July 9 - Cusco to Puquio

We decided to get up early and drive from Cusco to Nasca...but as with most loosely planned multi-week trips...things change.  We didn't factor in that it took us one hour to snake our way through Cusco and climb out of the city.  We also didn't factor in that the drive west from Cusco to Abancay would be so slow...it was beautiful and stunning but a slow climb up and around mountains.  It took us nearly 5 hours to cover 193 km.  In order to make up some time...we picked up some bread and had lunch in the car...peanut butter sandwiches, fruit and some chocolate and we were ready to push on.

Abancay is in a deep valley...so...we had to climb back out of the valley and continue west towards Puquio/ Nazca. The roads were / have been great and traffic minimal so the driving has been "easy"... just very slow....

The drive to Puquio meant more mountain switchback driving and a climb to 13,500 feet! It was 1830 hrs when we stopped on the main street of Puquio. After a short lived meltdown and an argument is we should press on to Nasca...(another 3 hours) we decided to call it a night...10 hours in the truck...580 km...not a great average.

The hostel was basic but the room was large with two double beds, hot water and secure parking.... living large!  But at a very reasonable price of CND$23.00 for a family of four means it's easy to stay on budget. As usual restaurant choices are lacking in these small towns but we found some sustenance...rice and chicken for the boys, a meat stir fry for dad and a salad for mom....luckily they also had cold beer.

The boys have fallen into a routine and stopped asking how many more hours to go... they have ben trained to look at the GPS and see for themselves, between hand held video games, snacks, the occasional book and our favorite "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader" game they seem to stay busy and out of each others hair....well kinda of.  There has been the occasion threat of taking the video games away but thus far...just empty threats. We also had to make an executive decision on who gets to use/ have access to the bed. It's the basic alternating day rule but they can't give up their day and allow the other brother to go up... that just created power issues.  The rear bed has been a favorite for the boys, it allows them a bit of space, stretch their legs and chill...unless they decide to wrestle...