cindyjo

Hello Fodorites. It has been a year in the making but we are finally in Lima, our first stop in our almost 5 momth journey. I think I do best in an ongoing trip report while details are still fresh and normal life has been left behind for awhile.

Briefly: Flew Seattle to Dallas on Alaska, a pleasant trip as almost all of Alaska's are. Then an overnight in Dalla at the airport Hyatt. We decided to break the trip up with an overnight anticipating a stressful leavetaking of preparing for such a long trip. This would have been a good decision had there not been a Barbershop Quartet Convention at the hotel. They were singing in the lobby, singing in the elevators and singing in the hall in front of our room at 2am. It wa difficult to get too upset at such a happy group of folks serenading us with "Daisy Daisy". Luckily we had a late checkout and were able to sleep in a bit before leaving for the American flight to Lima. The last time I flew American I vowed I wouldn't do,it again but money talks, and this was the best use of our miles. I don't think there is a more uncomfortable coach ride than American. The seats are unbearably small,,the food is abysmal and I know their job is hard, but the flight attendents were barely civil. It reallyis like being crammed into a crowded bus at rush hour.

Anyway, landed in Lima around midnight. Easy walk through immigration with a 16 year old look a like who yawned through our intake. Easy to find our luggage which arrived in one piece and a nice guy with our name waiting for us for a ride to our hotel in Lima.

As an aside: After reading and rereading the what to take and what to take it in threads on Fodor's and elsewhere, I ended up buying an Osprey shuttle 28 inch wheeled duffle which I now love. I have used a 22 inch wheeled carryon for many years but realized a 5 month trip in hot and cold climes couldn't be packed into it. I decided against a backpack as I realistically though I would be crippled by it. My husband is using his old Rick Steves backback. We minimized our clothes but ended up,with all the chargers, cords, etc for an ipad2, iphone, small canon camera, 2 kindles and 2 audio technica noise cancelling headphones. I am undecided whether all this really makes travelling easier. All,of our electronics are old by today's standard and we decided not to invest in new figuring there may be possibilities of theft or forgetting them in a travel meltdown.

Lima - well, we have only been here a day and so far so good. The weather is much like we left in Seattle. Overcast and light fleece temp. Doesn't bother us. I did forget one major item in our frenzy to get out the door, my new windproof, waterproof raincoat. I asked our hotel person where to look for one here in Lima and she was stumped. She said it doesn't rain in Lima and most people don't know how to even open an umbrella! Part of our trip is in Cusco and Patagonia and I need a raincoat so will walk to Miraflores tomorrow to Lacamor (sp) to spend precious vacation $ on another one......

We are staying in Barranco which we really like so far. At the suggestion of several Fodor's trusted regulars, we picked 3B Barranco and love it. Greart location, sparkling clean, friendly and helpful staff who patiently answered all my OCD emails, lovely breakfast and comfortable beds. A little noisey in the morning due to the atrium like set up but quiet at night. I would highly recommend it. Very reasonably priced as well.

We put in a lot of miles today walking in Barranco including along the ocean path to Miraflores as well as winding in and out of the small streets. There is lots to explore here and I hope we can fit in our priorities in the next 2 days before leaving for Cusco.

Just a quick note on food: Today was Monday so many of the fish restaurants were closed. We are vegetarians who eat fish and dairy so are always seeking out those places that fit that bill. We had dinner at Veggie Pizza in Jr Colina (108 but tiny little sign easy to miss). Not your mother's pizza! Delicious with strange and lively combinations of typical pizza toppings and Peruvian additions. Vegetarian. Good wine and beer selections and lovely small dining area. Fusion pizza would be a better name. We have vowed to go back again.

Tomorrow a search for a raincoat and the Larco Museum and if stamina holds, the Archeological Museum. Don't worry, I won't bore you with all the details but will continue to check in with anything that might be helpful or interesting to others.

avrooster

As expected, a great trip report, so far, cindyjo.

Don't worry, we won't be bored at all!

Looking forward to your next chapter.

crellston

Great star Cindyjo. Really looking forward to reading more. The more detail the better!!

mlgb

Please bore us, I am missing Lima and Peru! Glad you are enjoying 3B and Barranco. My favorite breakfast is the avocado sandwich and my favorite dinner a turkey sandwich from Monstruos across Grau. However I wish that big estate across the street had been open when I last visited (crellston mentioned going there for steak).

If you have more time in Lima, I'd suggest a walk around Barranco looking at murals and visiting galleries,(3B has a map) & visit CasaCor. Next to CasaCor is a great little gallery Las Pallas. If you are photo buffs you might also visit the Mario Testino gallery(MATE). 3Bs owner is usually there in the mornings and seems to know quite a bit about the art and gallery scene if you have questions the helpful desk staff can't answer.

The link for CasaCor is http://www.casacorperu.com/
I think crellston enjoyed it last year and it's the same location.

LOL,I did exactly the same thing with my windbreaker/waterproof and found one at department store Oeschle (in the Real Plaza, take the Metropolitano to the Sheraton and it's the shopping center next door). You can combine that with a trip downtown. I did have to shop in the men's sporting section, though!

Kathie

We are heading to Peru in 4 weeks - this will be my retirement trip. But we are doing our trips in segments. So we'll only be there a couple of weeks. Enjoying your report.

mlgb

Why are you sticking your tongue out at us cindjo, LOL?

SusanInToronto

I will definitely be following this! 5 months - I 'think' I'm envious! We've got a 2 week trip to Peru planned for late April / early May. We're only going to Lima and Cusco / Sacred Valley. When I booked the flights, I wasn't sure if I should book for a much longer period, but I recently moved to a 3 day work week and started with a different employer. I am easing my way into retirement.

cindyjo

Day 2 in Lima
2 highlights today: CasaCor and walking the width and breadth of Barranco (with a quick walk to Lacomar to find that raincoat ).

mlgb, we ended up doing basically the same route you suggested. We had planned on CasaCor because of your tip off to my thread many months ago. So appreciated because we loved it. We were there for over 3 hours, spending time outside and in. I think our favorites were the 49 square meter glass house and the 3 storage containers house. I suppose because we have reached an age where we contemplate downsizing and divesting "stuff", the efficiency and spareness of these 2 appealed to us. Of course they were architecturlly interesting and with fabulous furniture, appliances, fixtures, etc.
We also really appreciated some fantastic pieces of woodworking. We left grateful to the 1% for making it possible for the folks who create these beautiful pieces to make a living.

A real highlight was a conversation with one of the team who puts on the Peru edition of CasaCor He was a delightful, enthused advocate for the event. This what he told us: CasaCor originated in Brazil, hence the word Cor, Portugese for color. In Peru, at least, the object is to reclaim ruined historical homes that still belong to Peruvian families, contract to have them for one year during which time they are restored at the expense of CasaCor, decorated by design teams, shown to the public as a fundraiser and then given back to the famiies with the hope that the home will be maintained and used again. He used some strong words to the effect that Peru is neglecting it's heritage in favor of an emphasis on the "newer, bigger, more expensive". Sadly, we in the U.S. are not so different. He also told is part of the proceeds are a donated to an organization dedicated to,the care of children with disabilities. I have to say that this fellow and the other Peruvian English speaking folks with whom we had conversations were friendly, engaged and eager to welcome us. More so than in our other travels. We find people on the street greeting us, shopkeepers, friendly, etc. Are we just lucky or is it possible to generalize a little bit? We ended our visit with a delicious sushi meal at an onsite restaurant, Hansa, I think.

As mlgb suggested, we spent the rest of the day walking the streets of Barranco taking mucho photos, stopping at Cafe Bisetti for a cafe and cake to refuel. Before we knew it the day was over and we did not make it to any galleries, the Larco or the Modern Art Museum here in Barranco but I did get my raincoat!

No idea how that emotive got there. I swear it wasn't me but the little man in my computer......

tc3738

YAY!!! I Found you two Will keep up with adventures so do NOT disappoint! Every detail is appreciated.... YAY!!!!

mlgb

Sounds like a great day cindyjo. I imagine you are on your way to Cusco and the SV. Have fun, and keep checking in!

MarnieWDC

I am enjoying your trip report so much....including useful references to earlier posts as you did your trip planning. Continue to enjoy, and to post.....this is really good.

cindyjo

Well, thanks to those of you who are reading, gives me motivation to continue.

Last Day in Lima
We had a great last day in Lima. Packed up in the morning as best we could and then headed to the Larco Museum by cab. The lovely people at 3b Barranco negotiated the price with the driver which was 19 soles for quite a long drive. It was another everybody meets in the intersection going in all directions and somehow no one gets hurt experience. I had my foot on the invisible brake the whole time.

As described here earlier, the Larco Museum (named after the archeologist who spent his life uncovering civilizations thousands of years before the Incas) is beautifully and intelligentlly laid out with multi language captioning including English. By the time we left, 3 hours or so later, we had a much more informed sense of early Peruvian history. The museum is also beautifully landscaped with labels for interesting plants if this interests you. It definitely interests me and I took quite a few outside photos. By the way, non flash photography is permitted in the museum. There was a guy, tourist by his guise, who ran from exhibit to exhibit and snapped a photo at each one. Perhaps he was on a tight schedule and intended to study them in detail later. Hmmmm.
We splurged for lunch at the Museum dining and it was very good and nicely presented. Would definitely recommend the Museum and restaurant.

As an aside, we seem to be following the pattern of many Foderites with breakfast at the hostal (usually included), substantial lunch and light dinner or snack. This keeps us in budget with money and weight!

We took the advice of others who suggested not catching a cab in front of the museum but walking out to a main street where it would be cheaper. There were no cabs in front of the museum and basically no cabs for the mile we walked on an unknown street. Now my advice would be catch a cab wherever you find one, don't be fussy.

We eventually ended up at the Mate museum which we enjoyed. 180 degrees from the Larco but we enjoyed the pop culture aspect and good photography. The Osma Museum is just down the block so we popped in there too. Not so much into religious paintings by "Anonymous". The best bits were the photos of family on the piano and a fabulous Silver exhibition.

We walked through Barranco for the last time enjoying it more for our bit of familiarity with it.

Our last meal was with a young couple who will be housesitting for us Nov. to March when they return from their Peru trip. They flew in from Huaraz that afternoon and were also staying at the 3b. In appreciation of their housesitting, we took them to dinner. Settled on Canta Rana a short walk away. We enjoyed it. No fuss, straight forward and easy on the pocketbook. But....be prepared, huge portions. I had the seafood risotto. Very good but could barely make a dent. Advised to share. Our waiter was a no nonsense kind of guy. We were all catching up on travel ignoring the menu. He came back a couple of times to take our order. The last time he said something under his breath which my Spanish speaking husband only caught as "too slow". Be forewarned.

Up early for a 5:45 am cab ride to the airport and short (1hour) flight to Cusco. 3b had printed our boarding passes for us as I had difficulty printing them at home. There was a huge line for our flight so we quequed up. The guy in front of us in line noticed our web check in printout and directed us to a very short line. Lesson learned, always ask someone in uniform. 2nd lesson, reinforcement of my experience of Peruvians as kind and helpful.

So, we missed a lot of Lima. Didn't get to the historical center, the parks, the archeology museum. But we did get to know the little piece in which we spent 3 days and experienced enough to know we would like to go back.

First Leg Lima: Conclusion Excellent.

In Ollantaytambo now. Will continue later.

mlgb

I'm impressed you were able to post from Ollantaytambo! I guess internet is better these days.

Looking forward to the next installment.

I was just reading on Awamaki's website that there is a big kerfuffle up in Patacancha over the weaving center there, so they are running tours to Huilloc instead. Kind of a shame as Huilloc is much more 'westernized' from the cultural aspect.

cindyjo

mlgb, it takes a lot of patience to post from here!

I would like to take the Awamaki tour next week if time allows so will let you know how it goes.

On our way to Aguas Caliente with MP tomorrow. 80% chance of thunderstorms.......

mlgb

Fingers crossed...hope they are just dramatic clouds to enhance your photos.

Did you decide to do Spanish lessons with Awamaki? I'd be interested in hearing about those also.

cindyjo

We are now Day 4 in Cusco and would like to catch up on Ollantaytambo and Machhu Pichu portion. Today puts us at the 2 week mark of the 5 month trip.

You last heard from us just about to leave Lima for Ollantaytambo (folks who live in the area refer to it as Ollanta which is easier on the non-Spanish speaker's tongue). It was an easy flight (1hour) on Star Peru and we were thrilled to be flying over the Andes for the first time. We were to meet our driver at the Arrivals Area but no driver. This was our first big mix-up and most certainly won't be our last. Without a phone, I went upstairs to a restaurant with wifi and emailed our hotel. To make a long story short, we ended up hiring a taxi at the airport (lots of them there) and getting the price down to our original quote. We paid $50 U.S. Which seems to be the going rate. This may be helpful to others: Our hotel host said that Star Peru offers a free phone call or 2 if there are problems with pick up, etc.

The ride was beautiful and we had our first look at rural Peru with Quechua women tending their animals, families working in the fields and farmland being plowed with cattle. We arrived before noon which we later learned was a good idea. We stayed at Hostal Iskay, small hotel on the river, a short walk through the Inca stone walled streets to the main Plaza but out of the main tourist commotion. Our cabin was #6, self contained with views of the ruins across the river and the lulling sound of the river and eucalyptus trees blowing in the wind. #6 has an outside seating area where we spent time reading and enjoying the view. The hotel folks were kind and helpful, the shower hot and the breakfast ok. Some dog barking at night but this is common everywhere we have traveled and I wouldn't count it against the hotel. If you are sensitive, bring ear plugs. I recommend the place and would return.

The next day we bought our Boleta Turistico at the entrance to the ruins. I think it was about $40 per person and good for 10 days. However, you may only attend each site 1 time and ticket is punched as you go in. We spent several hours there, scrambling up and down. We did not use a guide as we do some reading before each site and prefer being on our own. I almost hate to say this, as I know many of you who read this forum are erudite travellers. We enjoy reading to get an overall sense of the history but then really just savor the ambience, geography, weather, sky, sensing the ghosts of past people whom we probably shared more than we can imagine in human experience.

Be sure to explore the water system on the bottom of the ruins. The Incas did some amazing engineering for water distribution. Also word of warning: Those lovely Quechuan hats are held on with ribbons for a reason. There is wind all day at the ruins, so hold onto your hats. We had some near misses. A guard told us the wind is "always" but dies down at 6pm or so. And he was right.

During our stay my husband who has some Spanish took lessons from Jose Manuel, [email protected]
I had emailed Awamaki for information about lessons with no answer. Jose Manuel is the husband of Guillermina Sanchez whom I think Crellston recommended. Jose, coincidentally, teaches Spanish every summer to students from the Lakeside School, a private school in Seattle where we are from. He is a great teacher and a citizen of Ollanta for many years with lots of interesting information. Lessons are reasonable and my husband highly recommends him if anyone wants to brush up on their Spanish while in Ollanta.

We did not end up not doing any of the Awamaki Tours but we did buy a book of hikes from them to do in the area as well as a beautiful knitted Alpaca scarf. A young American from University of West Virginia was tending the store and told me that the scarves were from a recently started knitting cooperative. I love it. This young woman was on a 3 month volunteer program. There seemed to be lots of young folks doing similar volunteer work in Ollanta. No physical therapy services though. Gave us food for thought.

We took one of the hikes in the Awamaki book: Puente a Puente: Walk down the hill out of town past the long line of nonmoving vans and buses (more later) and cross the Inka Bridge over the river. Turn right after the bridge onto the well worn trail that runs along the river. The trail passes farms with folks working in the fields as well as more ruins. We only passed one person on the trail, a man with loaded donkeys who spoke Quechua. We traded sign language and maybe some Spanish to ask how far the bridge was to cross the river. We we started our hike in the late afternoon and dusk was approaching. It sounded like he was telling us it would take many hours to reach the bridge but we chose to think it was a language barrier and plodded on for another 30 minutes or so. As we rounded the next bend to an open view we saw the trail had been washed out! Our Quechuan friend had given us fair warning. Even more embarrassing was the fact that the last paragraph in the hike description mentioned the washout. We turned around motivated by approaching darkness to amp up the pace. If you do take this hike, after you cross the bridge there are stairs that go up to the village which give some nice views and bypass the long van filled road to the village.

Our last day in Ollanta we spent packing up, exploring the village and climbing Pinkuylluna, the granaries on the opposite side of town. This was a great hike with not many folks on the trail and wonderful views of the town and valley. We had a bit of an adventure there. Near the top we stopped to enjoy the view. A head popped up in front of us, redfaced and panicked. A young guy had lost the path and ended scrambling up the rock with a heavy pack on. He was clinging to the ledge on his elbows unable to summon the strength to hoist himself up and not able to back down the sheer rock. My husband of the quick reflexes told him to take off his pack which was pulling him back and then grabbed him and assisted him over the ledge onto the trail. All I could think of was both of them caterwauling off Pinkuylluna. It took a bit for the young guy to catch his breath and tamp down the adrenaline. He was from Bristol and had "never done anything like this before". He did the hike so he could put on his football team's shirt at the top and get a photo. So not only did we save his life (maybe), we took a photo so his mates at home could see their team celebrated at the top of Pinkuylluna.

Now that we have been in Cusco for a few days, we really appreciate having spent time in Ollanta. It is a lovely town with friendly people and good tourist services. The tourist traffic is both a gift and a detriment. The vans and buses have only one way in and out. A small one lane road trying to accomodate full sized tourist buses, large vans, working trucks and cars going both up and down. The traffic is constant with tourists coming both to the ruins and town as well as drop off and pick up for the train to Machhu Pichu. The afternoon we walked down the road to our hike across the river, the traffic was at a standstill with at least 1/2 mile stall to get into town. There are plans to widen the train path to build another road but the discovery of more ruins in the path has stalled the construction. I hope they are able to resolve this problem as it is a unique place.

Practicalities. There are 2 ATMs in town and we had no problem getting soles from them. We especially liked the meals we had at World Coffee and Il Piccolo del Forno. We had a lunch at El Alburge which was good and also enjoyed the Heart's Cafe. There is a bus station at the bottom of the hill before the train station where there are many shared vans ready to take you to Cusco or elsewhere. In the morning these are also in the square, so transportation is easy to find.

Ollantaytambo: Thumbs up! Next, Aguas Caliente in the dark and Machhu Pichu.

SusanInToronto

So fun to read this! We will be in Ollantaytambo in May for 3 nights (I think 3 nights) and I was thinking of staying at Hostal Iskay as well. We are planning to visit Machu Picchu from there (a day trip).

crellston

Great update Cindyjo. We have spent a fair amount of time in Ollantaytambo over the years and your report takes me right back their makes me want to return yet again. Keep up,the good work!

cindyjo

Aguas Caliente and Machhu Pichu

We took the train from Ollyantaytambo around 12:30 pm. Peru Rail Expedition. Seats were comfortable, doubles with a table between the facing double, big windows. I don't think we missed anything by not taking the Vistadome.

We sat across from a young German woman who was working on her Masters south og Santiago, Chile and a Brazilian young man touring Peru with a walking cast on his right foot (football/soccer injury). He injured himself a week before he was to do,the Inca Trail Trek and had to cancel with some disappointment. They were traveling with an Australian who loved to travel and would work as long as it took him to save enough money for his next trip. The trip went quickly with interesting mates Nd language struggles. I was fascinated by the rueal life we passed including fields of gladiolus mixed in with the corn and fava beans. I really got excited when we passed into the jungle zone. I had no idea this was the ecology of Machhu Pichu, thinking it would be a lot like Ollanta. What a joy to see orchids, bromalids, etc. thick with green vegetation.
On arrival we made our way up the hill to our hotel, Terraza del Incas. We were surprised to find there was no electricity and the soonest expectation of any was 6 or 7 pm. We unpacked (since we were returning to Ollanta we came with a light pack and left the majority of stuff there) and headed out to explore the town and get a bite to eat. The town is easily explored as it is in a lovely setting but mostly tourist oriented stores and hawkers for massage and tours. We stopped at a restaurant recommended by a friend and had a Pisco Sour or two. Later we ordered a pizza from a limited without electricity menu. The cooks worked with candlelight but coukd use the wood fired stove for the pizza. It was actually very good with mozzerella rather than the typical Andean cheese which can be rubbery when cooked. When we left it was pitch black in town with the only light the occasional restaurant lit by candles. We sat in the square and our 3 amigos from the train walked up to us
We had a great conversatin with lots of laughter for an hour or so with a group hug at the end and then went our separate ways making our way back in the dark to our hotels. The tourists were easy to tell by their headlamps! We stupidly left ours in Ollanta, another lesson learned. I was touched by how many townsfolk stopped to give us directions as well as the Tourist Police who spotted tourists and tried to,assist them to,find,their waynin the dark. Our hotel had candles throughout including the terrace near our room, so,we sat outside reading by candlelight and listening to,the fireworks that the the party atmosphere inspired. It seems that fireworks accompany any festive occasion in Peru! Lights came on around 10 o'clock and we coukd hear cheeering all over town. Would recommed La Terraza del Inca although it is a walk up almost to,the top,of town but this will just get you in the spirit for Machhu Pichu.

We bought our bus tickets ($19 U.S.) at the bus station near the Plaza waited in line for our bus to Macchu Pichu. Lines went quickly as buses seemed to arrive every 10 minutes. You need your passport throught the process, buying bus tickets, getting on the bus and entering M.P.
We arrived to long lines that moved quickly. Forget what you read about no walking sticks, water or food. We walked in with 2 water bottles in plain site and snacks in our pack. I left my walking stick,thinking that would be enforced but wished I would have brought it. There are MANY retired folks at Macchu Pichu and it looked as if many of,them would have been unable to see the site without walking aids. Some nice things to note: I saw many a young person helping the unspry up and down stairs and we saw nary a piece of litter. There are rubber buckets buried unobtrusively throughout the park for litter and plastic bottles.
W

mlgb

Sounds like all is still going well.

I think I might prefer Aguas Calientes without electricity!

Keep up the good reporting.