Category: Cusco

we bought a B&B;

3/10/2025

Well in actual fact we bought some furniture for a B&B we have leased for 12 months from February 2014 until February 2015 but close enough.

Casa Emilia, named after our daughter, has 8 rooms for rent so if you are looking for a place to rest your weary legs as you are passing then give us a call.

The photo above is of our view from the front door. Amazing considering there aren't many green spots left in Cusco. Even the majority of parks are cemented.

UPDATE: If you want to know what's it like to be the owner of a B&B you can read my interview on The Biz Buzz. And considering we just made it into the top 20 B&Bs in Cusco, we are pretty happy.

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happy new year

12/31/2013

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We spent a quiet New Year's Eve in Cusco. We went to El Molino market and checked out all the lucky yellow underwear and other traditional items they sell. I can honestly say you can have too much yellow underwear as this market was living proof of that! Wow - it was definitely a sight to behold.

Both kids were asleep before midnight but we woke them up to see the fireworks. Only Matthew decided to stay awake for them; Emilia struggled to stay awake and was soon back in the Land of Nod.

She did enjoy her time with the sparklers however - Matthew didn't like them at all. Maybe next year!

All the best to friends and family for 2014 and may you have an adventurous year!

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The top of the bucket list - machu Picchu

8/5/2026

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Well guess what - I finally got there and before I turned 50 (yes I do still have quite a few more years to go before I get there!)

Amazing. Awesome. Spectacular. Mind blowing. All that you would expect and more.

We had a fun (and somewhat emotional) train journey there - Master 3 in particular loved the trip. Little Miss 8 was just happy to have some quiet time to play her 3DS.

The train was a wonderful part of the trip as it really allowed us to focus on where we were going and why - you could see that everyone who was on the train were very much looking forward to their trip. And who doesn't love a good train trip?

Machu Picchu Pueblo is a lovely place - very touristy but we had fun wondering the little streets and promised the kids we would take them to the hot springs the following afternoon, once we had been to Machu Picchu.

To them, the hot springs was the highlight (and the ice cream we purchased at Ollantaytambo while waiting for the train) - to us it was the very awe-inspiring mountains and set of complexes that hopefully once they are older will come to appreciate.

Our only issue was that we wished we had stayed in Machu Picchu Pueblo longer than the one evening.

We were very tired after a bus and train trip on the first day, a 5am start on the second day, a walk around the complex, a trip to the springs and then the return train and bus journey home. But hindsight is a great thing. So if you are going to Machu Picchu - my recommendation is not to rush the trip.

There is no shortage of hotels and good restaraunts in the town so take the time to appreciate it a bit more - after all it is probably a once in a lifetime trip for most people who visit the area and the ruins.

And yes it is as awesome as the photos make out.

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in and around cusco

7/27/2013

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We have been taking it easy to try to reserve some energy for our Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu trip in a couple of days and have just been hanging out and about in Cusco.

We went back and visited Parque Urpicha and this time we weren't the only foreigners there. We stumbled upon some fellow Australians and Emilia even made some friends with some of the local school girls and vanished for a bit as she headed to the slides with a gang of girls in school uniform. While she felt a bit awkward with the language barrier - she still had a great time and the girls were very nice to take her into their fold. After our other museum trips, were were keen to find one which featured more Incan history, so we decided to visit Museo Inka which we thought surpassed the other museums and galleries we had visited to date.

It was more interesting to see the remnants discovered in some of the places we had visited over the past couple of weeks and to read up on the history of the Incans and the Spanish conquests which took place.

Of special note were the mummies inside - we loved these but Emilia was so horrified and was in tears after the event as she thought they were just horrible. Matthew commented they were scary but he was just taking bits of information from his sister as he really had no idea what to make of them at all!

The tears however were not long-lived as we entered the Plaza De Armas for a rest and by the time we got home the event was long forgotten.

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parks galore

7/25/2013

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The kids were very keen to visit Parque Urpicha as we had passed it many times as we travelled around the city getting our bearings and finding various markets and landmarks. So today was the day - otherwise we would have never heard the end of it.

The park itself seemed to be an odd blend of colourful rides including giant slides, trampolines, dark caves and man-powered rides from the fair which passed through about 20 years ago.
The kids enjoyed themselves and it was a beautiful view seeing the clash of the rides contrasting against the backdrop of the mountains.

The entrance fees were cheap and a couple of the rides charged a minimal fee although we spent more on the icecream and drinks than anything else. And of course the popcorn vendor outside provided a good snack in the cab on the way home.

For the last two days we have been going to the local park near to our hostel on Recoleta and the kids have really enjoyed it. It is big enough to have fun in and keep themselves amused but not too big that they worry about what to do next.

For the first day Little Miss 8 was worried that she wouldn't make friends but after overcoming her shyness, by the second day she was Little Miss Popularity. The kids were all trying to speak to her in Spanish and ask her questions and while she couldn't answer them, that didn't stop them from having a bunch of fun making trains down the slide and having seesaw wars!

I was watching Master 3 and he was babbling away to the poor unsuspecting kids in English not caring whether they understood him or not. It was a funny sight to see!

My guess is that they will want to go back for a play tomorrow.

Lucky for us there are no shortages of parks for the kids to play in and I think it will take a while for the kids to get bored of them.

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moras, moray and salinas

7/25/2013

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Today we explored the Moras, Moray area and took a side trip to Salinas, the salt fields. Both trips were interesting in themselves.

Moray was a little town seemingly in the middle of nowhere - until we went to Moray which was just a few houses and some sheep scattered remotely in the mountains. Here we found the Incan agricultural terraces which were a sight to behold.

The roads to travel to these destinations were narrow and involved winding around some very tall mountains. The vehicles had to constantly honk and reverse so they had a safe place to overtake - but in my opinion none of the roads were very safe to overtake.

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did someone say chocolate?

7/20/2013

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It was only while Googling Cusco did I discover the Choco Museo and wonder why no one had told us about it. And as we had nothing better to do, off we went to sample it for ourselves.

Chocolate fondue, chocolate croissants, chocolate crepes...

They do have 2 hour chocolate making classes in which we could make our own but for us it was enough to sample a few treats (well more than a few) while enjoying some coffee and balcony views.

A nice way to spend an hour or so.

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Forward>>

we bought a B&B;

happy new year

The top of the bucket list - machu Picchu

in and around cusco

parks galore

moras, moray and salinas

did someone say chocolate?

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