A few days in Cusco

After the Ice Maiden, views of volcanoes, cathedrals, and an amazing market in Arequipa, we were off to Cusco, the Inca capital.  From Cusco, we were going to hike the Salkantay trek to Macchu Picchu. 

We arrived in Cusco in the evening, found our hostel,  ate at a little local place for next to nothing, then our heads quickly hit the pillow for lights out! The next day after getting information about the trek, getting our free T-shirts form Peru hop, John getting his zipper on his jacket repaired and a hearty cheap lunch at the market, we headed over to the Plaza De Armas for a free walking tour of Cusco. We were 20 minutes late but it was okay. We witnessed a Catholic procession and took in the sights of the beautiful square. The tour was really good for free (the guides make their money off tips so it’s not completely free but still cheap).  The last stop on the tour was a nice little bar where we got free pisco sours (the drink of Peru consisting of Pisco, lime juice, sugary stuff, and an egg white).  Life was good! The San Pedro Market in Cusco is an amazing place to get cheap food.

Hawie and I then headed off to find small backpacks.  Our day packs were too small for a week out and back.  Often you will use a place as a home base for your things and do a few days or a week away and the hostel will store your extra stuff for free then you don’t have to lug all your life around with you. We did not have packs that were big enough or sufficient enough to do so, therefore we were on a mission to find some. We found a great local place that sells and rents gear. The man who ran the place obviously had a passion for trekking and the mountains! We had a long talk about his passion, the Himalaya Mountains and his love over all for the beauty of nature.  We got a great deal on some nice packs and were quite pleased.  A few days later we booked our trek for Salkantay! We had a few days of rest in between where we applied for jobs and did some maintenance. The trek is booked, we have one more day to get all our stuff ready and at 4:30am on Sunday morning we depart!

Cusco is a beautiful!  It’s like a mix between old Europe and modern Inca culture. There are Cathedrals and woman in traditional Inca dress walking around to cobblestone streets. The atmosphere is amazing.

Housing: Atawkama Hostel Dorm 25 Soles/bed and private shared bathroom 29 Soles/person

Food: Cheap and set menus if you eat at local places. Tourist places are pretty expensive. Best food and deals are at the San Pedro Market!

Colca Canyon: 3 Day Hike

Colca Canyon

Getting there

The launch pad for Colca Canyon starts for most from Arequipa where you can either get a tour via a tour operator which is usually very expensive or you can get the local bus there. This is the option we went for. It is cheap and the busses are really nice. We worked out how to get to the bus station and booked our tickets one day in advance for 17 Soles a person. The next morning early we were of on our 6 hour bus ride to Cabanaconde. Here I have to say as well that there are different areas you can go in Colca Canyon. The local bus stops at Chivay and Cabanaconde. We of course went to

the latter seeing it is a bit less touristy and actually goes to the deepest part of the canyon. On the bus you will be approached by a person selling your permits for the Canyon. You NEED this and they do check your pass at least 3 times.  At the time it was 70 Soles per person. The view on the way is also amazing. Some good advice we got was to sit on the right side of the bus going there and man did that pay off. The place we stayed at was very affordable, 30 Soles for a private room with a bathroom (15 Soles per person). They also were not lying about the hot showers ;). If you don’t want to hike with all your stuff the place also has storage for 3 soles a day for some peace of mind. The village is small but it does give you that feeling of being in Peru. The first night we ate at Pachamama Hostel. John and Hannah our British friends got some seemingly delicious pizza with lots of veggies and Alpaca. Lindsay was not feeling well and had some fries. I had my first Alpaca on a scewer. Lindsay and I also had our first pisco sours.

The hike

Pricing:

               Permit: 70 Soles per person

               Housing : 30 Soles for a private or                                15 Soles per person for                                  any other room

               Water:  10 Soles a bottle in the                                   Canyon

               Beer:    10 Soles

               Dinner: 10 soles set menu in the                                  canyon

We decided to do the 2 night 3 day hike. Starting in Cabanaconde heading the first day to Llahuar hot springs, from Llahuar hot springs to Sangalle oasis the second day and hiking out the third day. We all thought that it would be down, straight, and then out. We were very wrong. We started hiking at around 10am. 

Day 1: The first day we hiked 5 hours. It was REALLY hot all the way down with almost no shade. We had about 12 litters of water between the four of us. Regardless to say we drank almost all of it. We made it all the way into the canyon in 4 hours only to hike another hour out the other side and down again.  The accommodation in Llahuar was 15 Soles a person. The room was a bamboo hut right next to the river with a shared bathroom. As the name indicates there were hot springs. There were three pools each of varying temperatures. Luke warm, warm, and hot (38 C degrees). We all jumped in the pools as soon as we could. We all made the mistake at the beginning of the day to wear thin socks with our boots. Halfway down we switched to flip flops so the hot springs were a great relief. Poor Hannah got off the worst with bad blisters on her feet. The place had a set menu for dinner for only 10 Soles. It was pretty good outside that there was no meat on the plate. There are some things to take note on. Beer is very expensive at 10 Soles a pop. So is water at the same price. 

Day 2:We filled our water bottles up with tap water and treated it with aquatabs. We headed off  not sure what the day will hold. Lindsay was still feeling really sick. We all thought that we will hike the day in the canyon. We were very very wrong.We had to hike almost all the way out the other side of the canyon. We hiked about 5 hours to lunch in Cosnirhua. We wanted to get lunch the town before but could not find a place. Thankfully the food was amazing. It was also a set menu for 10 soles. We pushed all the way down the canyon to Sangalle oasis after we let the food settle. We got rooms for 30 Soles a night with a shared bathroom. A set menu for 10 Soles. They told us dinner would be at 7P.M. So we waited and waited and waited. Finally the food came more than an hour late. After that we all crawled into bed wanting an early start the next day. 

 Day 3:The next morning we got an early breakfast at 6:30 for 6 Soles per person and headed up the canyon. Lindsay was very determined to get up as fast as possible to get antibiotics in town. The other two took the “slow and steady” approach like Hannah always says. Her feet were hurting pretty bad.  After a set menu for breakfast of coffee, bread, butter and jam, we set off. I don’t know how they expect one to hike on some bread and jam for 3 hours straight up hill. I think this angered Lindsay the most. ;) It was a good thing we started early so we got a lot of shade on the way up. It seemed like the never ending  journey but we pushed and made it in 3 hours to the top and the John and Hannah made it in 4. Lindsay and I rushed to town. I got an Alpaca steak and Lindsay got some fries. We waited for the bus at 2P.M. and took the long road back to Arequipa.

A Day In Arequipa

The historical center of Arequipa reminds you a lot of a European city with all the Spanish style buildings. The city also has a magnificent backdrop with mount Chachani, one of the worlds “easiest” 6000m climbs in the world and Mount Misti an active volcano almost 5900m high. The Spanish style buildings also get their white colour to the volcanic rock it is made of.

The Market

We spend a day exploring the city center. First we went and checked out the local market just a block from our hostel. The smells and energy is something to expierence. Selling anything from meats to fruits you can get anything here and at a CRAZY cheap price. You can also get some really good street food for 3 soles or less. We ended up buying most of our food for our stay in the city here. 

 

Basilica Cathedral

This huge catholic cathedral definitely shows the wealth of the Catholic Church with gold, silver, and precious gemstones inside. It is across from the city plaza where you can see people feeding pigeons and just relaxing. If you want to enter the Church you need to pay a small amount and have a guided tour with the tip being up to you. The tour takes you through the main hall where you can see the saints and apostils lining the sides of the hall with the organ at the back and a side room with a black Jesus on the cross. Then you are taken to see all the artifacts from gold chalices to the robes the priests wore. The tour seemed a bit rushed though. You are then taken to the roof where you can see most of Arequipa and the bells they used.

Juanita the Ice Maiden

This was definitely something we were all very excited to see. None of us has ever experienced anything like this before. Who is the Ice Maiden? To keep it short without going in to much detail a girl was found at the peak of a sacred mountain in Peru. Frozen for hundreds of years in perfect condition. Who was she? She was a human sacrifice given to the gods (the mountains) by the Incas. On the same mountain other children were found lower down. You can go and see her in the state she has been for hundreds of years. When you arrive you check all your stuff at the counter for there are no cameras allowed at all. Then you watch a short very interesting film on the history of the Ice Maiden after which you are taken on a guided tour to see all the artifacts found with her and the others. The tour ends with seeing her frozen in a glass box right in front of you. It is a very surreal experience

Santa Catalina Monastery

 This monastery was built in 1579 the monastery accepted only women from upper class Spanish families. Each family paid 2,400 silver coins, equivalent to about 150,000 dollars today. The monastery is huge spreading over a whole block. It has very colorful walls and you can get lost inside for hours. When you enter you are asked if you would like a guided tour. This takes about an hour and I am sure is very interesting but I decided to do it on my own. It took me about an hour and a half but I would suggest 2 – 3 hours. There is so much to see. The entrance is 35 Soles which is a bit steep but definitely worth it. 

Huacachina an oasis in the desert

When visiting Peru you do not really expect to be seeing deserts. Rainforests and the Andes usually come to mind. But as you go south of Lima you enter desert…miles and miles of desert. Right in the middle is Huacachina. A really small little place set up around a water source. Going there you might think what is there really to do there? Most hostels have really nice pools to relax next to and take shelter from the heat. Lindsay and I went to climb one of the dunes the morning after we arrived. It was hot and the sand even hotter. So make sure you do it at the right time of day. The views are amazing from the top. You can also rent a sand board from one of the local shops and hit the dunes on your own. Or you can get the ultimate Dune boarding buggy ride experience. This was definitely a highlight and well worth the money. We at first thought that this might be only an okay thing to do. Boy were we wrong. The reason for this is that they combine your dune boarding with a dune buggy ride. The dune buggy ride will make you feel like you are on a roller coaster and for the sand boarding, you don't have to hike back up the dunes.  They come pick you up! Not just that sliding down those dunes are LOADS of fun. The tour usually takes you to a few viewpoints and if you get the latter tour you get a nice sunset at the end of your thrilling adventure. Definitely a must when visiting Huacachina.

What we paid:

Room: 50 Soles For a Private

Dune Buggy experience: 45 Soles per person 

Isla Ballestas - "the poor mans Galapagos"

We visited "the poor mans Galapagos" or formally known as Isla Ballestas on our way to Cusco. The tour price was not included in our Peru Hop tickets but the stop was. First of all it is nothing like the Galapagos (not that we have been there) and second it is a little underwhelming especially after attaching such a grand name to it. The boat ride was kinda fun but we did get really wet coming back so be warned. They take you out to a few "islands" More rock islands than the grand Galapagos you probably formed in your head. There are a few penguins which are nice if you have never seen them in the wild. A LOT of birds and seals. You do get close to the seals so that is another plus. You never leave the boat and just tour around the small formations and head back. Overall it was pretty underwhelming. I think there are a lot better things to see in Peru than go here. So, if you do Peru hop, maybe give it a skip (although it wasn't that expensive). But if you haven't seen seals and penguins in the wild and enjoy the feel of wind and a spritz or two in the face, it is worth it.  As long as you don't expect anything like the Galapagos, you'll be good to go!