Peru Travel Advice- Top 10
Jul 2nd, 2008, 09:12 AM
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Peru Travel Advice- Top 10
10. When making reservations and if you want a bed for you and hubby, always ask for a "cama matrimonial" or else you end up on twin beds. Oh, and confirm your hotels 2 days in advance.
9. Bring mosquito repellent. The bugs are ravenous.
8. Make sure the money you are bringing is not ripped or torn. In Aguas Calientes they are really strict on not accepting torn or ripped or old looking currency.
7. Bring a back back. AgCal, Ollanta, Cusco, Uru, Picsa are not towns to haul your Tumi luggage. The streets are cobblestone and are a nightmare for rolling luggage. Also check TSA.gov to see what liquids count for your carryon and which do not (ie, contact lens solution does not have to go in the quart size bag although it does need to be less than 3 oz).
6. Leave the cute Puma shoes and the skinny white jeans at home. You have no idea how many folks i´ve seen in crappy walking shoes. And considering the amount of dust or dirt you´ll come in contact with, your white clothes will turn beige quick.
7. Bring good meds w you- dayquil, nightquil, Ricola candy for your throat, and Immodiom. My husband is very athletic (6% body fat) and he got hit hard with the altitude. The meds helped. And of course, who can escape the tummy bugs.
6. Women, bring a sports bra. It supports you and keeps you dry. I didnt bring my bras and I was very happy with that decision.
5. A compass is useful. If you get one of those wrist compass´from REI that would work. When you are doing day hikes on your own, it is usefull in making sure you are going in the right direction.
4. Bring an insulated water bottle. If you keep your water in the regular bottle the water gets really warm. After a hike, the cooler water option will be appreciated.
3. Sunscreen, lip sunscreen is a must. The June sun is brutal. My lips are burned because i only had Burts Bee´s lip balm and not one with actual sunscreen.
2. Baby Wipes were a life saver. We used it in lieu of a bath when the shared bath at the hostel was questionable (Hospedaje Las Portadas in Ollanta). It also came in handy for those "not so fresh moments."
1. BRING A BACK UP CAMERA! My digital Canon broke in Lima as i was boarding the flight to Cusco. I ended up capturing these magical moments with a disposable Kodak camera.
Hope this helps.
-veronana70
9. Bring mosquito repellent. The bugs are ravenous.
8. Make sure the money you are bringing is not ripped or torn. In Aguas Calientes they are really strict on not accepting torn or ripped or old looking currency.
7. Bring a back back. AgCal, Ollanta, Cusco, Uru, Picsa are not towns to haul your Tumi luggage. The streets are cobblestone and are a nightmare for rolling luggage. Also check TSA.gov to see what liquids count for your carryon and which do not (ie, contact lens solution does not have to go in the quart size bag although it does need to be less than 3 oz).
6. Leave the cute Puma shoes and the skinny white jeans at home. You have no idea how many folks i´ve seen in crappy walking shoes. And considering the amount of dust or dirt you´ll come in contact with, your white clothes will turn beige quick.
7. Bring good meds w you- dayquil, nightquil, Ricola candy for your throat, and Immodiom. My husband is very athletic (6% body fat) and he got hit hard with the altitude. The meds helped. And of course, who can escape the tummy bugs.
6. Women, bring a sports bra. It supports you and keeps you dry. I didnt bring my bras and I was very happy with that decision.
5. A compass is useful. If you get one of those wrist compass´from REI that would work. When you are doing day hikes on your own, it is usefull in making sure you are going in the right direction.
4. Bring an insulated water bottle. If you keep your water in the regular bottle the water gets really warm. After a hike, the cooler water option will be appreciated.
3. Sunscreen, lip sunscreen is a must. The June sun is brutal. My lips are burned because i only had Burts Bee´s lip balm and not one with actual sunscreen.
2. Baby Wipes were a life saver. We used it in lieu of a bath when the shared bath at the hostel was questionable (Hospedaje Las Portadas in Ollanta). It also came in handy for those "not so fresh moments."
1. BRING A BACK UP CAMERA! My digital Canon broke in Lima as i was boarding the flight to Cusco. I ended up capturing these magical moments with a disposable Kodak camera.
Hope this helps.
-veronana70
Jul 2nd, 2008, 01:23 PM
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i didnt have any problems using the ATMs although there are none that worked in Aguas Calientes. Take money out before going to Machu Picchu. As for finding a bank in some of these places, good luck. i´ve had to change money in a Pharmacy, an internet cafe, and at the hotel. Enjoy your trip!
Jul 3rd, 2008, 08:36 AM
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Can you or anyone recommend a decent hotel in Aguas Calientes? My wife and I will overnight there one night. We are not backpackers and are looking for a little more confort than a hostel. Nothing fancy, just clean and safe with flush toilets, hot water and a decent bed.
Also, does anyone recommended San Blas over El Centro in Cusco? Is El Centro loader or more crowded at night? Thanks.
Also, does anyone recommended San Blas over El Centro in Cusco? Is El Centro loader or more crowded at night? Thanks.
Jul 3rd, 2008, 01:03 PM
#6
Our hotel in Aguas Calientes was decent: La Pequena Casita. We paid $45 (last October) - but I think we got a good deal because our guide arranged it for us. Nothing to write home about, but reasonably clean, quiet, and conveniently located.
Jul 3rd, 2008, 01:04 PM
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Good tips. And I'd like to really emphasize the need for all manner of 'moisturizers' re: any mucous membrane body parts .... it can be dry & dusty when trekking around Machu Picchu as well as other ruins (I was in Peru last June). Very helpful to have eye drops, nasal solution, etc.! My travel companion opted to bring her glasses rather than mess w/ contact lens, and she said that was a very smart move on her part.
Willtraveldude --
I stayed at the pricey Santuary Lodge, however when we were strolling thru Agua Calientes we did notice several of the more economical accommadations. AG is very small town, so location really isn't an issue. One place we walked by (didn't go inside) was 'Gringo Bill's' --- you'll find more feedback on that place as well as other budget accommadations on the Lonely Planet website. Their travel forum is the Thorntree.
Altho it's called a hostal, it appears to offer amenities of a budget hotel >>> http://www.gringobills.com/
Willtraveldude --
I stayed at the pricey Santuary Lodge, however when we were strolling thru Agua Calientes we did notice several of the more economical accommadations. AG is very small town, so location really isn't an issue. One place we walked by (didn't go inside) was 'Gringo Bill's' --- you'll find more feedback on that place as well as other budget accommadations on the Lonely Planet website. Their travel forum is the Thorntree.
Altho it's called a hostal, it appears to offer amenities of a budget hotel >>> http://www.gringobills.com/
Jul 6th, 2008, 02:59 PM
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Hi Willtravel dude. We stayed at Gringo Bill's last week and we liked it very much. It was clean and quiet. Our room had a nice balcony overlooking the plaza. There were a few hotels going toward the Aguas Calientes Thermal Baths that looked nice but the hike up the hill would have killed me after spending the day trecking Machu Picchu. Gringo Bills is at the Plaza level and not up hill.
Jul 7th, 2008, 08:28 AM
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We stayed at the Presidente Hostal in Aguas Calinete 2 weeks ago. The room was small and dark, but was clean and comfortable. The shower was suprisingly pretty good too! For the amount of time you spend in your room in AC, it was so worth it!
Jul 8th, 2008, 03:12 PM
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We stayed at the Wiracocha Inn.
http://www.wiracochainn.com/indexen.php
It was definitely, by far, the cleanest hostel we stayed at in all the cities we visited in Peru. Plus, we had an end room...like 20 or 19 or something that faced the river. It was incredibly nice, especially after a long day of travel and hiking, to fall asleep on clean linens and to the sound of the river outside our window.
That's my two cents!
http://www.wiracochainn.com/indexen.php
It was definitely, by far, the cleanest hostel we stayed at in all the cities we visited in Peru. Plus, we had an end room...like 20 or 19 or something that faced the river. It was incredibly nice, especially after a long day of travel and hiking, to fall asleep on clean linens and to the sound of the river outside our window.
That's my two cents!
Jul 9th, 2008, 06:09 AM
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We also stayed in Wiracocha and would recommend it. Very basic accomodations, but clean, the proprietor is very nice, and we had a room overlooking the river.. you could hear it when we slept, and I had the best night's sleep in all of Peru! i think we paid $55 US.
We also had issues changing money here and had to go to a general store/pharmacy. Bring soles with you and plenty of them!
We also had issues changing money here and had to go to a general store/pharmacy. Bring soles with you and plenty of them!
Jul 9th, 2008, 12:03 PM
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This is great advice.
We just returned from 2 weeks in Peru and one piece of advice is to mentally practice putting toilet paper in the small trash can next to all toilets. Forgetting once and flushing the paper can result in the toilet backing up. The sewer systems everywhere have trouble handling toilet paper.
Take a prescription of Cipro anti-biotic with you also. That and the immodiom will likely be needed by someone, even if it's someone else who didn't think they would need it... Good news is you do NOT need prescriptions in Peru. You can buy them over the counter at any of the many small "Botica" (Drugstores) you see on the streets.
Fruit is so plentiful in Peru it is common to get soft stools. Sometimes just reducing fruit intake prevents the runs. But it is SO HARD with such a wonderful and bountiful selection.
Exaggerate the amount of bottled water you drink. One of the common problems in Lima, Cusco, Macchu Picchu, etc. (It is SO dry the air is sucking out your moisture without you even sweating). But don't worry -- re-hydrating tourists with an IV for about 8-12 hours is a common occurence. The doctors speak English well, but many of the nurses do not.
To be a tourist guide in Peru requires a minimum of 4 years of study. There are more than 6,000 approved guides in Cusco. (They are required to have a license and face a fairly stiff fine if found without it). Each provides the same basic visits but each adds their own touches.
Leave any DEET insect repellent with your guide when finished. They will appreciate it greatly !
Take 50 good $1 U.S. bills to use for small purchases (3 soles per $1) and tips.
ATMs are available on the street or in banks in Lima, Cusco, etc. But take 10-20 good $20 U.S. bills as a backup. These can also be used for the airport tax. You can mix or match soles and U.S. $. (Again 3 soles per $1)
Capitol One VISA currently has NO charge for foreign currency exchange. Almost all other bank credit cards do in addition to the 3% charged by VISA. Using other cards often costs from 5-8% per purchase altogether.
We just returned from 2 weeks in Peru and one piece of advice is to mentally practice putting toilet paper in the small trash can next to all toilets. Forgetting once and flushing the paper can result in the toilet backing up. The sewer systems everywhere have trouble handling toilet paper.
Take a prescription of Cipro anti-biotic with you also. That and the immodiom will likely be needed by someone, even if it's someone else who didn't think they would need it... Good news is you do NOT need prescriptions in Peru. You can buy them over the counter at any of the many small "Botica" (Drugstores) you see on the streets.
Fruit is so plentiful in Peru it is common to get soft stools. Sometimes just reducing fruit intake prevents the runs. But it is SO HARD with such a wonderful and bountiful selection.
Exaggerate the amount of bottled water you drink. One of the common problems in Lima, Cusco, Macchu Picchu, etc. (It is SO dry the air is sucking out your moisture without you even sweating). But don't worry -- re-hydrating tourists with an IV for about 8-12 hours is a common occurence. The doctors speak English well, but many of the nurses do not.
To be a tourist guide in Peru requires a minimum of 4 years of study. There are more than 6,000 approved guides in Cusco. (They are required to have a license and face a fairly stiff fine if found without it). Each provides the same basic visits but each adds their own touches.
Leave any DEET insect repellent with your guide when finished. They will appreciate it greatly !
Take 50 good $1 U.S. bills to use for small purchases (3 soles per $1) and tips.
ATMs are available on the street or in banks in Lima, Cusco, etc. But take 10-20 good $20 U.S. bills as a backup. These can also be used for the airport tax. You can mix or match soles and U.S. $. (Again 3 soles per $1)
Capitol One VISA currently has NO charge for foreign currency exchange. Almost all other bank credit cards do in addition to the 3% charged by VISA. Using other cards often costs from 5-8% per purchase altogether.
Jun 15th, 2009, 07:41 PM
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On May 16 we wre in Puno for our trip to Lake Titikaka. AT the hotel (Casa Andina TIKARANI) I found a message from Daniel at Peru Rail asking me to reconsider my trip to Matchu Pitchu, scheduled for Tuesday May 19, and get tickets on Monday instead because on Tuesday and Wednesday there were «strikes» and the trains would not operate during those two days. We knew that the Peruvian government was criticised for signing off the rights to these trains to Orient Express and we thought that the strikes were against the train company. We were scheduled to fly to Cusco on Sunday morning and stay in the evening and tour the Sacred Valley and then go to Ollantaytambo, stay the night and go to Matchu Pitchu on Tuesday. As inconvenient as this was I managed to make phone calls and change my reservations for hotels and the driver so we could go to Cusco, exchanged our train tickets and go to Ollan Sunday night so we could get to Matchu Pitchu on Monday early in the morning.
* The next morning we took one of the many tour boats and visited the Uros and Tequile islands. (more about the Uros in another blog)
* On Sunday, we arrived in Cusco around 9:00 and went straight to Peru rail. It was easy to get the scheduled tickets (6:20 am) to get there, however, the only return tickets available were at 9:00 pm and nothing was available for the 5:00 pm train we had tickets for originally. The PR employee told us that most likely we would be able to get on an earlier train so we purchased the tickets for 9:00pm. The new plan was to stay 2 nights at Pakaritambu hotel in Ollan and come back on Tuesday and stay one night in Cusco. The driver that took us to Sacsayhuaman , Tambomachey, Pisac ruins and the famous Market and eventually drove us to Ollan, agreed to come back on Tuesday and drive us back to Cusco, driving through the rest of the Sacred Valley (Salinas de Maras, Moray).
Everybody knows Matchu Pitchu but Sacsayhuaman and Pisac are very important Inca sites as well and we were very impressed by the architecture and their skill in agriculture and their famous terraces where the Incas were able to cultivate different crops for different altitudes and microclimates.
* SO, we left on Monday morning to go to Matchu Pitchu. The train takes about 1 & half hours to get to Aguas Calientes and the trip getting there was very beautiful throught the canyon that Urubamba river has carved. We were fortunate to have the front seats of the first train. The advantage of the Vista dome train to see through the roof windows was not so spectacular but it was OK. The train looked more open and spacious but we rarely looked through these windows.
Somewhere near Aguas Calientes the landscape changed and we entered a deep tropical forest with lush vegetation, flowers and bromeliads sticking out of tree branches. We had entered the area of Matchu Pitchu and it was easy to understand how nature took over the ruins of the citadel.
Once we arrived there we got tickets for the bus and it was a short but very steep ride to MP. The weather was great, the sun was shining and the mountains, the terraces and the citadel were spectacular , just as we have all seen on photographs. However, no photo can convey the sense of history and fate and the amazing vistas are overwhelming. We decide to hike to the Gate of the Sun, which is a small set of walls where the sun first rises over the mountain across MP at the equinox, about 1 and half hour each way. It is from where all the spectacular photos are taken. The climate has changed to hot and humid and with the altitude it was not the easiest of hiking but it was really spectacular ! we saw so many wild orchids and bromeliads!
After we descended we visited the ruins of the citadel and the various buildings and the famous Intihuatana stone, one of many ritual stones in South America. By 3:00 pm the weather has change and a light drizzle started in addition to the heat. We were tired and we have only eaten some nuts and dried fruits of trail mix and water.
We were basically done with sightseeing and I started feeling really anxious, almost frantic to get out. We had the issue of trying to change our return tickets so we took the bus and went straight to the train ticket counter at the station. I was feeling really sick, about to faint and I looked like sick. A couple before us had just asked to change their departure time and the cashier said that this was impossible. SO, I talked to him and I explained that I am not well and that really need to get to my hotel ASAP. My appearance probably persuaded hm that I was telling the truth and he took me to the manager of the station a young woman named Carolina. She explained to us that EVERYBODY wanted to leave as early as possible because of the «strikes» and that they had put EVERY train they had available to the tracks. She offered to try to put each one of us in different trains and we agreed. So, she calls me first and places me on the second train that wasdeparting shortly and I went, leaving behind my husband and son and feeling really bad but knowing that it was the only option we had. I could not stay one minute longer in Aguas Calientes! I was going crazy...
In the train I sat next to a young Peruvian woman that spoke French to a group of people so I realized that she must be well educated and after a while I decided to talk to her (her English was also good) and to ask her to explain to me these «strikes» and what was going on. SO, she said that the Peruvian government wanted to privatize the waters in Peru and the farmers were against it and they had strikes. SO, I asked how could the farmers strike against the government and what did this have to do with the train? So, she said that they were going to put road blocks on the tracks and in the roads all over the Sacred Valley and elsewhere so they would essentially paralyze the country for two days because no buses, no trains and no private cars could go anywhere! SO, I asked what were they planning to do and she said that they were going to block the streets and if anyone tried to pass they would break the windows or they would ask for ransom and then let you go until the next road block etc. only then I realized that these were not exactly strikes but rather an act of protest that resembles terrorism! In the mean time I am thinking of our planned car ride the next day to Cusco and all the arrangements we have made with Esteban the driver and the hotels and that NOBODY warned us about ANYTHING! SO, I asked her again if it will really be impossible to travel tomorrow and she said that I should NOT travel tomorrow under ANY circumstances because the Sacred Valley was particularly targeted because of he concentration of tourists and the negotiating power it provided to the protesters. She insisted that we had to get to Cusco that same night. She explained that many people in Peru do not agree with the government privatizing natural resources ( like giving away the Peru rail to a Orient Express or the rights to the Amazonian forest timber to private hands –indeed to foreign private hands -) and this plan to privatize the water and make the farmers pay for it to raise their crops is one of the latest conflicts. She said that these two days is the first warning and that if the government does not withdraw the law proposal they will «strike» for a week or even a month. She predicted that these uprising will not stop and that unfortunately there is not real representation of the farmers and the poorest of the people in the parliament. No real opposition...
I am sitting in that train-which by the way had stopped for at least half an hour in the middle of nowhere- and I am thinking of my husband and son, not knowing when they will get on a train and when we will be able to leave Ollantaytambo. In the meantime there is a show going on the train, with a funny guy dancing and miming gaily and another fashion show with Alpaca sweaters and shawls and I am trying to text my husband and all the messages are not able to go through and I am going crazy. These were probably the worse two hours of my life that I can remember!
Finally we arrive at Ollantaytambo and I run to the hotel and start making phone calls to find a hotel in Cusco. The Casa Andina we were going to stay the following night was full and after several phone calls I found a room in another Casa Andina at the the San Blas neighborhood, a great hotel and in a very nice area. And then I went to the room and started packing still not knowing when my family will show up.
Fortunately the wonderful lady Ms Carolina put my husband and son to another bigger train 45 minutes later and they finally knock on the door –completely unaware of the situation!. I opened and they looked at the suitcases and they wondered what is going on. We were planning to go to a restaurant near the hotel that was highly recommended and they were looking forward to a shower and a nice dinner. So, I told them that we are leaving right away and I had to explain all the things I learned from the Peruvian guide, our savior! We had a flight to Lima on Wednesday in order to catch our flight back to Philadelphia so if we were not warned we would have been unable to make to the airport at Cusco.
We payed the hotel and tried to find a taxi. It was a zoo outside because many more people were trying to leave by bus, by taxi, by tain and there was enormous traffic and confusion in this otherwise beautiful village that we –unfortunately- were unable to enjoy.
We finally arrived in Cusco –around 10:00pm. We were very fortunate in the end. Cusco is a great place to get «stuck» so to speak and we had a really nice time there and we were able to make it to the airport on Wednesday in spite the «strikes»
because it is a very short distance from Cusco and it was patrolled by police so there were no problems getting there. No disturbances in the city. We met many people (tourists and locals) that had to change their plans and had remained in Cusco during these two days.
In Cusco we visited the Peru museum in a great house that used to be the residence of the famous admiral Maldonado, but not any of the churches because we are not particularly fond of Catholic Christian art and we had seen enough already. Interesting art galleries and good food. The highily recommended MACHAPAPA restaurant and the LILO restaurant are indeed great (amazing limeade and pisco sour).
It is unfortunate that Peru ‘s problems are not over. Just today there was a report of a similar protest for rights to the tropical forest timber and people were killed during clashes with police.
* The next morning we took one of the many tour boats and visited the Uros and Tequile islands. (more about the Uros in another blog)
* On Sunday, we arrived in Cusco around 9:00 and went straight to Peru rail. It was easy to get the scheduled tickets (6:20 am) to get there, however, the only return tickets available were at 9:00 pm and nothing was available for the 5:00 pm train we had tickets for originally. The PR employee told us that most likely we would be able to get on an earlier train so we purchased the tickets for 9:00pm. The new plan was to stay 2 nights at Pakaritambu hotel in Ollan and come back on Tuesday and stay one night in Cusco. The driver that took us to Sacsayhuaman , Tambomachey, Pisac ruins and the famous Market and eventually drove us to Ollan, agreed to come back on Tuesday and drive us back to Cusco, driving through the rest of the Sacred Valley (Salinas de Maras, Moray).
Everybody knows Matchu Pitchu but Sacsayhuaman and Pisac are very important Inca sites as well and we were very impressed by the architecture and their skill in agriculture and their famous terraces where the Incas were able to cultivate different crops for different altitudes and microclimates.
* SO, we left on Monday morning to go to Matchu Pitchu. The train takes about 1 & half hours to get to Aguas Calientes and the trip getting there was very beautiful throught the canyon that Urubamba river has carved. We were fortunate to have the front seats of the first train. The advantage of the Vista dome train to see through the roof windows was not so spectacular but it was OK. The train looked more open and spacious but we rarely looked through these windows.
Somewhere near Aguas Calientes the landscape changed and we entered a deep tropical forest with lush vegetation, flowers and bromeliads sticking out of tree branches. We had entered the area of Matchu Pitchu and it was easy to understand how nature took over the ruins of the citadel.
Once we arrived there we got tickets for the bus and it was a short but very steep ride to MP. The weather was great, the sun was shining and the mountains, the terraces and the citadel were spectacular , just as we have all seen on photographs. However, no photo can convey the sense of history and fate and the amazing vistas are overwhelming. We decide to hike to the Gate of the Sun, which is a small set of walls where the sun first rises over the mountain across MP at the equinox, about 1 and half hour each way. It is from where all the spectacular photos are taken. The climate has changed to hot and humid and with the altitude it was not the easiest of hiking but it was really spectacular ! we saw so many wild orchids and bromeliads!
After we descended we visited the ruins of the citadel and the various buildings and the famous Intihuatana stone, one of many ritual stones in South America. By 3:00 pm the weather has change and a light drizzle started in addition to the heat. We were tired and we have only eaten some nuts and dried fruits of trail mix and water.
We were basically done with sightseeing and I started feeling really anxious, almost frantic to get out. We had the issue of trying to change our return tickets so we took the bus and went straight to the train ticket counter at the station. I was feeling really sick, about to faint and I looked like sick. A couple before us had just asked to change their departure time and the cashier said that this was impossible. SO, I talked to him and I explained that I am not well and that really need to get to my hotel ASAP. My appearance probably persuaded hm that I was telling the truth and he took me to the manager of the station a young woman named Carolina. She explained to us that EVERYBODY wanted to leave as early as possible because of the «strikes» and that they had put EVERY train they had available to the tracks. She offered to try to put each one of us in different trains and we agreed. So, she calls me first and places me on the second train that wasdeparting shortly and I went, leaving behind my husband and son and feeling really bad but knowing that it was the only option we had. I could not stay one minute longer in Aguas Calientes! I was going crazy...
In the train I sat next to a young Peruvian woman that spoke French to a group of people so I realized that she must be well educated and after a while I decided to talk to her (her English was also good) and to ask her to explain to me these «strikes» and what was going on. SO, she said that the Peruvian government wanted to privatize the waters in Peru and the farmers were against it and they had strikes. SO, I asked how could the farmers strike against the government and what did this have to do with the train? So, she said that they were going to put road blocks on the tracks and in the roads all over the Sacred Valley and elsewhere so they would essentially paralyze the country for two days because no buses, no trains and no private cars could go anywhere! SO, I asked what were they planning to do and she said that they were going to block the streets and if anyone tried to pass they would break the windows or they would ask for ransom and then let you go until the next road block etc. only then I realized that these were not exactly strikes but rather an act of protest that resembles terrorism! In the mean time I am thinking of our planned car ride the next day to Cusco and all the arrangements we have made with Esteban the driver and the hotels and that NOBODY warned us about ANYTHING! SO, I asked her again if it will really be impossible to travel tomorrow and she said that I should NOT travel tomorrow under ANY circumstances because the Sacred Valley was particularly targeted because of he concentration of tourists and the negotiating power it provided to the protesters. She insisted that we had to get to Cusco that same night. She explained that many people in Peru do not agree with the government privatizing natural resources ( like giving away the Peru rail to a Orient Express or the rights to the Amazonian forest timber to private hands –indeed to foreign private hands -) and this plan to privatize the water and make the farmers pay for it to raise their crops is one of the latest conflicts. She said that these two days is the first warning and that if the government does not withdraw the law proposal they will «strike» for a week or even a month. She predicted that these uprising will not stop and that unfortunately there is not real representation of the farmers and the poorest of the people in the parliament. No real opposition...
I am sitting in that train-which by the way had stopped for at least half an hour in the middle of nowhere- and I am thinking of my husband and son, not knowing when they will get on a train and when we will be able to leave Ollantaytambo. In the meantime there is a show going on the train, with a funny guy dancing and miming gaily and another fashion show with Alpaca sweaters and shawls and I am trying to text my husband and all the messages are not able to go through and I am going crazy. These were probably the worse two hours of my life that I can remember!
Finally we arrive at Ollantaytambo and I run to the hotel and start making phone calls to find a hotel in Cusco. The Casa Andina we were going to stay the following night was full and after several phone calls I found a room in another Casa Andina at the the San Blas neighborhood, a great hotel and in a very nice area. And then I went to the room and started packing still not knowing when my family will show up.
Fortunately the wonderful lady Ms Carolina put my husband and son to another bigger train 45 minutes later and they finally knock on the door –completely unaware of the situation!. I opened and they looked at the suitcases and they wondered what is going on. We were planning to go to a restaurant near the hotel that was highly recommended and they were looking forward to a shower and a nice dinner. So, I told them that we are leaving right away and I had to explain all the things I learned from the Peruvian guide, our savior! We had a flight to Lima on Wednesday in order to catch our flight back to Philadelphia so if we were not warned we would have been unable to make to the airport at Cusco.
We payed the hotel and tried to find a taxi. It was a zoo outside because many more people were trying to leave by bus, by taxi, by tain and there was enormous traffic and confusion in this otherwise beautiful village that we –unfortunately- were unable to enjoy.
We finally arrived in Cusco –around 10:00pm. We were very fortunate in the end. Cusco is a great place to get «stuck» so to speak and we had a really nice time there and we were able to make it to the airport on Wednesday in spite the «strikes»
because it is a very short distance from Cusco and it was patrolled by police so there were no problems getting there. No disturbances in the city. We met many people (tourists and locals) that had to change their plans and had remained in Cusco during these two days.
In Cusco we visited the Peru museum in a great house that used to be the residence of the famous admiral Maldonado, but not any of the churches because we are not particularly fond of Catholic Christian art and we had seen enough already. Interesting art galleries and good food. The highily recommended MACHAPAPA restaurant and the LILO restaurant are indeed great (amazing limeade and pisco sour).
It is unfortunate that Peru ‘s problems are not over. Just today there was a report of a similar protest for rights to the tropical forest timber and people were killed during clashes with police.
Jun 17th, 2009, 06:04 AM
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Jun 17th, 2009, 08:12 AM
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Jun 19th, 2009, 11:57 AM
#18
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Hi Friends, Could you recommend a good travel agency in Peru, I will be traveling to Peru in August for 2 weeks and I need some help to find a company to organize trips in Arequipa, Nasca, Puno, Machu Picchu and Cusco.
many thanks in advence
Cheers
many thanks in advence
Cheers
Jun 21st, 2009, 05:15 AM
#19
roberth - you might want to post a new thread for your question. It will get more attention that way. I don't know of any agencies, but two guides who are recommended here often (and can arrange such things individually) are Percy Salas and David Choque (sp?). We used Percy and thought he was wonderful. Contact info can be found by doing a search on these guides (I'll look it up if you can't find it).
Jun 21st, 2009, 06:55 PM
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chapstick, chapstick, chapstick! And face lotion w/ spf is a must! There were ATM's in the baggage claim area (where locals are not allowed) at Lima airport, but they did not recogize our Bank Of America ATM card. (All other ATMs in Peru did, however.) There was also 2 money exchange booths in the baggage claim area. We traveled with only US dollars, and exchanged money at the baggage claim in Lima. Then used ATMs for rest of trip without incident. Most ATM's had limit of 400 Soles, which was about $125.
