Day 6 in Peru

 View from Wayna Picchu

We woke up at 5:30 am to catch 6 am bus.  Buses are supposed to run from 5:20 am and every 20 mins, but it seemed like whenever bus was full and it was leaving and there were more than 6-7 buses that we saw that were coming down.  Getting to Machu Picchu is a key, because it gets super crowded by late morning.

We decided to hike up to Wayna Picchu, that's the peak behind Machu Picchu.  If you want to do that you need to buy tickets early, because they only let 400 people in a day.  I believe you can buy Machu Picchu tickets without any problem, but I bought both tickets at the same time through travel agency.

OK, enough about logistics.  I won't try to describe Machu Picchu, because I am not a good enough rider to describe what I saw.  It was pretty magical and everyone should experience that.  Made me cry as soon as I saw the glimpse of the sight.  I have to say, Machu Picchu definitely has to be one of top three places that I have ever been to.  The other two are - Pyramids of Giza and Ankor Wat. 

Day 5 in Peru

We woke up early for our 8:25 am train to Aguas Calientes. We were advised to be at the station by 7:55 am so we left hotel around 7am. It took us about 25 - 30 min from hotel to Poroy train station. We bought vista dome round trips but there are more expensive train tickets and cheaper ones. Train ride was supposed to be about 3 and half hours but it took about 4 hour or more with longer stop and etc.

We checked in at hotel and were immediately happy that we didn't choose Aguas Calientes as our base. This town is literally for tourists only and as expected things are very expensive. Plus town is very small. We had late lunch then decided to relax because tomorrow we would have to get up very early.

Our plan is to get on 6 am bus to Machu Picchu.

Things to know:

1. Buy your bus tickets early. We bought our bus tickets for tomorrow as soon as we checked in at hotel.
2. Bus starts at 5:20 am and runs every 20 min but it seems as soon as bus fills it leaves.

We are off to Machu Picchu tomorrow morning.

Day 4 in Peru

As much as we love Cuzco, we wanted to explore what's outside. Since we are not doing 3 day hike through Sacred Valley, we don't get to see what's between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. But we don't want to miss out on everything right?

So originally we hired a car to take us to Pisac market, Pisac ruins and Ollantaytambo and it was going to cost us 180 soles, approx $68.

On the way to Pisac, our driver also took us to a place where they rescue animals. We got to see deers,  condors (one condor hit Chris in the head) and guanacos (llama's cousin).

We went to Pisac ruins first, which is a pre- inca ruins. It was a good place to test our strength and get ready for Machu Picchu.

We went to Pisac market after but were not that impressed. Sundays are supposed to be the time to be there with bigger market and lots more locals but we went on Tuesday so there were only souvenirs.

After the market and lunch we were already too tired so instead of going to Ollantaytambo which was an hour and 45 min away from where we were we decided to just come back to Cuzco. Since we didn't go to Ollantaytambo our driver only charged us 130 soles.

Ok. Dinner. Remember we ordered guinea pig yesterday for tonight's dinner?
We went back to the restaurant for dinner. Chris had the whole guinea pig by himself. I had one bite and it was slimey. Michelle didn't have any. They brought us a displayed one with a head and feet attached for photos then served us one without head and feet. Now I can say I have tried one. Does one bite count?

Leaving for Aguas Calientrs tomorrow. That's as far as we can go with train. Don't forget to buy your tickets early. Our train was full. You can buy tickets on Peru Rail's website and pick up tickets when you arrive in Cuzco. In our case, I bought tickets online then picked up tickets when waiting for our connecting flight in Lima airport. It's just a regular print out so I don't understand why I can print at home but I was just happy to have one less thing to worry about in Cuzco. There are a few offices in Cuzco so if you don't have time in Lima airport don't worry.

Obviously if you are part of a tour everything will be taken cared of. My old self would have waited until I got to Cuzco to worry about train tickets but Egypt changed me. After Egypt fiasco I try to take care of basics before leaving home.

More to come from Aguas Calientes.

 We stopped at wildlife sanctuary on the way to Pisac.  They rescue animals that are in danger.  This Guanaco was a cutie. 

 There were a few condors, one of them hit Chris in the head while flying. 

 The valley were something else...  on the way to Pisac. 

 Pisac

 Cuy!!!

Day 3 in Cuzco

We finally checked out San Pedro market today. Chris always gets very excited at markets or grocery stores wherever we go so it was nice see him acting like a child.

The market was divided into many sections - ie, potato sections, dairy sections, meat sections and food court like sections.

We didn't have a meal there because we had had a meal before getting there but we decided that we would like to go back to the market before going back to Lima for a lunch.

We have one more full day in Cuzco tomorrow and we are trying to decide what to do tomorrow. On Wednesday we have an early morning train to Aguas Calientes so we wouldn't want to do anything outrageous tomorrow. We are thinking of going to Pisac tomorrow. There is Pisac market there that we want to check out plus the ruins.

We pre-ordered guinea pig today for tomorrow's dinner. I will report back tomorrow. Couldn't leave Peru without tasting cuy!!!

We ordered at restaurant called Parhapapa. A few blocks from our hotel and was recommended by our hotel.

By the way, we love our hotel. It is on a hill so the walk is rough but it's worth it when eating breakfast outside every morning with amazing view.

We are staying at:

La Morada Suites
Kurkurpata 230
Cusco, 84

Each unit has a kitchen which was the big selling point for me. This time we are staying at a separate unit from my sister, Michelle, but when we come back from Machu Picchu we have a two bedroom unit booked.

Breakfast and airport transportation included. And we saw other units and hold up to 5-6 people. So this would be ideal for big families.

Day 2 in Cuzco

We are finally feeling better on day 2 in Cuzco. Yesterday was something else with altitude sickness. But a kind traveller from the hotel that we are staying at gave us her altitude sickness medication so we are feeling so much better and we walked around all afternoon. People are so nice and food is great. 

Too bad I can't drag photos thru my iPad. But I will post photos when I get back home. 

We are going to Aguas Calientes on Wednesday then off to Machu Picchu on Thursday. We have been talking about this trip for years so I can't believe we are here. 

If anyone is planning a trip here, definitely get ready for altitude sickness so pack your medication. Also weather is crazy. It's hot in the afternoon and freezing at night. 

With altitude sickness under control (a little), we walked around Cuzco today. 

I am back

A lot has happened - a year has gone by since last time I signed in. Still traveling and still eating, but I haven't had time (more like emotional time) to blog.

I have noticed that blogging has gone viral and everyone is taking pictures everywhere - especially at restaurants.  I have been taking pictures of food for a long time, sometimes good photos and sometimes bad photos, but I am noticing that taking photos of food is getting out of control.  People are taking photos at restaurants with their giant cameras and everyone has an opinion about food.  I know, I am guilty as well.

All I am saying is let's just do this thing responsibly.  Let's take pictures of food quietly and no flash please!
Let's just enjoy the moment.  It's easy to try to share the moment with the world, but let's do it responsibly.

Oh, I forgot to mention.  I finally finished my school  It was one of the most difficult thing I have ever done, but now I am an MBA, yay!!!

From now on, for a few of you that are following my blog, I will try to post regularly.
But as usual, I have to go back and post old photos.

Let's keep eating & traveling!