From Lima to Cuzco- glad we didn't take the bus!

Saturday June 23^rd

 Following breakfast we spent some time scaling back our luggage load, leaving a bag of unwanted ( and hopefully they will be unneeded ) items with the hotel, for pickup when we return to Lima on July 8^th.

   Another hair-raising taxi ride delivered us to the airport for our flight to Cuzco.

 The flight, aboard a smaller ( 98 seat) TACA airlines jet, departed Lima at 11:20 for a 70 minute flight which will be remembered as the most visually stunning flight of my life.  Heading in a roughly easterly direction we broke through the cloud cover around Lima and could immediately see the Andes mountains above the clouds. Within 20 minutes the clouds were almost completely gone and and we passed over the lower mountains, while in the distance, snow capped peaks could be seen. The further we flew the lower the snow belt seemed to reach and the closer we came to some really magnificent peaks.

 Even though the flight was just over an hour and cost slightly more than $150 per person we were served a small sandwich and a selection of drinks which included beer and liquor at no additional charge. Quite a contrast with the price and service level on Canadian domestic airlines,

  The landing in Cuzco was a bit of a nail-biter, First we overflew most of the city before banking into the hills surrounding. Barely 200 feet above the hills the pilot rolled into a fairly hard left, dropping through the hills and leveling out over the town before lining up with the runway. A fairly smooth approach brought us back to earth with a slight bump as the wheels touched down.

  Once we deplaned and grabbed our luggage we took a taxi to our hotel, the Corihuasi an old colonial building located 2 blocks uphill from the Plaza de Armas. Our room features 2foot thick exterior walls and affords a view of the distant hills to the south west. The ceiling is wood planks supported by a series of log beams. An electric oil heater and super thick comforters will hopefully keep us comfortable through the zero to minus 2 or 3 Celsius temperatures that are expected this evening.

  After a quick job of unpacking we set off downhill for the Plaza and the surrounding streets where we spent a few hours exploring. 

 Cuzco was quite warm, 18 degrees C and very sunny, a sharp contrast to the dull overcast skies of Lima. So walking during the afternoon was a pleasant experience. While out, we also picked up some fairly expensive tickets ($110 per person) for the Festival of the Sun ( Inti Raymi) which takes place tomorrow, June 24^th which is the Winter Solstice in South America.

  Cuzco seems to comprise only two groups of people- vendors and tourists. Just off the main square we discovered a temporary art and craft show with about 100 vendors from the region and other parts of Peru. On display were ceramics, various textiles, jewelry and many wool products of Alpaca or Llama origin. Since they will be here a few days more I am guessing that prices will drop somewhat once Inti Raymi is over and the tourist population drops slightly.

  Feeling some of the effects of the altitude we decided to partake of an early dinner and get to bed fairly early, estimating a long and tiring day tomorrow. Coca tea is the alleged cure promoted by all the locals. Therefore I assume that it is legal and doesn;t contain cocaine in any appreciable quantity!

  For dinner, I decided to take the plunge into local cuisine and ordered Alpaca a la plancha- essentially a pan seared alpaca steak. It was either that or guinea pig and I decided I would save that local delicacy for a later date! The hotel seems a lot further, walking back up hill in the cooler darkness of the early evening- sunset seems to be somwehere around 5pm- expected really, considering it is winter here.

  One more cup of coca tea and it's off to bed for an early night so that we can be up and running by 7.

   Hopefully the attached photos will give you a rief overview of sights seen on the trip.

Lovers Park, Lima

Cathedral-Miraflores

Plaza de San Martin, Lima

Palace, Plaza LasArmas, Lima

Drinking Vessel- Larco Museum

Black Corn- Wongs Supermarket-Miraflores

Museo de La Nacion, Lima

Entrance to Bario Chino, Lima

Monasterio de San Francisco,Lima

Typical Chifa Menu

Interior-Monasterio de San Francisco

Cathedral, Plaza Las Armas, Lima

Seafood dinner

Shots from Lima to Cuzco flight

Bedroom at Hostal Coruahasi Cuzco