Travel Day to Cusco and Sacred Valley
Today being a travel day started with packing, breakfast and getting picked up by our driver in really nice van. Good thing we came down early as they changed our pick up time due to the new airport and we did not get the message. After driving to another hotel where we picked up Chris our transfer guide, we headed to another hotel for more guests for the airport trip. Chris had already been to the airport to get our airline tickets, so one thing down. The new terminal is a lot like many modern European airports. It reminded me of one we have been to before, but can't remember which one. While traffic was bad and it took an hour to get there overall big city experience. The area around the airport seemed more lower economic status versus other parts of the city.
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| New Lima Airport Terminal |
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| Airline check-in in columns ahead of security. |
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| Airport area outside of security |
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| Had to walk through shopping area and Janie noted this cool bottle - Machu Picchu looking window |
The airport experience was pretty typical for a large city airport with a lot of modern technology. Check-in at Kiosk for bag tags, then over to an automated bag receiver with bar code scanning. From there a bathroom break after getting money exchanged. Note for travel go to a bank and not an airport service. Their fee was 20% Hwy robbery.
Security was typical with all modern automated gear. A little slower in my opinion, but efficient. They did a good job with staffing. That has been the case overall on this trip where staffing is very friendly, hardworking and large numbers. The restaurant area was automated with a main kiosk and payment stand. Order, pay, take receipt to the restaurant and wait for food. Janie did the Lima version of Chick Filet and Jeff Hawaiian Brothers style meal. Both were yummy and filling. After waiting another 45 minutes boarding started and another Airbus that is similar to a Boeing 737 (think SWA). We have pretty good seats towards the front.
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| LATAM Airlines was a good experience on the plane |
The flight was a little over an hour over the Andes with some fantastic vistas of mountain peaks, valleys, lakes and snow. Darn scratched windows made pictures hard to take, but these will give you a feel. Somewhat like flying over the CO Rockies, however, being closer to the equator the mountains while green have less snow. In Peru the Pacific Coast is desert and dry up to the mountains which are green and the east side where you see clouds in the pictures is the Amazon. Most people don't realize the Amazon starts in Peru and crosses the mountains into Brazil. We actually crossed it many times in our drives. It actually flows NW in this area.
The approach was a down wind pass over Cusco and airport then a hard descending bank around a peak into the valley and final approach. Great landing and quite the experience. Wish we could have captured it so everyone could experience.
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| Approaching from the west you see the city and airport nestled in the valley. The hard descending turn was at the far end after going back over the mountains. Cusco is 10,860 feet above sea level. A lot of peaks in the 16k plus range is where the snow peaks were. |
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| Disembarking the plane was both in the front and back. |
FYI, Cusco is 11,175 feet elevation at the city center above the airport. The Sacred Valley is around 9,182 feet and Machu Pichu town is 7,792 feet. This means you actually go down hill from Cusco to Machu Picchu.
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| Google Map of Route through the Andes |
From the airport Oscar was our driver. Bob & Elena who are here from Greece were our travel partners who we met in Lima. Bob is Welch from Norwalk, UK and Elena from Russia. On the way up the mountain we stopped and got a lesson on Llama and Alpacas and the history of weaving going back before the Incas. A lot of history in this part of the world going back before Christ and interesting how little many know about it. We got to feed the animals and shop. I bought a baby Alpaca sweater for Janie.
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This Peruvian girl was at her mom's feet on her cell phone. Mom was demonstrating weaving.
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| Baby Alpaca Sweater |
Then a long drive further up and then down into the valley on a windy two lane rough road with lots of traffic and little communities along the way. There were a lot of Tuk-Tuks like we saw in Thailand and little shops everywhere. Really rough living from what we can tell. Three hours total from airport to hotel with stop.
It was almost 8:00 p.m. when we arrived to our hotel after dropping the other couple off at what looked like a really nice place. For us the Oscar struggled to determine the right turn as no signs and it looks like a narrow dirt road with an adobe wall and really not so nice dwellings as we drove. Eventually we came up on adobe wall with the Andean sign and large steel door. Suffice it to say a little nervous as Oscar got our bags out.
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| Large Metal Gate with small door that was locked - this is the inside, the outside was nice compared to the road to it. |
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| Lobby |
Restaurant across from our rooms - more rooms on the other side
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| Bedroom - Awesome bed |
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| Bathroom with wonderful hot water |
What a surprise as the rustic boutique hotel is awesome. After quick check of the room we went down the restaurant and had a cocktail, water and dinner. Beef Stroganoff and Pasta Carbonaro. Both were great, however, we both agreed the stroganoff was out of this world. We were the only guest so service was the best.
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| Which is the Stroganoff and which is the Carbonaro |
Back to the room as we have a 5:50 a.m. pickup for a 7:20 train to Machu Pichu.
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