First class time in Cusco

David thinks hes driving

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Got the Peru Rail (Orient Express owned) train from Puno to Cusco, first class. Ten  times more expensive than backpacker class (so Michelle was traumatised buying the tickets) but turned out to be worth every penny. The photos tell the story of a fantastic 11 hours on board - great service, food and scenery and a bar carriage to boot. Despite being dragged up to dance during an Andean musical interlude, David absolutely loved it and it was hard to face backpacker class accomodation once we arrived in Cusco.

Cusco itself was incredibly touristy and relative to the rest of Peru expensive. We got the most hassle here from street sellers, but it was a really impressive place. What makes it special is not just the city itself but what you can do from there. We headed straight off to the Sacred Valley, a number of Inca sites (Ollantaytambo and Pisac)  in the beautiful countryside around Cusco,  to escape the crowds and get some pre Inca Trail training in.