Paddington arrives in Cusco

Day four of Paddington’s Peruvian adventure saw him travel around 350 miles from Lima to Cusco - a short hop of 55 minutes by air.

The trip itself was not without excitement as who should be at Jorge Chavez Airport  but A-list Hollywood film star Zac Efron.

His visit seems to have caused a bit of a stir here in Peru with many of his South American fans tweeting their excitement at his arrival.

Apparently the High School Musical star was flying from Lima to Cusco though he wasn’t spotted on the same flight as Paddington and his intrepid companions. 

Twitter has been abuzz with sightings of him since with offers from several very generous Peruvian ladies to put him up at their homes during his stay.

Cusco is very different to Lima, much cleaner and more tourist-orientated with the cobbled streets bustling with souvenir shops and trinket-vendors trying to sell their wares.

There are three who hang outside the hotel persistently trying to make a sale as guests leave, they introduced themselves as ‘Mercedes’ who offers massages, ‘Number One’ and ‘Michael Owen’ who have a collection of paintings they insist we can’t leave the country without.

Altitude sickness is a bit of an issue making you feel continually tired and washed out, slightly headachy, and bizarrely in constant need of the bathroom.

To counteract this the solution seems to be coca leaves which are available virtually everywhere.

Cusco airport arrivals has stalls with bowls overflowing with the leaves which are used to make cocaine, and old women with bags bursting with them wander around the streets.

There are racks of Coca-related products in most of the shops and grocery stalls to help people cope with light-headedness caused by the high altitude.

Cusco is a historic city although it has not escaped the charge of modernisation complete with its own Starbucks, MacDonalds, and Irish bar - Paddy’s Pub.

On every corner Peruvians hover in their native costume offering photo opportunities, knitted hats and novelty items, however I can’t help but think there are here solely for the benefit of the plethora of travellers.

However, Peru has so far proven to be a fascinating and beautiful destination, stunning scenery with warm and welcoming people, and Paddington is certainly enjoying his trip back.

Next stop the ancient Inca ruins at Machu Piccu.