Cusco was a bustling city, where tourists rummaged for bargains and touts plied their wares, mainly massages and trips to Macho Picchu. Traditionally dressed women walked around with Lamas, while their daughters carried lambs, ready for a tourist to point their camera at them so they could then demand $1.Another day, another dollar, and we were off once more, more riding through the sacred valley, past more Inca sites, and to the former Inca capital, Cusco.

Christmas Shopping in the Scared Valley

Cusco

The Spanish conquistadores had used the city as their Capital, and the architecture was delightful. Huge colonial buildings surrounded the huge main plaza, and evidence of the Pre Hispanic times were everywhere, in the tiny cobbled streets around the plaza, the remains of the old city wall still running through the centre of the “new” city, and there were three sets of ruins overlooking the city.

Remains of the old Inca wall running through the city.

Cusco was a bustling city, where tourists rummaged for bargains and touts plied their wares, mainly massages and trips to Macho Picchu.

Click-that'll be $1 , thank you

Traditionally dressed women walked around with Lamas, while their daughters carried lambs, ready for a tourist to point their camera at them so they could then demand $1.

Parades through the city on National Police day

The outer walls of Saxaywaman
We happened to be in Cusco for National Police day, and watched the parades through the city before talking a long walk up to one of the ruins, Saxaywaman, an impressive site, built from huge rocks overlooking Cusco in the valley below. That night we made another pilgrimage, to Norton Rats.

It was one of those places that was talked about on the internet, a recommended stop for bikers on their way to Ushuaia, and we signed the gust book, drew an obligatory picture of our bike, played a few games of darts, and ate a mighty burger, bought the T-shirt and then we were ready to leave Cusco!

It was time for another split. Jacquie wanted to go home for Christmas, while I wanted to save my money and go on to Bolivia. We went out for another last supper, where I treated myself to the “World’s Biggest Burger”, and Jacquie treated herself to a big glass of Vino Tinto, before returning to our hotel for an early night.
During the night, my stomach, which had been fragile since Machu Piccho, finally went to stage 3.
I was cramping and running to the toilet all night, and neither of us got much sleep. Jacquie was due to be at the airport at 8am, her taxi was coming for her at 7, and at 6am, I was really in pain. She didn’t want to leave me curled up in a ball in the bed, white faced and red eyed. We called a doctor who turned up at the same time as Jacquie’s cab.
It was a flustered goodbye, but as usual, I knew she’d be back, so I put my brave face on, told her I was fine and kissed her goodbye. She went to her cab and the doctor came to my bedside. Not much of a swap.
After a quick examination and a few questions, I was diagnosed as having parasites, prescribed some drugs, and given a bill. I gulped, and then reached for my wallet, already knowing I didn’t have anything like enough money to pay him. I explained my situation to the doc, who said he could drive me to a cash machine, and then to a pharmacy.
I thanked him, struggled out of bed, put on some trousers and my fleece jacket, and followed him to his car.
We drove through the city to a cash machine, which handily had a pharmacy right next door; I withdrew the money and went back to the doctor’s car. I handed over the cash, and asked if I could possibly get a ride back to the hotel, but to my surprise, the doc told me he was going in the opposite direction, and drove off, leaving me by the side of the road, clenching. I bought my drugs in the pharmacy and made my way back to the hotel, a 5-minute drive or a 15-minute walk, I must admit, I felt a little hard done by, and was surprised that the doc refused my ride back.
I made it back to the hotel just in time for a last minute sprint to the toilet, took my drugs and went back to bed.