Down and out in Peru

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First Glimpse

I have come to the conclusion that Americans are the friendliest people in the world. Many who know me well may find this a strange statement after hearing me complain about American policies and the country's current polictical situation. But this has little to do with the average American, believe it or not. Plus, it is important to note I used the word "friendliest" not "nicest". To say Americans are the nicest would imply that everyone else is not as nice, or meaner, which is certainly not the case. If you look up a definition of friendly, you will get something like: "a kind and helpful person, inclined to approve, help, or support". People who are friendly are uninhibited and easily start simple, pleasant covnersations with strangers. Furthermore, they are aware of what they feel are the best interests of the stranger and have no qualms about giving advice or offering unsolicited information that may help the stranger. This does not necessarily mean that other cultures are unfriendly, just different to what we are accustomed to. For example, my first baffling experience with this was several years ago in Paris. I was waiting to meet my parents in the lobby of a hotel, as they were due in on an international flight. I sat patiently in the lobby with the front desk attendant, who knew why I was waiting. Several hours after my parents should have arrived, I asked the front desk guy if he had happened to hear any news from my parents. He matter-of-factly explained that they had called early that morning to notify him that they would be 6 hours late, and were worried about not meeting me on time. He hadn't previously offered me this vital info, but I had not asked, had I?!?!? Cultural difference...surely an American would have offered up that info right when I entered the hotel, right? If he hadn't he would be what we consider an "asshole".

I bring this up because I would encounter a similar situation in Lima, Peru. We had left the Cordillera Blancas with intestines full of giardia and headed to Lima. The arriving was not all that awful. We survived at least! We opted to take the 7 hour long bus ride during the day. Of course, it really took about 9 hours. Which wouldn´t have been so bad exepct I felt like something was trying to box its way out of my intestines. (Did I mention I also had a terrible respiritory infection, a cold, and flu-like symptoms?) Luckily they have a toilet on the train... But wait, it's "urine only" according to the signs and the bus announcements. Awesome! Perfect! However, I managed to survive and even ate pack of crackers and an Inca Cola, which helped calm my stomach. The Inca Cola is a Peruvian drink that is more popular that Coke, and it tastes like bubblegum. It is actually very tasty! The bus company we took was very classy. They played 2 American movies, and they even had subtitles. The movies (Step Up & Just Like Heaven) weren't exacly Oscar material, but I would have watched anything! We even played Bingo. Well I tried anyway.... I got 5 in a row and yelled BINGO!!!! and started pushing my bus attendent call button (it's like a flight attendent) excitedly. Everyone on the bus looked at me like I was some sort of freak as the lady told me that this game was for a Bingo Blackout, not just 5 in a row. The bingo card was not big enough to hide my red face. Oh well, I just looked out the window for the next few hours. Staring out the window is always interesting. The rural areas of Peru make Ecuador seem like Beverly Hills. Most of the houses are contructed of dried mud bricks. This seems to work okay, until a earthquake strikes (like recently, in Pisco), then all the buildings and houses crumble down. I am not even quite sure what to say about the poverty we see. I don't want to just be a gawking tourist who points out how poor everyone is. But it is really bad, and much worse than I imagined. I guess because such desperate poverty is not something a rich person can imagine until they see it close up. And yes, as a backpacker on a $25 per day budget, I am rich... otherwise, I would not be here.

We arrived in Lima and took a taxi to Miraflores, which is a ritzy area next to the historical city center. Everything seems touristy in Miraflores, even though most of the people there are Peruvian. That is the unfortunate part of staying in Miraflores. However, the positive side is that walking around at night feels safe. The most dangerous turn we took during our stay was down street called Pizza Alley. It is a small walkway lined with restaurants and bars. We were instantly plummeted by people at all angles. For the 100 meter length of this street, people shoved menus in our faces and stepped in our paths, and several would yell at us "Señorita! Pizza Pasta Coffee Vino Coffee!!!!" It is really something that is hard to describe, but believe me, it was scary. We just ducked our heads low, avoided eye contact, and moved through as fast as possible. We finally picked a restaurant in a different area. Lucky for me, I passed on the Peruvian BBQ bacon burger that would leave Matt poisoned and vomiting the next day. Unfortunately, because of our illnesses, the following day was not that exciting. I walked around a bit on my own, and I went to the airline office in Lima to buy tickets for Cusco, where we would go next. It was in this office that I again witnessed the difference between nice and friendly. I explained we were flexible, and chose to fly out on Sunday, October 21, and the airline attendant agreed. (Here comes the part where offering up useful information would have been nice.) It seemed like an easy enough transaction, until I arrived back at the hostel and told the front desk worker what I had been up to. "You are leaving Sunday?" he asked. "Are you sure about that?" and explained that Sunday was Peru's national census day, and by law, no Peruvians were allowed to leave their homes between 6 am and 6 pm. This is necessary, because the only way to conduct an accurate census is face to face. (not everyone has phones or even mailboxes, so there is no other way). Tourists are allowed on the streets, but there are no taxis, no buses, no sort of any other services! Domestic flights would continue, but I would have a hard time finding a way to get to the airport. Frusturated, Matt and I returned back to the ticket office. Now, when you are sick at home, going to the grocery store to get some soup seems difficult. So imagine the difficulty of returning to the ticket office and explaining, in Spanish, that selling me, an obvious tourist, an airline ticket on a day where there is no means to go to the airport, was extremely poor customer service and a terrible inconvenience for me. After discussing for a while, the attendant convinced us that we should not change our ticket and gave us a couple phone numbers for taxis she swore would be in service on census day. I called, and of course they would not take us. Of course, by this time the ticket office was closed and we were stuck with the original tickets. We finally arranged with a cabbie to be picked up at 4:30 so we could be at the airport before the census curfew went into affect. Though the problem was resolved, I was still left slightly irritated that I was not informed that I had booked a flight on the most difficult day to travel in Peru in a decade!

However, my mood was perked up shortly when I passed a street guy selling "black market" english news. By now, I was so used to responding "No, gracias" to anyone who spoke to me on the street, it took a second to realize that those were english papers and magazine he was offering me. I took a U-turn, as he had expected and snatched up the Washington Port and Miami Herald. Unfortunately, I was too cheap to spend $20 on the material dense "The Economist". I also barely resisted the US Weekly entitled "The Hills' Heidi's Plastic Surgery Revenge!" I proudly delivered the the material back to Matt where we spend the rest of the day devouring it.

On day 2, Matt was feeling better and we went for a walk. We happened to pass a sports bar called "The Corner" and peeked inside. To our delight, we found that they had ESPN and all sports channels! And that was the start of our gringofied day in Lima. We later returned to the bar and watched the KU-Colorado football game. I can't really explain how strange it was to sit in a sports bar, drink beer and eat nachos, and watch KU football in Lima, Peru. I mean, watching KU football in Kansas would normally be pretty surreal in itself!!! We thoroughly enjoyed the victory and topped the evening off with a trip to the local movies. We saw Knocked Up, which was even in English with Spanish subtitles. We ate popcorn and wildberry skittles to make it feel more like home. There was one big difference from home though- a large popcorn, large drink, candy and 2 movie tickets cost about the equivilent of $10 USD. It was a nice way to spend a night in Lima, considering how we had been feeling, and the next day we would travel to Cusco.

Our first few hours in Cusco were very peaceful. Of course, this was only because the locals were still waiting for the census to end. Of course, as the most touristy place in all of South America, the streets were still humming with the sounds of tourists looking for somewhere to eat. I would soon find out that for a tourist in Cusco, there is no peace. At least from my perspective. The town has been so completely taken over by tourists, and all the locals have wisely focused all their efforts on extracting the US dollars out of every gringo pocket. It is so touristy, that you get a better exchange rate if you pay in dollars instead of Soles! It is really a shame, because Cusco is possibly the most beautiful city that we have seen, but the authenticity and culture of the place has been lost some time ago. Nearly every shop is hawking tourist wares and cheap weavings. About every 10 seconds someone will come in front of you to try to pursuade you to buy a painting, some candy, or a massage. Also, as with the most terrible tourist traps, there are people from restaurants who will hastle you relentlessly to come into their restaurant. They will usually keep asking you until you have said no at least 3 times. It can really be pretty exhausting, and sometimes I just want to yell at them to leave me alone! However, with such a constant flow of wealthy tourists, they have turned their hassling into a fine art. Unfortunately for us, it takes away the charm of the place. I have seen little girls dressed in bright clothes and carrying baby lambs (also dressed up, of course). I am almost completely positive that their parents have dressed them up so that they can demand money from tourists who take their photos (nearly everyone will demand money for a photo). And it really is hard not to take a photo, as cute as they are. But it still makes you question what is real and what is for the sake of the tourists. This was a bit dissappointing, but we expected it, as Cusco is the jumping off point for Machu Picchu. I would guess that over half of all tourists that come to S. America go to Machu Picchu, and possibly Galapagos. Which is too bad, because these places do not resemble South America. Which does not make them bad places, either.

We traveled to Aguas Calientes (aka- Machu Picchu Pueblo) which is about 20 minutes from the famous ruins. After a 4 hour train ride from Cusco, we strayed from the other train riders headed to the ruins and settled into the dingy tourist town. We unfortunately stayed at the first hostel we saw, which ended up having a roof leak in 2 different places throughout our stay, and the ceiling was surely full of mold. But at least it did not leak over the bed! So we spent most of our time trying not to be in the room. But there is not much to do here... This town is pretty terrible. Pretty, but terrible. All tourist traps. But we were staying here because the place had a strategic purpose. We were just hoping that these famed ruins were going to be worth all the hassle and cost. The area is extremely expensive to travel in. For example, a ride usually costs about $1.00 per hour on public transportation. Our train ride from Cusco to Agua Calientes (4 hours) cost $71.00. And that was the cheap backpacker train, not the popular panoramic luxury train. However, our strategy for enjoying the ruins was to base ourselves here for the night, then take the 5:30 am bus to the ruins. Most people will ride one of the 3 trains that leave Cusco between 6 and 7 am, then tour the ruins from 10:30- 2:30, then take an afternoon train back to Cusco. So of course, the ruins are infamously crowded during these hours. We were just hoping our plan would work out and we would manage to exit our sickly travel slump...

We dragged ourselves out of our moldy room and to the bus stop at 4:30 and ended up being about 5th and 6th in line. By the time that 5:30 rolled around, there were about 100 people waiting. The scene threatened to get ugly, with many people trying to cut in line or jump on buses in front of other people. I mean, clearly these cheaters were certain of their superiority to everyone else, and they deserved to be first even though they may have slept in a bit too late. However, the officials were very good about keeping people organized and no gringo riots broke out. We boarded the first bus and joined the line at the gate of the ruins. There wasa tourist group of about 10 people already at the gate in front of us. See, there is a hotel outside the gate. For only about $715.00 US dollars, you can easily be first at the gate. (We paid $12 for the moldy room, which was still overpriced) Lucky for us, they were at a disadvantage, being forced to travel by group. So when the gates open, we went straight up the "long way". When in doubt, travel up. We did this, hoping it led to an outlook over the ruins. We ignored the tour group's guide telling us that it was the wrong way. Sorry, evil tour guide lady, if your group wants to be the first up, they are going to have to huff and puff and run up the steep, high altitude trail faster than us. We made it up first and the trail opened up to the famous overlook of the ruins. Every photo you have seen of Machu Picchu is likely taken from this point. Any we were giddy with excitement and awe for the full 90 seconds or so that we had it to ourselves. The place is truly amazing, and I instantly understood why people traveled from all over the world to see it. (What I don't understand is why people would travel from all over the world, then show up at noon for a couple hours, during the busiest part of the day). We had the opportunity to see the ruins while they are quiet and strangely NOT crowded at all. This is something that those who take the train or the Inca trail don't get. (By the way, we saw people hiking the trail. There were about 20 people in a line, with native porters carrying about 3 times thier body weight- other hikers food and baggage- leading the pack. Most of these people looked like they would normally never be caught dead sleeping outside... Yeah... It's really hard to be as cool as me and Matt). We sat peacefully at the overlook and took in the view of the ruins and the Sacred Valley around the ruins. We even saw several Condors fly around the valley. I have never seen such incredible mountains as those that are the back drop of Machu Picchu. They rise up almost vertically from the valley floor and they are incredibly lush and green. To add to the beauty, clouds are constantly winding their way around the finger mountains. We have seen mountains from all over the world, and I have to say that these are probably the most spectacular and the most beautiful that I have ever seen. If we ever return to this area of Peru, it will be specifically to hike through this surreal landscape.

We meandered throught the ruins to see them close up. Not much is known about the ruins... Only that they were built by the Incas, either for a royal retreat, or as hidden religious city. The popular opinion is that they were built, by hand (no animals) in the mid 1400's. It took the people about 100 years to care the ruins out of the mountian, and then about 1000 people lived there. I would tell you more, but you really should just go visit for yourselves! After winding through all the ruins, we returned to the outlook and made ourselves comfortable on a rock with a good view. We stayed here relaxing for several hours.

It was not until about 11 am that the place started to get laughable. At one point I looked at the overlook that we had to ourselves in the morning. It was crowded with at least 100 pushy tourists. The tourist groups became out of control. We listened to the english speaking guides info about the ruins, and then when we were on the verge of being overwhelmed by the crowds, we headed back down. This was actually a bit difficult, with tour groups crowding nearly all the passageways. So it ends up that the infamous crowds actually do exist, but they are incredibly easy to avoid. The best travel advice I could ever give anyone heading to this area is to do what we did. Go early! There is no possible way you will regret it. See below for more advice if you are going to the ruins. We were riding high after our visit, which was a nice change to how we had been feeling. This was almost ruined when we went to the train station to buy our ticket home. Even though we got there about 4 hours early, the guy said all trains were sold out for the day. We would have to wait until tomorrow to leave Agua Calientes! After seeing the desperation and panic in my eyes when I was faced with the prospect of one more day there, he double checked on his computer and managed to find us 2 seats on the tourist train (how friendly of him!). We had to pay about $20 extra per ticket, which we were fine with. We would also find out why the tourist trains are more expensice than the backpacker trains. First, a free beverage. But more exciting, some guys gets dressed up in a really strange outfit and runs up and down the isle while music plays in the backround. This is followed by an Alpaca fashion show. Yes, seriously. The two train attendants dress up in fashionable outfits and the isle becomes a runway. You think this sounds strange, but you have no idea. Especially when everyone is clapping and cheering. I will admit it made for an interesting diversion on the 4 hour train ride. Still, very bizarre. However, it was an appropriate way to round out our tourisy journey into southern Peru.

Looking back, I wish we would have spend more time in Northern Peru, where people still yelled out "Que pais?" (What country?) when we walked by, and it was a common occurance that someone would stubble on the sidewalk after staring at us too hard (yes it happens). In the north, people are still curious about tourists. In the area of the South that we visited, they are only curious about how much money they can harrass out of us).

One last note on Peru.. the food is soooooo amazing. If you can avoid the tourist traps, you are in for a treat. My favorite meals are the Paltas- avacodos, covered with things like chicken salad, seafood salad with mayo, or spìcy peppers. The other favorite of mine is the Rellenos... these are spicy pepper stuffed with a meat mixture (sometimes including a mix of veggies, eggs, cheese, raisins, etc.) They are heavenly. See travelers tips for Cusco recommendations. One of the biggest regrets about leaving Peru was not eating enough! It would have been more convienient if our sickness occurred in Ecuador or Bolivia! More on wonderful Bolivia, coming soon!!!!

TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS HEADING TO THE SACRED VALLEY: -Go to Agua Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) the night before visiting the ruins. You may not have a great choice of fancy hotels or authentic restaurants, but you won't care after visiting the ruins. The buses leave every morning (from in front of the ticket office) for the ruins starting at 5:30. The ruins actually open at 6:00am. When you enter they gate, look to your left. You should see a sign pointing uphill that reads "long". Hike up the switchbacks of the trail for about 4 minutes until the trail opens up over the ruins. You can also hike up a little further to the stone lookout house. Also, after the first few minutes, no reason to hurry, the place will likely only have a few hundred people until about 11:00 am. If you are feeling energetic, and the day is clear, hike up Waynu Picchu. This is the famous finger like mountain in the background of the ruins. The trail up opens at 7 am.

-It is also possible to hike to the gates of Machu Picchu from town. Don't forget flashlights and lots of water. It is a very steep climb, and I saw several people trying it during the day... It looked like they were about to pass out. Some things, like bus rides, are worth paying for. What is the fun in hiking when it is pitch black out!

-If you must have a guide, hire a private guide outside the gates for a reasonable price. There are always people offering their services. Or if you are too cheap, sit at the overlook of the ruins and wait to "over hear" the guides of other groups!

-Buy your train tickets in advance, especially for the return to Cusco. Tour groups can snatch these up pretty fast. Also, you can get off the train early and take a bus to the town of Cusco. Most tour groups do this. Just look for the guy with the bus sign. It will save you about an hour on the train and only costs about $1 per person!

-There is a small market in Agua Calientes. Buy fruit and stuff for sandwiches there to avoid eating at the tourist traps. Ignore the girls who walk by and snicker at the meal, saying Buen Provencio!

-In Cusco: Do not eat around the plaza. It is best not to eat at anyplace where someone is harrassing you to look at the menu. You may get some cheesy folk music in these places, but the food is usually pretty bad. I recommend the following 2 restaurants- Both are absolutely wonderful. For Peruvian haute cuisine- head to Don Esteban & Don Pancho at Portal Espinar 144, which is one block behind the plaza, near Ave. del Sol. They have a long list of Pisco cocktails. Do not miss the appetizer of the rocoto relleno. It is outstanding. All the food on the menu is truly Peruvian. I ordered the Tacu Tacu, which many be my favorite new food discovery. Tacu Tacu is a mixture of white beans and rice, fried until slightly crispy. It is the Peruvian take on Mexican refried beans. My Tacu Tacu was topped with perfectly cooked steak, shrimp, red onions and peppers. Matt had a steak, which was laid over the most delicious rice I have ever tasted, and topped with an egg. This was all over a blackbean cilantro puree. They have a nice selection of desserts as well. We had 2 very tasty glasses of Argentinean wine, 2 bottles of water, an appetizer, 2 mains and a desert- all for about 115 soles with tip, the equivilent of about $37 US dollars. Not bad for the best meal we have had in South America. This place will make you look for a local Peruvian restaurant when you return home!!! The only strange thing about the place was the absence of any other tourists.....Also delicious is Cicciolina, Calle Triunfo 393 (in the courtyard-2nd floor). This restaurant is a tapas bar and mediteranean restaurant. Their lamb ragu pasta was incredible, as was their pillow soft gnocci. They have a very large wine list here, and all the dishes sound wonderful. I regret passing up the gourmet cuy dish! The prices are slightly high for Peru, but their food can compete with US or Euro restaurants, at a small fraction of the price. (We had the tapas sampler, 2 dishes and a bottle of wine for about $50 US dollars) Return for breakfast, too. They serve real some of the best croissants I have had anywhere, France included!

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Photos

mp
Mystical Machu Picchu

census
No one escapes the Peruvian census!!!

nice stones
Nice stonework Incans

llama
We paid the llama 1 Peruvian sole for this photo op.

hotel view
A view from our window at Hotel El Triumpho.

ruins
closer shot of the ruins

view
Alley way leading down towards Cusco's main plaza

first
First shot of Machu Picchu as the sun rises.

pretty
Nice green area of Cusco, off Ave. del Sol.

Agua Calientes
A pretty, terrible town- Machu Picchu Pueblo.

juice
Juice stalls in the Cusco central market.

church
Cusco

Lima
View of Miraflores

Miraflores view
View from our hotsel of a Miraflores (Lima) park. We did most of out sightseeing from here.

Cusco
A pretty gateway near the Cusco market.

trap
You know you are in a tourist trap when the potato is carved into a bunny rabbit.

airport
The airport....in Lima?!?

sunrise
Early at Machu Picchu

still quiet
Still pretty quiet at the ruins.

sicko
Matt enjoys some American newspapers in between vomit trips.

hogs
We hogged the best spot for a while.

no trumpet
Sorry, no trumpets allowed in Cusco.

sacred valley
A view of the incredible Sacred Valley from the ruins.

village
The part of the ruins where people lived...they think.

more houses
More ruined houses

terraces
Terraces once used for farming.

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The ruins, carved out of a mountian

perch
Sitting on our perch over the ruins.

aquaduct
An original, still functioning aquaduct

crowds
Anyone know where I can find a tour group around here?

overlook
nice overlook

peppers
Rocoto rellenos in Cusco! Yum!

Peru
Southern Peru

temple
Temple of the Sun, considered the most beautifully constructed building in the ruins.

agh
We had this place to ourselves at 6 am!

train
Tourist train.. weird guy in costume, and fashion show models.