Sat 13th Dec: Cusco

Despite the concerns over my stomach I managed to get some patchy sleep on the bus. We arrived in Cusco at 6am and pulled into the Cruz del Sur compound. I retrieved my rucksack quickly and was one of the first passengers to head for town. The main gate of the compound had been closed on our entry leaving a small pedestrian door for access to the street. Around this door lingered 12-13 taxi men all eager for business. I never feel comfortable approaching a group like this. Mindful of all the tales of scams, thefts and express kidnappings I was quite wary. Five metres from the doorway I was greeted with a chorus of "Taxi, taxi, taxi" from a line of eager faces who began to crowd around. "Non Gracias, non gracias" I replied without breaking stride. I put my head down and stepped through the doorway. I now faced another barrage of "Taxi, taxi, taxi" from another 8-9 taxi men in the street. Again I replied "Non Gracias". This time I had to go either right or left. I had no idea which way would bring me to the centre and accomodation. I decided quickly to turn right. I walked down the street confidently as if I knew where I was going.

One guy followed after me. "Sir, you go to the centre?" he asked. I turned, smiled, nodded and replied "Si". "Sir you are going the wrong way" he informed me. Good man, Fran, nice one. Feeling somewhat sheepish I turned and hesitantly started in the opposite direction. The guy walked alongside me asking if I had accomodation. I said yes telling him the name of the hostel I was going to. He asked if I had a reservation. For some reason I said know., which was true. Immediately he handed me a business card for the hostel he represented. He introduced himself as Nicacio. I tend to avoid these situations but the card looked good the photo of the hostel looked good to and the guy was dressed smartly. His price 30 soles (eu 7.50) was what I expected for Cusco. I sized the guy up and decided to take his offer. A 5 min taxi ride later we arrived at Hostal Apu Wasi. True to his word Nicacio ushhered me into an attractive, secure and respectable guesthouse. Situated at the top of a slope overlooking the town the views were fantastic I felt somewhat lucky to have virtually stumbled over Nicacio.

I was shown my room which had its own bathroom and I lay down to sleep for a couple of hours before exploring Cusco. I was excited to be here, looking forward to what shold be one of the highlights of this trip. 20 mins later my plans for the day were going out the window, or, more appropriately, down the toilet. It was a bit like Montezuma´s revenge and the fourth of July all rolled into one. Whizz, Bang, Splatter!! My stomach which had thankfully remained relatively dormant throughout the bus journey suddenly woke up with a frenzy of activity. I hardly left the room for the next 24 hours.