Peru 2014 - Part 6

 Wednesday August 20 Cuzco

 What a day! We went to the collectivo station to catch a bus, and a taxi driver told us he would take us to the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco for 10 soles each when he got two more people to go. He kept trying to get us to agree to pay for four people, but we told him no, we would only pay 10 soles each or we would get out and take the bus. He found another woman to ride, tried to get us to pay more, but I told him we would just take the bus, so he agreed on 10 each. Along the way we picked up someone for a while. When we got to Cuzco, he dropped us off  but - not in the Plaza and tried to charge us more. I refused, argued in Spanish when he tried to tell me our bags were heavy and so were we, so he needed more money. I got our bags and paid him what we had agreed on in Urubamba.  We walked for awhile then took a very nice taxi to a hotel I had found on the internet before we left. They didn't have a room, but told us of one two doors up. It is nice and has a soft bed.

We went walked to  The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin and bought a tourist ticket to go to some if the beautiful old churches here. Unfortunately, we could not take any photos inside if them. After the first one, I started getting sick and was really disoriented. We came back to the hotel so I could medicine and rest for awhile.  After about an hour and half, I was feeling up to touring two more churches. There is ornate gold stuff everywhere. Beautiful, but gawdy gold, stolen from the Incas that probably in part stole it from other peoples. Intricate carvings, and paintings centuries years old. It is hard to imagine the amount of artists that were brought here to this little town to make these things. All drawn here for the greed of gold.
We sat on the steps of the cathedral for a while, and was interviewed by students of the chef school. It was nice to have them talk to us.

 After a good dinner on the balcony of Mariposa Restaurant, and people watching we came back to the hotel and found a movie channel in English. I feel so much better, and ready to return to Lima tomorrow.