Warm days, cold nights... and even colder showers

At 3300 meters, Cusco took some getting used to not only for the thin air, but also for the weather. Even in November, the middle of spring in the southern hemisphere, the mornings were downright frigid. The cold air, however, didn't linger for long. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the city eventually warmed up - and by early afternoon, we were baking in the heat. Of course, the high temperatures of midday didn't last for long either. As the shadows of late afternoon started to fall over Cusco, the temperature would drop quickly - and by nightfall it was freezing once again. In any given day, the temperatures would fluctuate by about 30 degrees F, from around 40F (4C) in the mornings and evenings to over 70F (22C) in the early afternoon.

I could handle the quickly changing temperatures, once I learned to dress in layers. I always felt a bit awkward tying a jacket and sweater around my waist and stuffing my scarf into my bag during the afternoon, but I was always grateful to have these warm clothes early in the morning and in the evenings.

But one thing I never got used to was the cold showers at the guesthouse in Cusco (and all over Peru, for that matter). Sure, when we asked about it at check-in, the proprietor swore up and down that the showers would be warm. I don't know what definition of warm they were going by, but the water felt rather icy to me - so much so that taking a shower was a painful and unpleasant experience. Each night, I would have to work up my courage to go into the shower - and I usually finished in record time. I probably never rinsed all the shampoo out of my hair or washed between my toes, but given the circumstances I was amazed I didn't just skip showering all together. Good thing we didn't visit Peru in the winter!

Each time you finish reading a story, please click here! With just one click every day, you'll be helping my blog ranking. Thank you!!