Ex-pats that don't have resident status know that every so often you need to leave the country that you're in to reset your visa clock. Here in Colombia, visas are issued for 90 days at a time with no more than 180 days in a calendar year. We were in Colombia for 3 months, left for 2 months to the States and came back with just a hair over 90 days until the new year. One of our goals while visiting Colombia was to travel throughout South America so we decided to take a trip to Peru in order to get our visa status into the New Year.
We have a lot of work going on and it is difficult to get away with work being done because in many cases we need to be here to answer questions and ensure that it is being done correctly. So, against that constraint we decided on only less than a 2 week trip while some work proceeded. Nothing that bad could happen in 2 weeks and it would give us a chance to visit a few destinations.
An active Lighthouse for Lima along the Malacon
We have two large projects and a myriad of smaller projects underway. Our canvas replacement is moving along, our electronics replacement is underway and my helper had several projects to keep him busy for about 2 weeks. We also wanted to avoid the busy holiday travel season so that narrowed down the window of opportunity.
With our work going on our first decision was how long did we want to be gone while wanting enough time to see meaningful things. So with the idea that just less than two weeks would give us that time we sketched out a rough outline of travel. We decided that it was easiest to fly into and out of Lima although there are direct flights to other cities. Then we selected 3 easily achievable cities to visit; Arequipa, Puno and Cusco. Then we filled in the local travel, hotels and tours.
Some key facts we had to know about where we were going was climate, money and how to get around. Some quick research yielded answers. The climate was very cool everywhere. Except for Lima everyplace we were going was very high altitude. At the same time it was all in the tropics so it would be warm during the day with bright sun but cold at night. Lima that is relatively at sea level was cool because of the cold ocean current moving along the coast. Peru uses its own currency, the Sole, but it was easily available at ATMs and Uber was available in most places. We also selected hotels near the central plazas so that we could walk to most places without needing transport.
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Dinner our first night in Arequipa at Restaurante Riqoto
Guinea Pig for Linda
After our planning we decided to fly into Lima and spend 2 nights there; then 2 nights in Arequipa; take a daylong trip to the Colca Canyon and end up in Puno for 2 nights; then a bus to Cusco for 4 nights and then back to Lima for 2 nights and home. Many people travel with a chock-a-block full agenda for each day and plan to hit the ground running. I guess because we're older we view it differently. We have key points of what we want to see but prefer to get accustomed to the surroundings first and then go out and see those things we want to see. It's slower but just being in foreign places is an experience in itself and we like to absorb the vibe and not just rush from point to point.
We left Cartagena on 28 October and flew to Lima for 2 nights. In Lima we stayed at the Sheraton City Center. When we arrived in Lima our first order of business was to book our domestic flights for Peru on a regional discount carrier JetSmart. I had been unable to book online and the ticket counter at the
Plaza Mayor on Halloween night.
Cartagena airport was no help so we thought we would book in Lima. They had a ticket agent who worked with us and issued our tickets for our flight to Arequipa and back to Lima from Cusco, However, when I looked at their email confirmations on the way to the hotel I found that the Arequipa flight was correct but instead of booking us from Cusco to Lima the agent booked us from Lima to Cusco. We decided that we would wait and before our trip out we would deal with it in person at the airport.
Feliz cumpleanos. How did they know.
We didn't realize that when we arrived in Lima it was during the celebration of the Lord of Miracles Fiesta and Lima was packed. It took us an hour and a half to get from the airport to our hotel. By the time we got to the hotel we were tired and it was getting cold. After a few hors d'oeuvres in the Concierge Lounge we had dinner in the lobby restaurant bundled up with our cold weather clothes.
The Cathedral steeple with Misti Volcano in the background.
Our day in Lima was very pleasant. Lima is the third largest city in South America and we only had a little time there. We took a cab to the ocean front in Miraflores and walked along the Malacon into Barrio Barranco. Miraflores, is a very beautiful upscale neighborhood with high end hotels, restaurants and shops with a beautiful waterfront. We saw people surfing. The air temp was in the 60's and I'm sure the water wasn't much warmer.
We walked on to the Barranco neighborhood that was much different but still very charming. We stopped at a Chocolate Bar, El Cacaotal, where we enjoyed some iced hot chocolate and bought a lot of chocolate bars to try. A young woman there suggested a great restaurant for lunch that was only a few blocks away. Awicha Restaurante was almost closed at the end of the lunch hour but we were able to order before they stopped. Their specialty was duck and I had duck confit pasta and Linda had the duck confit with potatoes. The meals were excellent. Some of the best food ever.
After the great meal and some walking around we Ubered back to our hotel, had an uneventful evening and off to the airport the next day to got to Arequipa. We did stop at the JetSmart counter and were able to get our flights corrected and then off to Arequipa. In Arequipa we had arranged for transportation to the hotel and the driver was waiting for us after we gathered our bags. Landing and driving from the airport we were in awe of the mountains and peaks around us. The scenery was breathtaking.
The trip to our hotel was interesting as we traveled through a typical South American city and ended up in a historical area and walked to our hotel due to the street closings because of the Festival. The receptionist in our boutique hotel was fantastic. He spoke excellent English and gave us great insight into the town, places to see and restaurants. After relaxing in our room we went out to the Riqoto restuarant for dinner. Linda sampled the Guinea Pig and I had the alpaca for the experience. They must be acquired tastes.
The next day was my birthday. Somehow the lady in the breakfast bar found out and knew who I was because she surprised me with a breakfast crepe that was excellent.but they spared me the singing so it was a great way to start the day. In the afternoon we took a walking tour that highlighted many of the Spanish Colonial buildings and the unique features of the town. For dinner we went to the Zigzag Restaurant that had been recommended to us by the hotel and it was also excellent. They also included a special dessert for my birthday and included the singing. We can't wait to go back to Arequipa.
The next day started early. We were scheduled to be picked up between 0245 and 0300. We got ourselves to the lobby where we were given "box" breakfasts by the hotel. Our ride arrived after 0300 and we were
Waiting in the Puno Bus Station for our bus to Cusco early Sunday morning.
off to the Colcha Valley. Driving through the streets when we left there was a mix of stragglers from the parties the night before and people going to early jobs. Once outside Arequipa there was only 1 road and it was up. For the next 4 hours the road was uphill with an occasional down slope to the next uphill. Since it was the only road the traffic was solid with 18 wheeled semi's, smaller trucks, busses, vans and cars each trying to pass at every opportunity. The sun came up early revealing the desert mountains each one higher with the road making horseshoe and hairpin turns and switchbacks.
Scenes in the Plaza Mayor in Cusco. The Cathedral and the Spanish Colonial buildings around the Plaza.
We finally crossed over a ridge at 15,000 ft. and then descended down in the the Colca Valley at about 11,500 ft. where a breakfast was waiting for us in Chivay. The breakfast consisted of 2 rolls, a few scrambled eggs and a hot quinoa soup at a local version of a restaurant. From there we drove up through the valley towards the ridge of the Colca Canyon to the Condor Mirador. There were numerous small towns along the road and each with their own history. The valley was replete with agriculture in the terraces that had been built over the millennia. Life in the Colca Valley predates the Incas and the Spanish.
At the Condor Mirador we saw 2 adult Andean condors and 4 younger ones. The Colca Canyon is a home to many Andean Condors who like the air drafts caused by the deep valley. The Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world with average depths exceeding 5,000 ft and along the canyon are volcanoes with elevations up to 20,000 ft.
Entry to Pisac in the Sacred Valley
After our visit we returned to Chivay for lunch and to board our bus for the long ride to Puno. The bus made several rest stops along the way and we got into Puno about 8 pm after being picked up at 0300. We walked the few blocks to our hotel, ate our bagged "breakfast" and went to bed. When we checked in we asked the receptionist to arrange a tour for us the next day to Lake Titicaca.
Puno is a medium sized city on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Our hotel was just off the main plaza that made it difficult to get to because most of the streets around the plaza were blocked because of the holiday celebrations. Our tour driver picked us up at noon as we asked and took us to the dock where we boarded a lake boat for the short trip to the Uros floating islands.
End of a long day
Since it was the dry season the lake level was fairly low and mud flats were all around. The boats moved slowly through the narrow channel out to deeper water where the floating islands were. Lake Titicaca is the highest body of navigable water in the world. Its fresh water is the source of fish and vegetation providing a unique culture for the Uros. The Uros have lived in the area for millennia and in habit the region and the floating islands.
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The floating islands are made by weaving cut reeds into existing plants to form a solid mat between groups of plants. The islands are then secured with anchors to keep them from drifting away when the water rises. On the islands the Uros build straw huts that they live in. Some had more permanent structures.
The site of Q'enqo that supposedly held Metaphysical powers. Above is a sepulcher where mummified ruins were discovered.
View of Cusco fro Q'enqo
The next day was a travel day as we took the day bus from Puno to Cusco. The trip took about 6 hours and traveled through varying landscapes and ending in Cusco which is a very large city.
In Cusco we made plans to do a day tour to the Sacred Valley and a half-day tour of ruins around the City. Like all the other towns, the Plaza Mayor in Cusco had daily celebrations with music, singing, dancing and crowds of people. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire that got overbuilt by the Spanish during their conquest.
After Cusco we flew back to Lima. From there we flew back to Cartagena.
Peru is a very diverse country with many more things to experience.
View from Sacsayhuaman overlooking Cusco.
