Just back from a wonderful Peru adventure
May 17th, 2009, 12:26 PM
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Just back from a wonderful Peru adventure
Hello everyone,
I just returned last week from a wonderful visit to Peru and wanted to share with the forum. I didn't post tons of questions before my trip, but I did do some extensive reading to help me plan. There have been a lot of great trip reports posted here. In particular I'd like to thank emd3, eenusa, luv2globetrot, Karen and Julie, and Elizabeth S for providing really interesting and useful information.
My trip lasted just a week and covered the typical Cusco/Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu itinerary. There were 3 of us, all women in our mid-40's traveling together. This was also a reunion of sorts because we were all college roommates back in the day and haven't all been together in over a decade. We had a terrific time and really enjoyed Peru.
I'll break the report up into segments because I tend to be way too wordy to keep it to a single post.
I just returned last week from a wonderful visit to Peru and wanted to share with the forum. I didn't post tons of questions before my trip, but I did do some extensive reading to help me plan. There have been a lot of great trip reports posted here. In particular I'd like to thank emd3, eenusa, luv2globetrot, Karen and Julie, and Elizabeth S for providing really interesting and useful information.
My trip lasted just a week and covered the typical Cusco/Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu itinerary. There were 3 of us, all women in our mid-40's traveling together. This was also a reunion of sorts because we were all college roommates back in the day and haven't all been together in over a decade. We had a terrific time and really enjoyed Peru.
I'll break the report up into segments because I tend to be way too wordy to keep it to a single post.
May 17th, 2009, 12:46 PM
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May 6, 2009
I had an uneventful flight from Orlando, Fl to Panama City, and then from Panama City to Lima. I flew on Copa Airlines for the first time and was pleased with them. All my flights were on time, and they were very helpful when I needed to juggle my flights back home due to an unexpected schedule change of my domestic flight from Cusco to Lima. They also provided free meals and snacks on each flight leg which I haven't experienced for a while!
The most notable thing about the flights was the number of people who were wearing masks due to the Swine Flu
I had an uneventful flight from Orlando, Fl to Panama City, and then from Panama City to Lima. I flew on Copa Airlines for the first time and was pleased with them. All my flights were on time, and they were very helpful when I needed to juggle my flights back home due to an unexpected schedule change of my domestic flight from Cusco to Lima. They also provided free meals and snacks on each flight leg which I haven't experienced for a while!
The most notable thing about the flights was the number of people who were wearing masks due to the Swine Flu
May 17th, 2009, 01:25 PM
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Aaaargh! I didn't mean to post that yet. I'm using a laptop I'm not used to and inadvertently hit the wrong button...
May 6, 2009 cont'd
In Panama, we were met by airport workers wearing masks, handing out pamphlets on Swine Flu symptoms. In Lima, we were met by pamphlet-bearing personnel in full surgical regalia; gowns, gloves and masks. It was a bit surreal.
My flight arrived at midnight. My friends had managed to meet up in Houston and flew to Lima together. They had arrived about an hour earlier than I did. Of course once we were all reunited, we had to gab for a while. Our flight to Cusco was scheduled to leave at 8:30 the next morning so we had wisely chosen to stay at the Ramada Costa del Sol which is right across the street from the airport. You can use an elevated pedestrian walkway that literally connects the airport to the hotel. It couldn't be more convenient and the price which seems a bit high, (we paid ~200$ USD for the night) is worth it's weight in gold when you're tired and just need a clean bed to grab a few hours of sleep before beginning your vacation in earnest.
We eventually drifted off around 2:00 a.m. full of anticipation for the adventures ahead...
May 6, 2009 cont'd
In Panama, we were met by airport workers wearing masks, handing out pamphlets on Swine Flu symptoms. In Lima, we were met by pamphlet-bearing personnel in full surgical regalia; gowns, gloves and masks. It was a bit surreal.
My flight arrived at midnight. My friends had managed to meet up in Houston and flew to Lima together. They had arrived about an hour earlier than I did. Of course once we were all reunited, we had to gab for a while. Our flight to Cusco was scheduled to leave at 8:30 the next morning so we had wisely chosen to stay at the Ramada Costa del Sol which is right across the street from the airport. You can use an elevated pedestrian walkway that literally connects the airport to the hotel. It couldn't be more convenient and the price which seems a bit high, (we paid ~200$ USD for the night) is worth it's weight in gold when you're tired and just need a clean bed to grab a few hours of sleep before beginning your vacation in earnest.
We eventually drifted off around 2:00 a.m. full of anticipation for the adventures ahead...
May 18th, 2009, 12:41 PM
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Thanks for reading guys! I'll try to make it entertaining.
May 7, 2009
The sound of the 5:00 a.m. alarm was jarring to say the least after so little sleep. We had set 2 different cell phone alarms just to be certain we would wake up on time, so it was quite the jangling symphony that assaulted our ears. I will add that it was so nice that our cell phones worked in Peru! My friend AB and I both have tri-band phones with AT&T. There were only a few times that we couldn't get a decent signal. My phone even rang unexpectedly at Machu Picchu of all places, which drew a gasp of awe from several of the people in close proximity to me!
We checked out of the trusty Ramada and crossed the street to the airport right at 6:30 a.m. We had to go to the Star Peru information counter and pay a change fee before we could check in for our flight to Cusco. We had originally planned to visit Peru back in November, but a last minute illness for one of my travel buddies forced us to postpone the trip until May.
The Star Peru airfare was good for one year from the date of purchase, but we had to pay a fee to change the travel dates. In earlier correspondence with Star Peru, I had been told that the change fee would be ~30$ USD, and I should pay at the airport before our flight to Cusco. I think we managed to totally confuse the poor lady at the counter. I had the email regarding the travel date changes, but she kept calculating a dollar amount closer to the full price of a ticket. Even though a couple of us speak a little bit of Spanish, the language barrier didn't help and the minutes were ticking away on the clock, making me worry that we might end up missing our flight.
She kept insisting that we each owed about 100$ more than we should have, and I eventually just paid her because I wasn't going to ruin our day over the mis-understanding. I ran down to the main check-in counter to see how long the line was while my friends were still paying their change fees. The line was blessedly short so I ran back to the info counter to see how things were progressing. When I walked up, the Star Peru lady was busy adding something up on her calculator and hadn't even taken my friend's payments yet. We had eaten up an entire hour dealing with the change fees and I was getting a bit stressed out! Then, much to my delight, the lady looked up and said "I've made a mistake and overcharged you for your change fee. I need to refund your money." A short time later, we were all squared away and on our way to check in for our domestic flight.
We breezed through check-in and there was luckily no line for the airport tax (which incidentally, despite all my pre-trip research, I somehow missed the fact that you had to pay a separate departure tax for each flight you take in Peru. Most places lump this into the airfare price but in Peru you have to make an extra stop on your way to your departure gate. Thanks to eenusa for mentioning this in her travel blog so that I was forewarned! We were able to pay our tax in either US or Peruvian currency and the lines moved quite quickly).
Despite our lengthy change fee extravaganza, we arrived at our gate with about 15-20 minutes to spare before our flight started boarding.
The flight was a quick hour and Star Peru rather surprisingly served a complimentary breakfast sandwich and some cookies. This worked out well for us since we had not had time for breakfast at the Ramada.
The plane descended and we got our first look at the tiled rooftops and mountainous terrain surrounding Cusco. The mountains here are somewhat barren looking, but striking in their starkness. I was chomping at the bit to get out of the airport and on our way!
Based on the very excellent trip report by luv2globetrot last year, we decided to be brave and rent a car for our days in the Sacred Valley. We thought “We’ve got experience driving in Europe, Costa Rica, the Caribbean (and the U.S.!) between us, how hard can it be?” Perhaps a better question would have been “How confusing will it be to find our way out of Cusco?”
We had arranged to pick up our car at the airport, thinking that it would be easier to get out on the open road since most airports are on the outskirts of urban areas and not right in the city center. Little did we know that Hertz doesn’t keep cars at the actual airport. You’re met by a Hertz representative and then taken to their downtown office to fill out your paperwork and pick up the car.
We told our Hertz rep that we’d need to pick up our Perurail tickets for MP before we left Cusco and she assured us that the train station was very close to the Hertz office. She would give us a map and good directions to the train station and Sacred Valley beyond. There was parking available at the train station so it would be no problem to take care of this in our rental car on our way out of town. Cue the ominous foreshadowing music… ;-)
May 7, 2009
The sound of the 5:00 a.m. alarm was jarring to say the least after so little sleep. We had set 2 different cell phone alarms just to be certain we would wake up on time, so it was quite the jangling symphony that assaulted our ears. I will add that it was so nice that our cell phones worked in Peru! My friend AB and I both have tri-band phones with AT&T. There were only a few times that we couldn't get a decent signal. My phone even rang unexpectedly at Machu Picchu of all places, which drew a gasp of awe from several of the people in close proximity to me!
We checked out of the trusty Ramada and crossed the street to the airport right at 6:30 a.m. We had to go to the Star Peru information counter and pay a change fee before we could check in for our flight to Cusco. We had originally planned to visit Peru back in November, but a last minute illness for one of my travel buddies forced us to postpone the trip until May.
The Star Peru airfare was good for one year from the date of purchase, but we had to pay a fee to change the travel dates. In earlier correspondence with Star Peru, I had been told that the change fee would be ~30$ USD, and I should pay at the airport before our flight to Cusco. I think we managed to totally confuse the poor lady at the counter. I had the email regarding the travel date changes, but she kept calculating a dollar amount closer to the full price of a ticket. Even though a couple of us speak a little bit of Spanish, the language barrier didn't help and the minutes were ticking away on the clock, making me worry that we might end up missing our flight.
She kept insisting that we each owed about 100$ more than we should have, and I eventually just paid her because I wasn't going to ruin our day over the mis-understanding. I ran down to the main check-in counter to see how long the line was while my friends were still paying their change fees. The line was blessedly short so I ran back to the info counter to see how things were progressing. When I walked up, the Star Peru lady was busy adding something up on her calculator and hadn't even taken my friend's payments yet. We had eaten up an entire hour dealing with the change fees and I was getting a bit stressed out! Then, much to my delight, the lady looked up and said "I've made a mistake and overcharged you for your change fee. I need to refund your money." A short time later, we were all squared away and on our way to check in for our domestic flight.
We breezed through check-in and there was luckily no line for the airport tax (which incidentally, despite all my pre-trip research, I somehow missed the fact that you had to pay a separate departure tax for each flight you take in Peru. Most places lump this into the airfare price but in Peru you have to make an extra stop on your way to your departure gate. Thanks to eenusa for mentioning this in her travel blog so that I was forewarned! We were able to pay our tax in either US or Peruvian currency and the lines moved quite quickly).
Despite our lengthy change fee extravaganza, we arrived at our gate with about 15-20 minutes to spare before our flight started boarding.
The flight was a quick hour and Star Peru rather surprisingly served a complimentary breakfast sandwich and some cookies. This worked out well for us since we had not had time for breakfast at the Ramada.
The plane descended and we got our first look at the tiled rooftops and mountainous terrain surrounding Cusco. The mountains here are somewhat barren looking, but striking in their starkness. I was chomping at the bit to get out of the airport and on our way!
Based on the very excellent trip report by luv2globetrot last year, we decided to be brave and rent a car for our days in the Sacred Valley. We thought “We’ve got experience driving in Europe, Costa Rica, the Caribbean (and the U.S.!) between us, how hard can it be?” Perhaps a better question would have been “How confusing will it be to find our way out of Cusco?”
We had arranged to pick up our car at the airport, thinking that it would be easier to get out on the open road since most airports are on the outskirts of urban areas and not right in the city center. Little did we know that Hertz doesn’t keep cars at the actual airport. You’re met by a Hertz representative and then taken to their downtown office to fill out your paperwork and pick up the car.
We told our Hertz rep that we’d need to pick up our Perurail tickets for MP before we left Cusco and she assured us that the train station was very close to the Hertz office. She would give us a map and good directions to the train station and Sacred Valley beyond. There was parking available at the train station so it would be no problem to take care of this in our rental car on our way out of town. Cue the ominous foreshadowing music… ;-)
May 18th, 2009, 06:49 PM
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ooooo, cmerrell, so glad to see you posting your report! Can't wait for more, I am reading every word. Good for you renting the car, can't wait to hear hwo that went. It is amazing how inspiring other people's trip reports can be isn't it. I feel for ya on the change fees...as you know I had a similar experience w/LAN and changing my flights.
Keep up the report!
emdrus
Keep up the report!
emdrus
May 18th, 2009, 08:21 PM
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Thanks for reading, emd3! I hope you and your son are now fully past any lingering illness from your trip and that the all the wonderful experiences you had in Peru have made the less pleasant ones fade from memory a bit.
I fear this will be quite a long trip report. Try as I may, I just have a hard time glossing over the details, so I hope a few people will see the whole lengthy saga through. I'll try to be a bit less long winded from here on out...
May 7, 2009 cont'd
We jumped in our car and entered the bustling Avenida del Sol armed with our Hertz map on which the rep had carefully drawn the route we were to follow. Make a left at the first intersection….Check. Follow the road as it curves sharply around to the left….Check. Within 5 minutes, you’ll see the train station on your right….What? We’ve reached the end of the street and have to turn left or right. That’s not on the map. Where the heck are we?? We turned to the right and tried to double back to where we’d been before, but the maze of one-way streets and bustling traffic got the better of us.
We weren’t bumbling for too awfully long before we happened upon a friendly police officer. He genially approached the car and in our less-than-perfect Spanish, we managed to ask him where the train station was. He proceeded to rapidly fire off a series of directions, most of which we could not understand.
We must have looked pretty woebegone, because after a few minutes he jumped in the car with us to better show us the way! Now under normal circumstances, I would be very alarmed if a strange man, carrying a gun and billy club climbed into my car! But there were 3 of us, and nothing about this man’s demeanor set off any alarm bells. As it turned out, he really was just trying to help us. He navigated us through the streets, and pointed out the train station. We dropped him off, thanking him profusely and turned up the nearest side street to park. As we were getting out of the car, he came up behind us and managed to convey that we were parked facing the wrong way on the street and needed to move the car so we wouldn’t get ticketed. We must have looked really confused again, because he motioned us back into the car and climbed into the driver seat himself!
He navigated around a few more blocks and drove us right into the Wanchaq Station parking lot. The policeman accompanied us into the station and made sure we were able to get our tickets purchased okay and then attempted to painstakingly show us a route out of town using our little Hertz map. He went over it with us several times to make sure we understood (his route was completely different than the one the Hertz rep had mapped out for us). We offered him a small tip for his assistance which he accepted warmly; humorously saying something about his wife spending it. His last act of kindness was to stop traffic on the busy street so that we could pull out of the train station parking lot. As soon as we drove away, I wished I had thought to ask for his name.
His instructions for heading out of town turned out to be pretty good. We were able to find the cross streets he had pointed out on our map and we soon left Cusco behind. We made a quick stop at the Cristo Blanco (White Christ) statue that presides over the city from the mountainside and then continued on towards the Sacred Valley...
I'll have to resume my tale tomorrow. I'm still being horribly long winded, but I'm too tired to edit further tonight. Bear with me...
I fear this will be quite a long trip report. Try as I may, I just have a hard time glossing over the details, so I hope a few people will see the whole lengthy saga through. I'll try to be a bit less long winded from here on out...
May 7, 2009 cont'd
We jumped in our car and entered the bustling Avenida del Sol armed with our Hertz map on which the rep had carefully drawn the route we were to follow. Make a left at the first intersection….Check. Follow the road as it curves sharply around to the left….Check. Within 5 minutes, you’ll see the train station on your right….What? We’ve reached the end of the street and have to turn left or right. That’s not on the map. Where the heck are we?? We turned to the right and tried to double back to where we’d been before, but the maze of one-way streets and bustling traffic got the better of us.
We weren’t bumbling for too awfully long before we happened upon a friendly police officer. He genially approached the car and in our less-than-perfect Spanish, we managed to ask him where the train station was. He proceeded to rapidly fire off a series of directions, most of which we could not understand.
We must have looked pretty woebegone, because after a few minutes he jumped in the car with us to better show us the way! Now under normal circumstances, I would be very alarmed if a strange man, carrying a gun and billy club climbed into my car! But there were 3 of us, and nothing about this man’s demeanor set off any alarm bells. As it turned out, he really was just trying to help us. He navigated us through the streets, and pointed out the train station. We dropped him off, thanking him profusely and turned up the nearest side street to park. As we were getting out of the car, he came up behind us and managed to convey that we were parked facing the wrong way on the street and needed to move the car so we wouldn’t get ticketed. We must have looked really confused again, because he motioned us back into the car and climbed into the driver seat himself!
He navigated around a few more blocks and drove us right into the Wanchaq Station parking lot. The policeman accompanied us into the station and made sure we were able to get our tickets purchased okay and then attempted to painstakingly show us a route out of town using our little Hertz map. He went over it with us several times to make sure we understood (his route was completely different than the one the Hertz rep had mapped out for us). We offered him a small tip for his assistance which he accepted warmly; humorously saying something about his wife spending it. His last act of kindness was to stop traffic on the busy street so that we could pull out of the train station parking lot. As soon as we drove away, I wished I had thought to ask for his name.
His instructions for heading out of town turned out to be pretty good. We were able to find the cross streets he had pointed out on our map and we soon left Cusco behind. We made a quick stop at the Cristo Blanco (White Christ) statue that presides over the city from the mountainside and then continued on towards the Sacred Valley...
I'll have to resume my tale tomorrow. I'm still being horribly long winded, but I'm too tired to edit further tonight. Bear with me...
) Really enjoying your report.
May 20th, 2009, 04:15 PM
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You guys are awesome! Thanks for the kind encouragement.
Nice to see you here, owlwoman. You asked how Peru compared to AR. I assuming you meant <i>C</i>R. ;-)
I'm thinking the Amazon basin area of Peru would have some definite similarities to Costa Rica with the flora and fauna, but unfortunately we didn't have time to visit that part of the country. If I ever get back to Peru, the Amazon would be on my 'to visit' list. The part of Peru that I saw was very different than CR; much less humid with huge, rugged (at times almost stark) mountains and long valleys with multi-colored crop fields and small villages that seemed more simple and humble than the small towns of Costa Rica. It was really beautiful like CR, but in a very different way! I hope you get to go someday. We were very fortunate with the altitude. We certainly felt it, but none of us got sick because of it.
I'm going to grab a quick bite to eat and resume the report. Back in a jiffy...
Nice to see you here, owlwoman. You asked how Peru compared to AR. I assuming you meant <i>C</i>R. ;-)
I'm thinking the Amazon basin area of Peru would have some definite similarities to Costa Rica with the flora and fauna, but unfortunately we didn't have time to visit that part of the country. If I ever get back to Peru, the Amazon would be on my 'to visit' list. The part of Peru that I saw was very different than CR; much less humid with huge, rugged (at times almost stark) mountains and long valleys with multi-colored crop fields and small villages that seemed more simple and humble than the small towns of Costa Rica. It was really beautiful like CR, but in a very different way! I hope you get to go someday. We were very fortunate with the altitude. We certainly felt it, but none of us got sick because of it.
I'm going to grab a quick bite to eat and resume the report. Back in a jiffy...
May 20th, 2009, 05:12 PM
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Cam, I have been so looking for your report. Boy Peru !! then you are off to BdC soon. Getting some traveling in this year!
So far it's a great report, keep it coming, we leave Fri for CR, I will probably have to finish reading it when we get back. I'll be looking for the puma of course at BdC.
Did you make all of the plans for MP/Peru yourselves? Did you use an agency? I want to go next yr, but planning it alone is a little daunting.
Can't wait for the pictures, I am sure they are stunning. Toni
So far it's a great report, keep it coming, we leave Fri for CR, I will probably have to finish reading it when we get back. I'll be looking for the puma of course at BdC.
Did you make all of the plans for MP/Peru yourselves? Did you use an agency? I want to go next yr, but planning it alone is a little daunting.
Can't wait for the pictures, I am sure they are stunning. Toni
May 20th, 2009, 07:09 PM
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Hey parrmt! Glad to have you reading along.
We did do all the planning and set up ourselves. Making our arrangements was a bit convoluted because we had a trip all booked for November and then had to cancel at the last minute and rebook everything for May due to an unexpected illness of one of my travelling companions, but picking the hotels and activities was pretty easy thanks to this forum and a couple of guide books. There were some really great trip reports here that helped us out a lot.
Happy puma hunting! Get him all warmed up for us. I hope you have a really wonderful CR visit!
We did do all the planning and set up ourselves. Making our arrangements was a bit convoluted because we had a trip all booked for November and then had to cancel at the last minute and rebook everything for May due to an unexpected illness of one of my travelling companions, but picking the hotels and activities was pretty easy thanks to this forum and a couple of guide books. There were some really great trip reports here that helped us out a lot.
Happy puma hunting! Get him all warmed up for us. I hope you have a really wonderful CR visit!
May 20th, 2009, 07:41 PM
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May 7, 2009 cont'd
Within a few minutes of leaving Cusco, you find yourself on a fairly straightforward route that winds through dramatic mountain and valley landscapes. The Andes are a young mountain range geologically which accounts for their rugged appearance. They are also the tallest range outside of Asia. A number of different microclimates and ecosystems exist within the area. The hills around Cusco were sort of brown and barren, but once we were out in the Sacred Valley, they constantly changed; sometimes covered in scrubby, sparse vegetation, sometimes fairly heavily tree'd. Some of the highest peaks were snow-capped with clear evidence of glacial activity. The valleys were dotted with small villages and lots of colorful agricultural fields.
I think the scenery really leaves an impact on you; at least it did on us. We stopped several times for photo ops as we drove along, which was precisely why we had decided to rent the car. We had no issues with traffic outside of Cusco. We didn't really encounter a lot of other cars outside of the larger towns or villages and whenever anyone came up on our tail, we would move over to toward the side of the road and let them pass. We never really got lost either (outside of Cusco) except for one notable adventure in the tiny village of Maras, but I'll get that later.
Our plan for the day was to visit Pisac and check out the Thursday market, and then continue on to Ollantaytambo where we were to spend the next 3 nights.
The drive to Pisac was thoroughly enjoyable. I know it doesn't take all that long to get there from Cusco, but we probably doubled that time due the number of times we stopped to ooh and ahh at the scenery. I think it took us a couple of hours to make the drive.
We crossed the river and found a parking spot on the main drag. Pisac is a cute, hustly-bustly little town. There were lots of cars, trucks and tourist minivans and even a few full size buses navigating the street. There were also lots of pedestrians about and we were a little wary of leaving our stuff in the car, but no one bothered it. We had our suitcases in the trunk and a few odds and ends in sight on the seats. Our car even had Avis stickers on the back bumper, clearly marking it as a rental. Btw, notice I said 'Avis stickers'. We rented from Hertz. Not sure what Avis had to do with it. One of life's little mysteries!
It was easy to find our way to the market which was located in the main square. All the side streets sort of led in that direction. The big market takes place on Sundays, but there is a smaller market held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was plenty to see (and buy if you were so inclined). One section was devoted to food with brightly colored fruits and vegetables on display. Then there was the maze of covered stalls containing all the Alpaca sweaters, leather goods, blankets, hats, t-shirts, jewelry, figurines, dolls, etc etc... We happily meandered for a couple of hours and each bought a few items. The merchants would willingly barter if you showed interest in their wares, but I don't tend to get into that much and am generally happy to pay the original asking price if I really want something and feel the cost is fair. I thought it was interesting how you would ask if they could make change for you larger bills and they would say yes, take your money and then run off through maze to return a few minutes later with your change. Where did they get it from?
We ran into a nice Canadian lady at the market and compared a few notes with her on the things she had already done in the Sacred Valley. She was there with a tour group and seemed to be having a great time.
It was a bit of an overcast day, and once the clouds started to darken and look like rain, we decided we'd better hit the road. By this time, our practically sleepless night was starting to set in too. We didn't stop for photos every 5 minutes, like we had earlier! We drove through the sizeable town of Urubamba which I'm sure has it's selling points, but I was really happy that we decided to stay in Ollantaytambo ( especially when I saw how charming it was).
Ollanta is interesting to drive in though! All those narrow, steepish, cobblestone streets...
After asking a few people for directions, we fumbled our way to Hotel Pakaritampu. The nice man who opens the gate and helps guests with their luggage looked a bit bemused to see three gringas pull up in a rental car. Everyone in Peru was quite surprised when we said we were driving ourselves around. Even though there is more than one car rental agency in Cusco, most tourists must not drive themselves.
We LOVED Pakaritampu. The grounds are lovely, the rooms are well appointed and cozy, the staff is nice. The setting is fantastic with striking mountain views from every angle and you could see part of the Incan ruins that nestle into the hillside above the village.
We were pretty beat by the time we got settled into our room. We decided to just eat dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which turned out to be quite good. We shared a yummy stuffed avocado appetizer and I selected a tasty chicken dish for my entree. We lingered at our table for a while and then went back to our room to get ready for bed. I think we might have managed to stay awake until 9:00 p.m., but just barely!
Within a few minutes of leaving Cusco, you find yourself on a fairly straightforward route that winds through dramatic mountain and valley landscapes. The Andes are a young mountain range geologically which accounts for their rugged appearance. They are also the tallest range outside of Asia. A number of different microclimates and ecosystems exist within the area. The hills around Cusco were sort of brown and barren, but once we were out in the Sacred Valley, they constantly changed; sometimes covered in scrubby, sparse vegetation, sometimes fairly heavily tree'd. Some of the highest peaks were snow-capped with clear evidence of glacial activity. The valleys were dotted with small villages and lots of colorful agricultural fields.
I think the scenery really leaves an impact on you; at least it did on us. We stopped several times for photo ops as we drove along, which was precisely why we had decided to rent the car. We had no issues with traffic outside of Cusco. We didn't really encounter a lot of other cars outside of the larger towns or villages and whenever anyone came up on our tail, we would move over to toward the side of the road and let them pass. We never really got lost either (outside of Cusco) except for one notable adventure in the tiny village of Maras, but I'll get that later.
Our plan for the day was to visit Pisac and check out the Thursday market, and then continue on to Ollantaytambo where we were to spend the next 3 nights.
The drive to Pisac was thoroughly enjoyable. I know it doesn't take all that long to get there from Cusco, but we probably doubled that time due the number of times we stopped to ooh and ahh at the scenery. I think it took us a couple of hours to make the drive.
We crossed the river and found a parking spot on the main drag. Pisac is a cute, hustly-bustly little town. There were lots of cars, trucks and tourist minivans and even a few full size buses navigating the street. There were also lots of pedestrians about and we were a little wary of leaving our stuff in the car, but no one bothered it. We had our suitcases in the trunk and a few odds and ends in sight on the seats. Our car even had Avis stickers on the back bumper, clearly marking it as a rental. Btw, notice I said 'Avis stickers'. We rented from Hertz. Not sure what Avis had to do with it. One of life's little mysteries!
It was easy to find our way to the market which was located in the main square. All the side streets sort of led in that direction. The big market takes place on Sundays, but there is a smaller market held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was plenty to see (and buy if you were so inclined). One section was devoted to food with brightly colored fruits and vegetables on display. Then there was the maze of covered stalls containing all the Alpaca sweaters, leather goods, blankets, hats, t-shirts, jewelry, figurines, dolls, etc etc... We happily meandered for a couple of hours and each bought a few items. The merchants would willingly barter if you showed interest in their wares, but I don't tend to get into that much and am generally happy to pay the original asking price if I really want something and feel the cost is fair. I thought it was interesting how you would ask if they could make change for you larger bills and they would say yes, take your money and then run off through maze to return a few minutes later with your change. Where did they get it from?
We ran into a nice Canadian lady at the market and compared a few notes with her on the things she had already done in the Sacred Valley. She was there with a tour group and seemed to be having a great time.
It was a bit of an overcast day, and once the clouds started to darken and look like rain, we decided we'd better hit the road. By this time, our practically sleepless night was starting to set in too. We didn't stop for photos every 5 minutes, like we had earlier! We drove through the sizeable town of Urubamba which I'm sure has it's selling points, but I was really happy that we decided to stay in Ollantaytambo ( especially when I saw how charming it was).
Ollanta is interesting to drive in though! All those narrow, steepish, cobblestone streets...
After asking a few people for directions, we fumbled our way to Hotel Pakaritampu. The nice man who opens the gate and helps guests with their luggage looked a bit bemused to see three gringas pull up in a rental car. Everyone in Peru was quite surprised when we said we were driving ourselves around. Even though there is more than one car rental agency in Cusco, most tourists must not drive themselves.
We LOVED Pakaritampu. The grounds are lovely, the rooms are well appointed and cozy, the staff is nice. The setting is fantastic with striking mountain views from every angle and you could see part of the Incan ruins that nestle into the hillside above the village.
We were pretty beat by the time we got settled into our room. We decided to just eat dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which turned out to be quite good. We shared a yummy stuffed avocado appetizer and I selected a tasty chicken dish for my entree. We lingered at our table for a while and then went back to our room to get ready for bed. I think we might have managed to stay awake until 9:00 p.m., but just barely!
