Cusco...finally

i have finally arrived in Cusco!!!! And it is the most amazing place although have not seen much of it so far. I was early becasue i managed to get an earlier flight and the people didn't know so two of us got a taxi and found our own way. The leaders felt bad but it was an adventure.

By the way, after writing the email yesterday i had a very different experience in Miami in the afternoon. I decided to take my bages to the airport and store them there. Just getting there was a physical nightmare as i got three different buses through different parts of Miami which took over an hour to get to the airport (me being cheap and trying to save 18 bucks! the bus there is so cheap - 1.50 to go anywhere!). I also got the bus from the airport into Downtown Miami. Once you get out of south beach you realise it is actually quite an interesting place. For example, Spanish is pretty much the first language and as a white person i stood like a sore thumb pretty much everywhere in Miami. The bus took me through parts of Little Havannah which looked really poor and run down but it was something a tourist would not ususally see.

Ok now back to Cusco. So i finally got my flight from miai. And they announced my name at the airport and said there was a very important message for me. I got really freaked out and my mind was racing. It turns out i had left my folder at the ticket office!! With all my tickets, bookings info, money etc...(so i walked back and got it luckily).

The flight to Cusco was stunning. I had a window and looked out and only a little bit below and next to me was these huge snow-capped mountains. Then i saw Cusco from above and was surprised how big it is, and saw this seemingly tiny narrow landing strip and started hoping that was not the runway! But it was.

I thought i was prepared for seeing Cusco, but i never imagined there is any place like this. on the plane i sat next to a Peruvian girl on her way back from Oz, and she wrote a huge list of foods i should try. The taxi took us thru these tiny narrow cobbled streets and everywhere on all sides is these huge mountains. Apparently its amazing at night, but i will see that in a few hours. The taxi driver managed to drive from the passenger seat for a minute while he adjusted the passenger mirror...that was scary!!

I just had a couple of hours sleep this afternoon. it was sooo good to sleep properly, which i not done since Sunday night! I've met most of the group now and everyone is really nice. And the hostel is beautiful...it is much more than i expected, it's about five minute up a steep hill just out of the main centre and i share a room with two of the girls. But there is this view out over the valley and the red-tiled houses and beyond to the mountians. People are cosntantly setting off fireworksd here...apparently for no reason other than they love firworks...wierd.

Oh yeah, and in Miami when i bussed back into downtown i went to Bayside Masrkets, and it immedialty reminded me of Darling Harbour (which is tourist central) i wanted to leave but i sat for a couple of minutes to sit in the shade (it was really hot). And there this guy singing salsa-y-jazzy type stuff and i was hmm ok he's pretty good, and then he starts his next song which is basically him ssinging along to a Matchbox 20 song karaoke style, and as if that wasn'r wierd enough he then broke into an Usher song, moves and all. Kinda sums up the touristy parts of Miami in a way.