Adventures in Peru: Part 2

Cusco, Machu Picchu, Maras & Moray Salineras

From Puno our next destination was a two day stop in Cusco before continuing to Aguas Calientes & Machu Picchu. 

Originally we were going to take the train from Puno north to Cusco. We would have enjoyed a relaxing train ride through the countryside enjoying meals in the dining car, and probably some drinks in the bar car.... However, this plan did not actually come to fruition. On our last day in Puno we received an email from PeruRail notifying us that service to Cusco was cancelled due to a mine workers strike in Ayaviri (a town halfway between Puno and Cusco) that was planned for the day of our trip. 

While this definitely threw a wrench in our travel plans- we quickly purchased tickets with the bus company Cruz del Sur. It promised to be a relatively quicker trip than the train trip would have been, and we got 'VIP' seats for the equivalent of 24$ per person. Plus, our friends told us good things about Cruz del Sur, so we were all pretty excited for this new plan. 

The next morning we get to the bus station only to find out that Cruz del Sur had just found out about the mine worker's strike and departure time was delayed until noon. We didn't end up leaving until 1pm. The ensuing ride turned into a 8 and a half hour ordeal of driving at breakneck speeds in a swaying double decker bus over questionable roads through the Andes. It didn't end up being the relaxing bus ride promised by our friends and the website. We arrived in Cusco exhausted, irritated, and very dirty (the bus's central air system continually sucked in dirt and exhaust from outside.) 

View from the bus

After checking in at our hotel that was conveniently located off the Plaza des Armas, we went in search of dinner. Sean had found out there was a Gaston Acurio (Peruvian restaurateur/chef) restaurant called Chicha, facing the main plaza. Except it also shares an entrance with another restaurant that we mistakenly ended up in. It was a weird place all decked out in baroque and rococo art work, and to top it all off we got serenaded at top volume by some traditional pan flute players.... just what we wanted after an exhausting and stressful bus trip. 

The next day we explored Cusco, which was preparing for the Into Raymi festival (read more about it here) which is celebrated every year on the Winter Solstice. So there were a Ton of people in the city. And we were able to see a bunch of different traditional dances and lots of people in traditional costume. 

People in costume getting ready for the festivities of Inti Raymi

Street view of Cusco

Inti Raymi dancers

In the morning we took a tour of one of the many churches in Cusco. This one was built over an Incan temple- so some of the Incan structure remains around the walls of the actual church. 

The three of us in the church courtyard

Old Incan ruins with the church foundations on top

Looking out over Cusco

Really interesting bushes apparently

More old churches and plazas

The masses watching the Inti Raymi procession in the Plaza des Armas

That night we finally found Chicha, which was still surprisingly hard to find as you had to walk through one entry way into a hotel's courtyard and up another two flights of stairs. But since I've made it my goal to eat at every Acurio restaurant in Peru, we had to persevere and find it.

Fancy after dinner coffee

And we all enjoyed a delicious meal and an elegant desert.

Decadent muna ice cream & cacao soufflé 

The Into Raymi celebrations were still going strong at 10 pm when we left Chicha and they continued all through the night (keeping everyone awake) through the morning. We were glad to be leaving Cusco as it would probably only get more out of control on the actual day of the Winter Solstice. 

Another taxi ride to the Poroy train station about half an hour outside of Cusco and we boarded PeruRail for the three hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. 

Foggy views in the Sacred Valey

Riding in style on PeruRail

The train ride to Aguas Calientes was great, we got to see some gorgeous views of the country side- and then a giant tour group boarded at Ollantaytambo. And the rest of the ride was noisy because everyone felt the need to talk at top volume.

Gorgeous skies

Views of the Sacred Valley

Plaza des Armas in Aguas Calientes

Around mid afternoon we arrived at Aguas Calientes and checked into our hotel. Then we explored the maze of narrow streets that makes up the small town. The town is entirely walk-able which was great because we had been sitting for so long that it gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs. 

We made it to Aguas Calientes! 

Aguas Calientes is a tiny town nestled in among some giant mountains

Vegan food in Peru!!! at Treehouse Cafe

Fancy passion fruit vegan cheese cake at Treehouse Cafe

The next morning we got up bright and early to board the bus at 5:30 that would take us up to the entrance of Machu Picchu. 

First alpaca sighting

Seriously- best photo of the trip. Period.

Walking through the gates before sunrise is a really cool experience that is worth the annoyance of getting up at 4:30 because you get the opportunity to see the park with only a few groups of tourists. The place gets totally mobbed by like 10 am. 

Another alpaca on the way to the entrance to Machu Picchu Mountain

We got tickets to hike Machu Picchu Mountain, which is a slightly bigger mountain opposite to Waynu Picchu- the more popular mountain to hike.

We were some of the first people to begin the hike at the gate opened- so we got to experience the summit alone for about 20 minutes before many others showed up. 

Machu Picchu views from halfway up the mountain

After we sat and absorbed the breath taking views for a bit we hiked back down the steps and walked among the ruins- which were jam packed with tour groups. 

We made it to the top!

Looking down on Machu Picchu from 9600 ft

And then we made our way out of the maze of ruins back to the bus and rode down the 15 switchbacks to Aguas Calientes for a well deserved pizza and beer (plus a pisco sour for me) lunch.

Looking back up at the peak we had just climbed

Later in the afternoon we explored another little known hiking trail that begins just outside the town limits. This turned into quite an adventure. But our plan was foiled because to start the ascent we would have had to scale an almost vertical rock wall before climbing a series very old and broken looking ladders that had many rungs missing. We passed on the rest of that potential adventure (i.e. disaster waiting to happen). 

After that the rest of the afternoon and evening in Aguas Calientes was spent relaxing and taking the cool scenery.

It came time to leave and begin our trip back to Lima. The PeruRail morning trains only run between AC and Ollantayambo, leaving the 1 and a half hour trip to Cusco up to us to figure out. 

So we got off the train in Ollantaytambo and enjoyed a nice lunch in the bed & breakfast that sits right on the tracks. We found a driver willing to bring us back to Cusco- by taking the scenic route. 

Our first stop was in Moray to check out the Incan agricultural terraces. We were told that these terraced gardens were created by the Incans to study the differences in climactic conditions on their crops. We walked around the three different terraced sites and then hopped back into the car for a breakneck ride on some switch backs to the Salt flats in Maras. 

Terraced agricultural site use by the Incas

This is definitely one of the cooler things I've seen in my travels so far. Nestled in a ravine are salt evaporating ponds that have been in use since pre-Incan times. The salinas is run as a cooperative and any member of the community can buy a pond to harvest for themselves. I picked up a couple packs of pink salt to bring home with me. 

First sight of the salineras

Hundreds of salt flats evaporating in the sun

Cheesin' in front of the salineras

Sean exploring the salt flats

And then we hopped back in the car with our salty treats and sped back to Cusco to board our plane back to Lima. 

Needless to say- this was a trip of a lifetime for my dad, myself, and Sean.

Stay tuned for more South American adventures coming your way! 

Adventures in Peru: Part 1

Lake Titicaca, Puno & Sillustani 

My dad came to visit Sean and I for two weeks at the end of June. So, we set off on a week long adventure through Peru. This was the first time that Sean and I had travelled in the country we live in and we were pretty excited to get to know other regions of Peru besides Lima. 

On Friday morning we headed to the Jorge Chavez airport and boarded a short flight to Juliaca- the closest airport to Puno, the town that lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We spent three days in Puno before we continued on our journey to Cusco and Aguas Calientes (more to come on that in Part 2). Puno and Lake Titicaca are in the southeastern region of Peru and they sit at about 12,500 ft, making Lake Titicaca the highest navigable lake in the world. Also, this is the highest elevation Sean, my dad, and myself had ever been to so we all were taking altitude sickness meds which definitely helped acclimatize us to the elevation, but on our first day there we were all feeling pretty short of breath and head ache-y.

Military formation outside the entrance to our hotel in preparation for the Bolivan & Peruvian presidents joint meeting 

Creme brûlée for desert because we're on vacation!

The hour long taxi ride from Juliaca to Puno gave us the opportunity to see some of the country side. And lots of alpacas (or llamas, I can never tell the difference). I've found that  the majority of taxi drivers in Peru (and in South America in general) love to play tour guide once they determine that you're American. So, for me it's a great way to practice my Spanish and I can also learn a little bit more about the country that I'm calling my home for a year. Our driver told us about a pre-Incan burial site called Sillustani that is about halfway between Puno and Juliaca. He offered to take us there, but we decided to go back to it later during the weekend if we had free time. 

First glimpse of Lake Titicaca from the hotel room

We arrived at the Hotel Liberator which is situation on a small peninsula that juts out into Lake Titicaca, offering amazing views of the lake and the sunrise. As the car was pulling up to the entrance we noticed tons of groups of military and police all standing around. The concierge told us that apparent in three days the Peruvian and Bolivian presidents were holding a large meeting here. So, over the course of the weekend the place filled up with tons of reporters and even more government officials. Pretty interesting stuff. 

Side view of the cathedral at the plaza des armas in Puno

After checking into our rooms, we hailed a taxi to bring us back into Puno. Puno is a quiet and small town, with not a lot for tourists to do- the big draw is obviously Lake Titicaca and the Uros floating islands. The Plaza des armas is really all that Puno has to offer. Surrounding is a small cathedral, the Carlos Dreyer historical museum, some restaurants, and local artisanal craft shops. We also booked a day trip tour of the Uros floating islands and Taquile Island with All Ways Travel company. After we walked through the cathedral, went to the Carlos Dryer history museum, and then had dinner in one of the Trip Advisor recommended restaurants called Mosja (which I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce). At Mosja is where I had my first bowl of Andean quinoa soup. Probably the most comforting and delicious soup I've had yet. And really good pizza, for the middle of nowhere Peru.

The only photo I took in the Carlos Dreyer Museum 

On Saturday we got up bright and early to head down to the harbor for the 7 am departure to voyage on Lake Titicaca. The boat took off at 7:30 and within half an hour we arrived at one of the many raft/islands that make up the Uros Floating Island Community. Our tour guide and the family that live on this particular island showed us around the small raft they call home. They also demonstrated how the make their rafts, houses, and boats out of the reeds that grow in the lake. The women were dressed in gorgeous bright colored skirts and shirts and they adorn the ends of their long brains with brightly colored pompoms (if they are unmarried) or black pompoms (if they are married.) The men tend to wear plain pants and shirts- our tour guide told us this is because they believe that women are 'the roses of the community and the men are the cactus.' After we learned a bit about living life on a floating island we got to take a peaceful boat ride in one of their large rafts that also served as a tour of the other raft/islands in the area. 

First glimpse of Uros from the boat

Ladies in traditional clothing

Two children happily hammering away on a reed canoe

Soon we boarded our original boat and sped off over the open lake towards Taquile Island. Taquile Island is a small community of native Quechua speakers who are also renowned for their textile arts. The men excellent knitters; and are taught starting at age eight, while the women exclusively weave and make yarn. Taquile Island is also a pretty cool place because as a community they've been able to control the influx of tourism to the island in their own terms so that the island is not completely overrun by foreign visitors. Our guide took us on a walking tour from the port up to the town center at the highest point of the island and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of grilled trout and quinoa soup. We were also lucky enough to be able to see some traditional dances in the plaza des armas. Afterwards we hiked back down the other side of the island to where our boat was waiting to take us back to Puno. 

Always making friends with the animals anywhere I go

Touring around the floating islands in reed canoes

Views of the other floating islands from the back of the reed canoe

Traditional dancers in the main square on Taquile Island

View of the terraced farmland and houses from the town square

Looking out across Lake Titicaca towards Bolivia

Gate marking the boundaries between villages

Just a couple a punks 

The next day we took a walk around the small peninsula our hotel is located on. We stumbled upon a herd of llamas/alpacas that the hotel keeps on the island (for weed control??) Cue many photos of Sean, my father and myself posing in front of them. This whole trip I seriously couldn't get enough of the llamas. 

Following the llama/alpaca herd along the edge of the marsh

SO CUTE! 

I think one thing that I really enjoyed during this trip (besides the absolutely breath taking scenery) is how quiet it is. In Lima there is the ever present din of city life & traffic, even at 3 am! It was really refreshing to be able to walk outside and breath fresh air and not get hearing damage from a thousand cars all honking at the same time. 

After lunch we hired a driver to take us to Sillustani- a small village halfway between Puno and Juliaca. Sillustani is the site of pre-Incan tombs. The tombs are above ground structures called chullpas. The site is located up on a bluff over looking a smaller Lake Umayo. Each structure housed the remains of different family groups since ancestor worship was a very important part of the pre-Incan Aymara culture. Only a few complete tombs still stand since many were destroyed by grave robbers and many were unfinished. 

Partially intact chullpa

Chullpas over-looking Lake Umayo

Above Lake Umayo 

MORE LLAMAS (I had to pay for this photo- so I took like 20)

While hiking around the funerary towers we came across yet more llamas!! And as I snapped a photo a small boy bolted across the field and demanded some soles for the photo. I obliged, but for the rest of my trip I made sure I didn't take photos of any more Peruvians standing with their llamas. 

Snuck this photo too- she also definitely didn't want me to take any. 

We hiked back down to our driver and headed back to the hotel to enjoy some dinner and drinks by the fire in the hotel lounge. 

Enjoying some late night drinks by the fire

The next morning we headed off on the next part of our trip to Cusco!