Inkas, Alpacas & Pisco

Sarah and I tried to take the free walking tour of Cusco on Monday - some of our trek mates had recommended it and we figured it would be a good way to learn more about the city. Unfortunately, the morning tour was cancelled unexpectedly. Too bad; maybe that’s why it’s free?

We did get to witness a Municipal Police take-down of a jewelry saleswoman in the center of Plaza Regocijo. Presumably she was selling stolen or counterfeit jewelry? Or, if you believe some of the stories about corruption in the Peruvian police forces, they could have just been robbing her. Either way, it was a bit startling to see a uniformed officer tackle a woman half his size and run off with her goods… 

Anyway, with no walking tour available we decided to make the most of the tourist passes we bought while ATV-ing. For 130 Soles (about $45) we got a 10-day pass to most of the historical sites and museums in and around Cusco. We visited the Museo de Arte Popular and the Mueso Inka first. The Popular Art Museum was a total bust - literally just a single basement room filled with what looked like poorly constructed toys. Sarah let the world know how she really felt on TripAdvisor.

Would you pay to see a room of this stuff? Neither would we (glad it was included in the pass so we didn’t waste any money)!

The Inka Museum was much more informative. Lots of history on the Inkas and even pre-Inka civilizations. Interesting fact: the Inkas’ love of mummification distinguished them from other cultures in the area. So, naturally, the Inka Museum had a lot of mummies as part of the exhibit.

Little hard to see it here (the museum must think the red lighting adds a dramatic effect) but most of the mummies were in a seated position like this.

We were getting hungry so we decided to take a break for lunch at Green Point, a vegan restaurant recommended by some of our vegetarian trek mates. It was good, but I could only order three things on the entire menu - nuts (and nut milks) are really popular among vegans, apparently! Fortunately the portions are HUGE so I was totally full just on the samosas we ordered for an appetizer.

It was raining in Cusco by the time we finished so we decided to head back to the hostel. We rested for a few hours then headed to the Museo del Pisco to get acquainted with the local liquor. We had a private tasting of four piscos and an accompanying history lesson. Afterward we decided to stay and sample some of the pisco-based cocktails offered at the bar - Sarah claims to have found a new favorite drink: the Francis Drake (pisco, two types of vermouth and cocktail onions)!

Another fun fact: like Champagne in France, Pisco can only be called “Pisco” if it is produced in one of five regions along Peru’s coast.

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Cicciolina, an Italian restaurant nearby. It was great - just the reminder of home we needed after many redundant Peruvian meals. Plus the antipasto plate we got there was better than some we’ve had in New York!

Unique bathroom door “labels” at Cicciolina - no one will confuse the men’s and women’s rooms!

We began today with a trip up to Saksaywaman, an Incan fort right in Cusco. It is at the highest point in town and the hike to get there is a little challenging; fortunately our hostel is also most of the way up the hill so we had a head start. The weather was perfect this morning so we had amazing views of the city to accompany the ruins.

Worth the hike up to the top.

There is a herd of alpaca that roams around the ruins and they snuck up on us as we were taking in the views.

Viva el Peru.

Saksaywaman with Cristo Blanco on the left.

That herd of alpaca seemed to be following us around and two of them ended up getting into a bit of a scuffle - hard to tell if they are playing around or seriously fighting. In any case, they made a lot of noise doing it.

After exploring Saksaywaman we hiked over to Cristo Blanco, Cusco’s version of Christ the Redeemer. It was cool to see, but I expect we’ll be more “wow’ed” in Rio.

Cristo Blanco.

Sarah made friends with a baby alpaca at the base of Cristo Blanco.

We headed down the hill into the main part of town for lunch at Jack’s Cafe, a casual, semi-American-themed restaurant. We each ordered fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, which were amazing. Definitely check it out if you are in Cusco (we went three times)!

After lunch we figured we should maximize the tourist pass we bought so we headed to three other museums: Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Museo del Chocolate and Museo de Historia Regional. The Contemporary Art Museum was probably my favorite, though they were giving out free chocolate samples at the Chocolate Museum…

From the Contemporary Art Museum: an artist's interpretation of our views from earlier today.

Tired of walking around museums, we had a coffee and a beer at Kushka...fe before heading back to Inkazuela for our final dinner in Cusco. Just like our first dinner in town, the stew was delicious - a must-do if you are ever here!

Tomorrow we fly to Buenos Aires to begin exploring Argentina. Thanks for all the good times, Peru!

Peru Moto

Sitting behind a small Peruvian man on the back of a motorcycle was not exactly how I expected to start the day!

Luckily, Alejandro was a very skilled driver.

At the recommendation of a trekking mate, we signed up for an ATV tour to sightsee around Cusco with Peru Moto. We didn’t realize until this morning that the base camp was actually 40 minutes outside of the city and we would be riding on motorcycles to get there (thankfully we weren’t expected to drive). Apparently Sunday is a slower day for ATV / motorcycle excursions so we ended up having a private full-day tour with our guide, Juan. We could not have asked for better weather and the ride out of Cusco was beautiful (when we stopped gripping the seat - and driver - long enough to turn our heads). Once we reached base camp, we had a brief lesson with the ATVs before heading off-road and into the mountains.

We had a perfect day to be outdoors.

Taking in the blue sky views.

During the trip we had to look out for cows, sheep, dogs and donkeys!

After an hour or so of riding, we began heading to the first stop: Moray, an ancient site believed to be an agricultural "test ground" of sorts for the Incas. We quickly learned that ruins are scattered all over Peru, particularly near Cusco and the Sacred Valley, so we would be able to see more than just Maccu Picchu during our stay.

Standing in front of the ruins of Moray.

After a brief stop to explore the ruins, we were off again to Maras. Maras / Salineras is a town near numerous active salt mines, which comprised a pretty unique landscape.

On the road to Maras / Salineras.

Checking out the salt mines and the surrounding Sacred Valley.

We had a delicious and filling lunch at Maras so we could refuel and rest before the last part of our tour. Our next stop was a beautiful church nestled in the mountains, Tiobamba.

Stopping for a brief pose in front of the church.

Alex looking like a natural while snapping a few pics.

Some of our final views for the day.

After checking out the church we headed back to base camp where we could brush off the dust and catch our motorcycle ride back into Cusco. The tour ended up lasting from 9am - 5pm and covered over 50 miles! We had such a great experience and would highly recommend the team at Peru Moto for a sightseeing adventure while in Cusco.

To Peru

Our journey to Cusco was actually pretty smooth, considering how many hours (18) and flight connections (3) it took to get here. From Cartagena we flew back to Bogota, arriving around 1:30am. The airport is open all night, but most restaurants and stores are not so we joined other travelers camped out on the floor to get an hour or so of sleep. The three hours from 1:30am - 4:30am at the Bogota airport were definitely the most miserable of our trip so far. Alex and I both slept a little more on the three-hour flight to Lima, which helped give us the energy we needed to power through the final leg to Cusco. We landed with all of our baggage safely in tow and were rewarded with some pretty incredible views upon making it to Hostal Wara Wara, our home base in Cusco.

View from Wara Wara's patio overlooking Cusco's historic center.

We decided to take it easy given our travel exhaustion and upcoming Machu Picchu trek so we just wandered around the Plaza de Armas and explored the area for a bit.

La Compania de Jesus Church at Plaza de Armas.

Cusco Cathedral at Plaza de Armas.

After checking out the Plaza and surrounding areas we made our way to the Mercado Central de San Pedro, a large market with pretty much anything you might want. The market is organized by section, including handmade crafts, clothing, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, spices and small cafes all lined up next to each other. We stopped to grab café con leche (two for 5 soles, or less than USD$2) and wandered down the eclectic aisles.

View of the side-by-side restaurants in the Central Market.

We passed on the pig heads.

Wowed by the favorable exchange rate, we bought some snacks and Alex ended up buying an Alpaca sweater for about US$12. We were very surprised by how warm and pleasant the weather was during the day given how far south we've traveled since Colombia. That said, it got very cold at night - we definitely needed our Alpaca blankets! After some shopping, we walked back to the Plaza de Armas to find a place to watch the sunset.

View of the Plaza de Armas from Norton's, a british-style pub overlooking the square.

After watching the sun disappear behind the hills, we wanted an early dinner before our bodies collapsed from the long day(s) of traveling. I head heard about a place serving hearty stews and excellent pisco sours, so we headed there. Restaurant Inkazuela definitely lived up to the hype and I expect we will return there soon. After a very warming dinner we walked back to our hostel. I had read some reviews complaining about the walk back from the square as it is all uphill, but figured these people were either out of shape or exaggerating. Well, I was wrong! The walk down to the square is steep but easy to navigate whereas the walk back forced us to pause a few times to catch our breath - I hope we start to acclimatize a bit over the next 24 hours! Once we finally made it to the top, we were happy to stop and check out the nighttime view.

Plaza de Armas at night.

Now that we are back home, it is time for bed (and it's only 8pm)! Tomorrow we will run some errands and prepare for our Machu Picchu trek, which begins at 5am on Monday. We'll be "out of pocket" for the next five days but will be sure to update the blog when we return to civilization!