Exploring Cuzco

Cuzco and it's gravel roads are not what I expected from the city. A low lying, colorful patching of rooftops, and several markets connect the city. We had a mix up of days for scheduling, so instead of horseback riding the first day we explored the city by foot. We walked towards the Municipal Market, tried chicken on a stick (I chickened out of the heart kabob), and got lost as we trekked our way to Cristo Blanco. We finally climbed our way up through a residential area to find the Jesus statue that overlooks the city. That night we had one of my favorite meals of the trip- a sample platter that included alpaca, guinea pig, trout, quinoa, mandioca, and some other miscellaneous foods. Our hostel that night was only $7 each, so you know it wasn't living the high life. It was in the back of the building with no windows, and the smell was so bad that my dad refused to use our shared bathroom, but I wanted to give my dad the true inexpensive hostel "experience".
That night we had one of my favorite meals of the trip. It was on the second floor of shop in the center square, and we had a view overlooking the square cathedral and fountain. We decided to split the sampler platter, which included trout chicharron, quinoa, fried mandioca, alpaca, guinea pig, and an assortment of other side dishes. Watching my dad's reaction as he ate the guinea pig was priceless. It was a small clump on the plate, which we discovered still had the bones and all. It was incredibly salty. We decided never again for guinea pig. Alpaca was also an adventure- it was so tough and hard to eat. I literally had a hard time cutting it to eat, and it almost flew off my plate in desperate attempts to cut it apart.