The Last Empanada

By some miracle and false mark of will, I made it to the Jorge Chavez International Airport in time for my early 7:00am Aeromexico flight to Mexico City despite the fact that my phone died and my alarm never went off.  I was tired and hungry because my Danish friend Jacob had been buying me beer the night before in a good attempt to make sure I didn’t make this flight.  Starving, I found the airport to be one of the most expensive airports I’ve ever been to for food.  Finally, I decided to spend my remaining soles on one last empanada.  A $5.00 empanada!  Fancy that.  But, I was assured by the man who sold it to me that lomo saltado was the best.  Honestly, it was a very, very good empanada.

(But it no way compares to the huge meal of pozole and tamarind juice I got at the Mexico City airport for the same price!):

And, after my bittersweet empanada, I walked over to my gate which sat right across from this perfectly placed tourism billboard:

Yes, that’s a picture of Cartagena, which is where I began my trip, which seemed like many years ago….  I now spoke functional amount of Spanish.  And, I wanted to start it all over again.  I know modern marketing has devised new nefarious means to appear more personal, but at that moment, this ad really spoke to me.   It’s right, the only risk is wanting to stay.

I couldn’t stay.  But, I will be back someday.

Sunny Season in Lima

While the climate is very pleasant in Lima, the city typically endures a gray season about 3/4 of the year.  Luckily, my visit there happened to coincide with the three months of sunshine.  I woke up in the morning excited to see the Pacific again.  On an otherwise sunny day, when I got within a block of the shore, this is what I saw:

Luckily, it cleared up by the time the afternoon rolled around….

 

My Last Sand in Lima

At almost 10 million people, Lima was the largest city I came to on my trip and definitely the one I had spent the least amount of time in.   During the course of the trip, I had come to realize that I really didn’t like the big cities as much as I like spending time in smaller towns and rural areas.  There’s no getting around Lima though, since it is by far the largest city in Peru, it holds the only international airport in the country.  It is also of great cultural importance to Latin America since in 1535, this is where the (illiterate) conquistador Francisco Pizarro set up as the capital of the Americas.

I was advised by a few tourists not to spend more than a few days in Lima.  Though, I had had an overnight here on the way to the deserts south in the region.  But, I had only allotted about a day and a half before my flight back to the US to see Lima.  Most of that day and a half was spent belaboring how much I didn’t want to leave South America.  But, for the very, very little amount of time I saw, I thought Lima was quite a striking city.  It also didn’t hurt that in all of the parks they sell really delicious roast pork and/or turkey sandwiches with spicy sauce.

I stayed where most of the tourists stay, the Miraflores, which more or less a very affluent suburb on the coast:

And, alas, the only real sightseeing that I got to do was in the colonial/bohemian neighborhood just to the south of it, Barranco.  Barranco was really breathtaking.

The truth is, I didn’t spend nearly enough time here.  And, I don’t really have any interesting stories to tell about the brief spell I did have.  So, I’ll leave it to the pictures:

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Pisac, the Sacred Valley of the Incas

I spent my last afternoon in the Cuzco region exploring the town of Pisac, in the sacred valley of the Incas.  Pisac is famous for its markets which more or less engulf the entire town on the weekends.

Most of my time was spent visiting different luthiers in the city looking for a new charango, something of the hard wood persuasion.  I did find myself a new charango, Jezebella, which I got which a case at a pretty insane price of 200 soles.  I think the men at the shop were impressed by the fact that in my charango hunt that I had learned to tune them by ear faster than Dante (the luthier) could with an electronic tuner.  More than that, I think they were surprised at all that some random gringo walking through the door could even play the charango at all.  Most of the ones they were initially trying to sell me seemed more or less just ornamental will elaborate paintings on the back.  Sound was more my priority, even though Jezebella happens to be quite the looker too:

Unfortunately, I only had a few hours there before my 21-hour busride from Cuzco to Lima.  But, next time I’m in Peru, I’d like to spend a night or two there.  Pisac greatly reminded me of Vilcabamba in that it’s an idyllic mountain town filled with a really tranquil sort of energy.  And very ornate buildings:

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is known as the “pyramids of the Americas” and is on the list of the seven man-made wonders of the world.  What can I really tell you about the most popular tourist destination of S. America that hasn’t been said before?

I’m not sure.  Honestly, this was one of the things I was most excited about from the onset of my trip.  And, as I traveled and talked with more and more travelers, I heard very far-ranging accounts of the site.  Some people describe it as a spiritual experience and one of the most amazing things you’ll ever see in your life.  Other travelers, described it to me as a cash-sucking tourist trap that’s really just an over-glorified pile of rocks.  My opinion: the latter camp is a confederacy of idiots.

This is an amazing and special place.  And, all I can really say is that you can look at my pictures and millions more and you’ll never understand it.  Pictures do it no justice.  It’s not until you get there and see it that its full scope becomes apparent: THIS WAS A CITY!

To give a little background, this was a city that was never really completed.  It was being built at the tail end of the Incan reign before the Spanish came through and diseased everybody up.  Its fame comes more or less from the fact that it was built tucked away on a remote mountain top and the Spanish never really found it, so they couldn’t needlessly destroy it.  There remains some debate about the degree of importance this city bore and whether or not it was an important religious site for the Incans.  That’s all a matter of speculation, and I’ve heard a lot of people who like to fancy it make unverifiable claims about its importance, I’ve even heard some people claim it was the capital of the Incan empire.  No, and likely, no one will ever know the real purpose behind some of construction.  However, its importance as one of the most complete Incan relics remaining is no question.

One other myth that I’d like to dispel is that Machu Picchu is very high in the mountains, so it’s cold.  Many people had told me that, and I came bearing some of my coldest weather clothes in preparation.  However, Machu Picchu is only at about 8,000ft, which is high yes, but it’s a good 3,000ft below Cuzco’s elevation.  It’s even surrounded by high jungle.  Unless it’s raining, it is not cold:

It wasn’t raining the day I went.  That is sweat.  The walk up is very, very steep and intense.  We started up before the sun was up and it was hot, at about 4am, to be amongst the first people admitted.  It’s about an hour and a half of sheer Incan steps up to the top.  I thought I was out of shape, but I ascended with my friend Kenny and his girlfriend Laura, two serious climbers, and we all struggled and had to take breaks about every 5 minutes.

Once we were up, I was just floored by the sights.  I really don’t even know what to say, especially about some of the marvels of Incan technology.

Like Incan lawnmowers:

And Incan televisions:

Seriously though, when you see the scale of the city and the kind of craftmanship it must’ve taken to put smooth out the temple rocks (seen above) to fit together to withstand earthquakes without any mortar whatsoever, it’s just staggering.  The work ethic of the Incans was unfathomably exceptional to achieve what they did in such a short span of time.  Mind you, I’m no archaeologist or anything, but I do have my own theory about the Incans.  At any given time, if you weren’t smoothing or a moving a rock, you were just an asshole.

There’s really nothing I can say that compares to seeing it.  So, I recommend that you do.  And I have some TRAVELER’S TIPS:

1) Conservation agencies are greatly concerned over the effect tourism is having on the preservation of the ruins.  Apparently, walking on the Incan trails alone causes almost 1cm of erosion per year!  So, every year they are threatening to shut it down.  Given the money-generating properties of the site, I don’t believe that it will ever be closed…. However, I think they will put more and more restrictions on how many people can go there and how much an entrance ticket will cost in advance (it has already almost tripled in the past 5 years).  And also, the tickets do sell out (currently only 400 people per day are allowed in), so buy one when you get to Cuzco!

2) Also, though your ticket is good for “three days”, that means it’s only good for a span of three days.  So, the day you choose to use it is the only day you’re technically allowed in the site.  If you have the time, it might be a good idea to get to Aguas Calientes (the closest town) and keep an eye on the forecasts to make sure you go on a day they’re not predicting rain.

3) You are by no means allowed to bring food into the site and the only restaurant up there costs $38.00 USD (!!!!!!!!) for a buffet and small beer!  So, I’d recommend you pack a nice lunch and check your bag at the gate so you can come out and picnic, then re-enter and make the most of your day.  It closes at 4pm.

4)  If you’re willing and able to hike up, it’s a good idea to get an early start like we did.  That way you might have a half hour window before all the tourist buses start arriving so your pictures aren’t cluttered with other tourists taking pictures.  And, you get to see one of the most beautiful sunrises ever.

Anyway, here are my worthless pictures:

I Am a Hairy Celebrity

This was hanging up in the streets of Cuzco.  First of all, I can’t believe I let someone take pictures of my intimate waxing session.  Second of all, where are my royalties?  All this depilación doesn’t pay for itself!

Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman, or “sexy woman” to some, is one of the Incan ruins encircling Cuzco.  As it was built on the hills overlooking the city, people speculate that its primary function was that of defense.  The ruins aren’t extremely well-preserved, but you can see evidence:

The site was also home to Cuzco’s famous Christo Blanco (White Christ) statue, which coincidentally, as my hair and beard grew out, was also my not-so-clever nickname with the locals.

I went up there with a friend I had made in my hostel, Maria Paula from Colombia.  She took morning hikes up there.  When the guards at the gate tried to charge us the hyper-exorbitant 70 sole entrance fee, she explained that we were “just going to walk through” and when a guard ran up to us sitting on one of the hills and demanded our tickets, she explained that we were “just leaving”.  And, that was that.   Seriously, like a jedi master.  Then, near the Christo Blanco statue, we befriended Maximo, who is a musician from the sacred valley of the Incas who played a bandurria, which is almost like a miniature 12-string guitar.

He gave me the flute to play.  But, I would’ve probably had more luck with a soda bottle.  Inka Cola of course!  (a lemongrass soda that outsells Coca Cola in Peru and tastes like bubble gum).

Cuy, Cuy, Cuy!

I hadn’t seen my friend Kenny since we were in Cuenca, Ecuador together at the end of November.  So, it was a pleasure to catch up with him a couple of months later all the way in the south of Peru.  Back in November, we had wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving by going to get a cuy.  Alas, since Kenny was feeling a little ill, we didn’t make it happen.  But, when we got back together, eating the guinea pig was once of our first prerogatives.

We went to one of the artisanal  markets in the south of Cuzco where they had the rats for rather cheap.  Cuy is about a third of the price in Peru as it is in Ecuador.  Don’t ask me why.

We ordered a roasted cuy stuffed with herbs, mostly sage I believe.  As far as the taste, cuy is a lot like rabbit in texture and fat content.  However, it also has a distinct sweet flavor to it.  The skin is roasted with it which adds a nice crispy texture.  Honestly, at the end of the day, I would say that cuy was alright, but definitely not something I’d seek out everyday.  Even if it does look this good:

 

Chased by Highlanders

We might look very chummy here, but these highlander ladies would hunt me down if they had half the chance!

So, I was walking around in one of the tourist areas of Cuzco, and there were different groups of these highlanders in their traditional garb and usually an alpaca in tow.  All of them kept offering me to take a picture for 1 sol.  I resisted the urge to be a cheesy tourist for a while and finally caved and asked for a picture when I saw this group.  We took our picture and immediately after I got my camera back, the woman demanded 10 soles!  It was uncouth of me not to agree on the price beforehand, but these ladies were trying to rip me off.  I tried to negotiate.  The highlanders were stubborn.  10 soles?!  I gave them all the change I had in my pocket, which was probably 3 or 4 soles, and they demanded more.  So, I began walking off.  One of the ladies shook her cane at me and they began very slowly pursuing me down the street!  Luckily, one of my steps is worth three of theirs, and that alpaca proved to be just as stubborn to budge as they did.  I narrowly escaped.

If you’re ever in Cuzco, remember these faces!  They are not-so-dangerous con-artists!

Cuzco, Capital of the Incas

Cuzco is the third largest city in Peru (at roughly 500,000 people), the former capital of the Incan empire, and the current capital of South American tourism.  Every tourist passing through to Machu Picchu has to make a stop here as it’s the closest city to it.

Honestly, I’d heard so many great things from locals and travelers about Cuzco that I was preparing myself to be underwhelmed.  To my pleasure, that wasn’t the case at all.  Sure, Cuzco role as a tourist mecca might make it considerably more expensive.  And, I wasn’t a fan of the way that all the museums and historic sites are bundled into a package deal (130 soles, roughly $50 to see them all), but a budget tourist can get by here with a little discretion and patience.  Yes, it is still possible to find a delicious lunch here for 3-5 soles if you get off the main square and do some looking, especially at the glorious San Pedro market.

Anyway, Cuzco really is a beautiful city and deserves much more than just a stopover en route to Machu Picchu.  Take this panorama as evidence:

Like the city of Cuenca, Cuzco is a colonial city built on the unshakeable stone foundations laid by the Incans.  As the capital of their empire, many archeological sites encircle the city.

See the sights: