My first two days of vacation sure did not feel like vacation. I pretty much spent two days traveling. Yesterday I finally got a chance to relax and explore Cusco. Cusco turned out to be a much larger city than I expected. With a large city comes the traffic and crowds. I didn’t mind it though as I set off exploring. After not starting off correctly on the walking tour I was doing, I finally found the way and saw a great number of sights. At the end of the walking tour I decided to head up the mountain and see my first set of Inca ruins. While I expected Machu Picchu to be much more impressive, it was interesting to see how some of the structures would have been built. I can only imagine what it was like at its prime. After all of the walking, I needed something to eat. My mom’s cousin (who has been to Cusco) kept telling me that the best pizza in the world is there. Now maybe I didn’t eat at the right place but I guarantee the Papa Johns in the Lima airport has better pizza. It wasn’t terrible but I expected more after the rave reviews. I did a bit more planning for the trip as well. I enjoy only planning for two or three days out. It gives me flexibility as well as a chance to travel with some locals.
After a day in Cusco it was off to Ollantaytambo. I took a 1.5 hour collectivo ride to get there. A collectivo is a van filled with people headed to the same place or at least in the same direction. Ollantay was more like I expected Cusco to be. It is a small town with a number of Inca ruins around. Ollantaytambo is the sight of the only battle the Spanish lost against the Incas. I climbed part way up two different mountains. I am definitely getting my exercise this trip. While I had originally wanted to hike the Inca Trail I’m glad I’m not. First I am out of hiking shape. And second I am able to use the extra time to visit other places in Peru. I am looking forward to seeing Machu Picchu and the surrounding area over the next couple of days.