4 countries and a frozen continent, 2025: Day 50. Cusco. 7.3.25.

"CUSCO WALKING TOUR WITH SACSAYHUAMAN -Today, explore the city’s fascinating history, from the Inca times to colonial rule to the present day. Wind through narrow cobble-stoned streets and visit the market of Cusco. Along the way, get the chance to see the colonial buildings. Visit the fascinating Koricancha Temple of the Sun and the Cathedral, built on the ruins of an Inca Palace. From here, head to Sacsayhuaman, a former Inca fortress perched atop the hill above Cusco, it presents a work of impeccable engineering (gigantic carved rocks that fit with absolute precision)."

We haven't organised too much in Cusco as we weren't sure how we would be feeling with the altitude and our holiday is coming to an end. We thought it would be nice to just have a couple of 'chill' days.

In hindsight that was a good decision as I'm not sure how we will get through the walking part of the tour. We both found it difficult to breathe during the night and didn't get much sleep.

Huge strawberries were on offer for breakfast.

I have succumbed to the lack of oxygen and my headache and dizziness are returning. I would have thought after 4 days on altitude medication I wouldn't be this sick. The hotel hooked me up to an oxygen bottle for 10 minutes and told me to rest.

10 minutes of oxygen and I was feeling at about 70% of myself. So I had a rest, read a book, made a cup of tea and finished my blog post on Machu Picchu. Ho hum.

Mark went on the tour solo. When he came back we went for a light lunch at the hotel and had a short wander around, checking out the place.

Photos Mark took on his tour.

The Incans built these amazing walls and when the Spanish conquered them they hacked at them to put doors in.

If you look at the building on the right you can see different roof lines. Each difference is where another family has tacked on their home.

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In the light green area you can see a working aqueduct that the Incas built.

A room in the original church where you can look through the window into the next room, into the next room, into the next room as the building was in perfectly aligned.