5th January 2025

Despite having no plans this morning, we were both wide awake at 6am. Todays objective was to rest and recuperate. We enjoyed breakfast at the hostel where I consumed my body weight in food, desperate for the calories.

We explored the north-eastern part of Cusco where the streets changed to painted white walls with Mediterranean blue shutters and doors. Pink plants sat in terracotta pots lining the walls, mounted so that they were suspended in the air. Here, we completed a few chores such as washing, picking up supplies and getting out more Peruvian Soles. We rewarded ourselves with an early lunch of burgers and milkshakes.

The afternoon was spent chilling back at the hostel where we enjoyed the sunny garden. We spotted a humming bird enjoying nectar from the flora in the garden. He had dark green feathers which sparkled in the afternoon sun, becoming iridescent.

Pre-dinner I enjoyed a massage, during which thunder and lightening rolled in, and with it the rain. We resorted to hiding under our trustworthy ponchos once again in our search for food. We had both been craving pizza but in-person and online reviews said pizza was rubbish in Cusco. However, tucked away in an unassuming, empty restaurant we found a place with a pizza oven and Dan enjoyed a delicious stone baked pizza.