Picaflor's UNCONVENTIONAL guide to Cuzco and beyond

Food

After eating potatoes and quinoa for weeks, chifa (peruvian chinese restaurants) are a nice break...delicious and cheap! There are plenty all around the city, we recommend going to the ones that are full of people.

There are lots of cute little cafes, like cafe Meli Melo which have the best hot chocolate ever. add your own sugar and don't forget to try the empanadas and pastries.

Dont be afraid to roam the local markets. They have everything you need for the best prices. Get your shoe fixed for 1 sol and buy a kilo of coca. Check out San Pedro Market, the largest covered market in the city and full of great deals.

For the tourist restaurants, Jack's and Two Nations Cafe have our best ratings.

Shopping

The supermarkets have interesting products you may not find at home, such as Cats Claw tea, maca and quinoa pop.

At the end of gringo alley, on calle Tecsecocha, there is a little hippie store with cool clothes, a movie chillout area and a charming vendor who will give you a free didgeridoo vibration massage.

Also on gringo alley you can also find all sorts of trekking goods for your hike up into the mountain. Dont worry about buying everything before hand, since you can rest almost anything including clothing.

The pharmacies are a great source of lots of meds you need a prescription for in the USA. You can buy antibiotics in case you get a bout of upset stomach, although it is better to call the doctor in severe cases (the tourist doctors are excellent, we know from first hand experience). The naturalistas or herbolistas are a great source of alternative medicines.

If you are tired of vendors hustling you on the street, there is a wonderful fair trade shop on calle Tullumayo, for all your souvenirs.


ETC.

If your stay is long enough, you can rent a cell phone at the airport upon your arrival. Quite convienent when you need an emergency taxi.

The tourist buses which go long distances like Cuzco-Puno are worth your buck. For $12, you have more legroom than in the airplane, a luxury for the 6 hour ride.

Forget about expensive hotel laundry. Any store will wash your items by weight for a fraction of the price and all in the same day.

Beware of the random holes on the sidewalks, you can seriously injure yourself!


Most of all, enjoy the people, small balconies and dont be afraid to explore little alleyways. Cuzco is a city of surprises :)