Cusco Red, Cusco White, and Cusco Black

Monday, August 25th, 2014

Lima, Peru and Cusco, Peru

It’s 6am and my alarm is going off. We got close to a good night’s sleep and will be flying to Cusco soon. The hotel calls us a cab to get back to the airport. The cost is literally half of what it took to get to the hotel. At one point the driver reaches over you to lock the doors when he gets stuck in traffic in a particularly populated part of town. Central Lima is not a nice place. 

In the morning light, the airport looks much less foreboding. We quickly check into our flight, find a crowded café and sit at the bar to order breakfast. Laura orders an American Breakfast and I get creative by ordering an empanada and a tamale. The empanada is delicious, but the tamale is weird and marks a definitive decline in my food experience. Nonetheless, I am happy that I pushed my limits.

Next, we go through security. I am forced to throw out my bottled water and immediately have anxiety about it. The security area has a bin for confiscated items which includes a pair of handcuffs and a rolling pin. I think this may be funny on purpose but are not totally sure. I dutifully follow instructions and eventually board our flight.

We land in Cusco around 11:30am. Laura and I excitedly look for our driver to the hotel, but, again, no one shows. Eventually, we succumb to an eager cab driver and agree on a price. Minutes later, the driver stops at a pay booth and we are asked to pay an additional fee to leave the airport. 10 minutes later we arrive at the hotel. 

As we take a look around and start to settle in, I am immediately aware of the air. It is very dry and I start to develop a low grade of panic that there is not enough oxygen. I am all of sudden hyper-aware of my breathing while noticing that my mouth and nose feel very dry. In fact, my nose and lips are starting to burn. Additionally, it feels like I have to pee every hour. 

We are at 11,000 feet above sea level. This is the highest elevation that I’ve ever been.

Eventually, we set out to find the office of the Inca Trail tour company so that we can check-in and get final instructions for the hike. After only a few wrong turns, we find Peru Treks. There is a sign on the door, announcing that they are closed until 3pm. 

While neither of us feel hungry at all, we decide that it must be a good time to eat. Laura points out that eating is key to acclimation. I try to order a veggie burger, but are brought an actual burger. This is fine too, it’s what I actually wanted. The cafe is mostly open-air and the cool breeze provides a welcome contrast to the persistent sun.  

Around 3pm we return to Peru Treks and pay our final balance in unadulterated $20 dollar bills. One of Laura's twenties looks suspect and she has to dig around for alternate bills. They are not kidding when they ask for undamaged bills. Eventually, both payments are accepted. Next, we are directed into what looks like a living room with 2 other groups for the final orientation. This is where we meet a nice couple from Australia; they will be part of the trek and, ultimately, our new friends on social media. The orientation is a total blur. I have no idea what was said, except that we need to be ready to be picked up by the bus by 5:30am on Wednesday. It is early, but that’s okay.

After orientation, we are not sure what to do next. We go into auto-pilot, by finding a balcony and drinking beer. I know that drinking beer is bad for acclimation, but it’s vacation and balcony-beer is practically required. There are 3 kinds of beer in Cusco: Cusco Red, Cusco White, and Cusco Black. We try all three.

Just as dusk is settling and our beers are settling, we decide that it’s a good time to purchase pair of brightly colored shoes from a street vendor. I am already in love my new shoes. 

Next on the agenda is dinner. There are restaurants everywhere and we end up in one of many cafés with a pre-fix menu. I have a stuffed avocado, beef saltado, and banana juice. The avocado is great, the beef is a little tough, and the juice is just weird. Laura is forced into eating more veggie pasta. I really do feel bad for the vegetarians in this part of the world.

After dinner, we wander around briefly but ultimately end up at a place called the “wine and couch bar”. It’s funny how the farther you travel from home the more you cling to what you know. Laura beats me at scrabble over a glass of warm, spiced wine. It feels like our college days. 

Eventually, we go back to our awesome hotel and ultimately to bed. It’s very difficult to sleep though. My lips remain chapped and nose continues to burn. I can feel each breath with great sensation and can’t stop focusing on it. I also get up to pee multiple times and feel bad that I am disturbing Laura. I am feeling worried about the altitude but assume that I’ll acclimate tomorrow. After all, I really have no choice. 

Where does this bus go? It doesn’t matter.

Sunday, August 24th, 2014

Lima, Peru

Around 10am I am waking up for a full day in Lima. As I slowly get ready for the day, I turn to Laura and ask what should we do in Lima. She has no idea and neither do I. In the planning frenzy to hike the Inca Trail we never actually considered doing anything in Lima. 

We know that Miraflores is the best neighborhood and that is where we are staying. We decide to walk to the beach and on the way, find a Starbucks. We stop and order large coffees in to-go cups. I feel grateful to find this comfort so far from home. 

Once we hit the beach, we end up at Larcomar, which is a big shopping center, on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. It is beautiful and located next to a dog park, where basically everyone has a standard-sized schnauzer. Admittedly it looks slightly like parts of the westside of LA, but it’s filled with schnauzers… so I am happy. It looks nothing like Texas… so Laura is happy too.

We eat breakfast at a place called Mango Café. Laura suggests that we order a cocktail called pisco sour with breakfast. It’s five o’clock somewhere, so I agree this is a good idea. A pisco sour is basically a margarita with pisco, a liquor made from grapes. It tastes okay, but it’s definitely sour. For food, I order the potato omelet and fresh bread. Laura orders veggie pasta, which will be the first of many… being a vegetarian in South America is not easy. The food does not disappoint, even paired with the pisco sours. The Peruvians really know how to cook and will prove it over and over again throughout this trip.

After breakfast, we wander around for a little bit. The view is nice, but there’s really not much else to do. As if on cue, a tour bus sort of appears in our path. At first, we walk past it and then after a few seconds turn back to investigate. The bus is parked and there is no visible guide handing out flyers or selling tickets. There is also no sign.

Clearly, we need to get on this bus.

As we approach a woman appears and sells us tickets. I halfheartedly ask where the bus goes but don’t understand what she says. It doesn’t matter though, there is nothing else to do and we are getting on this bus

Eventually, the bus takes off and we are treated to intermittent English explanations amongst longer and apparently funnier Spanish explanations of the passing sights. I gather that we are passing one of the very few pre-Incan ruins and that we will soon stop in Barranco. Barranco is an adorably hip neighborhood in Lima with cafes, old buildings, open markets, and beautiful views. We find ourselves following a guide in an orange vest on a walking tour. This is the first time that either of us has been on a walking tour, and honestly, it feels a little touristy. We are eventually herded back onto the bus and driven to the next stop.

Had we been paying attention when we purchased the bus ticket, we would have known that the next stop is Peruvian catacombs. While the tombs of wealthy religious and political figures in Europe are basically creepy… the tombs Lima are definitely creepy. For starters, there are no tombs, only the combined graves of the middle class who were sold false burial plots underneath the church. Instead of dedicating burial plots to the families who purchased them, the church basically crammed as many bodies as they could in the basement over the course of the years. Eventually, they made the excessively nefarious decision to catalog the bones by separating them into bins of similar varieties. As a bus tourist we are able to view these bins.

In addition to the catacombs, we visit a monastery, the church on top of the catacombs, and see the outside of the presidential palace. Around 5pm, the bus tour is complete.

In Lima, 5pm is the hour where all of the cute schnauzers go in for the night and all of the cute cats come out. Lima is overrun with tame, well-fed, clean stray cats. I even find a cat that looks like my cat back home. I shamelessly chase him around taking as many photos as I can get. 

For dinner, we find a quaint café on a side street with a good menu and an overzealous host. He promises us an outside table, tasty food, and a “romantic” atmosphere. Laura and I insist that romance is not a requirement… nonetheless he gives us his best table.

For dinner, I order the chicken relleno, which includes cream cheese and it is amazing. Laura orders a veggie casserole and we both rave about the food.

After dinner, we wander around aimlessly for the rest of the night. Alternating between petting stray cats and ordering beer in various pubs. We end the evening at a late-night deli, which also serves beer and dessert. Here, I order my first churro ever! Actually, I decide to order two – one stuffed with dulce de leche and the other with chocolate. They are great and pair surprisingly well with the beer.

Around midnight we head back to our hotel. We have an early flight to Cusco… its T- 2 days until we hike the Inca Trail!

Whatever you do, don't get in that cab.

Saturday, August 23rd, 2014.

Los Angeles, California and Lima, Peru

It’s 6am and I am waking up in Los Angeles, California. It’s time to get ready for my 9:30am flight to Lima, Peru. This trip has been planned for almost 9 months and I am already feeling nervous and excited. 

At 7:15am I arrive at the LAX airport. The entire upper level is closed and all traffic is being re-routed to the pickup area. The flight leaves in 2 hours and I am starting to get worried. Eventually, I get to the Tom Bradley International terminal wave goodbye to my driver. 

Despite the delay, I have plenty of time before my flight so I wander over to Marmalade Café to eat a little breakfast. After careful examination of the menu, I decide to order the American Breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. I have a long day of traveling ahead and not sure when I’ll be able to eat again; I eat every bite and finish it off with 2 full cups of coffee. 

Next, I stop off at the currency exchange booth to switch out my American dollars for Peruvian Soles. I ask for small bills, but the attendant is barely able to accommodate my request. There’s just one more stop now, for 2 liters of water, meant to last until tomorrow morning.

When I finally board the flight, I am amazed at the accommodations. I’m treating myself to business class for the first time and I can already tell that I’ll never go back. The seat lays completely flat and the attendant brings an endless stream of little bottles of water - I even pocket a few for later.  

Eventually, I land in Atlanta and my next flight is delayed by almost 3 hours. I scramble to get a message to Laura, my longtime friend, and travel buddy, but I’m are sure that she is already in the air.

It’s 2am Central Time before I officially land in Lima. There are armed guards everywhere along with a parade of police dogs, which do not look very friendly. I quickly find my bag and make it through customs. I find Laura in the arrivals hall and am so happy that she waited for me!

The pick-up area is overrun with aggressive cab drivers. We look for the driver with our names on a card. We booked a car service from the hotel and are honestly a little scared of getting into an unverified cab at 3am in Peru. We can not find the driver anywhere and eventually we give up. We hop into the first unmarked vehicle we see and are ceremoniously overcharged for the trip. Now we’ve been initiated into Peru!

The drive to the hotel is through a rough part of town. We sit silently for the 30-minute trip. The driver drops us off in an ally way and points to the door to the hotel. We both sigh in relief.

It’s a little past 4am and I am finally laying in my hotel bed. I am completely exhausted and the sound of car horns is incessant. Eventually, I drift to sleep.