June 19, 2018
I took the night bus from Arequipa to Cuzco. It was the third time I traveled With Cruz del Sur and I absolutely loved it. I had a large folding chair with a pillow and a blanket. Drinks and food were also served. For those who are addicted to the internet, the bus has Wi-Fi as well. Unless the bus is fully booked, because then the Wi-Fi is slow as f*** and it basically doesn’t work at all.
Usually, I have trouble sleeping in airplanes or buses, but with Cruz del Sur you have quite a lot of space so sleeping wasn’t impossible this time.
I booked my bus ticket via the ‘Busbud’ app and I noticed that because of this app, I paid less than my fellow travelers. I don’t know why, but the website of Cruz del Sur did not display the much cheaper tickets even though it were the same type of chairs.
I would arrive at seven am in Cuzco and I was planning to take a cab to Plaza de Armas, where Loes would be waiting for me at Starbucks. She told that me that the drive from the bus station to the Plaza would cost like 5 or 6 soles max, in case they would try to scam me.
The bus arrived at nine in Cuzco, right on schedule of course. But it was no biggie. There were 87 taxi’s available, so I would be there in no time. When I told the taxi drivers I wanted to go to Plaza de Armas, one guy immediately took my suitcase and started walking. ‘Cinco soles okay?’ I asked. ‘Diez’, he said. I didn’t think so and I took back my suitcase. Unfortunately, he wasn’t agreeing with me and pulled my suitcase back to him. I lost my balance and fell… almost. This really pissed me off so I kicked my suitcase hard enough that it hit the taxi driver. He screamed, fell and rolled on the ground. That will teach him!
Of course, I’m joking. When this gentleman realized he couldn’t scam me, he left my suitcase alone and walked away, swearing of course. Another man took my suitcase and said he could bring me for 6 soles and I was okay with that.
After he dropped me at the other side of the Plaza I went looking for Starbucks. It was a struggle because walking around Plaza de Armas with a suitcase means that you want to buy souvenirs and stash them in your suitcase, according to these Peruvians. They asked me if I wanted to buy sunglasses, bracelets, sweets and Alpacas. Of course, I did not need all that nonsense and the Alpaca did not fit, so I resumed my way to Starbucks.
When I arrived at Starbucks my beloved Gringa was waiting for me and it felt just like old times. It was a ten-minute walk to her Hobbit house according to Loes and I was very curious. When we arrived at her apartment, a cute, small, almost Hobbit apartment, I got settled in and took a warm shower. I would stay here the next week and I was excited. But first lunch with an Acai bowl, I was hungry from all the fighting.
