South America 2009 - Day 13 (8/19/2009) - Santiago to Cuzco

We were picked up by the taxi at 4:15 in the morning and taken to the airport for our 6:55 flight to Lima. After retrieving our checked bags and going through customs in Lima, we had to exit the arrivals area and re-check in for the flight to Cuzco. Before going through security, we stopped at Papa John's for an early lunch. In Cuzco, the hostel arranged to have a taxi pick us up from the airport (for no extra charge).

After we arrived at the hostel, checked in, and put our stuff away, we decided to explore a little bit of Cuzco. We walked down to the Plaza de Armas, which was only about 3 blocks away, and the surrounding area. We also went into the Cuzco Cathedral, even though we could not take pictures inside (but we did get in for half price using our student IDs, even though the lady at the window was hesitant because ours do not have expiration dates). Additionally, we found a couple of cheap flashlights for our Huayna Picchu excursion. We then walked back to the hostel to figure out where to eat.

After looking at a couple of maps an brochures, we settled on the Inka Grill, on Plaza de Armas, because it was both in Greg's book and a brochure map from the hostel. We walked back out to the plaza, and initially passed up on it because it seemed a little too expensive. When we couldn't decide on anything else, we went back to it. I had a tasty chicken dish (ají de gallina) that reputedly is very popular in Peru, while Greg had a steak-based dish. After dinner we walked back to the hostel so Greg could grab his camera, then walked back to the plaza to take some night photos. After that, it was back to the hostel for the night.