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Published: December 13th 2014
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San Pedro Apostol Church in Andahuaylillas
The Sistine Chapel of the Americas - gorgeous frescos line the walls Today was a rough travel day for me. We took a long bus journey through the Andes. The countryside was beautiful. We drove through several small villages outside of Cusco. An interesting aspect of the villages that we drove through which were in the outlying areas of Cusco was that each village was essentially dedicated to a specific commodity for Cusco. For example, one village that we drove through and briefly stopped at, specialized in Chicharrones (Fried Pork Skin - tastier than pork rinds). We also stopped in a village that specialized in pan (bread). The bread was nicely sweet and fresh from the oven.
The first place that we stopped for any length was the village of Andahuaylillas. This village is best known for its beautiful baroque 17th-century church dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle. The church is known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas and for good reason. Beautiful frescos adorn the walls and ceiling. It is really breathtaking, though I was not permitted to take pictures. The village itself was small with a quaint plaza. It was a nice break.
We continued on our journey through the winding mountain road. It was during this winding
Roadside Bakery
Delicious sweet bread from a roadside bakery journey that I started to feel a mixture of altitude sickness and motion sickness. I felt so awful! Luckily, one of the couples that I had become friendly with had purchased a local version of Dramamine. Many thanks to the Skiptons! My lesson learned is two-fold - when journeying in high elevations, take altitude sickness pills and when taking buses or boats, bring Dramamine.
Our next stop was Sicuani, where we stopped at an Alpaca farm for a pit stop. They had Alpacas wandering around loose in the yard and many of the tour group attempted to get cute pictures with them (almost impossible - they didn't care for tourists!) At this point, I was feeling pretty green- so I mostly wandered around in a fog of discomfort.
We briefly stopped in La Raya which is over 14,200 ft above sea level, the highest point on our journey. I felt absolutely miserable here but I started to feel better as our journey continued on. The scenery continued to be wonderful outside as we pulled into Pucara. This was a delightful stop which reminded me of a roadside stop on any highway in the states. The adorable little girl
Roadside Alpaca Farm
The Alpacas hated us. that helped her parents waved at me as we pulled out of the roadside stop.
Finally, after an all day journey, we got to our destination, Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Once we got settled in, we took a handful of us braved an evening storm to taxi into Puno's plaza and grab some dinner at La Casona Restaurante. La Casona was a wonderful restaurant. I had their Lomo a La Casona which was beef tenderloin with bacon, cheese, and a tomato sauce. Delicious. The decor was quaint with antique irons on the walls and sewing machines and the staff were attentive and friendly.
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