Erich’s Journal – Leg 15 – Incan Peru – Cusco, Cusco, Peru to Puno, Puno, Peru – January 26, 2002, to February 3, 2002 – 9 Days

Saturday, January 26, 2002 – Day 226 – Hotel – Cusco, Cusco, Peru – traveled by air (See Puno Map)

We have been playing real tourist again for the past few days and it has been nice and relaxing. We have had to get up early every morning since, however, which has been kind of a bummer.

We got up early to catch our plane out of Lima. The flight pretty much went without problems. As we were heading toward the gate, a man who wanted to set us up with a room in Cusco stopped us. After some consideration, we took him up on the offer. It did cost us five soles down, which we were a little leery about, but we figured it was just a few dollars.

When we arrived in Cusco, a woman named Francis with a sign up that said “Erich Kuball” or a good attempt at spelling it correctly “Erick Kuvall”, met us and gave us a ride to the hotel. (See photos 1667, 1668, 1669 and 1670)

The hotel was great. It was just a few blocks from the city center and was half the price of the posted price on the wall. (We are here in the off-season).

Francis wanted to help us with our various tours during our stay in the Cusco area. We explained to her of our plans to visit not only this area but Lake Titicaca as well. No problem, she stated. She could set us up with a package that would be considerably cheaper and convenient for us.

We found her to be a rather persistent, high-energy woman who did not like being disagreed with. She began to ramble off prices for various things that were somewhat familiar to us, because we had just read about these things in our guidebook. She was scribbling things down in illegible English on a small piece of scrap paper and came up with a figure of $700.00. At first I thought, this was great. She rather helped us figure out what things would cost. Then she wanted us to give her that money now. Finally, something inside me clicked. I thought there is no way that I am going to give this woman that kind of money and get a cocktail napkin with scribbles on it in return.

I looked at Brian, then looked back at Francis and said, can you go over all this again, because I did not understand what all of these charges were. Before this trip began, I was not very good at confronting people when we would be taken advantage of. I would just pout about it after the fact. However, after dealing with cabbies and hotel clerks during the past several months, I have gotten quite good at calling “bull crap” when I see it.

We started to whittle things down a bit. I pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and started to itemize things. Brian and I talked a bit in the process too about what we wanted to do and what we did not want to do. Within about 10 minutes, we came up with $480 total. We cut out a few tours and told her we would take care of our own accommodations after we reach Puno.

She seemed distraught. She was anxious to get going. She gave us a written down list of times we were to meet in the lobby during the mornings so we could meet our van ride to the various places. She would deliver all of our tickets in the morning.

(Side note: written a few days later. We did figure we were taken advantage of, as most of these services had prices that were over quoted and some services were not taken care of as upon which we had agreed. We also did not receive a receipt (just a hand written itinerary) with prices on it. This could have been disastrous but turned out to be not that bad.)

Cusco was very different than North Coastal Peru. Many tourists fill this town. Here are some photos of the town square. (See photos 1711, 1712 and 1713)

Sunday, January 27, 2002 – Day 227 – Hotel – Cusco, Cusco, Peru – Rest Day

The next morning we got up early to take a bus tour of the Sacred Valley. This area includes the valley, in which Cusco is on the west end and stretches 20 miles to the east to Huambutío as it gently slopes downward. Our tour was a round trip bus ride that was to take all day long.

Our first stop took us to a market place in the small town of Calca, just north of Cusco. Our guide was rather humorous as he warned us to watch out for salespeople trying to sell us “Baby Alpaca” sweaters and other items. He told us that Baby Alpaca items are very expensive and that most of the items that we will see in the markets will be Alpaca, llama, wool and acrylic. Brian and I already had a shopping spree in Cusco the day prior so we refrained from buying much. Most of my small change went to little kids dressed in traditional clothes with their pet lambs and alpacas so I could get a photo in exchange. (See photos 1671, 1672, 1673, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1677, 1678 and 1679)

Our next stop was the village of Pisac, where they had a larger market as well as some ruins to explore. We really did not spend much time in any one place as the tour group we were on seemed to be always on the go. I guess that is how tour groups work. The larger market place was more interesting than that in Calca. It seemed to cater to locals as well as tourists. The main square was exceptionally crowded as commerce took place. Fruits, vegetables, food, trinkets, blankets, sweaters, etc. were all available. (See photos 1680, 1681, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1686, 1687, 1688 and 1689)

The ruins would be our first official Incan ruins that we visited. We climbed for about a half hour along a trail that skirted the picchu. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and spoke English rather sufficiently to get the point across to the gringos and Europeans. (See photos 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1694, 1695, 1696, 1697, 1698 and 1699)

We took lunch farther down river in the city of Urubamba. It was an all you can eat buffet. Pretty good and well worth the price. (Francis wanted to sell us tickets to this buffet for $10. We opted out and found we could get it for $5 at the door).

Later in the day, we took in two more tours in the towns of Ollantaytambo (Oye-yan-te-tambo) and Chinchero. Ollantaytambo’s ruins were larger than those in Pisac were, but did not quite have the 360-degree views, but were a little more substantial. We climbed to the top to get the views and a brief tour. It began to rain hard, so being rushed to the bus did not seem to bother me as much. (See photos 1700, 1701, 1702 and 1703)

Chinchero was rather unique. Originally an Incan city, the Conquistadors sacked the city and built a cathedral over the main Incan Temple’s ruins. This church would be over 400 years old. (Older than the Incan City was at the time of the conquest). (See photos 1705, 1706, 1708, 1709 and 1710)

We got back from the tour late in the day. Bed was early, mainly due to the fact we needed to get up at 4:30 to catch the train to Machu Picchu in the morning.

Monday, January 28, 2002 – Day 228 – Hotel – Aguas Calientes, Cusco, Peru – traveled by train

(see photos 1714, 1715, 1716, 1717, 1718, 1719, 1720 and 1721)

Hung out in Aguas Calientes after we arrived by train. Hung out in the town and waited until the next day before the bus ride to the top, Machu Picchu.

Tuesday, January 29, 2002 – Day 229 – Hotel – Cusco, Cusco, Peru – traveled by train

The morning fog was just getting ready to lift. We could feel it. We were anticipating that perfect “Machu Picchu Shot.” We wanted one just like the photos that you always see in the magazines. We just were not sure where we needed to be to get that photo. It had been somewhat foggy when we got there. Then the weather socked in, the fog rolled in and we have not been able to see more than 30 feet or so. We climbed up to one of the highest points within the ruins. We are waiting for the fog to clear and hoping we are positioned just right. (See photos 1722, 1723, 1724, 1725, 1726, 1727, 1728, 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1739, 1740, 1741, 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745, 1746, 1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1752, 1753, 1754, 1755 and 1756)

The time had finally come. We could see the ruins below, the peaks behind them were still covered. We clicked a few pictures and took some video clips. The clouds rolled in again. It started to rain.

This was pretty much our morning. It did not start too well, as the hotel clerk seemed to step in and did not have our “inclusive” breakfast ready for us at 6:00 a.m. so we could catch the bus at 6:30 a.m. In fact, the lobby and kitchen were dark. We just left the key lay by the register and let ourselves out. The cheese sandwich, banana bread, and coffee I bought at the bus station for less than a dollar from the street vendor, prior to getting on the bus seemed to suffice.

When we first were roaming around in the fog-filled ruins, Brian and I would often climb over walls and stand or sit occasionally. There were park employees all over the place. One man told us a few times to back down or get off… I found it amusing later as we followed behind him a bit and could see urine spraying from his hidden front on the trail as he walked. We quickly changed directions. The moral – You cannot climb around because you might damage something but it is OK to piss all over the place.

Machu Picchu was spectacular. We took some time to chase some llamas around trying to get them to pose with us. They were annoyed with us to say the least. By 11:00 p.m., the fog had cleared completely. The rain gear came off. It was beautiful. Brian and I also hiked up to “The Inca Bridge” I don’t know – maybe we were just in awesome shape, but the alleged 1 ½ hour round trip hike took us a total of 30 minutes. I think the guide was just stretching things.

Brian stopped to relax and write his journal from the “Classic Machu Picchu Shot” lookout. I hiked up to the top of Huayna Picchu, the tall peak in the back of the “Classic Machu Picchu Shot” There was a look out at the top, an old sentry post, which I had to see. I had to register when I got to the entrance and sign out when I returned. I had heard that gringo backpackers like to hike out away from the ruins, camp and return after closing to check things out. My guess is that they are trying to curb that behavior. The one-day only entrance fee is $20.00. It is missed revenue, I guess.

The views up top of Huayna Picchu were spectacular. The visitors’ center and entrance is totally hidden from the ruins but from up here, one could see it all, including the road up from the village, with 12 switchbacks and its 2000-foot climb. Many Gringos, Europeans, and Japanese tourists are here. There are many Argentineans here also. I think Brian would agree that the Argentinean women seem to be the prettiest that we have come across. My guess would be I will not find these women in the Patagonia region though. (See photos 1757, 1758, 1759, 1760, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1764, 1765, 1766 and 1767)

It was a great day; one that I will remember for a longtime. I wonder often on this trip, if I will ever visit particular places ever again. It is such a great big world, I have frequently said “no.” This is one place, however, I can see me coming back. I enjoy this greatly. (See photos 1768, 1769, 1770 and 1771)

A former colleague from Aniak, Dave Aluia, who now lives in Michigan, has been quite helpful via email. He had been here some years ago. Dave we took your advice! The trip was a success. The Pisco Sour was great too!

Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - Day 230 – Hotel – Puno, Puno, Peru – traveled by train

Currently I am sitting on the train as we travel from Cusco to Puno. This train is NICE. We are traveling “Inca Class” which is the very elite class. We noticed that as we came in. Our seats are actually comfortable armchairs with wooden legs, and high backs. There is a table in front of us has a nice table cloth on it with cloth napkins, three glasses each, silverware, a vase with a flower in it, a table lamp, and a sugar bowel. Wow. This is first class service for a couple of first class guys. There is even an electrical outlet so we can plug in the laptop and video camera. Our 11-hour ride to Puno will be quite comfortable. (See photos 1771, 1772, 1773, , 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780 and 1781)

The ride to Puno was spectacular. The average elevation on our ride is 11, 500 feet (3500 meters). The highest point we reached on our journey was 14,150 feet (4,320 meters). (See photo 1774, 1775 and 1776)

Brian and I have had a rather bad revelation in the past few days. We have discovered our travel agent “Francis” was not exactly honest with us when she sold us the various tickets to all of these destinations, which included – train tickets to Aguas Calientes, bus tickets to the Machu Picchu Ruins, entrance fee and tour of Machu Picchu, tour of Sacred Valley and admission tickets to three different ruins. Also included was transportation to the train stations and hotels.

After looking at our ticket stubs, we discovered she quoted prices above the individual prices for these events and transport. At first, we thought that it was just a few dollars. It was no big deal.

Then we had the unfortunate experience of not getting our free breakfast at the hotel Pachacutec in Aguas Calientes, because the hotel clerk and cook were not around when we were supposed to eat. We left the key on the desk and scrambled to catch the 6:30 a.m. bus to the ruins. We finally saw Francis at the hotel in Cusco. As usual, she was in a hurry. She just wanted to drop off our train tickets to Puno and be gone. Of course, she did her pitch to try to sell us a hotel room in Puno and that her friend Mary would meet us at the train station. We said that would be fine, but would not give her any money here or there until we see the condition of the hotel. She also asked us if we could find our own way to the train station in the morning. We told her that we still expected to be picked up at the hotel as agreed and taken there. I also then took the time to complain about our room without breakfast in Aguas Calientes and the fact that we missed our tour in Machu Picchu. Not only did she not acknowledge there was a mistake, she ignored it entirely. She just said, she needed to go, gave us our tickets and left.

Sure enough in the morning, there was no one to take us to the train station. We had to catch a cab.

Feeling like we had really be taken advantage of, we started adding up all of the amounts that were printed on our ticket stubs and compared them to the lump sum we paid Francis when we first met her. We also added in cab fare, which we would have had to pay by not getting our various rides to places. We realized that we were probably overcharged by more than $75 between the two of us. About 15% of what we had paid.

I guess you could consider it a service charge, but we felt we had been lied to, we were not happy with many of the events in our “package” and our complaints were not acknowledged. Chalk another one up for experience.

(Later)

The views from the train have been awesome. As I see it, traveling from Cusco to Lake Titicaca by bike would have been ridiculously easy. We are in a long wide valley that is relatively flat. The problem with cycling would have been the ride from the coast to Cusco. I also understand the ride from Lake Titicaca to La Paz would have had some steep grades as well.

We are above the tree line. The landscape is covered with patches of farmland, cattle, sheep and llamas. At our highest point a few hours back, one could see snow covered mountains on each side of the valley. The terrain reminds me some of the North Slope (north of the Brooks Range) during the summer.

We finally arrived at Lake Titicaca as darkness was approaching. (see photo 1782)

Thursday, January 31, 2002 – Day 231 – Hotel -- Puno, Puno, Peru – Rest Day

Today was a gorgeous day. We took a tour of Lake Titicaca by boat. It was an all day affair that was both entertaining and informational; however, it was kind of a long ride back to port.

After breakfast at the hotel, we were picked up by a van and taken to the boat terminal where we climbed on a boat that could hold about 20 people or so. (See photos 1783, 1784 and 1785)

Our tour was to take us to two different islands. The first one, Uros, was not really an island at all but reeds tied together that floated on the lake. There are several of these little floating islands, each having about a dozen inhabitants.

As I walked on one of the Islands at Uros, my feet were pushing up and down, as if I were walking on the tundra. These reeds need to be replaced periodically – during the dry season, they are replaced with fresh reeds about every two months, during the wet season, about twice a month. The people on this particular island welcome people and try to sell their handcrafted goods to the passing tour boats. There was another boat as well as ours on the water. I am sure during the tourist season, there are many more. (See photos 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795 and 1796)

A man took some others and me around the island in a reed boat. It felt like a tippy canoe. (see photos 1797 and 1798)

Lake Titicaca is a very large lake that lies in both Peru and Bolivia. It is about 110 miles long and about 40 miles wide. What makes this lake special, besides its name that makes little kids laugh, is that is the highest navigable lake in the world, sitting at approximately 12,500 feet. “Titi” means Puma or Lion in the native language. “Caca” means rock. On the Bolivian side of the lake, there is a cliff face, where from a certain angle, it appears to look like a puma. Hence, the lake got its name.

A few hours later, we arrived at the Island of Taquile. Taquile is not a floating island like Uros. The boat dropped us off at the far side of the island so that we could walk along a trail to the village. We would then get back on the boat on the town side after we ate lunch. (See photos 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811 and 1812)

Our guide gave us a brief history of the island. The inhabitants who are about 2000 people have been living on this island forever. There ancestors lived on this island. They were not sure how it got its name. The part I found interesting was that these people live by three basic rules, which all must abide – Do not lie, do not steal, do not be lazy. The people here were very friendly here.

Our lunch consisted of soup and either an omelet or fish with fries and rice. The beverages were either a locally grown mint tea or coca leaf tea. (Both are good for altitude sickness) You could also buy a coke or Inca cola if you wanted.

After a relaxing stroll around the main square, we headed to the boat, which had been moved from the other dock.

The ride back to Puno was very long. Although we were only about 25 miles from Puno, it took over three hours to return. Brian and I were both sunburned pretty good, even though we both had hats on. The direct sun at that elevation is a killer.

We met some other travelers on the boat – Rich was a real comedian from Manchester England. Amber and Jaime were from Whistler, BC. There were some other Canadians, New Zealanders, and others. We hung out with Amber and Jaime for the day and later that evening for dinner. Amber and Jaime work at some sort of adventure outfit in the Whistler area. Their company does a variety of things from taking people on outdoor adventure tours to helping movie companies film outdoor scenes in wilderness areas. Jaime is also a high school teacher but I sense he is trying phase out of that career and work more with this company.

I may be seeing more of Amber and Jaime as they are also traveling south (by bus) and plan to be in southern Chile and Argentina at the time I plan to finish with the cycling trip. There may be the option later of traveling back with Jaime by car, if he can buy a land cruiser for a good price. We are definitely keeping in touch.

For dinner we had Alpaca (See photo 1813)

Friday, February 01, 2002 – Day 232 – Hotel – Copacabana, La Paz, Bolivia – traveled by bus

The past few days we have spent most of our time in Copacabana Bolivia. We traveled here for a few reasons. One is that we wanted to reach Bolivia since we were so close. The other is that the town of Copacabana seemed to be a cool little town right on the shore of Lake Titicaca and they were celebrating a holiday, Virgen de la Candelaria. She is the dark virgin saint of Bolivia. (See photos 1814, 1815, 1816 and 1817)

It was one of the best holidays that we have been a part of on our trip. During the day, the streets were filled with people as a massive parade went through the town plaza. All of the parade events consisted either of a marching band or of dancers. The parade went on for several hours. During this time, spectators consisting of mainly locals sprinkled with gringos and Europeans, would watch, eat and drink. (See photos 1818. 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847 and 1848)

It was quite interesting watching the local people and how their interaction with one another. One could tell this was an important holiday in the Lake Titicaca area. People, young and old, were having a great time.

During the evening, the bands would still play as people were just dancing in the streets. Forget trying to drive a car into the downtown area of Copacabana. It was nuts. People were eating too much and drinking too much. (More of the latter than the former). Fireworks were being set off, throughout the night. Huge sparklers were set off, shooting large amount of sparks into the crowd of people. What a great time it was.

New friends, Jaime and Amber, also had gone to Copacabana, so we hung out with them quite a bit. It was a lot of fun hanging out with some other North Americans with the same sense of humor as we had. (see photos 1829)

Our very worn biking shoes were shinned up good too!  (See photos, 1830 and 1831)

Saturday, February 02, 2002 – Day 233 – Hotel -- Puno, Puno, Peru – traveled by bus

After a long night, it was good to sleep in some today. It seems we have had to be out the door early quite a bit lately. The morning was cold and rainy. After breakfast and checkout, we walked around the town square watching the festivities, which were still going strong. Many people were still partying from the night before. The bands were still playing strong. We opted to have an early lunch and some internet time before we met the bus at 1:30 to leave.

Currently we are on the road in a bus heading back to Puno in Peru. We had gone through immigration again, but in the other direction. We also just passed an overturned bus on the highway. We had to detour through a town on a dirt road in order to pass the accident. Could not make out if anyone was hurt, but I think it happened a while ago and they just have not figured out how to get the vehicle off the road.

Tomorrow we fly back to Lima. Brian gets on another plane that night. I head out the next morning on the Panamericana Sur. Alone.