Today was a pretty relaxing day. Nothing on the schedule except for planning/booking activities for the next few days and a beer pong tournament at the hostel. I spent the majority of the day reading my kindle, thinking, and enjoying the nice weather out in Plaza de Armas. It strikes me as an appropriate place to meditate, as it seems the number of large, ornate churches and cathedrals is disproportionate to the population of the city (~350k). I’ve never been overly religious myself, but it doesn’t take faith to appreciate the buildings themselves and the clear reverence others have for them.
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, but it will definitely be a (relatively) busy one. Bungee jumping at Action Valley is on the schedule, and I will need to attend an information session in preparation for my 4-day Incan Jungle Trek that starts on Saturday. I also plan on visiting another tour agency (Mayuc) to get information on their white water rafting trips on the nearby Urubamba river. I was considering a 3 or 4 day trip to go on the Apurimac river, but the prices were much more than I wanted to pay (~$500+ USD T___T). I will probably also visit the Sacred Valley since it can be done as a day trip. I am a bit more undecided about Lake Titicaca though… we’ll see how things play out.
On a side note, I really need to stop at an ATM tomorrow, to replenish my stock of Sols. I was under the impression that USD would be more widely accepted, but it hasn’t really been the case for me so far. Just about the only place I’ve been able to use my dollars has been at the Loki Travel Desk. A lot of shops have Visa signs in the window, but one place I tried to use my credit card said they would add a 7% surcharge, which is totally absurd.
Anyhoo, pictures from today are here: