Lima may be the capital of Peru, but Cusco is definitely its soul. Here, you can witness the impact that colonial Spain had on the Incan Empire as you enter buildings in classic Spanish style erected on massive Incan foundations.
The CDC does caution visitors about acute mountain sickness because Cuzco is located 11,150 ft above sea level. I had brought some acetazolamide in preparation, but it was packed in the checked luggage, which the airline had misplaced. Fortunately, we immediately descended to the Sacred Valley, and I did not experience any severe symptoms.
From the Plaza de Armas, much is accessible by foot. We had no problem finding good restaurants in the area. Cusco is also a great place to get your laundry cleaned. Just outside of our hotel, several laundromats (lavanderias) were located nearby. I stopped in to inquire about the pricing, which was pretty uniform. The only difference is how early or late each place was open. I ended up dropping our laundry at a place that would deliver the cleaned and folded clothes the earliest the next morning. They even dropped it off back at our hotel. Quite a service!
Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
ISO: 110
Focal Length: 38 mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 1/640s