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Cuzco is perhaps the most touristy city in South America,
for it is a base from which to visit the ancient Inca ruins of Machu
Picchu, and a beautiful city in its own right, with narrow, often stepped
streets winding past mostly Spanish colonial buildings that have massive
Inca-built stone walls as their base. These Inca walls are a miracle
by themselves, made up of huge stones that fit together in a perfect
puzzle with no mortar used.
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With all the tourists, Cuzco is filled with pickpockets,
scam artists, hip clubs and vegetarian restaurants. After a few days
of avoiding the former and seeking out the latter, I set out with an
organized group by train to the start of the 2-day Inca Trail that winds
through mountainous cloud forests to Machu Picchu (as far as I know,
they only allow organized groups on the Inca Trail). I unfortunately
don't have time for the 4-day Inca Trail, which includes a 14,000-foot
pass. I hear various stories that the 4-day Inca Trail (and the last
half of the 2-day Inca Trail) follow a pilgrimage route that Inca royalty
used to travel between Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
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