Tourists come in droves to Cusco as it is the major travel hub for Machu Picchu – the destination where the hordes either fly into or bus across to.  Some stay for a night, head to Machu Picchu, stay for another night on their return and leave.  Others take their time to enjoy the city at a more leisurely place – we were the latter, having now been based in Cusco for 18 months.

For those heading to Cusco with kids, know that there is plenty to see and do so the kids don’t get bored.  Here are some of our favourites.

Plaza de Armas:  Sitting in the plaza and watching the world go by is a great way to spend an hour or two, especially as there are plenty of eateries and coffee shops nearby to please the kids.  The smaller plaza in San Blas is also fun to while away the afternoon, particularly as one of our favourite eateries, The Meeting Place is nearby.

Open top bus ride:  Leaving from the central plaza, the bus ride is a fun way to see the city without tiring out the kids too much.  It takes you all around the city and up to Cristo Blanco (the white Christ) where you can get an amazing bird’s eye view of the city below.  Definitely a must if you are only in the city for a short period of time.

Local Markets:  There are many fun and interesting markets to explore in Cusco from the food markets such as San Pedro, the clothing markets at El Molino, the second hand market known as the Baratillo or the Centro Artesenal market where you can pick up your souvenirs for the folks back at home.  Or there is always the local mall if you are in the need of a shopping spree closer to home.

Museo Inka:  There are a number of museums and art galleries around town however Museo Inka was by far our favourite.  You are greeted at the door by a fun musical photo opportunity followed by artifacts and displays which will help keep the kids amused.  The grand finale is the small collection of mummies at the end, your kids will either love them or hate them (I had one of each).

Lanlacuyoq (Zona X):  While the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay will provide plenty of historical education, the caves at Lanlacuyoq (also known as Zona X) allow the kids to get up close and personal in amongst the stones and explore.  And there are plenty of horse riding opportunities in and around the ruins as well if the kids are feeling up to it.

Choco Museo:  The Choco Museo is an educational and delicious experience for the whole family and if you desire, you can sign up for the chocolate making classes as well.  Sit back and enjoy a hot chocolate, chocolate fondue, chocolate crepe or just chocolate!

Faces of Cusco:  The Faces of Cusco Family-Fun workshop is the perfect way to acclimate or take a break from the outdoors. The all-age workshops are available every day, and in the end you will go home with delicious chocolates and typical local souvenirs!

Planetarium Cusco:  There aren’t many kids that don’t have a fascination with the night sky or the planets and it is a wonderful experience for them to realise it from the Inca civilisation’s point of view.  Planetarium Cusco is recommended for kids 7 and up, and you definitely want to take a jacket for this one as the nights in Cusco can get pretty cool.​

Parque Urpicha:  There are plenty of parks scattered around the city for the kids to play in, although by far the biggest one is Parque Urpicha.  It is filled with a colourful mix of slides, swings and old fairground rides and even a small ferris wheel and trampoline which open on the weekends.  The stores inside the park selling drinks and snacks definitely make it a stress free outing.  Another fun park for the young ones is the Dinosaur Park which features statues of dinosaurs small and large.  It is situated in Oropesa, 30 minutes outside of the city.

Awana Kancha:  While not in Cusco itself, Awana Kancha is situated about 30 minutes outside of Cusco.  It is a great way to see the llamas, alpacas and vicunas up close and personal and the kids will definitely enjoy being able to feed them.  Cochahuasi, the nearby animal sanctuary is worth visiting in the same trip.  Watch out for those Andean Condors however, we had an extremely personal encounter and are still recovering.  And for something a little closer to Cusco, the Universidad de San Antonio Abad del Cusco off Avenida de la Cultura also features a small zoo at the back featuring monkeys and spectacled bears (Paddington anyone?).

Of course there are many other fun things to do in and around Cusco, depending on the age and interest of your child or children.  Those without children will undoubtedly benefit from visiting many of these places listed above as well.  So whether you are in Cusco for one day or three, make sure you take some time out to do at least one or two of the things on the list to make sure your visit to Cusco is a fun and enjoyable one.

I love the unpredictability of life - one day we were told we had to be out of our accommodation and the next we have moved across town to live with an American/Peruvian family who were willing to share their home with us. I didn't see that one coming.

Without even taking moving into consideration, we have been keeping busy. We have been dealing with broken laptops, dental surgery and constant shoulder and back issues and in amongst that, we have been reviewing restaurants and dealing with life and work in general.

Arequipa is treating us well - we love the sunshine the city provides and are not missing the cool days or nights of Cusco and we have so much more planned for our stay. First we need to get Matthew's passport updated so that's priority in the next couple of weeks along with buying a laptop (mine finally bit the dust for a second time)!

All in all a totally unexpected but fun chapter of our travel journey...

We signed up with GlobeDrop last year (in fact they are a huge supporter of our travel journey and the book we are writing) so it was with much anticipation that we were finally able to add our first experience to the long list of blog posts I had to write. We would have done it earlier but there aren't many GlobeDrop organisations on the list in Peru - in fact there are only 3 at present; 1 in Cusco and 2 in Arequipa - so as soon as we arrived in Arequipa, it was our mission to help out immediately.

As part of our meaningful travel plan, we planned to donate items to Casa Hogar Luz Alba, a children's shelter in Arequipa (http://www.casahogarluzalba.org/). They were in need of antibiotics, children's clothes, balls, pens, band aids, blankets, books, pencils, cotton buds, toys, diapers, juice boxes, jump ropes, paper pads, pasta, powdered milk, rice, soap, socks, sugar, tooth brushes and water paint so we had quite a task ahead of us.

Emilia and I had a budget - 300 soles - so we set off to the grocery store to buy as many of these things as we could - we needed to make our money stretch as much as possible. It was a great exercise for Emilia - she was helping me decide what we should purchase and then we would look at the costs and see what was the best option. The final tally came to 298.05 - not bad at all.

Following our shop, the experience was fairly simple. We logged onto the GlobeDrop website and let Casa Hogar Luz Alba know exactly what we would be donating - choosing a 3 day window delivery period. The drop was confirmed and we made our way over to the children's shelter with bags in hand.

Casa Hogar Luz Alba were very appreciate of our little effort - they noted everything we had donated in a notebook and gave us a tour of their premises. We got to meet some of the children and had a peek into the nursery where all the babies were sleeping. And it was great for Emilia and Matthew to see how directly we were able to help another organisation.

No words necessary...

"The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in Southern Peru. They were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994." - Wikipedia

The best way to view the lines (dating back to 400-650 AD) is from the air but we decided just to drive out to the viewing towers to have a look for ourselves.  While we could only see a couple of lines (the frog and the tree) from the tower, it was worth the drive out to see them.

A pyramid, in Nazca? Yes, indeed! I did not even realise there was one there until we arrived so of course we had to go see it. Sitting in the middle of nowhere nestled in amongst the desert is the Cahuachi pyramid, which is believed to be a major ceremonial centre for the Nazca people. You have to see it to believe it! We spent some time with the caretaker afterwards - such a lovely man. He offered us some cold water to help us cool down and in exchange I gave him a peanut butter and jam sandwich. He has been watching over the pyramid site for the last 20 years.

Discovered in the 1920s, the Chauchilla Cemetery contains prehispanic mummified human remains and various other archeological artifacts. With a young boy curious about death and cemeteries, we had to visit.

The Palpa Geoglyphs are not as well known as the Nazca lines, but I personally found them much more fascinating. We decided it was definitely worth climbing the viewing tower and having a closer look.

Our fabulous accommodation at Anaconda Lodge in Puerto Maldonado.

Fun at the Butterfly Farm.

The best of the rest - a boat ride up the river, sitting by the pool, hanging out in the plaza and dining on delicious Thai food courtesy of Wadee at the Anaconda Lodge.

All in all - a great family-friendly destination point. 

Despite your best efforts, sometimes things just don't go according to plan.  That's life, right?  It happens if you are travelling or just going about your business at home - you can't control everything, all of the time.

As much as we know this, this week really emphasised this point for us.  Our van, despite all of our efforts, and a number of mechanics and quick fixes on the road, did not start.

So we got her towed back to Cusco where she is safely in the hands of someone who seems to know what they are doing.  Hopefully!  So we have been sitting in Cusco for the last few days, catching up with old friends and making new ones and preparing to say goodbye to Cusco, all being well, tomorrow.

Where we head next, we are not sure.  Our budget was blown through the window thanks to the work needed to be done but we learnt a long time ago to just work with it.  So we are planning our next destination where we can sit down for a few months and catch up on the bills which we seem to have acquired recently.

It's all good though - we are still smiling and grateful for our own health and happiness and above all freedom, which allows us to do what we do.