Cusco

We are spending our last day in Cusco today and are feeling a little blue about leaving. We are staying in a wonderful hostel called Hostal Marani. It is run by a Dutch woman and proceeds from the business are channelled into a foundation that assist women and children in highland communities. They build schools and hospitals and help promote the textile trade all in an attempt to make highland communities more self-sufficient so that they don´t have to come down the mountains to live in shanty towns outside of Cusco and Lima. And to top it all off, the rooms are clean and confortable, cheap (35 US a night for a double, i.e., we are paying 17US each), great service, a warm and comfortable small restaurant, a sun-drenched courtyard to hang out in, and it´s in the San Blas district which is the artist quarter here. So, if you are planning a trip to Cusco, check them out on the web. We love the place.

What we don´t love here is difficulty with money. It´s hard to find shops that have change and no one will accept dollar bills that have any creases or minor tears. Everyone srutinizes the bills you give them, dollars or soles, and claim that the banks will charge them fees to accept dollar bills that are not pristine. I have to bring some of my dollars back home because no one here will accept them.

Tomorrow a huge transportation strike is planned and Mariana and I are hoping that taxi drivers will be working so we can get to the airport. If we do manage to get to the airport here, who knows what will happen in Lima. We found a hostel in the Miraflores area of Lima that has airport pickup, so maybe all will be well. Ojala.
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