We have now been in Cuzco for 2 full days. We were going to go to Machu Picchu today but
found we were unable to get the train times we wanted, so delayed it by a
day. Not a problem as this is a
delightful town.
Talking with others in the campsite who have already done
MP, we worked out the best option for us, and that was as follows :-
Day 1. Leave Cuzco
and have a leisurely 3 hour drive to Ollantaytambo
giving us a chance to see a number of the many interesting sites along the
way. Leave the car at a secure parking
place in Ollantaytambo and catch the 4.30 pm train to Aguas Calientes (1.5
hours). Overnight at hotel in Aguas
Calientes. (Aguas Calientes apparently has
no other purpose in life apart from to put people on buses to go to MP, and
sell them touristy stuff and miniature llamas before they can get from the
train to the bus !!)
Day 2 . Up early
and catch the 6 am bus to MP to avoid the major tourist hordes who apparently
get there at 9 or 10 am. 2 hour guided
tour, and then 2 or 3 hours to wander round by ourselves before catching the
bus back down (30 minutes). Catch 2.30
train back to Ollantaytambo, arrive at 4.00 pm. Camp overnight in
Ollantaytambo.
Day 3. Explore
what is apparently a fascinating pueblo, and then head south to Lake Titicaca
and Bolivia.
Whether that is what happens remains to be seen ! But rather than run all over Cuzco getting
breathless, we picked a local travel agent, and told him exactly what we
wanted, and he did all the bookings, got our train tickets, got our MP passes,
got our bus tickets, and booked us a hotel in Aguas Calientes. And the costs were the same as if we had run
around and done it ourselves ! Too
easy. We had a little wander round Cuzco
– It really is a lovely little city. As we
have found everywhere else in this part of the world, the people are so
charming and gentle, even the people trying to sell you stuff do so with a
smile, and if they’re told No, wish you a “Good day” and move on. We had lunch in a little local restaurant
outside the main square (prices drop dramatically when you leave the main
square !!) for $7 for the 2 of us. Then we went and caught a 1.5 hour sightseeing
bus tour of Cuzco, which we often like to do when in strange cities to allow
you to get your bearings. Bus tour was
OK, but it got pretty cold near the end, and being on the top of a topless bus
gets chilly ! Cuzco is at about 2500
metres, and during the day if you are in the sun, it gets pretty hot – Like shorts
and a T shirt hot. But if the sun goes
in, or in the mornings or evenings, it gets positively cold – Tonight we are
wearing thermal underwear and woolly jackets and furry hats in the camp site to
keep warm ! Probably just 3 or 4 degrees
during the night. So it is difficult to
know what to wear ! Anyway, saw the
sites (and traffic) from the bus, then did a quick bit of (grocery) shopping
before catching a taxi for $2.50 back up to the camp site which is up on a hill
overlooking Cuzco. (Cuzco is in a
hollow which eons ago used to be a lake.)
The camp site is really nice with a grassy area to park,
power, hot showers, kitchen to cook and wash up in, and Milli the owner will do
laundry for a small fee, and helps you get taxis to go to town, and today she
even arranged for a taxi to take several people’s gas cylinders to the local
gas supply place to have them filled and bring them back – All you paid was the
charge to fill it, and a portion of the taxi fare !! Service !
In the site are mostly German couples – 3 of them in big
Mercedes or Unimog 4 WD trucks, and Marion, who believe it or not I met in a
Sydney camp site some 4 years ago, in her German Troopie – Her husband is back
in Germany for a couple of weeks. There
are also a young Swiss couple in their 6 wheeled PinzGauer – An ex Miltary
machine that will go anywhere, but not very quickly nor in any great comfort !!
Also an Aussie couple Tony and Betty in an American registered truck camper who
are planning to leave their vehicle here for 8 months and go home to Aus for a
while ! So a very mixed but social
group, and we have been swapping tales, trying to find out the best roads to
take and the best places to go from those who are heading in the opposite
direction and therefore have already been there. When you ask most people where they are
headed next, the most frequent answer is a vague shrug and a comment like “I’m
not sure …..That all depends on what happens tomorrow !!” A great attitude. It has been a great campsite to be in for a
few days, both because of Milli and her help and the facilities in the camp,
but also because of the people we are sharing it with.
Today (20th Nov), we worked on the car a bit –
When greasing the suspension found that a couple of rubber bushes in my rear leaf springs are disintegrating – Will have
to baby them a bit to try to keep them going until Santiago when I can get some
replacements sent over. Also found out
that power here is 240 v – First time on the journey, and I thought we were n
120 V still ! So charged up my batteries
properly using my 240 v battery charger.
Then, after we had spent the morning fiddling, we caught a taxi into
town (2 minutes), picked up our tickets for Machu Picchu tomorrow, and then sent
the rest of the day exploring Cuzco on foot, and stopping for coffee or nibbles
or a bit of shopping as we explored.
There are a lot of steep hills around Cuzco, but as said many times, the
people are so nice that one feels quite safe wandering anywhere. We bought a
few trinkets on the streets for 50 cents and get a photograph with the
colourful vendors included, we went exploring jewellery shops, and touristy
shops, and Vicuna wool clothing shops.
We sat and rested in plazas in the sunshine, we walked up narrow alley
ways, we found a “Norton” pub (Skidmore and Cameron will get that !!), and at
the end of the afternoon ended up back at the Supermercado so we could stock up
the car for the next 3-4 days, and then we caught the taxi home with all our
shopping ! In the supermercado we
bought a roasted chicken as we often do because it lasts us for 2-3 days, and
this time the chicken came with an ENORMOUS box of French fries, or Papas
Fritas, as they are called here. (Did
you know potatoes came from Peru, and there are literally hundreds of varieties
here. The locals describe themselves as “As Peruvian as the potato” !) Anyway, on the way back up the hill to our
campsite, we shared our big box of Papas Fritas with the taxi driver, and he
really enjoyed them – Don’t think he had ever had a fare share their fries with
him !!
A great couple of days in Cuzco.
It is so good to sit still for a few days, and Cuzco is a lovely little
town to sit still in for a few days.
Which we could stay here longer, but need to keep moving if we are to
reach Santiago by the 17th December !!
Memories, memories. Still recognise many of the street scenes in Cuzco.
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