We left Belize just before Thanksgiving and arrived in Lima in time for Turkey Day. However, Peruvians don't really eat much turkey and most certainly do not celebrate the holiday. Our journey to Machupicchu was long and arduous indeed. We spent one night (roughly 3 hours of sleep at a hotel near the airport) in Lima and took the first flight to Cusco. Cusco was once known as the Inca civilization's capital (see last picture below). The altitude in Cusco is over 10,000 ft - extremely thin air. Most tourists who are unaccustomed to the altitude experience some degree of illness. We were lucky- it didn't hit us as badly. When we arrived at our hotel in Cusco, they served us a bitter drink called 'Mate Coca' - which is supposed to alleviate symptoms of altitude sickness. It was quite delicious and we enjoyed it several times a day. After a brief stroll through town, we went back to get plenty of sleep before our trek to Machupicchu.
When we had first arrived at our hotel in Cusco, a woman we assumed worked for the hotel, began to check us in and discuss our tour options for Machupicchu. This is not exactly a scam but these agents conspire with the hotels so they can get to you upon arrival. She helped arrange our train and bus tickets, tour of the Inca ruins, and return to Cusco. Our time in Peru was in stark contrast to that in Belize. We were up every morning before 5 a.m. and experienced all forms of transportation almost every day we spent there. It's just par for the course and if you can look past the travel time and hassle, you will have an incredible experience.
Machupicchu
For those who may not remember the history of Machupicchu - a very brief lesson. Machupicchu is a lost city built by the Inca civilization in the early 1400s. They estimate that less than 1000 inhabitants actually lived in the now ruins, which took about 150 years to build - you can see signs that it was still a work in progress and they had not finished. Sadly, they were interupted by the Spaniards who attempted to conquer Peru in 1532. Essentially, the town was built for Incan royalty - kings mostly, not commoners.
After a 4-hour train ride and 25 minutes bus ride from the town 'Aguas Calientes,' we arrived in Machupicchu. It was spectacular and since the elevation was lower than that in Cusco (7,000 ft or so), we could finally breathe easier. When your tour guide takes you up to the ruins, you literally cannot believe what you see. There are two segments to the ruins - the agricultural section and the urban section. The agricultural section was made up on terraces where they did the farming. The urban section was where the kings resided. The steps were often steep and slippery (especially since it was damp and later rainy). They were very short people back then (and actually, the people of Peru are still shorter comparatively) so everything was lower. Felt like home to me!
We spent a few hours in the ruins, just marveling at how awesome it all was. We have vowed to return again someday - perhaps with our children. According to a man we met on the train (a UN representative from Bolivia who visited 12 years ago), the surrounding area (Aguas Calientes) is far more tourist-centric. Back when he first visited, there were less than 50 people visiting the ruins. During our visit, there were hundreds of visitors from all over the world. It was one of the most inspiring places I have ever seen and a huge highlight. We have many more countries to see, but Machupicchu is my personal favorite thus far and an absolute MUST if you ever have the opportunity to visit.
Our "concierge" (if we can call her that) screwed up our train tickets so we were forced to take a late train back to Cusco. But as it turns out, we were on the party train. The crew members were unlike any other. They played house/techno music, conducted a fashion show, and even put on a dance performance for the passengers. It made the 4-hour ride go by faster.
The next morning, we flew back to Lima for an additional night and hoped to get a better impression than the initial stay prior to our Machupicchu adventure. This time, our hotel was in Miraflores - known as the nicest neighborhood in the city. We purchased some art by an extremely talented local artist (Junin) in the surrealist form and will likely order additional works (he's already going global!). He is incredible and of course, very humble.
Our friend from the UN had recommended a restaurant called 'Astrid y Gaston' and we later learned that it was one of the world's finest restaurants. It was a gastronomical joy! The restaurant was gorgeous - walls covered with art and the service, impeccable. I expressed some interest in the country's typical beverage- Pisco Sour and within minutes, the head bartender (Hans from Germany) came to our table to give me samples of the beverage. Needless to say, our impression of Lima improved 10-fold by the time we left.
At this point, we are looking forward to staying put somewhere (we have been living out of our suitcases). Our next stop is Buenos Aires, where we are renting an apartment in the Recoleta district for about 6 weeks. I had read an article in the New York Times about short-term rentals in B.A. and found a beautiful Parisian building through a quoted resource. Vamos a ver (we shall see)!
