Waiting in Cusco
Trip Start
Dec 27, 2007
1
7
9
Trip End
Ongoing
Cusco, Peru
Monday, April 14, 2008
In the morning I caught my plane to Cusco, although I almost missed it as they changed the gate 3 times before the flight. I heard my name announced over the airport intercom calling for me to report to the gate, and I ran on the flight as they were about to close the doors. So yes, if you are flying out of Lima, check your gate often. I arrived in Cusco and was immediately in awe of the setting and architecture. The entire city sits in a beautiful green valley, surrounded by a tall forest with plazas and ruins interlaced intermittently. It was impressive. The main goal of my early arrival to Cusco was to try and plan a way to meet up with my parents who would be arriving a few days later on a tour with the CU Alumni association. I stayed in a great hostel there in Cusco called Loki, which is now the primary stop in Cusco for backpackers. I met some great people there and enjoyed the nightlife the city has to offer while I waited a few days for my parents to arrive, having a pretty good idea where to meet them.
I met up with their group outside of the baggage claim in Cusco and was extremely excited to see my parents, it was quite the surreal experience. I quickly met the rest of their group and was whisked away with them to their first stop. Quickly, the realities of backpacking were replaced with luxurious meals and accomodations, accompanied with pre-arranged transportation and tour guides. I didnt complain.
Our tourbus took us north of Cusco to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the towns of Pisac, Chinchero, Ollantaytambo, and Urubamba. There are few words that can describe this amazing valley, but I will say that it is one of the most peaceful and beautiful places I have ever been. Throughout the valley are Inca ruins and infrastructure as it was a large population center for their empire. From Ollantaytambo, we jumped on the train that takes tourists through the steeper parts of the valley to the base of Machu Picchu at the town of Aguas Calientes. Here the climate is more tropical as you are immersed in cloud forest. Off the train, we jumped on the buses up to the ruins and we were all astonished by the amazing views from the bus itself as we wound up the steep mountain to the summit.
And once there, we were blessed with a perfect day to visit the ruins. Our first stop was the highest part of the ruins where thousands take their patented Machu Picchu photos every year. It was an amazing experience to walk to the edge of the cliff and have the ruins at your feet. I felt like I was in a dream or a painting, as you realize what you are looking at and just stand there in awe. I highly recommend the feeling, so get to Machu Picchu. My parents and I spent the rest of the day exploring the ruins with the help of a guide book my mom had brought from home which was written by a Boulder couple who has done extensive work on the water system of the ruins. The day was amazing, we loved every part of the ruins and had a new respect for them at the end of the day. A second day at the ruins was met with rain and rolling fogs, so we felt fortunate to have seen them on such a crystal clear day.
From Aguas Calientes, we went back to the former Inca capital of Cusco, where I took advantage of the pleasant accomodations and slept in and watched TV all day as I had already done a guided tour of the city and its ruins before my parents arrived. It was a nice respite. From Cusco we took a nine hour bus to Puno on the shores of the worldīs highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca. There we got the chance to visit the spectacular floating reed islands which were originally made by the indigineous people as a way to escape the conquering Incas. The concept was bizarre and we got to see how they built them and the residents of the islands let us into their homes and even showed some traditional dress to the group. It was a great visit.
From there we went to the island of Tequile where we experienced a completely autonomous and different culture where the men literally dominated every aspect of the society. We witnessed a traditional dance, saw the intricate weavings that the men on the island create, and enjoyed a lunch overlooking the lake. After a boat ride back to the hotel, I prepared to possibly part ways with the group the next day as I was not sure if I could get on their flight to Lima. This indeed was the case and I said goodbye to the group and my parents once again in the Juliaca airport and was back to the reality of traveling solo. I was so fortunate to have been a part of such a wonderful trip with a wonderful group of people. It is an experience that I am going to cherish forever and I think that everyone else on the tour will as well.
