Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - OAT trip report part 2

Okay, let’s go to the mental videotape for a day-by-day account of the trip:

Tuesday, Feb. 28: We got through the usual confusion of international airports okay – arriving in Lima late in the evening and being met by an OAT representative. We were driven to the Monte Real Hotel in the upscale (and safe) Miraflores neighborhood—our home for three nights. Interestingly, we had been scheduled to go to a different hotel. But several people forwarded to OAT some postings complaining about that establishment—and they switched hotels a week or so before the trip, calling each of us to give the correct address. The Monte Real is clean, pleasant, not luxury but with nice touches including a courtyard for breakfast (but waiter server is slow—would have preferred a buffet arrangement).

Wednesday, March 1: One advantage of this hotel is that the Pacific Ocean is just a few blocks away. So, before breakfast, we walked on the malecon high above the ocean. It is filled with gardens, an area dedicated to Itzhak Rabin, and the Park of Love—which has a huge sculpture of lovers embracing and mosaic walls containing romantic quotations from literature. The sculptor’s initials are on the back pocket of one of the figures—unfortunately, the initials are VD, which gives an entirely new meaning to the Parque del Amor.

Half of our group was returning from their Amazon pre-trip extension late today, so the rest of us met with tour leader Juan Lazo and a money changer (very convenient!) in mid-morning, went to a cafe at Parque Kennedy for lunch, then had a tour of colonial Peru with city guide Yvonne. We got off the bus at Plaza Mayor, surrounded by the Cathedral, the Government Palace and City Hall, then walked down a street consisting solely of shoe shops. After stopping in historic Bar Cordano for drinks (Inka Cola for us), we walked to the Franciscan Monastery for a tour--including a cloisters decorated with Seville tile, a bone-filled catacombs and a library with 15th century books just sitting (decomposing) on shelves.

On the bus ride through various neighborhoods, Yvonne talked about life in Lima, including the class system, growing political unrest brought on by unemployment and how Peruvians create opportunities to earn money. At the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, we saw pottery, gold and textiles from various cultures of pre-colonial Peru, including the Chavin, Mochica, Chimu, Tiahuanaco, Pucara, Paracas, Nazca and Inca. Dinner was on our own, but Juan arranged for six of us to taxi to Cafe de la Paz in Parque Kennedy.

Thursday, March 2: With the entire group of 14 assembled (two cancelled at the last minute) except for one person who took a side trip to fly over the Nazca lines, we had our introductions and orientation meeting, including a lesson in making Pisco sours (and a taste—at 10:30 in the morning!). This was supposed to be a free day, but we all jumped at the chance to go with Juan on an optional "discovery" to the Central Market and Chinatown. As we walked through Central Market, he had us taste various fruits such as lucuma and chirimoya and he explained some of the herbal medicines on sale—thrashing one of our group with a sheath of leaves in a healing ceremony. After lunch in Chinatown we took the bus back to the hotel using a sunken highway lined with grassy embankments. In the grass were advertisements made out of flowers. Juan explained that the space is free but the advertiser must maintain and water the foliage.

During free time in the late afternoon, Juan arranged for four of us to take a taxi to the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera, where we saw an extensive permanent exhibit of pre-Columbian ceramics, a temporary exhibit of gold objects, and shelf after shelf of other pottery in the “storehouse” (other museums would keep visitors out of their back room). Through a separate entrance, we also saw the museum’s renowned collection of erotic Moche pottery--arranged by position and by whether the sex involved two live people, a live person and a god, or a live person and a dead person. Tomorrow we were heading for Cusco, but because we’d be returning to the Monte Real at the end of the Peru portion of the trip, the hotel stored items we wouldn’t need until Ecuador.

Friday, March 3: We were up at 3:45 am to catch a flight for Cusco. (The hotel provided depressing ham sandwiches for breakfast). But because of poor visibility, the Cusco flights kept getting delayed and then canceled. When our flight was canceled, Juan ran to the ticket line to get us on a later flight--one of just a couple that did make it to Cusco. He also helped a group of OAT travelers who were without a tour leader because they were on a side trip. During the delays, he was constantly making contingency plans by phone and expressing concern for our well-being. We were in the airport for a total of eight hours, but felt lucky to get to our destination. Then we had to cope with the altitude change—from sea level to nearly 11,000 feet. Most of us took the medication OAT recommended we bring, and were glad we did. A couple people did get severe headaches, but the hotel provided oxygen to help them cope. (A less serious consequence of flying to a high altitude involved toiletries. Put creams and liquids into Ziploc bags and when you first open a container at high altitude, have it pointing away from you!)

Once we had checked into Hotel Jose Antonio (2 nights), we visited a number of city sites along the Plaza de Armas and toured the Iglesia de la Merced. We got our first good look at Inca stonecraft along the Street Of Big Stones: how did they create such beautiful walls without wheels, mortar, metal tools or large beasts of burden? Juan had us visit the workshop of an instrument maker, who demonstrated various wind and string instruments.

Saturday, March 4: We began a day of touring at the Qoricancha Sun Temple, Cusco’s most important ceremonial structure during the Incan era. Historical records of the time note that its walls were once covered with 700 sheets of gold studded with emeralds and turquoise. The Spanish conquerors not only took all the gold and gems, they also demolished much of the temple and built a church on it (Iglesia Santo Domingo). Still, some Inca stonework and rooms remain—so Juan gave us a fine lesson in Inca architecture. Outside town we visited the massive Sacsayhuaman fortress. Set on a hilltop overlooking Cusco, it is constructed of enormous stones weighing up to 125 tons apiece. Nearby an Andean medicine man conducted a fascinating healing ceremony for us that combined native and Catholic symbols. Final stop was an alpaca store to satisfy the shoppers in the group. My husband bought a vest of baby alpaca wool but the fit wasn’t quite right, so they made one to his measurements and delivered it to the hotel upon our return from Machu Picchu.

During free time in the afternoon we wandered around town, went to an internet café and repacked for tomorrow. (Because of limited space on the Machu Picchu train, everyone had to pack a small suitcase and store the bulk of our luggage at Jose Antonio.)

Sunday, March 5: We were up at 6 am for the bus ride to Ollantaytambo. We traveled to nearly 14,000 feet to get there, stopping at various overlooks in the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River. While walking through Ollantaytambo, a town where people still live in homes from the Inca era (Juan took us into one), we came upon a group of people heading for a wedding. Juan arranged for us to meet them and take photos. Juan also advised those of us who had not brought walking sticks to buy wooden ones in this town—a $3 investment I used throughout the trip.

We took a comfortable Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu—getting great views of the Andes and the raging river. After lunch we caught the bus for the 25-minute ride up steep switchbacks to reach MP—just as most folks were leaving. We toured for several hours and I must have taken a hundred photos because the setting is simply breathtaking. Despite it being the rainy season, the sun was shining brightly. BTW, those photos of MP that have llamas in them may seem staged, but the animals ARE roaming around and seem to be posing.

We stayed at the somewhat rustic Machu Picchu Inn in Aguas Calientes, where dishes like alpaca stroganov appear on menu boards. (We had a lovely dinner at Indio Felix, a French-Peruvian restaurant in town, and great grilled food for lunch at Pueblo Viejo.)

Monday, March 6. Those who wanted to hike in Machu Picchu got up at 5 am to catch the early bus up the mountain, with breathtaking views of peaks surrounded by mist. Some of the group roamed on their own (and there’s loads of room to roam). The rest of us hiked up the Inca Trail to the “Gate of the Sun” (about 3 hours round trip). It’s on this walk that you get the views of Machu Picchu on so many postcards. The entire way to the Gate we were in a cloud. Shortly after reaching the endpoint, the fog cleared and we had wonderful views. We left MP just as other tourists were streaming in and caught the train back to Ollantaytambo.

On the bus back to Cusco, we visited more interesting sites in the Urubamba Valley and stopped to talk to a farmer plowing with a pair of oxen, who let us try it. We also had views of snow-capped peaks—something rare during our trip. Because we were so close to the equator, the Andes—though they are high—stay warmer. So the frost line and the tree line are much higher than you would expect. Once at Hotel Jose Antonio, Juan took several of us to the laundry to drop off dirty clothes, which were delivered to the hotel the next day.

Tuesday, March 7: On the way to Pisac, we stopped at a llama farm and had a fun time with camelids of all sizes and colors—both shaggy and short-haired. At the ruins on the mountainside above Pisac, a flute player added atmosphere with music that echoed across the hills. We also had a brief visit to the Pisac market—then hurried back to Cusco for lunch in the home of a local family. Some of the food was quite exotic—for example, roasted guinea pig and a drink made from purple corn. The meal began with soup—in fact, the entire tour featured delicious soups at each meal. In the afternoon, we visited an orphanage supported by OAT. (You decide whether that would be a highlight for you—or whether you would have preferred to see more sights.)

Wednesday, March 8: Up early for the flight back to Lima and Hotel Monte Real. Because the rest of the day was on our own, Juan suggested activities and arranged taxis. After having lunch at Café de la Paz in Parque Kennedy, we hit the internet café, then walked along the malecon, did a little craft shopping and packed for the international flight to Ecuador. Juan arranged a fine farewell dinner.