparation for the ayahuasca session we were not allowed to eat for 28 hours, so the first thing we did in Cusco was having a lovely sushi lunch! The rest of our days we spend having drinks with our friends, going for dinner and… planning our trip to Machu Picchu!
Getting to Machu Picchu is quite an adventure… On the 10th of August we took a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and then a train to Aguas Calientes. When we arrived, we had to go to the police station with a copy of our passport and put our name on a list. Two days later, we were queuing at 4AM and eventually went to Machu Picchu at 10AM. Afterwards, we took the train and bus back to Cusco.
Two days later, on the 14th of August, we had our second excursion in Cusco: Rainbow Mountain! I think for me this was one of my highlights in Peru. It was extremely cold (which I HATE), but so so so pretty! Rainbow mountain was also the last excursion I did with Barbara, because the day after she returned back to Belgium. It was a bit weird saying goodbye after traveling together for two months, but I’m super grateful we could experience so many beautiful things together!
Afterwards, I stayed in Cusco for two more weeks. I wanted to take my time here, getting used to solo traveling. I also met really nice people I hung out with and the hostel already felt a bit like my home. To end my lovely time in Cusco, I took a small tattoo on one of my last days. A forever memory!
