Our hotel http://www.libertador.com.pe/eng/cusco.htm was right outside the Cusco Cathedral formally the Inca Temple of the Sun. The hotel was built on old Inca ruins originally used as an ante-chamber, where important personalities of the Empire gathered, bringing offerings to the Inca. When the Spaniards arrived, the building was modified into a residence for the nobility with the name of Casona de los Cuatro Bustos. Many other churches and buildings used the Inca ruins as their base to build on. the Inca stone placement was so sturdy and precise that it resisted any damage from the many earthquakes in this area). After drinking some Coca Tea and having lunch, we went on a city tour and visited churches, town squares and the chilly Sacsayhuaman (pronouced sex-zy-wo-man).
Paula found an outdoor restaurant named "Quinta Eulilia" (sounded a little like she said Eulonia) in Frommers Guide to Peru so we treked up and down a bunch of steep hills and asked lots of people directions - of course we didn't understand a thing they said BUT we could follow their hand gestures for a couple of blocks before we had to ask someone else. The restaurant was a locally family owned business with entertainment that obviously did not cater to tourists except for the ones that had read the Frommers guide. Paula picked a very, very spicy pepper dish and I lucked out and had a nice baked chicken. I got an extra corn dish which was weird. The corn had very big kernals and a grainy taste and was paired with a slice of cheese and weird big brown beans that sort of tasted like lima beans. We figured out that these big pseudo-lima beans were the ones that are smashed, baked and salted and served as a bar snack.
Side Note - Paula is a great person to travel with because she always buys a Frommers Guide beforehand and does background research as to what to see, do and eat. When she gets home she sells the guide on eBay, Thanks Paula
