a few more pictures of Lima worth sharing

Again, a few pictures from my camera of our first time in Lima.  From the Larcomar mall and the Plaza de Armas in Lima.

the view from the larcomar mall

MALI - the art museum we visited in Lima

Cathedral of Lima

Municipal Palace of Lima

a few more pics of Cuzco worth sharing

I had a few assorted pictures from my camera that I thought were worth sharing, so I'll post them here.  These are all of the ruins at Sacsayhuamán, except for the last picture which is a view of the city of Cuzco from above where Sacsayhuamán is.  I wish I had taken a picture of the crazy llama that was giving me the evil eye when we ducked into the bar during the crazy sleet/rainstorm!

Don't forget to click on the pics for a larger version!

Last dinner in Cuzco

Our Peruvian pals in Lima had recommended the restaurant Cicciolina in Cuzco and the guidebooks also mentioned it, so we figured it would be a good bet for something a little different but a nice meal.  It's supposed to be Peruvian/Italian/tapas, as far as I can tell.  Anyway, the food was definitely pretty good, I liked it and I think Derik did too.  I don't have the menu and it isn't online, so unfortunately I cannot post the names of our dishes. 

The one notable item here is that we tried guinea pig, aka cuy!  It was cooked as confit, and served in a dish called a causa (a Peruvian dish which has something to do with mashed potatoes).  I thought it was tasty - rich and kind of gamey, it tasted like rabbit.  I would have it again, although I'm not too interested in going to a place where they serve it whole.. I find that a little too disconcerting.  Anyway, without further ado, the pics!  Oh, also notable is that I actually had a salad for the first time since coming to Peru.  I don't know why they hate fresh vegetables here so much, but I was really missing them and when a salad went by from the kitchen I knew I had to have one!

duck prosciutto on toast and.. something else I forgot.  all pretty tasty though.

The guinea pig dish!!

a little too much dressing but.. hey, veggies!

some shrimps.. Derik ate these.

A little more Machu Picchu

Hi guys, Jeanie here to wrap up the blog with a few more posts.. we're back safe and sound in LA again, and I am finally getting around to posting the rest of the pics and blogging about our final days in Peru!

First off, a few more Machu Picchu pics.  The train ride was pretty interesting - although annoyingly expensive there were great views (sitting on the left hand side of the train is important for the best pictures!).  I bargained with a lady at the train station for an awesome colorful fedora that she was selling, it ended up being my most commented item from the trip so far on facebook, haha.  The whole train ride was along a river with crazy-looking rapids full of huge boulders.  On the way back we noticed a lot of ruins on the other side of the tracks but it was hard to get any pictures of those due to the angle and fading light, so some pictures of the river will have to do.

Please don't forget all the pictures are clickable for a somwehat larger size.

I really wish I could have gotten a picture of this beautiful mountain that was off to our side - every time I tried it just didn't get captured even close to how beautiful it was - craggy and snowcapped, it really stood out.  Oh well.  Here are a couple more pics of the river along the way.

 

Of course, Machu Picchu was super impressive as expected, I would say it definitely fulfilled its promise of being one of the new wonders of the world, although there were a lot more tourists than I would have preferred.  The hike to Huayna Picchu was most definitely the highlight - if you go to Machu Picchu you have to do this.  The views were amazing and you definitely felt more like you were among some unspoiled ruins and less like you were at a tourist attraction.  The only bad thing was that it was really scary coming down - there were no handrails or anything.  You can get an idea of how steep the fall is off the side by checking out this youtube video (not our video, but this is where we were).  I guess a couple people every year fall and die but hey, we were totally fine (of course) by just taking it slow and easy.  Here is a view during the Huayna Picchu hike and the rewarding view from the top!!

 

And to round out my Machu Picchu pics, I have one more picture of at Machu Picchu proper (I think Derik's pictures were in general better than mine), and a picture of the horrible horrible bus line back down the side of the mountain.  This picture doesn't really capture it's true horrible length.  Not pictured is the toilet just outside the park which cost me 1 sole to use.. why are the pay toilets always the most horrible toilets?  It just doesn't make sense..

After Machu Picchu we wandered around in the town Aguas Calientes before our train arrived - there isn't much in the town other than some tourist shops and restaurants.  We stopped and had a beer and one of the ubiquitous pizzas that seem to be everywhere in the Cuzco area. Then there was a nice train ride back (well, nice minus the obnoxious loud Italian foursome and the angry mom as mentioned by Derik already) where we got to have wine and cheese.  At some point this crazy guy dressed in a puma mask and a crazy rainbow colored outfit came onto our train car and I had to dance with him despite my protests.. No pics of that shall be posted here although I think a few might have been taken.  And we were met at the train station by our polite and kind cabbie who had brought his very cute daughter along for the ride back.  She slept the whole way - kids can sleep anywhere!  We looked at the southern hempishere's stars from the window..

Machu Picchu!!

So yesterday was the big day... and all it took to get from Cuzco to Machu Picchu was an hour-and-a-half cab ride, hour-and-a-half train ride, and thirty minute bus ride. The cab ride was conveniently arranged by our hotel. The train ride was kinda fancy and went thru the inspirational Sacred Valley (or Valley of the Gods) and the bus ride was a precarious journey up a series of switchbacks. Upon arrival, we had five minutes to jet thru the base of Machu Picchu to the trailhead of the Huayna Picchu mountain trail. We had to be at the trailhead by 11:00 or we wouldn't be allowed in... it was exactly 11:00 when we got there - whew!

The Huayna Picchu trail consists of steep stone steps with ascents and descents going both up and down. It yields amazing views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains. It's quite breathtaking and breathless, both due to the altitude and beauty of the surroundings. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the top.

When we reached the top, thunder started to roll in the distance and a light rain started to fall. We took it all in and took some pics before heading back down. The thunderclaps became more furious but any lightning seemed to stay in the distance. The descent took about fifty minutes and left us craving some water (my guide book said we couldn't bring water in, which wasn't true, and we didn't have time to buy any).

We explored Machu Picchu proper - it was pretty amazing but also much more crowded than the limited-access Huayna Picchu trail. We eventually moved toward the entrance to find some water and discovered that the line for return buses was obscenely long. Thus, we grabbed our water and a spot in line for the trip back.

Once the bus returned us to the village of Aguascalientes, we boarded our super luxury train and settled in for some wine and cheese. Unfortunately, some jackasses decided to argue over their seats, which put a bit of a damper on the trip. However, it was still cool. Our cab driver met us at the train station and we enjoyed a pleasant, starry night ride back into town.

All in all, the Machu Picchu adventure was a life highlight and I will hold memories of the breathtaking sites forever :)

Random Cuzco...

Machu Picchu blog is coming... but this is my post to summarize the rest of our time in Cuzco. So after Sacsaywaman, we walked down the road to Qenqo ruins. The main thing we saw here was a little cave. Afterwards, we wandered the small, one road town and came across a literal hole in the road where we grabbed a quick, cheap lunch. Jeanie had a nasty lomo saltado while I had a surprisingly tasty trout a la plancha. Each meal cost about $4, so can't complain much!

We then debated whether to take a cab back to the city but decided to hoof it instead. The impending clouds opened up with a vengeance (including sleet and/or hail!) as we descended the steep stone steps back to Cuzco, so after ducking under several overhangs we finally stumbled into a beverage house guarded by a llama with a staring problem. Soaked through, we got giant fermenty chicha moradas and waited out the storm in what was most decidedly a locals only place. Once the rain let up, we finally made our way back to the city.