Santiago to Cusco - details

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Here are the details to go with the recent update.

Friday 29th April 2005 : Last day in Santiago

Went shopping as Deb and Owen were short of warm clothes.

Bought Owen a jumper from a shopkeeper whose brother drives buses in Cambridge. Found Deb a fleece in a Ripley dept store on Avenida Bernardo O’Higgins. Very friendly service from two men.

Had dinner in a pizza place complete with a large jug of beer as it was Friday.


Saturday 30th April 2005 : Peru here we come

Up very early to catch an 05:30 taxi to Santiago airport. Made it to Lima OK. Plane to Cuzco delayed but we arrived in good time. Ripped off by tax driver, probably because I refused to pay his car-park fee. Hostel more of a B&B, good room but kitchen poor.

Welcomed with free cups of tea and coca leaves. We did not know what to do with the coca so we put some in boiling water to brew. The waitress looked at us a little strangely so we tried chewing it. Not that pleasant but it may help ward off altitude sickness.

(Since then we have ordered Mate Coca in cafes and it is served steeped in hot water.)

Out into the night, walked uphill into the main square and we did notice the effect of the altitude (3300+ m).

The whole town is on a sloping plain and the main square is no exception. Lovely smooth slabs to walk on. Hillside above peppered with lights. Sky full of stars. Lots of kids selling postcards, finger-puppets etc Lots of restaurant touts whose offers I declined politely which meant I ended up with a pocketful of fliers. Finally walked into an amazing place with set meals at 3 and 5 soles (6 to the pound). Meals were brilliant though the setting was a little grubby and cold.

Sunday 1st May 2005 : Mayday parade in Cusco

Had breakfast of something like very thin oven-bottom muffins plus jam, coffee concentrate and strange orangey fruit whizzed in a blender.

Off up to town aiming to get to Sacshuayman before it was too hot. Found a parade going on in the main square. There were all sorts - dancers, workers unions, police and other services.
The dancing reminded me it was the first day of the Morris season in England.

Better late than never we set off up the hill for Sacshuayman - “30 mins” according to the guide book. After 30 mins it was nowhere in site so we stopped for drinks and fruit from a stall. Change of plan - as it’s my birthday we’ll find somewhere decent to eat. Unfortunately we spent a lot of money on poor food in a busy place with only one waiter. What made it worse was that could not find a decent coffee shop afterwards.


Monday 2nd May 2005 : First Inca Sites

Up at 06:00 to go to the San Pedro station to grab some “Backpacker Special” train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). Just my luck as I got near the front of the queue they hung up the “Backpacker sold out” sign. I enquired further and I was at the wrong station and needed to go to Wanchac station after 07:30.

Off to Wanchac. “Four tickets for Tuesday ? No problem, what are the passport numbers?” . Quick phone call to the hostel to retrieve the passports from the safe. Another five mins later and Deb has the numbers. I then buy the tickets.

Back for breakfast of more strange orangey fruit whizzed in a blender.

Then off to find a Pisac bus to get to Sacsayhuaman. Not so easy as it sounds. The buses here are not like those in Chile in that the destination is usually apparent on the real buses. However there are lots more colectivo buses with no destination.

We headed for what we thought was a bus station but were headed off by a taxi-driver who took us to Tambomachay, the remains of an Inca settlement featuring a fancy irrigation/bathing system. It was quite impressive as it was our first experience of Inca stonework up close.

Then a short walk along the Cusco-Pisac road and we reached Pukra Pukara. According to the guide who adopted us it was a training centre for Inca managers, as well as being a kind of customs post on the inca trail to Cusco.

We set off for another short walk but it took longer and longer. I asked for directions from a local woman. She helped us and then zoomed off like there was nothing to it.

Eventually we found a collective just leaving Qenqo. We did not bother with Qenqo and got a lift to Sacshuayman. On the way up the drive we stopped to buy ice lollies and I had difficulty getting away from the Peruvian who seemed to want to practice his English on me.

We reached Sacshuayman. It is absolutely massive, in overall size and in the size of individual blocks. On top there was a sort of circular flower bed with other shapes inside it. I have still not found out what it is.

We walked back into town. On the way I noticed a sign for cheap flights to Lima. I called in - big mistake. Yes they could do relatively cheap flights. Did I have the passports? I clearly had not learnt from the morning experience. So had a beer then had to wait yonks while the waitress went all round town trying to change a 100-soles note. (Unfortunately the ATMs in Peru only offer amounts in 100’s and never give notes less than 100.)

I returned later with the passports. That will be x US Dollars. I offer my Visa card. No joy. I offer Peruvian Soles but they want USD. I offer to return in the morning with Dollars. No they they did not want to cause me any more inconvenience. They would call at the hostel at 09:00 Tuesday to collect me and the cash and take me to a nearby agent to get the tickets.

Tuesday 3rd May 2005 : Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu travel plans

Next morning I call them as no-one has turned up by 09:35. Five minutes later two people appear and walk me round to the Lan Peru office nearby. “And how can we help,Sir ?”. I persuade them that the other office already has all the details and has reserved the seats. They phone the other office, no joy. We walk up to the original office where they find all the details pinned to today’s ‘to do’ list. Fine, or not. We now walk back down to a different airline office, Star*Up, and queue to buy the tickets. By 11:00 I have my tickets. The moral of the tale is always go directly to the airline if at all possible.

Back to today’s main plan. We are supposed to be going to Ollantaytambo in order to catch the evening train to Machu Picchu. How do we get there ? Most buses do not go all the way from Cusco, only as far as Urubamba where we’ll need another bus.

Once again we set off to find a bus and are intercepted by a taxi-driver. He has one passenger already but offers to take us to Urubamba for 4 soles each. He establishes we want to reach Ollantaytambo and agrees 7 each for the full trip. In we get and Deb gets worried by the incessant use of the horn, the near misses and the passenger doing the steering while the driver makes phone calls. We are still alive. Plus the passenger (driver’s cousin from Urubamba) buys us all ice lollies. Which is good - except when the driver uses both hands to take his from its wrapper.

The journey settles down and we agree to take a tour with the driver the following Saturday.

We reach Ollantaytambo and dive in a café for scrambled egg and chips x 4. Then off to the ruins. It is more impressive than Sacsayhuaman, its terracing dominating the village below. And it has some neat irrigation channels still in use.

So far we have nowhere to stay in Mach Picchu. I pick the cheapest in the Footprint guide and guess what ? They do not speak English, only Spanish. Thank You , Intercultural of Mendoza, I managed to make myself understood and book beds for the next two nights at reasonable cost.

We need to be at the station at 19:30. We hang around the main square until dark then hit a pizzeria where we are treated to our first live rendering of ‘Guantanamera’ - is it Peruvian ?

Then walk down to the station below a star-filled sky. A crowd is milling around the station entrance. The train arrives and we settle in our reserved seats for the two hour ride to Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu town). We disembark into a noisy, bustling throng. ‘Steve!’ shouts someone nearby. Jaime has lived up to his promise and sent someone to meet us. He leads us up and away from the tracks, through the square and up the hill to our hostel - which has changed its name but not phone number. We collapse on our beds, not realising until the morning that the building is unfinished, and that the receptionist lives with his family on the unfinished floor above complete with polythene roof cover.

Wednesday 4th May 2005 : Machu Picchu

Down to Aguas Calientes town earlyish, and caught the 08:00 bus up to the Machu Picchu site. The bus trip alone was worth it. Aguas Calientes is down in the Urubamba valley. Machu Picchu site is around the bend and up an enormous hill with superb hairpin bends all the way. In my opinion what makes Machu Picchu so astounding is its location nestling high on a hill and surrounded by mountains.

Once in the site we agreed to share a guide, Johnny, with a couple from Chicago (Gary and Roberta ?) whom we’d noticed being guided around Ollantaytambo the previous afternoon. We had 2-3 hours with Johnny. Some of what he told us made a lot of sense while some things seemed plain guesswork.

Once the official tour was over Owen and I decided to walk up Waynapicchu (or Huaynapicchu or something similar). It is the tall conical rock on the right-hand-side of standard photos of Macchu Picchu. Looking across at it you can see buildings and terraces at the top hanging over the valley. From a distance there is no obvious path up what appears to be an almost vertical mountainside.

Nevertheless we signed up at the checkpoint (is that to reassure you help will come and find you ?) and set off. The track itself was mainly solid rock, carved from the hillside, weaving backwards and forwards. To make it easier there were cables running alongside in the steepest parts. It was fine for ten mins but after 35 my lungs were complaining. Everyone coming down said it was worth the effort so we carried on. We thought we’d reached the top but it was only the first of several terraces. Finally we arrived at the jumble of rocks forming the summit - magnificent. Looking down at Machu Picchu there is a striking resemblance to the outline of Krusty the Clown. We sat around for 30 mins or so and set off back down.

The café was exceedingly expensive so we caught the bus back to Agua Calientes. In the Govinda vegetarian restaurant we managed to confuse the waiter. We thought we ordered two set meals plus two lots of spag Napolitana. The waiter served the two spaghettis as the main course of our set meals. Naturally we gave the spag to Owen and Rory and went hungry.

Thursday 5th May 2005 : On to Pisac

As we had backpacker specials we had no choice but to catch the 05:45 local train out of Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo. While waiting for the train we bought cups of tea from the hawkers selling tea, cake etc

Disembarking at Ollantaytambo was surprisingly wild. There were loads of taxis and buses all trying to herd people into their vehicles with shouts of ‘Cusco amigo’, ‘Urubamba’ etc. We walked past up to the main square for breakfast. Once again we set off to find a bus. Once again we were intercepted by a taxi-driver. This time he offered to take us to Urubamba for 1 sol each. On reaching the car he changed it to 2 so I turned round and he changed back to 1.
We set off with the four of us in the back seat and one other passenger in the front. After a while we were flagged down. I thought he was picking up some goods to take to Urubamba. No. A man, an old woman and a toddler piled into the back of the estate car and we carried on to Urubamba.

At Urubamba we actually got on a bus. It cost 2 soles each to go to Pisac, a journey of around an hour.

Next task was to find somewhere to stay. Pisac is not very big. We went to the main square which was holding the regular Thursday craft market. It was so packed with stalls that it was difficult to see the buildings. We tracked down the Parador Hostel on one corner where they had a beautiful room available at a very good rate. Dump the bags, downstairs to Ulrike’s Café for cups of tea, brownies and soft toys.

Owen and Rory buy a portable chess set from the market. The theme is Incas v Spaniards.

Next we take a taxi ( with a passenger in the boot again) up to Qinchiracsay, the top end of the Pisac inca complex. This site is superb. It has several separate but interdependent sections. It also has lovely mountains on most sides and the Urubamba river at the bottom. Not only that it has a breathtaking walk alongside steep drops linking parts of the site, plus a tunnel ! Unfortunately Deb is not keen on heights but she made it all the way round.

The section containing the temples is the most exquisite I have seen.

After this there is a superb walk back down into town which emerges on the plaza between the church and the Parador hostel.

We took off our socks and settled down to a beer. Later we had a delicious diner at the hostel.


Friday 6th May 2005 : Back to Cusco - by bus !

Lovely breakfast of yogurt, fruit, granola, bread, coffee etc Not enjoyed by Deb as she has a stomach bug. We are expected back in Cusco where the hostel is looking after most of our luggage. We catch a bus without one offer from a taxi. Another two soles each and we are back in Cusco in 45 mins (on the same bus that brought us from Urubamba Yesterday). I had expected the bus to go through the town centre but no it disgorged us in one of the suburbs. After 5 mins walking (in the right direction) I grabbed a taxi to whisk us back to our original Cusco hostel.

Boots off, sandals on - heaven. Deb goes to bed for the rest of the day and I entertain the boys, i.e. hamburgers and internet games.
Saturday 7th May 2005 : Trip by Taxi
Deb still not 100%. The boys and I take a taxi tour of Chinchero, Moray and Salineras.

Chinchero at first sight is a church built on top of inca foundations. Looking around the side you find some significant good quality inca terracing. There are also several natural rock outcrops with what look like seats carved into them.
Rory dropped the camera but we can probably repair it with sticky tape.

Moray is a series of naturally-eroded sink-holes converted into circular terracing by the Incas. Some say they carried out micro-climate farming experiments in them.

Salineras is a salt farm based on a naturally salty spring flowing into terraced pans originally developed by the Incas (?) and still productive Today.

Next packing as we leave in the morning for Lima.

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Photos

Rory on an Inca seat
These natural outcrops all had bench seats carved into them.

And more
Note the steps leading down into each level.

And for those who like snowy mountains
I think the main peak is Chicon, viewed from Moray