Raleigh to Lima - 17 December
An ice storm the previous evening left cars stranded or wrecked all over the roadways in the Triangle and looked similar to a zombie apocalypse. I parked at Brandon's old townhouse complex near Briar Creek and caught a ride with Alex and Vicki to the airport. For some reason, American Airlines didn't assign seats to half of the flight and I didn't get a ticket with TSA Pre-Check until I was already at the gate.
We both had passes to luxury lounges from our Barclays' credit cards and took advantage of it at the Miami Airport by making ourselves some whiskey drinks. Essentially, these lounges are nicer versions of USOs with the greatest benefit being free alcohol (which you could never do in a USO for obvious reasons). I love how Latin Americans give applause every time a plane lands safely.
At the Lima Airport, we met Burke, the Peru for Less travel agent we booked most of our trip through. He showed us across the street to our hotel where we'd crash for a few hours before flying to Cusco in the morning. I didn't sleep well at all because of dehydration and high levels of anxiety about hiking the Inca Trail.
Lima to Cusco - 18 December
We again used our luxury passes at the Lima airport for the early flight to Cusco and they were totally worth it. Looking out the window while flying over central and southern Peru did not get me excited about hiking through this terrain. Snow-capped peaks nudged through the clouds as far as I could see confirming the rumors that "rainy season" had begun.
The hostel our travel agency booked in Cusco, Amaru I, was nice, but probably too rich for our blood. The first afternoon we just grabbed a bite at Jack's Cafe on the corner and took a walk around the historic district of Cusco centered by Plaza de Armas. It was surprisingly quiet and not swarmed with people as these areas usually are (that would change in a few days with Christmas approaching). There are still plenty of street vendors and hawkers trying to get every sol (Peruvian currency) out of tourists, but they are remarkably polite.
Plaza de Armas
The streets in the historic district are narrow but still allow vehicular traffic. You can see the old Incan stones that the Spanish built on top of.
Some Quechua delicacies: cuy (guinea pig) and giant bread muffin-like things for breakfast
At the entrance to the market, these little guys were hanging which doesn't exactly get one excited to try new things. Best guess is they are some llama or alpaca variety.
We enjoyed an afternoon beer with a view of the plaza. The national beer is Cusquena, the name a nod to the city and they even had Trigo (wheat beer) which was delicious.
An interesting painting in our hostel. The Spanish-Quechua amalgamation produced many interesting versions of classic images.
An afternoon siesta led into the meeting with our Wayki Trek tour guide, "Lino," to go over what to expect on the Inca Trail. After the meeting, we attempted to find a restaurant but most were closed on Sunday evening. Even our sixth choice was still good. We didn't find time to book anything for our return to Cusco after Machu Picchu, but I'm sure it'll work out.
Cusco to Wayllabamba - 19 December
Lino picked us up from the hostel at 0545 in a shuttle van and we drove to breakfast in a porter village called Huayllaccocha. The quinoa, rice, and baked foods were good and a precursor to what turned out to be excellent food throughout the trek. Our last stop in civilization was Ollantaytambo and I finally got to see some rickshaws, before leaving any and all roads for a few days. As expected, they're a little different here than anywhere else I've see with more wind protection for the higher elevation and lower temperatures.
Kilometer 82 is the trail head that begins after a government checkpoint and a bridge over the Urubamba River
The first day's hike is nice and not demanding as you snake along the valley floor adjacent to the Urubamba River which is one of the main tributaries of the Amazon. As one of the Hiram Bingham Express trains, named for the Yale professor who "discovered" Machu Pichu, passed us I thought about whether this was an efficient use of my time off (it was).
There's some interesting flora along the trail including fully-matured agave that looks like something out of a Tim Burton film.
Spanish moss at this high altitude and low humidity? Sure, why not?
We saw hundreds of dogs throughout Peru, but this might have been the cutest
Lino gave us a lengthy history of the Incas as we sat in the blazing sun overlooking Llaqtapata, the first major site along the trail.
The Incan leaders were laid to rest in small vertical tombs like this one in the fetal position
Cool symbol, clearly new and probably from the contemporary government instead of Incans, but I liked it so whatever.
Alex and I are the only men in our group of eight with the remainder being a girl from Northeastern University, a mom with two twins along with two other girls from Florida. Lino said a lot more women hike the Inca Trail than men for some reason. We enjoyed some beers at the campsite and were quickly relegated to the "kids group" although Alex and I are over thirty and have about a decade on the younger girls. The rain didn't come in until 2030 which was a perfect signal to climb into the tents where I got much better sleep than the two previous nights.
We could see snow-capped peaks from our camp site...I hope we go around those instead of over them
Lily of the Nile just like Mama G got for my house in Southern Pines (only much healthier)
Wayllabamba to Pacamayo - 20 December
Another great meal for breakfast and we even had pancakes. It's amazing how good the food is considering the porters carry everything (food, stoves, pots, etc) along the trail and the meals are honestly better than most restaurants in Cusco. Today's trek is notoriously the most difficult and it lived up to the hype. The first leg was all uphill along a gentle incline and not too bad. The second leg was steeper and longer but I was still able to get through it without stopping in 40 minutes. I waited for the rest of the group for over an hour but the scenery was beautiful and I even made a new friend.
The third leg was brutal and I had to stop to catch my breath every 50 meters or so as we had climbed 4,000ft (2200m) from the campsite throughout the morning. The peak at Warmiwanuscca, or "Dead Woman's Pass," wasn't too enjoyable after a morning of climbing Incan stairs. Alex was suffering from minor altitude sickness so we headed down the other side of the mountain at the earliest opportunity.
I arrived at the campsite at Pacamayo around 1300 and while it was the hardest day it was also the shortest. I could've easily made it before noon if we didn't take extended breaks (up to an hour) between legs. There was only one shower and a few squat toilets (these actually flushed!) at the campsite shared by a dozen or so tour groups and the water was freezing cold. Nonetheless, I took the opportunity to clean myself and it was much appreciated. We played card games like shithead, bullshit, and spoons (easily the most fun) and drank lemon and rum hot toddies with liquor I bought along the trail. The dinner plates and bowls are aluminum and reminded Alex and I of S.E.R.E. school which wasn't a pleasant memory.
Pacamayo to Winaywayna - 21 December
Another great night's sleep with lots of rain that was kind enough to wait until the evening to fall. What our campsite looked like at dawn...
The morning started with an ascent out of the valley where Pacamayo sits to the second highest peak of the trek at Runkuraqay Pass. Looking back into the campsite you could see the waterfalls that poured into the valley.
Alex looking into the cloudy abyss
After that, it was gradual climbs and descents known affectionately as "Inca Flat." There were multiple Incan ruins along the way and after lunch the clouds finally cleared and we got our first glimpse of Machu Picchu...well at least the backside of it.
Approaching the hillside fortress of Sayaqmarka
We didn't see it at first, but Lino showed us this warrior figure carved into the stone slab
The clouds hung around most of the day as we passed through more smaller ruins
When the clouds finally did lift you could see from one set of ruins to another which in this case is Puyupatamarca on the left. Machu Picchu lies on the other side of the mountain in the center of this photo.
Most of the Inca Trail is "paved" with stone blocks along the sides of mountains and this is an example of one of the more interesting sections that looks like a spiral staircase
At one point along the trail, Alex and I swapped bags with two of the porters and carried them for one mile (1.6km)...mostly downhill at a light jog. They were at least 70lbs and it's amazing these guys can carry so much weight over such challenging terrain.
My first close up llama encounter at Puyupatamarca, where it was a little embarrassing because all I know was that llamas spit at people and I had a feeling they might have some donkey kicks in them as well.
Upon arriving at the final campsite, Alex and I rushed to the adjacent Incan site of Winaywayna which was the most impressive we had seen thus far with still functioning plumbing and irrigation.
Alex and I discussing how the Incans constructed their second floors and roofs and what that must have looked like (Machu Picchu provided replicas)
Alex felt good knowing we were less than a day away from arriving at Machu Picchu
My courage to be the first in the group to brave the waters of petting llamas allowed everyone else to walk right up to them in camp for petting and selfies. I tried to redeem myself but this guy wasn't having it. I had lost my "trail cred."
Lino taught us two words in Quechua, the native language of the Incans and people of the Andes Mountains in Peru. The first was Couchiwato (sp) meaning "horny bachelor" and the other was Chupa Chichi (sp) which was confusing but we gathered as a man who enjoys breasts. Essentially, this is what Lino, Alex, and I called the porters to tease them and the girls weren't allowed to use these words.
Alex and I didn't have enough soles for tips but two of the girls from Florida were kind enough to lend us some until we got to a town to pay them back. One of the girls we're traveling with is an underprivileged compulsive liar who's never had a job but has been everywhere and lets you know it. Alex and I avoided her at every opportunity.
Winaywayna to Cusco - 22 December
We started an hour earlier in the morning than the previous nights for a moonlit hike to the control point leading to Inti Punku where people attempt to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it rarely works out because the morning fog doesn't typically burn off until 0800. As we descended towards Machu Picchu, the sun emerged and with it came the heat. We stopped and snapped some pictures with faces that showed the civilized folk who simply took the train and bus ride up to the famous ruins what we had just been through.
The gate was pretty crowded with people waiting for entrance to the ruins and an even longer line for the western toilet. Alex and I dropped our bags there to climb Machu Picchu mountain. It took us just over an hour to climb the mountain and it was pretty difficult, even without the extra weight. The view was nice, but after four days on the Inca Trail, probably not necessary. It or Huayna Picchu is a must for day trippers to appreciate how challenging it was for the Incans to build what they did here.
Alex and I glad we no longer have our packs, but questioning our judgment to subject ourselves to more vertical punishment
The "tippy top." Although it's lower in elevation than most of what we hiked on the Inca Trail and even 2,000ft lower than Cusco...but still!
There are 24 llamas on the site that eat lichen and moss that can damage the ruins, wild chinchillas sunbathing on rocks, and even small spectacled bears but we didn't see any of them.
I wish I was more photogenic, but I guess not everyone was created in God's image
Taking the photography course at Sandhills Community College last fall paid off so I don't have to settle for washed out images like the one above on the "Auto" setting. A little bit of tinkering with the camera goes a long way, so does my education of how to take advantage of it.
The Temple of the Sun is the focal point of Machu Picchu and allows the sunlight to pass through the window without shadows during the summer equinox. Unfortunately, we were there at the winter equinox...exactly the opposite of what the Incans intended.
The quarry where Incans took raw boulders of granite and with water and wedges to split the stone into smaller blocks. An example of their technique can be seen just right of the agave plant in the foreground.
Coca plant which is consumed by nearly everyone in the Andean mountains. When chewed raw or drank in a tea (found everywhere in the region), the alkaloid content is too low to produce the "high" notoriously found in cocaine and multiple chemical processes are required to produce the illicit drug.
Staircases in the blocked-off area to the chinchilla den. I wish I could've gone in there and snuggled with everyone one of them.
The "Alter of the Condor" or "Condor Stone" which I'm not sure of the significance other than it's one of the three animals sacred to the Incans along with the puma and snake. Supposedly Machu Picchu looks like a condor from Huayna Picchu. While we didn't hike it, I don't see it from internet searches and like most sites, much of it remains covered by trees so I'm skeptical about such a claim.
A look at the inside of what Incan roofs looked like. I don't know why I didn't take pictures of the outside, probably because they resemble a traditional thatched roof. A second look at this picture makes me realized I still have a lot to learn about photography, especially in oddly-lit situations.
After a quick tour through the main site with Lino, we joined the rest of the group for a farewell lunch in the town below Machu Picchu that shares the same name. The town reminded me of a Latin version of a ski town that you'd find in Colorado or Austria. We had grilled alpaca for lunch which wasn't bad and reminded the group of veal. There was a soccer match about to begin in Aguas that I would've loved to stay and watch while enjoying a few cervezas.
Machu Picchu Pueblo aka "Aguas Calientes"
After walking around for a bit we perfectly timed the boarding for our train back to Poroy with a bus connection to Cusco. The train might have been the most luxurious I've been on but was terribly slow, wobbling along the valley floor parallel to the Urubamba at 45kph (28mph). Alex and I snuck beers onto the train and hid them from the stewardesses until we ordered some of their skunked beers with coffees.
There were windows on the roof of the train and we could see amazing views of Incan ruins and mountain peaks from alongside the roaring Urubamba. We finished listening to the rest of Turn Right at Machu Picchu during the ride and it was really enjoyable as most train rides are. At one point we had to stop and go backward to switch tracks which I thought was strange.
Whitewater Rafting - 23 December
The van ride south out of Cusco was uneventful but provided beautiful scenery. Pre-Incan ruins dot the landscape and are apparently neglected by locals and tourists alike. The roads seem great in this region and would make for a great moto tour. Upon arrival, the primary guide, Juan Carlos, began barking orders at everyone. We rushed through the zip-line which was a less than thrilling ~100m out and back across the river. They made us go so fast I couldn't get good pictures or video of Alex.
It was more rushing as we got fitted for our wet suits and other gear. The service was so bad, Alex and I forgot to drink water before being herded onto the bus.
They split our group into the Spanish-speaking and English groups. This section of the Upper Urubamba has seen less rain than usual for this time of year, so there were only a few, if any, class III rapids. The highlight of the tour was when Juan Carlos let volunteers ride the front of the raft like rodeo cowboys and Alex and I were the only ones who took advantage of it. The lunch was okay, the beer was skunked, coffee was cold, and sauna probably bad for your health. After the 1.5 hour ride back to Cusco, they dropped us off at a different location because of road closures even though it was clear up to the agreed intersection at Plaza de Armas. Alex and I left a tip but later regretted it because it will reinforce bad service.
We walked over to Peru Moto Tours to finalize a trip to the Sacred Valley the following day. After calling all day and receiving little help from Spanish-only speakers, an Asian-American woman greeted us immediately and sorted everything out. They had some cool bikes available like Triumph Tigers and Honda Africa Twins, but we settled for the cheapest options.
Sacred Valley via Moto- 24 December
After buying a new mounting bracket for my GoPro for S/35, my SD card wouldn't read so I left it behind. Oh well, I just shared Alex's and I'm due for a new one anyways if it's broke for good. We switched from Hostel Amaru I to VIP Garden Hostel which is actually a hostel and more our style. I rode a Suzuki DR650, Alex had a Honda Falcon 400, and our guide, Chito, rode a brand new Honda Tornado 250. We first rode to Moray to see the Incan agriculture lab where they brought plants from lower elevations to see what would work in the mountains.
Then it was the salt pools at Salinas which we couldn't figure out the purpose of since our guide spoke little English.
Ollantaytambo, the trail head for the Inca Trail, reminded me of an old western town and we only half checked out the ruins since we'd seen so much already and riding the bikes was more fun. There were interesting ruins on an opposing mountainside which looked more Spanish than Incan.
The valley between Urubamba and Ollantaytambo is gorgeous and is appropriately named the Sacred Valley. Pisac had larger ruins than almost anywhere we'd seen and they almost looked Apache because of the darker stones and earth used to construct them.
How archeologists put all these sites back together...looks similar to markings I saw around Ankor Wat.
We stopped at an unmarked animal sanctuary that was incredible. A German who was volunteering around the world named Stephen gave us a closing time tour for only S/10 each. Vicuñas, or smaller versions of llamas or alpacas, were spitting at Stephen while he was trying to put a tortoise back in the pen after he got stuck in the fence while trying to escape. The male also was attempting to mount the female only to receive her spits of displeasure with his behavior.
We got to be a few feet away from a spectacled bear cub but had to leave before we could play with it when he moves to his room for the night.
This place had all kinds of alpaca, even a long-haired dreadlock one like Stephen.
There were leopards the size of house cats and even Pumas.
Enormous condors flew over our heads which was impressive
They had to separate the condors because some were misbehaving and straight frontin'
Some red foxes were less than thrilled with Stephen's antics and I'm kind of surprised the owners let him work there.
Pretty sure these guinea pigs were more for the kitchen than part of the sanctuary side of the place.
A little monkey even climbed on my shoulders which was really cool. The locals were ready to leave despite Stephen's ongoing tour.
We did a quick ride by the Saksaywaman ruins above the city before returning to Cusco
What a day and I think Alex caught the moto-tour bug and gets why so many people are doing it. There were two close calls for the day. The first was when Alex came to an abrupt stop as we arrived at lunch and tipped the bike over onto his foot. He damaged the mirror or handlebar a little but our guide told him not to worry about it which was nice. The other was when we came up to one of the hundreds of speed bumps at each end of every village we passed. Usually, we can roll right over them but if we're behind a truck and can't pass, we have to slow to a near stop like the cars. Alex locked up his rear brake and I saw him coming in hot in my rear view mirror. He was probably listening to my advice about using the rear brake which was intended for off road purposes. Luckily nothing happened and we kept rolling.
View from the room at the VIP Hostel Garden
That evening we had cuy for dinner which was actually pretty good. A little oily but more meat than I thought there would be.
Later it was drinks at Mama Africa before watching the chaos unfold below as people lit fireworks in the Plaza de Armas. Some of the fireworks were pretty good and looked cool exploding over the cathedrals. Others shot off horizontally into crowds of people. I danced with a Mexican girl named Ivanka which didn't make sense.
Feliz Navidad - 25 December
We took a rest day at the hostel and only briefly walked around town which offered a perfect time to capture the nuances of Cusco.
Fireworks can be heard throughout the city at all hours. Poor Quechua from the mountains lined up around Plaza de Armas awaiting handouts from the government and churches. A craft bazaar filled the square for a couple of days but we didn't bother to spend much time seeing trinkets and what not. Everyone says "Si, papa/mama" to strangers which is the equivalent of saying "Yes, dad/mom" to a waiter or shopkeeper. The flag of Cusco is a rainbow flag and looks nearly identical to the LGBT or "gay pride" flag used throughout the world.
Many restaurants play remakes of classic (mostly 1980s) songs with the Peruvian flute. The Peruvian national cocktail, Pisco Sour, is okay but not my type of beverage. All the schools have basketball nets on top of soccer goals which seems efficient even though only one sport can be played at a time. It's constantly hard to breathe in Cusco at 3,400 m (11,200 ft). We kept waking up in the middle of the night trying to catch our breath or would be winded even after climbing one flight of stairs. Expats there say it can take weeks or months before you're fully acclimated.
The local soft drink, Inca Kola, is pretty good even though it's the color of dehydrated urine
The Spanish built modern Cusco on top of Incan ruins which is clearly visible in the historic district. There are so many unfinished buildings in Cusco and all of Peru with exposed rebar sticking out of the "roofs" like much of the developing world. It made us wonder if people knew how poorly their capital was being allocated, both government and commercial, in places like this where growth is poorly planned. It's also the opposite problem of places like Detroit or St. Louis where finished buildings remain vacant but the visual effect is similar.
Peruvian kids must enjoy slides because they are everywhere...even at Machu Picchu. The Peruvian highlands and Andes mountains grow hundreds of varieties of potatoes. Restaurants all square up their chairs awkwardly at tables.
This Peruvian kid wanted to take pictures with a baby alpaca
Peruvian women that dress in traditional attire wear tall cowboy hats that don't match the rest of their outfits. The older ones also have two braided ponytails tied together at the bottom to signify their marital status as spoken for.
Peruvian coffee is not very good and quite bitter. The only good cup of coffee we found in Cusco was at JC's Cafe a few blocks from the plaza and around the corner from our hostel.
One of the things we did do with our lazy day was get an "Inca Massage" which was essentially a combination of Swedish, Shiatsu, and hot stone techniques. We picked a place off the main street for S/80 and one that didn't have girls hawking at you for massages for only S/20 that seemed suspicious.
We grabbed a beer at Norton's Pub which is a cool bar overlooking the plaza that is semi-motorcycle themed. Back at the hostel, there was an awful drum circle going by the fire. I hope they were high as a kite because they were so off beat even the local who worked at the hostel couldn't play his flute along with them. There are lots of VW bugs and feral, but well-behaved dogs.
Mountain Biking - 26 December
After getting a long breakfast at the only open cafe in Cusco before 0800, we arrived at Gravity Peru which also served as the home of the owners, Bill and Nicole, their four day-walker children and an Air B&B. A former environmental engineer from Finland, Sarah, was our guide and quit her job in Denmark and moved here two months ago. Joining us were a father and son from Canada. The father was the head of an international school in Venezuela and went to grad school at Lehigh where Alex got his bachelor's.
The ride was along dirt and paved roads through the mountains with no singletrack, probably because the son had no experience and we took whatever tour was available.
The son blew two back tire tubes early on because there was a hole in his tire and even the support vehicle driver lost one. I should get better at changing tires before I try motorcycle touring in some of these countries.
We had another big lunch at a home in a small village of a soup with a chicken leg in it...that was only the appetizer. The main course was fried trout with beets and potatoes that I only picked at because as usual, I was already beyond full. Peruvian meals are just too big for me.
After lunch, we climbed for 45 minutes straight before riding along the Apurimac River. It was very picturesque, just wish we could have mixed it up with single track trails instead of just roads. The good part is it was fast with many waterfalls crossing the road.
While it was freezing in the morning, by the afternoon it was definitely warm and we were working up a good sweat. We started at 13,499ft (4114m) and finished the ride at under 9,000ft (2,743m) while averaging 12.4mph (20kph) and maxing out at 32.7mph (52.6kph) over 33.1 miles (53.3km). We finished the ride at a bridge over the river where a flock of green parrots flew over. I've never seen them in the wild and didn't know they did that. The van ride home was long (>2 hours) and miserable. I felt terrible when we got to the hostel so I showered and went to sleep while Alex went to explore Cusco solo.
Cusco to Lima - 27 December
After a proper breakfast of pancakes at JC's Cafe, we walked down to the Coricancha which was the most important temple in the Incan Empire but is now the Church of Santo Domingo. We hired a tour guide for S/20 which is probably the right thing to do in these places otherwise you'll never comprehend what you're seeing. The church is built on Incan ruins like much of the historic district. The Incans used basalt here instead of the granite at Machu Picchu or limestone at Sacsayhuaman overlooking Cusco.
You can see the darker Incan stones and the brighter Spanish construction on top
The courtyard of the Spanish Church of Santo Domingo built on the ruins of Coricancha
Evidence of how Incan-built structures without mortar are resilient against earthquakes
Three animals sacred to the Incans in the gardens out front (puma, snake, condor)
The Incans sacrificed black llamas because of their perceived purity and appearance in the Milky Way constellation. I don't quite understand how they understood astrology so well and why it influenced so much of what they did. The Incan religion centered around the Pachamama, which is a goddess of earth and fertility, and many Quechua still practice a blend of this and Catholicism. To them, Jesus is the God of earthquakes which can wreck havoc on this area so he gets their respect. Many of the paintings throughout the Coricancha are historically inaccurate with Spanish soldiers (not Roman) pictured with Jesus and Pontius Pilot was dressed as a Pope. The national flower of Peru is the Cantua which is a beautiful trumpet-shaped flower that grows in the Andean highlands.
Some other cool flower in the garden
We then went back to Plaza de Armas in search of the Quechua version of the "Last Supper." This version has a black Judas and a cuy instead of a lamb. The church charged S/25 for admission (Jesus Christos!) and didn't allow photography of any kind inside which is ridiculous.
Pumas on the light poles in the plaza
The twelve-sided stone
After the fifth attempt at dining at Korma Sutra, an Indian restaurant with great reviews but was never open around the holidays, we took a taxi to Christo Blanco for an elevated view of Cusco.
There wasn't time (and we didn't want to spend S/70) for Sacsayhuaman but our taxi driver took us to a vista where you could see it just fine before we returned to the hostel to pick up our bags and head to the airport for the flight back to Cusco.
I changed our hostel in Lima to be closer to the airport thinking that was where the bus would pick us up for Paracas but I made a mistake and we had to walk two miles (3km) to our hostel which was in an industrial area and pointless. We made the most of our night by scouting out a place for Alex to get a tattoo in Barranco. It's a cool neighborhood and we had dinner in a century-old train car that was imported from England for the first railways in Peru.
Lima to Paracas - 28 December
Tough day. It started out early in the morning when I realized that our 0640 bus to Paracas departs from Javier Prado station, not Jorge Chavez International Airport. Sometimes you make mistakes like that when your planning on the fly from a smartphone and not sitting at a computer deliberately researching and paying attention. We still managed to fight traffic in a taxi and arrive at 0730. Our taxi driver, Magali, was crazy and while she didn't speak English, she was determined to help us out and had me talk with her husband to try and help us catch a bus. He spoke only a little English and my Spanglish didn't really get us anywhere. Despite all that, the last bus for the morning was still at the station but only had one seat left.
After weighing our options, we decided to rent a car back at the airport. None of the agencies had cars available...in a city of nine million people. Orbitz will let you book online with a "confirmed" reservation even if the rental companies don't have a car available. Thrifty had cars available but their office outside the airport was closed and their international hotline couldn't give a reason or contact someone to get back to work. Europcar was our last hope and we were able to get a Kia Sportage. Even getting that car wasn't as simple as an inspection, signing a few papers, and handing over a credit card. I had to pay for their "mandatory" insurance even though my credit card comes with that benefit. They finally understood but I was tired of dealing with everything and we finally took off at 1300.
The road from Lima to Paracas is part of the Pan-American Highway and looks like new four-lane tarmac. This region of Peru is a desert with massive hills and mountains butting up against the coast. Luxury resorts and slums alternate every few kilometers and I imagine one provides all the labor for the other. I saw a few groups of motorcycle tourers and this route seems as popular as ever. After checking into our hostel in Paracas, we snuck into a swank waterfront hotel for dinner, drinks, and the sunset. It's nice to dip your toes into luxury every once in awhile.
On our way back, we stopped in Hostel Kokopelli which would've been a better place to stay and had a lively bar. We hung out with a French chemical engineer who had just quit her job (a common theme) to travel for a few months. We played a few rounds of ping pong and while I was able to get a game or two from Alex, she beat me every time. She and Alex had fun at my expense but at least I won the last game!
Huacachina to Lima - 29 December
We attempted to do yoga in the morning on the beach at Kokopelli with a pretty Spanish instructor but she was still eating breakfast and we weren't feeling too hot so at the first opportunity we bailed. After a slow start, we drove the hour or so to Huacachina around 1100 and the scenery reminded me of Diffa, Niger. The desert oasis was dead upon arrival and didn't pick up until the afternoon. It's kind of a weird place and a tourist trap to the nth degree.
Would've been fun to rip with one of these in the dunes...maybe not
After lunch, we found a buggy and sandboard tour for S/40 which is a good price for the only activity to do here. Unfortunately, tourists are prohibited from driving the buggies but it was still fun. Our buggy was an inline six-cylinder Chevrolet and pretty fun but I would've given her all she had.
Lying on a sandboard is infinitely more fun (and safe) than riding it standing.
We tried to rent catamarans at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton but the staff said it was too windy...say what? The winds were perfect and next door dozens of kiteboarders were out.
Land Rover Defender 110 RTW overlander from Switzerland
I passed on kiteboarding because Alex doesn't know how to (yet) and we still had to get the car back to the rental agency before 2200. Instead, we went into the Reserva Nacional De Paracas just south of town which had beautiful desert landscapes and cute little beaches. We nearly ran out of gas because I hadn't noticed previously that Paracas didn't have a gas station. It reminded me of when I left the main highway in South Africa to visit Coffee Bay where the only gas station in town was out of fuel and I had to hitch a ride to get more fuel and leave the bike unattended.
Playa la Mina
The drive back was intense, especially once we reached Lima. We went around the back side of the airport to avoid traffic which seemed to work until we drove through the traffic circle not realizing the only exit was another few kilometers down the road at the worst intersection in Lima. That little mistake cost us half an hour in traffic after a long day. While returning the car, I got my credit card back which they had forgot to return to me and I had forgot to ask. Even when I called about it from Paracas, they said it wasn't there...ugh. Europcar tried to charge me because the car was dirty which was crazy because I've never heard of that before and they didn't tell me to bring it back washed when we picked it up. Some f@#$ing lady who was picking up a different car came out while we were doing our turn-in inspection and pointed at a scratch on the mirror because she thought her family was picking up that car. I was furious at her and asked her what the hell was she doing meddling in our business. I may or may not have caused the scratch because during our final thirty-minute delay in the intersection of death, I jumped up on the curb to make the turn and might have clipped another car. After the employees checked their records, they said the scratch was there previously so it all worked out. Because I took their "mandatory" insurance instead of using my credit card's, I was going to be out that money because of the high deductible.
After arriving at the hostel exhausted (Alex slept through most of the driving), I agreed to walk around Miraflores for a bit. We met a Polish-Morrocan couple that took us to a couple of Irish bars with some gay guys from LA. It was a weird and long night.
Lima - 30 December
While we had big plans for the day, we got off to a slow start because of the previous long day and even longer night. When we finally got moving, we walked around Miraflores and to the beach. It's cool looking over the cliffs to the beach. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough wind for paragliding which was all we were good for that day and one of the things we definitely wanted to do in Lima. When we went back to take a late afternoon nap, we never got up. Day wasted.
The one thing Lima has in addition to VW bugs is old VW Jettas like my first car
At least we did our laundry which was much needed. The guy at the shop was pretty cool and had some funny signs as well
Lima - 31 December
With all the sleep we got the previous night, it was a much more productive day. We went surfing at Makaha Beach in the morning and while the swell was small I caught a few good waves and one really long one. I really wish I lived closer to the ocean. After looking for a fiberglass (not foam) long board with a GoPro mount for awhile, it was all for naught because I left my accessories in the hostel.
There are tons of cats in Kennedy Park in Miraflores. Apparently, they were introduced to kill the rats, but I wonder if it's not some cat orgy that spiraled out of control.
Other Kennedy Park art
While Alex went to get a tattoo I rented a bike and rode through the Lima neighborhoods of Miraflores, San Isidro, Magdalena del Mar, and Barranco. This section of Lima is perfect for bicycles and even bike-friendly in many areas with designated lanes. It sure beats driving anywhere in this metropolis.
All the bike rental place had was a street cruiser which I still rode on the public BMX track after resurrecting my childhood career over Thanksgiving on my last trip home.
The low winds made paragliding impossible, so I tried to do powered paragliding in Magdalena del Mar. When I got there, they crashed on a takeoff but that didn't deter me but probably should have. What I wasn't willing to accept was the 18 people waiting in line ahead of me which would've taken hours.
I made it to Barranco just as Alex was leaving the tattoo shop and briefly went by Huaca Pucllana, a 1500-year-old clay pyramid in the middle of modern Miraflores (unimpressive this late in the trip) before returning to the hostel.
Leaving the hostel, we nearly got caught in a heated rap battle (kids on right)/solo dance competition (pink-haired white guy in red sweats on left)
We had a drink at Larcomar, a luxury shopping mall on the coastal cliffs, but everything was closing for New Year's Eve party preparations. These parties are S/250 ($75) cover and all you can drink but the waiters told us the crowds at these parties were pretty lame, so we abstained. Most of the socialites of Lima head an hour south to Asia, one of the luxury resorts we passed on the Pan-American Highway.
Larcomar
Miraflores at sunset
While searching for a rooftop bar for sunset drinks the Hilton didn't make the cut both because it wasn't that tall and the atmosphere and view were less than impressive. We walked a few blocks to the Belmond Miraflores Park Hotel which was okay but had a great view. After a few beers at the last sunset of 2016, we went to Hostel Kokopelli Lima based on our experience at the sister location in Paracas. We met two Canadian girls who were a lot of fun to ring in the new year with.
