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On the 21st, after a long, uncomfortable overnight bus ride, we pulled into Cuzco and headed straight for Loki hostel. As we pulled up in the cab, we saw the few people we knew were staying there heading out for their 4-day trek up to Machu Picchu. We got to say some quick goodbyes, then immediately stole their beds and fell asleep.

The next few days involved a little bit of sightseeing, a little bit of running into other people we knew, and a whole lot of partying.  On the first night, we went out to see the town’s ample nightlife. On the night of the 23rd, there was a Nightmare Before Christmas party at the hostel, where a few of us dressed up (my choice of a Santa hat over a freshly purchased knit luchador mask involved more effort than most people). The 24th was Christmas Eve, and everyone was up for another night on the town. Christmas Day became an all day party, starting with Bailey’s on the rocks at around noon (too many Irish people in Cuzco to resist the temptation) followed by a nice full-trimmings Christmas dinner put on by the hostel, followed by the party continuing down at the main town square and several of the nearby bars.

When we weren’t partying, eating (tons of good food in town, though I still haven’t gotten around to eating guinea pig or llama – all in due time), or sleeping, we were walking around the cool little town, checking out the gigantic indoor marketplace and checking out the local handicrafts.

And of course, one of the main reasons to come to Cuzco was to book a trip up to Machu Picchu, which I did through my hostel (on Christmas Eve, we moved from Loki, which was all booked up through the holidays to stay at another, smaller hostel just down the road, called Kishkashta).  I’d be leaving on the Inca Jungle Trail on the 27th, and returning on the 30th, in time to party in Cuzco once again for New Year’s!