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South America 2009 - Day 16 (8/22/2009) - Leaving Cuzco

I would have liked to sleep in longer this morning, but one of our roommates was sick, and had been throwing up all night - they conjectured that the cause was the guinea pig he ate the night before. After a hostel-provided breakfast of bread/butter/jam and juice, Greg and I checked out of the hostel before the 10:30 AM deadline, but still had a few hours before our flight departed around 5 PM. We stowed our big bags in the hostel storage, then went out in search of the 12-sided stone, which we found. We then walked around town for a bit, including a stop at one of the central markets, where I bought a glass of fresh-made pineapple juice. Curiously, when the merchant lady offered to give the juice to me "to go", she poured it from the glass into a plastic bag, tied it up, and inserted a straw. We walked back to the hostel and sat around for a bit (I started watching a movie in the movie room while Greg worked on his netbook) before heading back out to Plaza de Armas to find lunch. We ate at a restaurant that served a few Asian dishes in addition to the more standard far - had some Asian meatballs while Greg had a pasta/steak dish.

After eating, we made it back to the hostel in time to grab our bags before the taxi we had arranged earlier arrived to pick us up. The driver took us to the airport for S/.6.00, or about US$2, which we found to be ridiculously cheap. From there, we flew to Lima, where we had a layover of a few hours before flying to Atlanta (overnight), then back to St. Louis.

South America 2009 - Day 15 (8/21/2009) - Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu

We checked out of the hotel, stowed our big bags in their storage, and departed shortly after 4 AM. Nora and Chris' advice to get flashlights was very handy, as it was dark for our entire hike to the base of Machu Picchu and then up. The stepped path up the mountain intersected the roadway at various points, and there were markers that very roughly indicated how many sets of steps were remaining (though some sets were very short while others were extremely long, and a few numbers were skipped). It took us about 1.25 hours to get from our hotel up to Machu Picchu, and it began raining a little about halfway up. In my opinion, the hike was quite difficult, and we had to stop fairly often to catch our breath.

When we reached the top, we entered the line behind about 100 people to wait for the gates to open at 6. We were confident we would be able to climb Huayna Picchu in the first of two groups of 200 each, one at 7 AM and another at 10 AM. As it turned out, we were #s 16 and 17 of the people who opted to do the climb at 7. After getting in, we walked across to the entrance to Huayna Picchu, and waited under some huts while it began to rain harder. Once they started letting people in, the queue that had gathered moved pretty slowly because each person had to sign in (so they could track if everyone had been through and exited). By the time we decided to get in line, and got through to the entrance, we were #s 112 and 113. We left at around 7:45, and made up to the top in about 1 hour. This path was far more treacherous, with steps sort of carved out of the rock. In some places, cables were attached in order to give something to hold on to. There were also a couple of ladders. The rain stopped just as we neared the top. At the top, the view was initially blocked by clouds and fog, as it had been the whole climb up. It periodically cleared up enough to get a decent shot of Machu Picchu, so we hung around for a while trying to get some good pictures. After we began our decent, things really started clearing up.

The hike down was not nearly as tiring as the hike up (which, while tough, was not as bad as the hike up Machu Picchu), but it was certainly scarier. After getting back down to Machu Picchu and walking back through, we decided to hike back down from there as well instead of taking the bus. I would later regret this decision, as my quadriceps were already burning only halfway down the steps. We reached the base, and then walked back to central Aguas Calientes to grab some lunch. We decided to stop at the first pizza restaurant saw, and shared a large "bacon pizza" (I use quotes because there was not really any bacon on the pizza, and the thinness of the crust almost made Imo's look like deep dish) and 2.25 liter bottle of Inca Cola. After eating, we walked back to the hotel, though I had to pause a couple of times due to cramps in both quads. Once at the hotel, we collected our bags and dried out some belongings that had become waterlogged during the climb.

We eventually headed back to the train station and caught our 5 PM train back to Poroy. There, we were picked up and taken back to Cuzco by bus.

South America 2009 - Day 14 (8/20/2009) - Machu Picchu

Our tour operator was at our hostel around 6:00 AM to take us to the train station in Poroy. She had paid us a visit the night to give us our tour packets and some information - including reiterating the fact that Peru Rail does not allow luggage over 5 kg, though she said we could carry more on if we paid a fee. Because of this, and a dream that he had that night, Greg repacked his medium sized bag, and took that along with his smaller day pack, while leaving his big bag in storage at the hostel. I, however, only had a big bag and a day pack, so I took both.

It turned out not to be such a big deal. There were other people with big bags, and even a couple with suitcases. I was not charged any extra for my bag, and I was able to store it on the overhead rack. The train ride on the backpacker train from Poroy to Aguas Calientes took about 3 hours (8-11), and mostly followed a river for the second half (after Ollantaytambo). When we arrived in Aguas Calientes, we found our tour guide (Mario), and he directed us to the bus station, where we took the bus up to Machu Picchu. We had to take all our bags with us, and stored them in lockers by the entrance. Mario then showed us around Machu Picchu for a couple of hours, and then we had some time to explore on our own. We were satisfied with our exploration at around 3 PM, at which point we bought entrance tickets for the next day (2nd day entrance was not included in the tour) so we could climb Huayna Picchu, collected our bags, and took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes.

We found our hotel with help from the bus driver (who was kind enough to double back and drop us in front of it), then checked in. We then walked back to the central area of town and found a restaurant to have a late lunch/early dinner. I had the cebiche de trucha (trout ceviche), which is roughly a Peruvian equivalent to sushi - the fish is eaten raw. For dessert I had a pancake with ice cream - I was expecting a crepe (even though the name said pancake), but it was an actual pancake. After eating, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the early start the next morning.

South America 2009 - Day 13 (8/19/2009) - Santiago to Cuzco

We were picked up by the taxi at 4:15 in the morning and taken to the airport for our 6:55 flight to Lima. After retrieving our checked bags and going through customs in Lima, we had to exit the arrivals area and re-check in for the flight to Cuzco. Before going through security, we stopped at Papa John's for an early lunch. In Cuzco, the hostel arranged to have a taxi pick us up from the airport (for no extra charge).

After we arrived at the hostel, checked in, and put our stuff away, we decided to explore a little bit of Cuzco. We walked down to the Plaza de Armas, which was only about 3 blocks away, and the surrounding area. We also went into the Cuzco Cathedral, even though we could not take pictures inside (but we did get in for half price using our student IDs, even though the lady at the window was hesitant because ours do not have expiration dates). Additionally, we found a couple of cheap flashlights for our Huayna Picchu excursion. We then walked back to the hostel to figure out where to eat.

After looking at a couple of maps an brochures, we settled on the Inka Grill, on Plaza de Armas, because it was both in Greg's book and a brochure map from the hostel. We walked back out to the plaza, and initially passed up on it because it seemed a little too expensive. When we couldn't decide on anything else, we went back to it. I had a tasty chicken dish (ají de gallina) that reputedly is very popular in Peru, while Greg had a steak-based dish. After dinner we walked back to the hostel so Greg could grab his camera, then walked back to the plaza to take some night photos. After that, it was back to the hostel for the night.

South America 2009 - Day 12 (8/18/2009) - Santiago

Today was a cold and wet day - it rained most of the day, and the temperature was around 45-50 Fahrenheit. We met up with Nora, Chris(tina), and Jason around 9:45 to walk down to a crepe stand in a shopping area nearby. When we arrived there a little after 10, the stand was closed, and would not open until 10:30. We waited around, and eventually a girl showed up to open it up. When she was still cleaning it at 10:40, Nora approached her and found out that it would probably be another hour until the stand was ready to serve. Hungry and impatient, we checked out a couple of other restaurants on the plaza before settling on a place to eat. There, the other three had quiches while Greg and I had empanaditas.

After eating, we walked back to the hostel and began plotting our next move. The girls wanted to go to a couple of museums, while Greg and I wanted to go to a shopping mall to get some gear for Machu Picchu. Nora talked three other guys (extreme sportsmen from California) into giving us a ride in their rented van. The eight of us piled in and first headed to the mall, where Greg and I each bought hiking pants and socks, Jason bought the same pants, and Chris bought an umbrella. After leaving the mall, the guys dropped us of at a metro station by the hostel, and we took the metro to the center of the city.

The first museum the girls wanted to check out was closed, so we went to the other one - the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art). We looked around that for a while, then walked back to the hostel, with stops at Plaza de Armas and a posteleria/paneria for some empanadas (I bought one Neapolitan and one carne).

Later on, around 9:15, Greg and I went out for dinner at a pasta place. This was the first restaurant in Chile that did not serve us salsa with our bread - only an oil and spice mix. Greg was craving some lasagna so he ordered that, while I had some ham-stuffed ravioli in alfredo sause. We also each had a delicious glass of fresh juice - he had raspberry while I had strawberry. After dinner we walked back to the hostel (it was still raining) and packed for our early departure the next morning.

South America 2009 - Day 11 (8/17/2009) - Valparaíso and Viña del Mar

The main item on the itinerary today was a tour to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. The Turis Tour van picked us up at the hostel around 9:00, after I had time to grab a quick biscuit with jam for breakfast. The van made a couple of stops to pick up 4 other people on the way to the agency center, where we boarded the tour bus. We had plenty of space to spread out on the bus, as there were only 16 of us on the tour.

We first headed to Viña del Mar, where we stopped at Quinta Vergara, which houses an amphitheater which is the site of the Viña del Mar International Song Festival (Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar), possibly the most important musical event in Latin America. We made a couple of more stops in Viña, including one at a small beach, before heading down the coast to Valparaíso next door. Though the two cities are next to each other, Valparaíso is more of a port city while Viña del Mar is more of a beach city (though the stretch of rocky beach is not very long). We drove through Valparaíso, with the only stop at the port across from Plaza Sotomayor, where we had lunch at a restaurant nearby. I ordered a three-course combination from the tourist menu (seafood cream soup, shrimp and palm crepes, and a tropical fruit crepe) while Greg had another filet steak. After lunch, and a milkshake, the bus took us up the coast a little more before heading back to Santiago.

Back in Santiago, we were dropped off down the street from our hostel, around 5:45. After chilling out at the hostel for a while, we headed out to dinner around 9 with a couple of others from the hostel - Nora and Christina, (the South Park girls) and Jason (a Canadian who had lived in the U.S., but has been living/traveling outside the States for the last two years, and will most likely become an expatriate). We walked to a nearby Chilean restaurant recommended by one of the hostel clerks. I had the Pastel de Choclo, which was a casserole-like corn dish with meat, onions, olives, and eggs (also a recommendation) - it was very good. I also two more excellent glasses of juice - this time mango and honeydew. After eating, we walked back to the hostel around 11:15, happy to have missed the rain that fell while we were in the restaurant.