Cusco, a base for the renowned Macchu Picchu ruins, is a tourist’s dream in its own right with uneven, cobblestone streets, hotels and hostels in every price level and several remarkable churches filled with gilt, silver and centuries-old oil paintings. My top spot for exploration, where I returned each day, is the colonial-age Plaza de Armas, which is home to two enormous, amazing baroque religious structures, scores of shops selling everything from expensive silver costing thousands of US dollars to simple cloth sacks for less then US$1, entrepreneurs at every street corner offering the likes of candy, socks or mobile phone holders and at least a dozen restaurants and cafés – many with second floor balconies overlooking the constant action of the plaza – with traditional food, music and simple pizza and burger fare.