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Published: June 19th 2010
I don't want to waste too many paragraphs talking about our less than pleasant experience of taking the train/bus from Machu Picchu to Cusco. What a debacle!! Remember that with the flooding the tracks have been washed away in several sections meaning that you can only take the train for 1.5 hrs before being loaded into a giant mini-van. First issue....there was complete chaos among arrival at the station as to what minivan to get into. There must have been 30 crammed into this tiny parking lot...some were for us, some were for tour groups, etc...Once we got into the van we proceeded to sit there for like 40 min because all of the vans had jammed themselves into a mess and couldn't get out...it was total confusion. I should also say they kept all of the vans running so the carbon monoxide poisoning going on was quite fabulous, LOL. Once we finally got on the road, it was back driving on dirt and gravel roads, on/off the train tracks, etc... all in the pitch black with the occasional dog running into the street causing the driver to honk/swerve. My personal favorite is being out in the middle of nowhere in
complete blackness and there are people just walking along the roads, which is just more cause for honking, quick braking, etc.. I think it was a good 1.5 hrs before we hit an actual main paved road. Now Matt & I had been up since 4:30am and just wanted to fall asleep as it was now 9pm. So we were thinking....Ahhhhhhh asphalt.....oh no....even worse I think. Peru puts speed bumps on all of their main roads every so many miles which the driver decided to slow down from a good 45mph to an almost complete stop EVERY time to go over one. There was constant passing, honking, and the flashing of his brights was just over the top. Needless to say we couldn't wait to get off. I also can't forget to mention our busmates were some college boys who just seemed to be able to talk about chewing Coca and drinking, and 2 crotchety old women. If I heard the word "bro" one more time from the college boys I was going to die. There was only one funny moment the whole ride....one of the boys was playing an Incan flute quietly....I actually thought it sounded nice. The old
woman yelled at him to stop and he said "sorry, I was just practicing I didn't mean to bother anyone." She replied "Yes you did, practice when you are by yourself." It made us laugh....Anyway, we got into Cusco pretty late (10:30pm) and just checked into our hotel, took a shower, and went to sleep.
The owner of our hotel (or B&B as they say) is American. She was sporting a Lakers hat and hooked us up with a map of the city with her recommendations for sites and eating. The morning light showed us that the old Cusco, where you stay mostly as a tourist is quite nice - not at all the Cusco we saw when we first arrived from the airport. It is very hilly, so lots of climbing up and down. We started at Jack's cafe, which the hotel owner recommended for great breakfast and cappuccino. Boy, was she right. My eggs with garlicky mushrooms and bacon over toast screamed anti-Peruvian....but I didn't care! YUMMO!
We walked towards Plaza de Armas, which is the main square here in Cusco. This is where I should mention that we were told when staying at the Green
House that there was going to be a nationwide protest/strike today on gas. Meaning that if you had ANY travel plans, such as going to Machu Picchu, etc...you are totally screwed. No taxis, no buses, all things gas shut down. We were very lucky it did not interfere with our itinerary.
When we arrived at the Plaza, the protest had just begun and it was quite entertaining to watch. They had pictures of politicians on big paper rats that they had made - then they lit on fire. They were lighting off M-80s and cheering.
We just spent the day mostly wandering the streets and shopping.
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Tom and Sue
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What a day this was with tight seating and protestors everywhere! Glad you made it back in one piece and are sleeping soundly.