Cusco, Peru

When traveling to Cusco, book a one-way ticket. I lost count of how many locals we met that were once just backpacking through, now working at Cusco cafes and teaching yoga classes in San Blas. The place has a way of taking you in, welcoming you home. Save yourself the trouble and cancellation fee, and take a bus to Lima when and if you decide to leave.

Nights are cold in Cusco. Buried beneath alpaca and sipping hot coca tea, we contemplated the climb through the city's dimly lit passageways for a few high vantage night shots. A relentless route of ascending stone steps, high into thin mountain air, away from the steady hum of Plaza de Armas. A spot of stardust admist a wave of mountains. A rare and storied patch of history preserved in time.