Favorite Spots: PISAC, a must see while in Cusco

If you have to pick and choose because of time and money, like myself between all of the mini magical places near Cusco- I would hands down choose Pisac. Not only was it a beautiful, clean town in the middle of no where- it was a fairly cheap ride down if you travel like a local! Which is always my favorite way to travel, not only do you pay like a tenth of the cost as tourist buses can be, I always meet the nicest people who love sharing information and hearing about you and your journeys as well.  

Getting There: We took the local but for like 2 s./ I think which can be found SE of the Plaza de Armas, if you ask for the local bus terminal, any taxi can take you here-  just make sure you don't say terminal de bus- because they will most likely take you to the main terminal that goes to Lima, etc. We were literally the ONLY tourist on this bus, and stood half of the time but thats what makes the adventure! The scenery on the way is breath taking, you pass lots of pueblos and miles and miles of green mountains. We did see a bigger bus went over the rail because it was raining out- that definitely freaked me out! I hate taking pictures of these small buses, because I hate marking myself as such a tourist, but I did manage to snap a few. I would say the bus was about an hour long; and the drivers drive WILD. So if you have a weak stomach, this isn't for you. The way home we took a taxi for about 10 s./ because it was raining so hard, and nobody trust the bus drivers. 

Perk of Pisac: The town in itself is small and very clean, and mostly revolves around the market. We went on a Sunday, which is the big market day of the week! They also have little festivals often. There is plenty of hotels, ATMS and restaurants if you plan on staying longer than just the day. My favorite veggie restaurant in Cusco, has a second location here is Pisac. For tourists, the prices in the market are about the same as in Cusco- but I found tons of jewelry and little things that I hadn't saw before. If you are good at bargaining, you can probably get a good deal! I was surprised at the amount of people who spoke English there, which is always nice as a backup when trying to bargain in a foreign language. The crazies thing we saw was a cage full of live CUY (Guinea pig) in the middle of the restaurant we were eating at, and no, they weren't pets. 

xx SLW

Favorite Places: San Blas, an artsy haven

    I stayed in San Blas while in Cusco and loved it !! It was so sick, about three days after living in the hostel, another teacher at Yanapay introduced me to her boyfriends friends who were renting a room in their artsy little apartment in San Blas. I moved in the next day! Turns out, the own an awesome little reggae bar which was perfect for me. They let me rent their room for 300 s./ for the month, and were both super chill to live with- and Aurora was a french cook, so that was always a plus. I ended up becoming really good friends with that whole little group, and we went to Wachuma all of the time. They reminded me a lot of my friends back in Miami and my ex boyfriend. I think that is why I naturally was close with them. Sometimes it is weird how you accidentally attract and are attracted to like minded people. 

   Not only is San Blas the cleanest, most beautiful area of Cusco in my mind- it is like a small artesian pueblo with many stores and cute restaurants. There are always people sitting in the yard in the centro playing instruments and sharing talents. The apartments are stacked because it is quite aways up the mountain, almost to the Cristo Blanco- but the views are overwhelming !! One night, the lights went out in the city, and you could see every start imaginable. One night I was sitting on our tile porch area just looking at the city drinking wine, thinking " is this really my life right now " ? I love the time that for a moment, you are truely taken away but how amazing your life is. I wish I would be so appreciative all of the time, because life is always breath taking, it is just hard to notice sometimes with the haze from everyday noise. 

xx SLW