Cusco

Excited by the potential for some good flying, I got on a night bus to Cusco from Arequipa. Finally I was getting somewhere "in season", although I'd been warned El niño was making itself felt and conditions weren't typical. 

 

As I was wandering up from the main plaza in Cusco in search of somewhere to stay, I was recognised by a passing face and lo and behold it was Lasse, my German pal I'd sneaked off in the night with to climb the forbidden pass in Torres del Paine. A pleasant surprise and I spent the next few nights with him and a French friend of his. The common language was Spanish and I think my spanish probably improved more in those few days than it had in the past 6 weeks. It's much easier speaking with non native speakers! 

Cusco, the capital of the Incas, is super touristy, but still a beautiful city and the blend of Inca and colonial stonework is unique. The Incas were certainly master stone masons and the quality of the workmanship, with such finely hued and perfectly fitted blocks of stone, is a wonder to behold. 

Inca stonework in the Qorikancha

That yellow cube represents the amount of coal currently consumed in the world every second of every day

I spent 2 days in Cusco and then found my way out to the paragliding spot, Cerro Sacro...