Fun Cusco Facts...

With 30 days to go till we leave, here are a few fun facts about Cusco...which will be our home base while we're in Peru.  Did you know...

• that Cusco is the #1 tourist destination in Peru, with 2.5 million expected visitors in 2013 (up 10% from 2012)?
• that June is actually the most popular month for tourists with traditional festivals, like Inti Raymi or the Festival of the Sun and traditional folk parades?
• that Cusco is also considered the "The Archaeological Capital of America"?
• that an hour massage in Cusco costs less than $10?

Immunizations

Well, it wasn't pretty but we got it done!  On Wednesday of this week we went to the travel doctor and after a long lecture about all the risks in visiting a foreign country and more than a few tears from the kids, we got our immunizations.  We are now officially safe from...

• Yellow Fever
• Typhoid
• Hep A
• Hep B
• Tetanus

Melanie and I also still need to get some boosters for MMR and Meningitis, but the majority is behind us.  We'll also need to pick-up some Malaria meds that we'll take with us, as well as others for things like traveler's diarrhea, altitude sickness, and more.  If you know Melanie, it's probably not surprising that we'll be traveling with a mini pharmacy!

By the way, if you're at all curious...immunizations are NOT cheap!

Great book on Peru

Our Lonely Planet Peru travel guide showed up yesterday and it's fantastic.  Lots of great stuff on Cusco restaurants, kids activities, hiking the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and more.  Here are a few fun facts you may not already know...

1) Popular foods in Peru include Cuy (guinea pig, often served with the head still on it) and Anticucho (beef heart on a stick) which is served by street carts at night.
2) Cusco is actually at 11,000 feet high!  In  fact, Peru is home to the 2nd highest mountain range in the world.
3) Peru boasts the greatest number of butterfly species in the world.
4) Peru is host to the second largest portion of the Amazon rainforest (2nd to Brazil).