Cusco, Peru.

Our final major stop in my epic 10-day Peruvian adventures with Grace was in Cusco, where we also happened to spend Thanksgiving (yes, I realize that this post is coming a month and a half after said holiday). Still recuperating from the bus, train, and van rides we had to take from Machu Picchu back to Cusco, our stay in town was much more mellow than the "go, go, go" attitude from the first half of the week. After settling into a hostel on the outskirts of town, we decided to wander the city to look for a place to spend Thanksgiving. Lo and behold, what do we find? A Korean restaurant. The signage was calling out to us like a beacon in the fog. Heading towards it, we sat down to a glorious meal of kimchi jjigae and duenjang jjigae. The server must've thought we were crazy because we were close to tears with everything she brought out: the 보리차, ban chan, and actual food.

Too happy to be here

Before

After

Our time in Cusco was actually very limited because we had to get back to Lima the next afternoon. After our dinner, we explored the city a little more for some nightlife before heading back. The next morning, we lugged our backpacks through Plaza de Armas to get a better look at all the impressive architecture that we couldn't quite view as well because it had been raining the night before.

Cusco en la lluvia

By the time we left, I was only a little disappointed that I hadn't been able to spend more time in Cusco, but after 10 days of nonstop travel, I was ready to go back to the city! Too bad the only thing I had to look forward to in Santiago was a round of finals :(

Cusco's Plaza de Armas in the sunshine