Ever Forward

This is the second of a series of posts about our recent trip to Peru.  It covers our Trip from Chosica to Ollantaytambo on Monday, September 12.

It was about 4:00 AM when my stomach woke me up, churning with a sharp pain I don’t think I’ve experienced before.  And we had a taxi to catch to get to the airport in Lima for our flight to Cusco.  Both of us hurting (Maty’s stomach had started hurting Sunday afternoon), we nevertheless readied ourselves for the taxi ride.  When the taxi arrived, Maty got the driver to stop off in Chosica at a 24-hour pharmacy, where I had to exit the taxi – I was just that sick.  Finally, we got back underway, and I began to feel a little better.

We arrived at the airport in Lima, and went through security, and settled down to wait for the flight.  We were flying with Star Peru, which was a good thing, since Peruvian Air had been grounded because of safety concerns following an accident back in the Spring.  Our flight was delayed by a half hour, due to foul conditions.  And this was after they had informed us that our original departure time of 7-something AM was delayed until 9-something.  Even so,  the flight with Star Peru was good, and as far as airlines go, I would have to give them a hand.

We finally arrived in Cusco around 11:00-ish.  When I first stepped off the plane, I immediately felt like my legs weighed an extra 50 lbs, due to the change in altitude.  Cusco sits at 3400 meters (11,200 feet) above sea level, and most people can manage well at up to 2400 m (8000 ft) without any problem.  People not used to life at high altitude probably need to adjust and should really do as little as possible for the first day.  At the very least, walk slowly and take your time. We did that part correctly, but remember… we were both still not feeling up to par from the stomach virus.

Maty and I had somehow failed to bring the contact information for the hostal (despite having everything else in order), and decided to trust a taxi driver to take us to the right place.  Bad choice.  Never trust a taxi driver in Peru.  If you are planning a trip to Peru, make sure you make arrangements with your hotel or hostal to have a taxi meet you at the airport.  And make sure you keep their contact information handy.  We were both sick, adjusting to the altitude, and the taxista had left us at about halfway down the hill from our hostal.  We finally arrived, and checked in.

We decided that, given how bad we both felt, we would just take it easy for an hour or so before trying to continue on to Ollantaytambo.  The hostal staff immediately gave us Mate de Coca, which helped tremendously.  After a nap, we found a pharmacy, where we bought meds for the stomach, and the young lady recommended a little restaurant just down the street.  After eating, we took a taxi to a bus “station”, where we caught a van going to Ollantaytambo.  There are public transit buses, much like one might encounter in Charlotte or Atlanta, but frequently, a “bus” is a minivan or “combi” – roughly equivalent to many mid-sized church vans that hold between 15-25 passengers.

Our original plan was to arrive in Cusco early, eat a light breakfast, leave a bag at the hostal and arrive in Ollantaytambo in the early afternoon.  It simply did not happen.  Between the flight delays and us feeling bad, we arrived in Ollantaytambo just as the archeological park there was closing.  We could actually see people making their way back down from the bottom.

Our decision to spend the night in Ollantaytambo was a good one, not only because we had paid for our train ticket to leave from there on Tuesday morning, but also because the lower altitude (2792 m / 9160 ft) was much more comfortable for us.  We stayed at a hostal called Marca Cocha, just a 10-minute walk from the train station, and just around the corner from the Plaza de Armas (the main square in most cities & towns).  Marca Cocha has a beautiful inner courtyard, and just ‘feels’ warm and comfortable.  Unfortunately, they don’t have a website, or I would provide a link.  Since we just sort of “showed up” (we were really looking for another hostal), I suppose you could, too.  It’s basically right around the corner from the Hostal Los Andenes.

At Marca Cocha we paid 70 soles for the night, and got dinner at the guest discount price.  Dinner was a little slow in coming, since the staff is small, but it was delicious.  I was feeling well enough to try the Lomo Saltado de Alpaca.  The room and bed were comfortable and we actually had hot water for our shower – something that is apparently a hit-or-miss proposition in Peru.  Hot running water is not the norm, and is usually only available in hotels, hostals and I saw a public shower that offered hot water.  The hostal also has internet stations that guests can use for an hour for free.  After taking advantage of that to send my Dad and brother a message, Maty and I settled in for the night.