Trip to South America - Peru

Mar 5^th

We had a rough start.

We got to Quito airport around 3:30pm. Marcelo walked us to the Avianca Airlines area. When I got to the counter to get the boarding pass and have my bag checked, there was a glitch. It was explained to us that the system mistakenly was set to send our luggage all the way to Cusco instead of Lima, and the people at the counter couldn’t change it in the system. This problem didn’t affect everyone in our group. Some of us got through. The rest of us had to wait until the system was updated. The strange thing is that although Patty and I were on the same reservation, she got through and I had to wait. It was supposed to be a short wait, but it turned out to be almost an hour. We started to get anxious. While Bob was still on the call with Gate1, things were resolved. Bob said Gate1 didn’t offer any help. They talked to the airport agents and they said that’s all they could do. I’m glad all’s well that ends well.

We got to Lima on time to meet with our new tour director, Abel. By the time we got on the bus that takes us to the hotel, we were exhausted. Abel treated us with hot tamale and that was good. We didn’t get to Casa Andina Select Miraflores until 11:30pm. Too late for us to do anything but go to sleep.

Mar 6^th

We were to fly from Lima to Cusco today, but our flight was not until the afternoon. We could leave what we didn’t need in Cusco with the hotel since we’d be back to Lima and stay at the same hotel. We had free time until late morning. Patty and I made sure we had our luggage for Cusco ready early on so we could go to the beach before the airport trip. Abel suggested we let the hotel call a taxi for us and a round-trip transportation was arranged.

Traffic was bad, and that’s the norm in Lima. The taxi dropped us off at Larcomar Mall and we walked north along the ocean. When we got to the sandy beach part, I rolled up my pants and stepped into the Pacific Ocean water. The waves were strong and surged high. I almost lost my footing at one point and my pants got wet. This was the second time I got wet unexpectedly.  

On the way back, we passed Playa Makaha where surfers were having fun.

The group rode the bus to the airport and we had a quick bite at the gate before boarding the flight to Cusco. We were picked up at Cusco airport and rode the bus to Sacred Valley where our hotel is. The trash on the side of the roads and the poor housing reminded me of parts of Vietnam. It was sad to see trash diminishing the otherwise beautiful scenery. Someone asked why many houses were not completed. Abel said the cost was the prohibiting factor. Many people expect their children to finish the building process. Also the tax would be higher once the house is completed.

We stopped for a view on the way, where the natives were selling their hand-made items. I got a pair of gloves for myself and a pair for Tom, even though I suspected they were small for him.

We opted to have dinner early, so the bus took us straight to the restaurant. We ate at Ananau in the small town of Yucay. I had tiradito de trucha (layers of trout in yellow pepper cream) for appetizer. This was the first time on the trip that I risked having raw fish. We were entertained by musicians, playing both traditional and more modern music with traditional native instruments, during dinner.

After dinner we went to our hotel Aranwa in Urubamba. It is like a jewel in the middle of nowhere. Simply beautiful. Patty and I took advantage of the outdoor hot tub by the pool and that was wonderful.

Mar 7^th

Today was the Machu Picchu Day – the reason many of us took this trip. We were to separate our luggage into two parts, one was for a night in Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes) to take with us onto the train, and the other would go to Cusco on the bus. Patty and I both got up early and had an early breakfast. Then we set out to explore the ground of the hotel with its beautiful layout.

We went by bus to the town of Ollantaytambo where we’d take the train to Machu Picchu. We had a little bit of free time for shopping and sightseeing.

We took the IncaRail to Aguas Calientes. The train followed the Urubamba River and that reminded me of some Amtrak train trips along rivers, but I had never seen rivers with currents as strong as this one. We were provided a snack of quinoa and drink. I tried the purple juice chicha morada for the first time and it was delicious.

At Aguas Calientes, we left our luggage behind and took a bus to Machu Picchu World Heritage site. Abel was our tour guide and photographer for the next three hours when we learned much about the Incas who built the estate in the 1400’s and it was discovered by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Near the end of the tour, we had a bit of misty rain and then were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

We took the bus back to town and walked to the hotel El Mapi. We checked in and had dinner before retiring for the night. At dinner, we were introduced to pisco sour, a Peruvian cocktail made from the base liquor of pisco. I slept pretty soundly, even though there was supposedly loud music until early morning from a wedding party.

Mar 8^th

Patty and I got up early. We had breakfast and set out to walk the town on our free time. We walked along the roaring river and shopped for souvenirs. We found a nice waterfall in town. On the way back to our hotel, we saw people in a long line for bus tickets to Machu Picchu World Heritage site.

Later, as we gathered around for a walking tour of the town with Abel, we learned about the loud music the night before. Abel had offered ear plugs to a few fellow tourists. We didn’t hear his knock if he had come to our room. The hotel offered free pisco sours as a compensation for the loud music, but the group wanted to go on the walk and forwent the drinks. We covered some of the same grounds Patty and I did on our own, and we saw a few more of the various statues of heroes, Mother Earth, and other cultural symbols. Abel pointed out that crosses are often covered with cloth here.

After the walk, the group went to a nice restaurant overlooking the river. Patty ordered cuy and I tried a piece. I ordered a quinoa soup and a barley wine beer, which was dark and good.

Then Abel led us to the outdoor market right outside of the train station while he went back to the hotel to get the people who opted out of the walking tour. I bought T-shirts for NCR and TTTD that matched with the one I got myself when I walked with Patty. Then it was time to board the PeruRail to go back to the Ollantaytambo station where we’d take the Gate1 bus to Cusco. There was some entertainment and a fashion show on the train to tempt people to buy alpaca clothing items.

Abel wanted to get some grilled cuy for us to try at a town famous for cuy, but after learning that we’d have to wait for ten minutes before the grilling even began, he changed plans. Instead, he got each of us a half ear of boiled corn, bought from stands along the road, which was deliciously more chewy and less sweet than the corn we have at home. There are over 50 varieties of corn in Peru (and over 3,000 varieties of potatoes.)

We stopped at Pisaq Market where we visited a silversmith store. We had a brief lesson on the silver jewelry making process. I got a silver pendant there and an inexpensive pair of earrings, crafted by a local jeweler, from a jewelry stand in the market.

We learned about the rooftop figures that were supposed to bring blessings to the house it’s on. We went through some very narrow roads. It rained lightly, but we were warm and snug on the bus.

We were greeted with coca tea when we checked in the Hilton Garden hotel in Cusco. Abel walked Patty and me to town so we could eat at Chicha, restaurant recommended by Liên. We wanted to invite Abel to dinner, but he took off. He’s from Cusco and probably went to see his family. When the hostess took us to our table, Patty fell off a cushion that was set loose on the seating bench. We moved to another table. Patty felt she wasn’t given proper attention from the hostess and she let the staff know it. I wanted to try something new, so I ordered alpaca carpaccio. I probably wouldn’t have ordered it if I knew what carpaccio was, because of the doctor’s order to stay away from raw meat. I’m glad I ordered because it was so good. We’d have been happy with just a drink (a pisco sour for me and a chicha for Patty) as a compensation for our falling-off-the-cushion complaint, we were floored when we were presented with what looked like a huge brown ball for dessert. I identified later, via the restaurant’s menu, as a chocolate balloon, stuffed with baked apples, caramel mousse, beer ice cream, quinoa foam, and almond crunch. It was very good, but we were full and we didn’t finish it. I laughed and told Patty I should always go out to eat with her. This was the second time on our trip that we got complimentary drink and dessert.

We took a taxi back to our hotel because we didn’t quite know the way back and were not sure if it was safe to walk back. We didn’t have the five soles to pay for the taxi, but Patty borrowed money from the hotel door attendant. I am thankful for Patty’s resourcefulness and for the attendant’s willingness to lend us the taxi money. It was late when we got back. My iPhone said 10pm. My iPad said 11pm. That confused me. Today was the day we changed time in the States. My iPad was correct for Eastern time and was incorrect for local time.

Mar 9^th

Patty had wanted to go to the Rainbow Mountain today, but then she heard there might be snow. At the end we didn’t go. Patty wanted to check out the town on her own, so I signed up for the Highlights of Cusco tour in the afternoon. In the morning I walked to town and used the Chicha restaurant as my base and explored around it. This is when I checked to see what complimentary dessert we had the night before. I saw a demonstration on the street but didn’t know what it was about. 

I found the San Pedro Market, a huge market that sells almost everything. I bought chocolates, tea, and coffee from a stand. Although the prices were given in soles, and we didn’t speak each other’s languages, I managed to negotiate to exchange my chosen items with a $20 bill. My proposal was accepted right away. The food stands, packed with customers, looked tempting, but I didn’t eat there. I had a quick snack at San Francisco Plaza before walking back to the hotel for the afternoon tour. The walk uphill was a bit tiring. The coca tea and cookies in the lobby were a nice touch after the walk.

To start out the afternoon tour, we went by bus back to town to Plaza de Armas, where I went in the morning. We went into the Cusco Cathedral that took almost 100 years to complete. Abel pointed out that many mirrors were allowed in the cathedral, even though in Europe, the Church frowned upon them, considering them vanity. Local customs often win. This reflects on paintings depicting the Last Supper with a guinea pig in the middle of the table, and the Virgin Mary and Joseph with bulging cheeks as if they were chewing coca leaves. We also visited the Incan Temple of the Sun (Qorikancha) nearby. The Inca stonework was used as a foundation for a colonial structure of the Santo Domingo Convent. The Spanish had covered the interior stone walls with murals, which fell apart during the 1950 earthquake to reveal the indestructible stonework behind them. Abel shared his unhappiness with the fact that the Church now owns the property and all proceeds from tickets go to the Church, and not the Peruvian locals.

The tour continues with us going to Saqsayhuaman, a fortified complex of dry stone walls constructed with huge stones, at an altitude of over 12,000ft. The area is formed by serrated platforms. It is believed that Cusco is built in the shape of a puma and Saqsayhuanman is at the puma’s head, with a manmade lake as its eye. Abel pointed out some rocks that look like they have been carved as stairs and then set upside down.

As it started to rain, we didn’t linger at the Cristo Blanco, a large statue of Jesus Christ.

We concluded the tour with a visit to an alpaca wool store, where we had a brief lesson on different kinds of wool.

As a compensation for our inconvenience with the loud music and with the airport luggage problem, we had a complimentary dinner from Gate1 at a local restaurant. Aaron from our group joined in an impromptu musical performance on stage. That was fun.

Mar 10^th

We were to leave Cusco for Lima today via plane. Our flight was at 11:55am and everything went smoothly this time. At the airport, Rick wanted Patty to help him buy an alpaca sweater at Pure Alpaca store. I followed them and found something in my size on sale. Rick got himself a nice sweater. Patty also found something for her boyfriend.

When we got to Lima a bit behind schedule, although lunch was on our own, in order to save time, we all went together to a place where the local tour guide ordered sandwiches and empanadas ahead of time for us. My chicken empanada was very good. I had lost my bottle of water at the security checkpoint in Cusco (we were allowed to bring water through security, but my water bottle rolled off and I didn’t recognize it was mine when asked), so I ordered a chicha to drink, saving the little water I had left for the walking tour. Patty was picked up by her family members and didn’t go on the walking tour with us.

We visited Saint Francis of Assisi Monastery (Basilica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima), a Baroque-style church and convent and its library and underground catacombs, which served as a burial chamber for many. We were told bodies could stack in the hundreds and flowers were offered to stamp out the odious scent from the basement.

Then we walked by the Grand Library and the Presidential Residence and had some free time at the Plaza de Armas. I didn’t want to walk by myself with the Nikon on my neck, so I hooked up with Rick. It was funny because he said he was robbed in bright daylight in Europe. We walked randomly and somehow found ourselves at the Rimac River where Rick offered to take a picture of me with my Nikon. That was nice.

After the tour we went back to Casa Andina hotel to check in. We had our last dinner together at Asnapa. It was time to say goodbye to Abel and to each other. Patty and I would be the first ones to leave shortly after midnight.

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It was supposed to be the rainy season, but as Abel said, we brought dry weather with us. We hardly had any rain. The luck was also with us because that would be the last trip to Peru for a while. Four days after we got home, Peru closed its borders due to Convid19 and many Americans were stuck abroad for several weeks.