Cusco

In Cusco, we stayed at a popular overlander campsite called Quinta Lala.  It was nice to have home comforts such as wifi, hot showers and even a kitchen, plus electricity so we could hook the van up.  We also saw the Dutch couple we'd met in Copacabana, an Irish couple who'd been on the road for a few years and their friends who'd hired a camper to travel with them around Peru.

Cusco itself was a little like La Paz in that it's built in to a valley and up the hillside, so there are lots of steep streets (including one we had to reverse back down after not making it to the top!) but also stunning views.  

Oddly, the combination of colonial buildings and tourists reminded me of Edinburgh.  We got our first proper look at Inca stonework in Cusco at Qorichanka, a former Inca temple that's now part of a church.  It was amazingly perfect (the stones fit together without the need for mortar) and a little taster of what to expect in Machu Picchu.

Also in Cusco, we caved in to Christmas and had Xmas coffees at Starbucks!  

Criminal, I know, but we are missing all the Christmas cheer!  The view from the balcony of the central square and cathedral helped ease the guilt.