Cusco, Peru - Dee Fuchs, support staff: After a long but uneventful overnight flight from Miami to Lima, Peru, we arrived in Cusco. As we descended below the clouds, the Andes mountains magically appeared, in all their glory, green and moist following a recent rain.
The terminal welcomed us with a three-piece band playing typical Quechua music. All the luggage and boxes arrived in good condition with the exception of two of the team’s personal bags. In Lima they advised that they had been sent straight through to Cusco, but in Cusco they were nowhere to be found. Hopefully, they will arrive on the next flight in.
As Cusco sits at 11,000 feet, our hotel welcomed us with Coca matte to help alleviate altitude sickness. It has a very pleasant taste and complimented the alfahores cookies. The hotel is colonial in design with a central courtyard. The stone patio frames a central fountain and the walls display many pieces of antique Peruvian artwork. It is very quaint and inviting to us weary travelers. Cusco is damp and about 50 degrees, but the sun came out shortly after our arrival to everyone’s delight.
After receiving our room keys and placing our luggage in the rooms, the team gathered in the dining room for lunch. Though we all look a bit worn and tired, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and jovial conversation.
Since we were not expected at the local regional hospital until tomorrow, we were left to our own devises for a few hours. Many team members rested while others utilized what is probably their only free time this week and explored some of this beautiful, colonial town.
At 8:00 pm the team found a small restaurant close to the hotel and had a light meal, enjoying music played by a young man, before calling an end to this very long day.
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