7/29, Friday: Ecuador -> Lima, Peru
We arrived in Lima, from Ecuador, around 10:30pm.
Fortunately our hotel was right across the street from the airport, making the
arrival very convenient. The hotel, Costa del Sol, offered us 2 welcome drinks
– which we gladly accepted. We are now in the land of the “Pisco Sour” – a
frothy, limey, yummy drink made from Pisco (Peruvian brandy). We hadn’t had
dinner so the accompanying fresh corn nuts were a welcomed treat. As with all
of our transfers, we were met at the airport with someone to assist us. While
it was probably overkill on this simple commute, it has made our trip great.
They show up with printed boarding passes, get us from point A to point B, and
give us some context about where we’re at. The result has been stress free,
burden-less travel!
7/30, Saturday: Lima -> Cusco
Our Lima morning started early, with a 7:45am departure from
the hotel. Flights up to Cusco (“up” being 11,500 ft) depart in the morning. We
were thrilled to find a Starbucks in the airport. The trip has disappointed us
on coffee so far. It’s mainly been powdered Nescafe. While Ecuador is famous
for coffee – they export the good stuff! We boarded the plane and were thrilled
to discover our 2 friends from the Galapagos cruise were seated right behind
us. Josie and James, an Australian couple, had been the people we’d hung out
with the most. Turns out they were flying to the Amazon, with a stop in Cusco (basically
our trip in reverse as we stopped in Cusco, then will continue to the Amazon
later in the week). It was fun to catch up.
Arriving in the high altitude turned out to be ok. We had
learned from Tibet that Karl needed altitude medication (which one of his
co-travelers in Croatia prescribed upon return to SF), so he were well
prepared. Our guide and driver met us at the airport, then took us to the hotel
to acclimate to the altitude. A tradition here in the highlands is to have coca
tea to help adjust. For the record, there’s not much taste and there’s
absolutely no buzz. We were told the government oversees the farming – so not
to worry about drug development. We’re convinced it just gets people to drink
water and hydrate! Our hotel – Casa Cartagena – was gorgeous. It’s retained the
old Spanish feel of this World Heritage site/city, but has fusion with modern
design. The staff was fantastic, as was the service. It was also centrally
located. So instead of resting for 2.5 hours like our guide told us to, we went
off to explore the main square and have a yummy lunch of fresh fruit drinks and
ceviche (restaurant: Limo).
Our guide, Freddy, picked us up at 1:30 for a 3 hour tour
around town. Our first stop was Sacsayhuaman – massive stones (e.g. 10 ft tall)
perfectly cut and seamed together (without mortar) in a series of zigzag walls.
We started learning about the Incan empire, and the massive destruction by the
Spaniards in the 16th century. The stones somewhat formed a pyramid
along 3 hills – reminiscent of Egypt. There’s no record of what the place was,
those lots of speculation. We then made a quick stop by Q’enko, a cave-like
altar (note these words are cuecha which is the old Andean language). From
these 15th century ruins, we went back into town to visit some of
the first churches established by the Spanish. Cusco was the capital of the
Incan empire.
The next stop was Q’orikancha – a Spanish convent that was
built on top of and around the Inca temples. In fact, it was the first of the
Spanish religious buildings. Afterwards we visited the cathedral – also build
on top of Inca buildings. Freddy explained a ton – but with sole focus on the
Incas. With no hard facts or history of the Incas, we were left with a lot of
speculation of the pre-16th century life that surrounded us. We
clearly understood, however, that the Incas were phenomenal architects, lived
in harmony with the land and with the skies. Overall, very fascinating. Lila
wants to now study how lost ancient cultures are connected!
After our formal tour, we watched the sunset around the main
town plaza. It’s very quaint with its old Spanish architecture. We saw a
wedding couple be serenaded by college students – that was a treat! We also ran
into one of Karl’s colleagues from San Diego – Joel. He was on vacation with
his family, including 2 sons. Small world!
Back at the hotel, we did a lesson on making Pisco Sours
from the bartender who quickly became our friend. His name is Eddie, and he
previously served on a cruise ship in Europe. For dinner, we ate at MAP – a
popular restaurant at the PreColombian art museum – steps away from our hotel.
7/31, Sunday: Cusco, Chinchero, and the Sacred
Valley (Urubamba, Ollataytanbo)
Our hotel offered a great breakfast. In fact, breakfast has
been included every stay. It’s been great because we’ve missed a few lunches
here & there due to schedule. We opted for no set lunch/dinner because we
didn’t want to be restricted by meal schedules. Freddy and the driver picked us
up at 9 am for the hour drive to our first stop: Chinchero, a small village
with two significant stops. The cool thing was that Chinchero wasn’t in our
tour book, but turned out to be a gem! The first stop was the VERY local Sunday
market. Andean women - dressed in colorful outfits - sold food and
carried babies on their backs in colorful ponchos. The men sold some food, or
were hanging out at the stands that sold purple beer. The market was full of
wonderful smells like cilantro, potatoes, and many other fruits and vegetables.
Karl got some great photographs. Freddy would occasionally speak with the farm
women in the local language. It was truly a wonderful start to the day.
Afterwards, we walked over to the textile “factory.” About a dozen women worked
away on their weaving while we learned about this Peruvian non-profit founded
to retain and support the weaving traditions. They focus on 4 communities – all
with different weaving styles. We were the only tourists in this small
community, where we learned how they spin yarn from alpaca wool, color by
natural means, and finally weave in various styles. The goods were really great
and we wanted to buy more (even just to support the local women that got 90% of
the sale price for the items they created). Everything looked so beautiful but
unfortunately wasn’t soft due to the tight weaving style.
Our journey continued into the Valley. We would occasionally
stop for a view of the snow capped Andes in the distant. Finally, we arrived in
the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was lunch. We weren’t really in the mood, but
our guide talked us into trying some of the local cuisine. Potatoes are a big
side dish so we tried 4 different types of potatoes and a dehydrated potato
that is used in salads. To be honest, it wasn’t anything special (my guess is
they picked the 4 worst ones from the 2000 species they grow in Peru). We did
enjoy some of the local salads made from beans and flowers.
The journey continued to Ollantaytambo, the last settlement
before getting to Machu Picchu far, far away. The scenery was beautiful and the
town has it’s old charm with Inca grid of streets, canals, etc. After Machu
Picchu, this temple is considered one of the Incas biggest architectural feats.
They were able to defend Ollantaytambo against the Spanish in the 1530s, so the
ruins still are in good condition. We say “temple,” but like all Inca ruins,
there’s no clear answer to what this really was.
The ruins were amazing – large stones fitted together
perfectly and without masonry, hundreds of steep yet wide terraces, entrances
that lined perfectly to the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year),
etc. It’s hard to describe – you’ll have to see the pictures of the terraces.
They not only leveled hillsides with rocks but also created a unique system of
irrigation. In addition, they transported layers of different soil types in
order to grow specific types of crops up the hillsides. One town we didn’t
visit, terraced down the earth in a circular shape in order to have warm enough
soil to plant certain crops. They were true agricultural experts!
On way home, got stuck in traffic in Ollantaytambo – it was
horrendous. Over 1 hr waiting for what could have been walked in 5 minutes. The
problem is that the streets are so narrow that buses and cars take turns going
through. By the time we got back to Cusco, we were cold and tired. The weather
here has been cool – and we didn’t pack enough warm clothes. We asked Freddy to
take us to a shop where we did superfast shopping of alpaca sweaters (which
would later be a life saver in the Amazon – who knew!?!).
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed an evening cocktail with our
bartender friend Eddie (he didn’t charge us! Hint: tip your bar tender well on
the first night of your stay). Dinner was at a restaurant next door. It was
recommended in the guide book. It turns out the best restaurants in Cusco are
booked days in advance. We didn’t plan until we arrived, so we were out of luck
for the most part. At least the restaurants we still got into were good, had
amazing presentation, but sometimes felt a little over stylized on the
presentation.
8/1, Monday: Cusco-> Machu Picchu
Our days seem to start early on vacation, and end with sleep
by (or before!) 10pm. On the first day of August, a supposedly symbolic day to
the farmers in the Peruvian highlands, we were out of our hotel by 6am. After a
20 minute drive, we got to the train station. Freddy joined us on the
“Vistadome” train to Aguas Calientes (the small town at the base of Machu
Picchu). During the 4 hour, 69mile) journey, he pointed out many Inca trails,
and natural highlights. Apparently you can only get to Machu Picchu by
train or hiking 4 days on the Inca trail. The train had windows on the roof, so
you could get a great view as we headed “down” to Machu Picchu (still blows us
away that you climb to the top of the mountain and it’s less high than Cusco at
11.5k ft). Freddy explained that he would stay with us to manage the entry into
Machu Picchu, give us a 3 hour or so tour, then catch the train back – leaving
us on our own for the rest of Machu Picchu.
At the train station at Aguas Calientes, there is a group of
porters who take your bags directly to the hotel. We were left with just our
day pack. Fortunately we shed our sweaters because it turned out to be a very
steamy day at the top of the mountain. From the train, we walked to the bus,
which took us to the top. Machu Picchu isn’t visible from the valley, nor from
the ride in the bus on the way up. We arrived around 11:30am. Sun was strong.
Tons of people. Steep stairs everywhere. Freddy took us around, and explained
how Hiram Bingham “discovered” the lost city of the Incas in 1911, with the
help of a local farmer. The setting is incredible - nestled between mountains.
Only 2500 tourists are allowed in each day. We’re pretty sure they were all
there with us! After Freddy’s 3 hour tour, we did a hike towards the Sun Gate
on the main trail that goes into Machu Picchu. It’s really hard to describe the
ruins or the experience. By 4pm, we were sweaty, exhausted, and with wobbly
knees. We started the climb back down the ruins to the main gate, to catch the
bus down. Back in Aguas Calientes, we walked 15 minutes more through the local
community back to our hotel – the Inkaterra lodge. The setting was beautiful –
more on that tomorrow. After a shower, lots of cold tea, and our welcome drink
(another Pisco Sour!), we enjoyed dinner at the hotel and an early night to
sleep. We also made arrangements to do a “eco-hike” on Tuesday around the
lodge.
8/2, Tuesday: Machu Picchu -> Cusco
We were out of the hotel by 6am, walked into town, then
caught the 30 min bus ride to the top of Machu Picchu. It was amazing to see
how long the bus line was in the morning! The first bus leaves around 5:30am.
We were told to be there by 7am for the sunrise. Each day, about 400 people are
allowed to climb Huaya Picchu – the tall mountain that’s always photographed
behind Machu Picchu. The hike is supposed to take about 1 hour and be
reasonable – as well as steep. We missed our opportunity to climb (too many
people beat us to the buses), so opted for hanging out at Machu Picchu again.
The sunrise was beautiful – not too crowded and great light
for photography. We spent about 3 hours walking around Machu Picchu and doing
another hike in the area. This time the hike was about 45 minutes (beyond the
Machu Picchu ruins) to an Inca bridge. High in the mountains, the Incas used a
3 foot or so ledge as a trail. There was one point where the trail
disconnected. They put small stones and 4 small logs to make a bridge. Today,
you can’t cross the bridge – but you can get close to see how they put the
small stones high in the mountains. It’s brilliant and amazing that they were
able to construct such a passage way! Around 10 am, we headed back into town
for a shower and nature walk at our hotel. The nature walk started with a
magnifying glass. We were disappointed, thinking we’d see insects not the
orchids we had hoped to see. We were pleasantly surprised to discover the walk
was full of the smallest orchids we’ve ever seen….we’re talking the “big” ones
were the size of Lila’s pinky finger nail. The owners of the Inkaterra
lodge have done a lot of conservation work on the 2 hectares of land. We spent
2 hours walking around the orchid garden. Fascinating!
Grabbed lunch at Indo Felicite, a popular tourist spot with
good food, before heading back to Cusco via 4 hr train. During the train ride,
we sat with a girl from California who was traveling with her dad, also a
teenage Spanish girl traveling with her family. We ended up talking to
them for about ½ the trip ride. About ½ way through the ride, music started and
out came a dancing human dressed in a bird outfit. It was hilarious – though,
was aimed to be culturally entertaining. They then started a fashion show of
baby alpaca clothing. It made the trip amusing.
We were met at the train station by the driver, who also had
our laundry entire washed and folded for US$10! The (same Cusco) hotel,
Casa Cartagena, upgraded us on the last night. Our bartender friend, Eddie, had
2 complimentary drinks waiting for us, along with a sampling of potato cakes.
We grabbed a late dinner at Chicha restaurant, founded by a famous Peruvian
chef, which came highly recommended by some friends we made in the Galapagos.
This was the first night we could get in – and the wait was worth it. The food
was amazing! The restaurant was about 5 minutes walk past the main square, so
we had a nice evening walk – with full bellies - back to our hotel.
8/3, Wednesday: Cusco -> Puerto Maldanado (Amazon)
Straight forward: woke up early, packed, breakfast, hotel,
then the ride to the airport. We couldn’t figure out why the travel agent was
getting us to the Cusco airport 2 hours early. In fact, we were a bit miffed.
But when we got there, we found a line that was the longest line we’ve ever
seen in our lives at an airport (imagine Thanksgiving travel lines in a city
that was shut down for a snow storm)! And, it was just for baggage drop off
(everyone prints boarding passes in advance)! There wasn’t even preferred
check-in. With some negotiations and finagling, she managed to get us to the
front of the line . We then boarded the plane for the 30 minute flight to
Puerto Maldanado, at the base of the Peruvian Amazon…..
