Back to Cusco after 20 Years

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Saturday, 21 Oct

The train journey from Puno to Cusco begins with heavy rain from the hotel to the station. It’s an easy check in process and our carriage is full, mine is the only single seat and table, so I guess I was lucky getting a booking. Travelling in luxury from Puno to Cusco is around 10 1/2 hours, however there are fashion shows, music, dances and fine food. The train arrives at 5.30 in the evening and I’m taken under the wing of a Peruvian named Alex who helps find me a taxi to send me to my hotel.

My hotel is right next to Plaza de Armas the main square of Cusco. It’s been twenty years since I was in Cusco and traffic has grown exponentially. On my last trip my memory is of street urchins begging in the main square, however this time, no street kids, just hawkers selling paintings (I’m told later that you can buy other stuff from these guys) and people pushing restaurants, tours and always girls trying to sell a stone massage.The weather is hot and walking around at 3400 meters is still quite tiring even though I’ve dropped 250 meters from Bolivia.



After checking into the hotel, I find a nice Peruvian restaurant called Kushka and settle in for a nice meal, i am joined at the bar by a TV presenter for a Spanish network in New York who adds greatly to my enjoyment of the evening. However, after a long day I say my goodbyes and walk the 80 meters back to my hotel.



Sunday, 22 Oct

The noise of drums piques my interest and on leaving the hotel I am surprised to find that there are major religious processions happening in town. Bands, and pageantry. Religion is alive and well in Peru with approximately 80% of the population identifying themselves as Roman Catholic. I take lots of pictures in the square and because I am running low on cash find a Scotiabank atm to get some money. On drawing out my max allowable amount, the equivalent of $100 USD, I am charged a usurious $8 USD for the privilege.



For lunch, I make my way to the central market in San Pedro Plaza and have ceviche. The place is hopping, food and vendors selling all kinds of stuff.

In the evening, I head to another well respected restaurant, Incanto, and am not disappointed by the quality of food or service.





Monday, 23 Oct

It’s a warm day, however my goal is to hike up the hill to the Church that overlooks Cusco to view the square from above. And yes, I made it.

I then find Machu Picchu Reservations who I have booked a 2 day tour of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. I’m told to turn up at 6.00pm meeting to review what we need to bring and what we will see.

I spend several hours walking the square and adjoining streets taking pictures and being asked would I like to buy a painting, go on a tour, eat, or have a stone massage. Cusco I’d filled with Hawkers trying to sell you something and I obviously have tourist written all over me…



At 6pm I’m at Machu Picchu Reservations, and after sitting around for 10 minutes at the office and not being attended to, I’m a little grumpy so give one of the guides a bit of a burst. This did the trick, I’m given an itinerary of early starts, and then head to another highly recommended restaurant, Cicciolina where I again have an excellent meal.



Tuesday, 24 Oct

It’s 6am for breakfast, followed by a checkout for 1 night, I’ll be back in the same hotel after Machu Picchu. Rendevouz at 7am for pickup for the tour. There’s 4/no-shows, I wonder if one of them is Malcolm Sanders, so the van is extremely comfortable as we head into the Sacred Valley. Nice young people, have been the highlight of my trip and this is no exception, I’m about 40/years older than everyone else on the van. Sitting opposite is a young Dutch man called Conrad who is an engineer in renewable energy, and as always the Dutch speak excellent English, so good conversation. There’s also a young French guy, a Chilean and a lady who works for a University in Pittsburg. These are my main companions for the next 6-7 hours.



Sites visited are:



Chinchero - dominated these days by a Spanish church from the mid 1600s and a large grassy plaza with all kinds of women dressed in colourful native garb trying to sell you tourist trinkets. And weaving. This village sits high on the Andean plains at about 3700 meters. Inca ruins are part of the footings for the Spanish town that grows up around the church. I had visited 20 years ago, however it was at twilight, this time it’s in the morning sunlight and the Incan site must have been extensive and a site to behold in its heyday. No buildings survive, just large walled terraced areas.



Moray - it looks like a large amphitheater where Incas held rock concerts, but the terraces dropping down into a large bowl were in fact an agricultural laboratory. The Incas grew crops at different altitudes and at different temperatures. There’s irrigation trenches that feed water to the various terraces. Potatoes and corn varieties abound with approximately 5000 potatoe varieties currently. I thought there was one for fries and one for mashing. Also, today there are 55 varieties of corn. Incas relied heavily on these two staples along with grains, squash, coca and other plants.



Ollantaytambo - built at the confluence of three valleys this fortress is still imposing. Terraces stretch up the mountain and there are still buildings that can be seen and reached high on the side of the imposing cliffs. Today, the terraces are crawling with tourists and stone and wooden steps lead you forever upward to what is believed to be the temple of the sun. This is no Roman or Greek temple, but a fairly simple structure, but still the terracing and stone masonry on the terracing and the way buildings are fitted into the landscape is quite amazing. I wish I could have seen the finished product.



I say goodbyes to my fellow travellers who are heading off on seperate adventures and I catch the train to Aguas Calientes, the little town that’s the stop off to Machu Picchu.





Wednesday, 25 Oct



Up at 4.30am as my Guide is meeting me at my hotel and taking me to the bus for the half hour windy trip up to the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. I have a 6am ticket and there’s a group of 8-9 of us with “Walter” our Indian guide. As always, good group of young people, I’m getting used to being the old man of the party, and as again they are very inclusive. On entry you have to show your passport and entrance ticket and once this is over we start climbing steps with Walter out in front. Finally, I make it to the top and to be honest it’s a lot harder than it was twenty years ago. However, I do make it. Theres another Kiwi in the group and he’s from Kerikeri about 30km from Russell. Dylan a Marine Engineer who has left his ship in Lima and doing some exploring in Peru before heading home. Despite the age difference we have good conversation and enjoy a few beers together later in the day.



Getting back to Machu Picchu, Walter explains Inca architecture and also how the Spanish never managed to find Machu Picchu. Walter certainly wasn’t enamoured of the Spanish, their lust for Gold and their conquering of the Inca. One of my learnings was the Incan cities and strongholds were not built by slave labor, however every Inca was taxed in time and required to work 2-3 months per year by the rulers. Of course the discovery of Machu Picchu is credited to Hiram Bingham an American Professor in 1911. Bingham was really searching for the last capital of the Incas, but was led to the Machu Picchu site by a Peruvian Farmer. Yes, this guy was Indiana Jones…



Machu Picchu is still breathtaking, still at my age, and I thoroughly enjoy my time in this ancient city of the Inca.



I’m on the Vistadome train back to Ollantaytambo and it’s pouring down with rain. Then, I join a Machu Picchu Reservations van back to Cusco. It’s been a long day arriving back in Cusco at 7.30pm



Thursday, 26 Oct.

My last day in Cusco, a stop at the Lavendaria to get washing done. A haircut is definitely on the cards and my new go-to-guy is an Argentinian. A trip to the central market in San Pedro Square for small last minute shopping and finally a stone massage as my body and knees aren’t in the best of shape after six weeks of Andean travel and the climbing of so many steps over the past week

Lunch at my favourite Cusco restaurant, Kushka, I like the staff, food, ambience and the music they play.

Pickup laundry early evening

I return for my final dinner at Kushka and hit the rack early so I can be up in plenty of time for my 8.15 am plane to Lima.



Friday, 27 Oct

I’ve got a 6.40 taxi to the airport for my short flight to Peru’s capital, Lima. My original plan was to spend 3 nights in Lima, however, Expedia has pushed my flights forward 2 days, without any recourse. Accept or do battle with the airline yourself and then book a new flight. Not good, so I Accept!

On the way into the city centre my taxi passes through a particularly dodgy area and the car in front, whose window is down, is mugged by three youths who grab the guys cell phone and presumably other stuff.. My taxi drivers windows are up and we lock all doors. I slink my large tourist body down in my seat.

Plaza de Armas is the main square in Lima and it’s a beauty, I was here 20 years ago, and my memory is still pretty good, perhaps it’s looking at those photos on the wall of our kitchen in Russell that have imprinted it on my brain.

It’s a Friday and there’s a lot of people on surrounding streets and the square, so I explore take a number of photos. The square is where I have the best Ceviche Salad of the trip, the whole meal crowns by a crab. What a way to finish…..





WrapUp of My Trip to South America



I love Colombia, however Bogota is my least favourite. The people are fantastic and warm, the food is good and the Peso is particularly attractive against the US dollar.



Bolivia, I’m pleased I got to go there. La Paz is a dusty polluted city with aggressive drivers, and lots of traffic noise. I didn’t find any particularly good restaurants, although I’m sure there are a couple and I eat a lot of pizza, probably more than I would consume in 3 years. The cable car system is an amazing engineering and planning feat. My trip to Uyuni, the Salar and desert was amazing, one of my highlights. If I had more tome I would have gone to Sucre and Santa Cruz and possibly to see the town where Che Guevara was executed.



Peru - It’s been 20 years since being in Peru and there are many changes. First, the number of tourists, many more than when Caroline and I travelled here in 2003. Traffic is out of control and drivers are so aggressive, very similar to Bolivia, with the constant blaring of horns and it would seem that this goes on all night long. Aguas Calientes is not the same sleepy little access point to Machu Picchu it once was. A lot more hotels and the stalls on either side of the railway tracks in town have all relocated to a central market. Finally, in Machu Picchu you get a time slot and are taken around by a guide. This will protect the site. Areas are roped off, and the earlier the time slot the better, by 9.30 there are so many tourists coming out of every crevice like ants. I believe tourist numbers are regulated which is again a good thing. Machu Picchu is still one of the must see wonders of the world….



Travelling solo has been quite the adventure and to be honest has allowed me to connect with a number of fellow solo travellers. And being an old man it’s easy to talk to people from different countries, even though I’m an idiot when it comes to languages.. My passion for travel has not waned and I’ve found that a smile and a sense of humour have carried me through and hopefully touched my fellow travellers as they have me. There’s many people I have enjoyed on this trip since parting ways with my friend Dick.



The following people have made this a memorable trip:

My friend Dick, despite our political differences have found we can discuss stuff take opposite view and still get on and laugh about it. We both enjoy travel and hopefully will have a couple more adventures in the future.



Kate from Lancashire who I shared a couple of meals with in La Paz and who pointed me in the direction of the luxury train from Puno to Cusco.



Elise from London who I few from Uyuni and shared a taxi into La Paz.



Pierre the French man on Bolivia Hop along with the Brazilian with an Irish accent and yes I am one of Pierre’s photo partners.



Alex a Peruvian and his girlfriend who I spent 10 1/2 hours with on the Puno to Cusco train and took me under their wing to be sure I didn’t get ripped off by unscrupulous taxi drivers.



My fellow travellers, David, Rachel and Seline on the 4WD track on the Salar de Uyuni and Bolivian Desert, 3 days in a 4WD was amazing fun.



The TV news presenter I spent an evening talking with in Kushka restaurant in Cusco.



Conrad, a Dutch Guy on the sacred Valley tour along with the young French man, an American Girl and the gregarious Chilean, whose names I can’t recall.



Two young Brazilian Doctors who I had great conversation with on the train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu.



Dylan from Kerikeri and 2 young Dutch guys who I laughed with on our tour of Machu Picchu.



Finally, a young French woman and a Peruvian father and daughter (who spoke good English) on the train back from Machu Picchu.



All of these people and many more have made my trip memorable, some of them I will keep in touch with and I thank them all for spending time with a fellow traveller…….

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