I decided to ask the driver (this time a shiny Audi A6) to take me by a Citibank ATM to pick up some Nuevo Soles (local currency – your get 2.6 or 2.7x US $). Turned out to not be a very good idea since it took forever to get there. It did give us a chance to see Lima which turned out not to be much. We did notice a pyramid under construction of the kind we had seen in Chichenitza (near Cancun – wrong civilization – Mayan) but nevertheless similar. This was the first time we noticed the ‘Moto-taxis’ famous all over Peru which are essentially motorcycles with an extended drive train to ferry a few more passengers. Bajaj is making its presence felt with the ‘rikshas’ from India which made us feel at home. We got to the airport in time but then started the long wait for the flight to Cusco. A lot of confusion at the gate and not much information for the Taca 100 flight. Eshaan was not in good shape. He was fighting a fever and seemed out of it. Shaili was her usual self in the morning which is not her cup of tea. Eventually, the flight did get boarded and we left Lima an hour behind schedule. The Taca flight was quite comfortable – the gringo rate got us the first seats in Economy and everyone got a snack of meat empanada (think gujju ghughras) and a dry cinnamon roll. An hour later, the plane started to make some interesting sounds as it came up on the mighty Andes and prepared to land in Cusco, elevation 11,000 ft. After staring straight into the mountain, the pilot made a sharp left turn and descended on what is considered the city that has been inhabited for the longest possible time in South America. It must’ve taken some ingenuity and human adaptiveness to settle at 11,000 feet. Getting off the plane and going up a few walking ramps got me breathing frantically giving an idea of what the lower concentration of oxygen can do to you. Picked up our bags and Jose, our English speaking porter told us that the hotel that we are staying at is the best in the area. We went outside and were met by Edison, our driver from the Tambo Del Inka hotel in Urubamba. We had a Mercedes station wagon, the kind that we don’t see in the US. He offered us Coca candies (candies flavored with Coca leaves which is known to help with altitude sickness). We left the airport soon to encounter a statue of Pachucutec (the ninth Inca king who is the one who expanded the Inca empire from the northern Andes all the way to Santiago, Chile). He is also the one who is supposed to have built Machu Picchu although no one knows for sure. None of the pre-Columbian settlers of this region had any written language so all of the history is mainly obtained through looking at excavations and inscriptions that have been discovered over time. This was followed by a few more statues of the ‘conquistrados’ or conquerors which is how the Spanish our referred to in this part of the world. Simon Bolivar (the founder of Bolivia) and San Martin grace the next roundabout. Cusco has a remarkable history of being the capital of this part of the world before Francisco Pazarro came to Peru and defeated the Incas and settled the capital in Lima by the coast. The main reason for Cusco’s dominance seemed to be the fact that it was located at the intersection of multiple trade routes (both north-south from Brazil to Chile and Argentina as well as east-west across the South American continent. It is also ringed by mountains which allow for strategic lookouts in order to get advance notice of incoming invaders. It is an amazing city – narrow cobblestone streets with ramshackle concrete structures right next to massive colonial buildings. The most impressive is the Plaza Armas (Plaza of Arms – after all, these are all warrior communites and arms are key) which is at the center of the city. Every city in Peru has a Plaza Armas, sor t of the Main Street of MG Road in other parts of the world. The Sun Temple was equally impressive but we were in awe of the Plaza. It is ringed by the main cathedral as well as a large church with all kinds of touristy shops including the obligatory Starbucks and McDonalds. At the center is an impressive gold statue of the mightiest Inca, Pachacutec! We get out and walk around the Plaza. The thin air, the crispness of the late morning and the local Quechua women plying their wares (the choori or monkey cap being the most common one) with little babies in their cloth backpack. Shaili and Eshaan got ones of their own while we spend some time admiring the locale. Way up on the mountain we see a cross reminding us of what Rio would be like with Jesus bearing down on the town. Edison is there to pick us back up at the appointed time and we try to explain to him that we want lunch but it has to be quick because we have a sick boy on our hand and want to get to this famed hotel sooner than later. Shaili tries her Spanish and he does get the idea but struggles to identify a place to go. We drive by an Indian restaurant that we knew existed very close to the Plaza. Edison suggests that we start driving towards the hotel which is an hour and a half away and promises to stop at a town called Chinchero which is 20 minutes away. We drive through Cusco and I am going nuts clicking away. The women have a very interesting dress with a skirt, socks and a colorful blouse not to mention a cowboy hat or a choori. The men did not seem to have that going for them. Meanwhile, Shetu is not feeling too hot. It is the two sleep-deprived nights in addition to the altitude as well as the motion sickness of driving on winding roads that is starting to get her. We get to Chinchero which is a little hamlet that boasts some Inca ruins but has nothing to speak off in terms of a place to eat for tourists. Edison takes us to what looks like a shop where local textiles are made (the ones that are made from Alpaca (a little cousin of the more famous Llama – much like what Wallabies are to Kangaroos) wool and are extremely colorful with intricate patterns). He stops and talks to the lady about whether she can arrange for coffee and snacks for his gringo tourists. We understand that coffee is not a problem and they could bring some bread and cheese. Excited about the prospect of some local flavor not to mention the desire to get out of the car we enter the roadside shack that fronts multiple houses behind that. We are now greeted and met by a lady, who goes by the name Amelia, who speaks to us in fluent English as to what is going on. This, as it turns out, is a co-operative where women come from the villages and work together to build shawls, sweaters as well as chooris, of course. We get a demonstration of how wool is bleached and then died with bright colors all from natural roots found in the area. Another lady shows how the weaving happens and how they made these wonderful designs. At the same time, we are served some hot water with Nescafe (I was expecting a latte!) as well as fresh bread with melted cheese in the center. The bathrooms are very clean which in itself makes it worth our while to come here. I ask for leche (milk) and a few ladies scurry around obtain a can of condensed milk. It seems like milk is not very easy to come by around here but we did see quite a few cows grazing the meadows around town. We buy a couple of scarves and even a local painting of the countryside as a way of showing our gratitude for the wonderful hospitality and the demonstration that we got. We resume our journey to the Sacred Valley which is a good 3,000 ft lower than Cusco and as a result a lot easier to cope with as far as altitude sickness is concerned. Shetu sits in the front seat because it seemed like she was ready to throw up any minute. An hour later, we are perched on top of a mountain staring down a little town right by the river but facing the predicament that the police have just closed the road leading up to it. This is the town of Urubamba with a river of the same name that was roaring through it. We notice two main landmarks – a covered stadium (similar to a bowl) which Edison refers to as the Coliseum and a very modern set of building set right next to the river which is the Tambo Del Inka hotel. Tambo means a rest stop which are a necessity on the Inca trail that leads up to the lost city of Machu Picchu but more on that later. We are motioned to go down a dirt road which has an incline of roughly 45% to go down to the town since the main road has been closed due to a landslide. The even more interesting part is that we are led down this road by a huge bus which we are now tailgating. Eshaan is now excited and getting his voice back since it is past noon and his fever has disappeared for now. After a harrowing decent for roughly 20 minutes we are finally at the river crossing a railroad-tressel like bridge to drive into the town. This is a much smaller town compared to Cusco and very quaint. We notice that the streets are remarkably clean and most road are actually made of concrete slabs. We finally arrive at the Tambo Del Inka, a Luxury Collection hotel and are greeted with the traditional Coca tea welcome drink. The hotel is less than 2 years old and is part of the Starwood group which is how I had found it. The décor is brilliant with large pots and all kinds of local textile elements including ropes and tapestries giving the lobby a very homely as well as imposing feel. The restaurant is called Hawa and the bar is called Kiri. The hotel is only 40% full according to Edison and we get showed into our 2nd floor room with a wonderful river view. Shetu is now running a temperature and we just collapse to recover from our journey thousands of miles away over almost 36 hours. Within an hour, Shetu makes a remarkable recovery and we head to the Hawa restaurant for one of many wonderful meals. I try the traditional Pisco sour (Peru’s version of the margarita) with the local Pisco liquor which seems to be similar to Tequila – high in alcohol content (~40%) but with no particular taste so it tends to be mixed with various flavors like lime or sweet and sour mixes. The meal is expensive but elegant and everyone feels like we have arrived at the right place.
No comments:
Post a Comment