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The journey from the bus station to the hotel was fairly fast. We had a quick freshen up and then headed out to breakfast. I wasn't feeling to well so didn't eat much and after our usual orientation walk I headed back to the hotel for a lay down, and actually ended up sleeping for about 2 hours. Felt much better after that, and hungry, so Julie and i headed out to have a look around and get some lunch. We visited the municipal offices which had a very impressive wood panelled meeting room and a great view of the plaza from the balcony. We then came across an art exhibition in a shopping mall which was also very interesting, and with respect to some of the pieces quite intriguing and thought provoking. A quick lunch and then on to the Casa de Montejo which is the former house of a wealthy family that has now been converted to a museum. It is basically furnished in the style of the period and also has a fantastic photo exhibition. All the photos were taken by the same person around the Cusco area in the 1920's and 30's. They also feature some photos of Machu Picchu at this time. It appears that the uncovering of the city was still in progress and it is interesting to compare them against photos of the site as it looks today. The cathedral was closed so we headed home via a little square surrounded by restaurants so we checked them out for a dinner venue tonight. The one that offered free tequilla after our meal got our vote. But the waiter there also told us about a Mayan artisan market just around the corner. We were a bit sceptical but decided to check it and were so glad we did. The items on offer were fantastic. Woven rugs, jade carvings and jewellery, and on and on. It was a co-operative run on behalf of about 600 artists. The money for each item sold went straight to the artist. I bought a carved jade figurehead of Pakal, the Mayan emperor from Palenque. That night we all headed back to the free tequilla restaurant for a meal. The food was first class, and the free tequilla did appear. A couple of beers with Pat in the beer garden of the Mayan Pub completed the evening.
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