let's not walk that street again: cusco, peru

We used Cusco as our base between Corcor, Pisac and Macchu Pichu. We have heard people advise against this but we loved it. We enjoyed coming back to the fun, energetic city after our little adventures. We found that it had everything we needed. Easily accessible markets with good produce, fair trade textile stores, the best vegan restaurant we have ever been to, nice bars, cheap accommodation and cool alleyways to explore the well-maintained architecture. The city manages to provide everything the modern tourist might need while still keeping it's historical charm.

Cooking Class
We took a cooking class for just $30 where we were taken to the local markets to pick up produce. We knew we would be staying in Cusco for a while so this was a great way to get to know the local produce and how to cook with it.

Green Point
This is by far the best vegan restaurant we have ever been to. The food is cheap, delicious, innovative and beautifully presented. Every time we were here for the $4 lunch menu, we tucked into our meal pretty quickly so we only got a couple of photos on our phone. For $4 you get:

The salad bar with roasted potatoes, pastas and a selection of different home-made dressings
A soup (and not just Peruvian quinoa soup, but curries, wonton soups with sweet potato etc)
One of 2 main dishes (eg. risotto, lasagna, stuffed capsicums etc)
Dessert (chocolate truffles, layer cake etc)

The upstairs area is set up in a very social way so we always met interesting people while enjoying an outstanding meal. Best. Place. Ever.

The Markets

When we didn't splash out on the $4 lunch at Green Point, we went to the markets. Breakfast was usually half a kilo of strawberries and a fruit smoothie for $3. Lunch was usually "a plate" as we called it. A generous portion of rice, salad and avocado for $1.