Today we arrived at Cusco at 4 am, two hours earlier than we were told we would arrive. We waited an hour at the bus station and then took a taxi to our hostel. Luckily our room was ready and we happily slept the morning away.
Then we set out –carefully because of the altitude of 3,400 m/11,200 ft- to see whether Cusco had changed since Martijn had lived here for some months, 11 years ago.
The answer was yes! Now there is an McDonalds, KFC and Starbucks in the main square, Plaza de Armas, while back then no American chains were to be found.
Also all the little shops had become high-end boutiques, Martijn’s Spanish school was gone and even Mama Africa, Martijn’s favorite nighttime hangout had moved. Luckily we were able to find the old residence where he used to stay, now a hotel, because we first thought it was replaced by a gas station!
Some places had remained unchanged, like the bakery, post office and internet café around the corner, to Martijn’s relief! The day was very nostalgic for Martijn and involved a lot of pointing and reminiscing.
The day ended with an Alpaca meat dinner at Inka Grill, where Martijn celebrated his 25th birthday many, many, years ago.
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