Chiclayo (day 22)

We went to the local market in Chiclayo on Sunday morning - this is a HUGE market with a large section of witchcraft herbs, potions, and animal products (shark teeth, etc.). We also saw a couple of shrunken heads!


That day was also the graduation ceremony for (we think) the local university, so there was a large parade and tons of people on the streets, especially along Av. Balta.

We wanted to have lunch at Pueblo Viejo, a restaurant that had been recommended, but when we arrived at its location we found that it had been turned into a cheesy steak house. So, we headed to Romana, another restaurant serving local cuisine. The arroz con pato, a typical northern dish with cilantro-flavored rice and a piece of duck, was ok but nothing special.

We took a combi to Ferrenafe, where there is a fairly new museum (2001) of Sican artifacts (not to be confused with "Sipan"). The museum is on the outskirts of the town, so we had to hire a mototaxi (s/1.50) for the remainder of the trip after the combi dropped us off in town. The museum contains a good collection of gold artifacts, including masks, headdressses and earpieces.


We went back to Chiclayo via collectivo (passenger sedan) (s/2) and tried a small piece of "King Kong", a local treat made of two crackers separated by a huge amount of soft, gooey filling. The traditional King Kong contains manjar blanco and pineapple filling, but there are a number of varieties available. (Manjar blanco is similar to caramel.)

We had a very disappointing pollo a la brasa for dinner at Hebron, a large restaurant with a McDonalds feel to it. The chicken had little flavor and the service was pretty bad. On the bright side they do have OK coffee (not instant).

There are loads of overnight buses between Lima and Chiclayo, taking aprroximately 11 hours. We caught a Cruz del Sur "Cruzero" bus at 9:30 pm. My favorite sign on the Cruz del Sur buses is in the bathroom:


Overall opinions:
Romano restaurant, Chiclayo: 7. Decent selection and good service.
Museo Sican, Ferrenafe: 8. Small but good collection. Cost: s/8.50
Hebron Restaurant, Chiclayo: 5. Clean, but mediocre food and service. Dinner for 2: s/17.
Cruz del Sur "Cruzero" bus Chiclayo to Lima: 10. Cost: s/70.

Chiclayo (day 21)

Everything we'd heard about Chiclayo lead us to believe that it was a fairly unattractive and somewhat unpleasant place to visit, but necessary for visiting some of the surrounding museums and archaeological sites. But, we actually found Chiclayo to be an interesting urban center, busy on its own without the need for the tourist industry. It was refreshing after being in some cities which clearly revolve around tourism.

Though Chiclayo lacks Colonial architecture and a picturesque feel, the streets are teeming with people and city life. The area south of the Plaza, especially along Av. Balta, has a number of banks, clothing stores and fine restaurants. North of the Plaza Av. Balta gets slightly seedier (some soliciting, etc.) but did not appear to be unsafe.

At the park in Chiclayo:


As appealing as it looked, we decided not to have lunch at Chifa "Piu Kee":

But the real allure of the Chiclayo area - no, not the prostitutes - are the museums outside of town, including the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan and Museo Bruning in Lambayeque and the Museo Sican in Ferreñafe.

We went to Lambayeque on Saturday morning, taking a taxi out there (s/15) and a combi back (s/1 each). The Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan had some impressive items from the tomb of Señor de Sipan (the Lord of Sipan) which had been undisturbed by huaceros (grave robbers) and was discovered in 1987. We were a little freaked out by the large amounts of preservative epoxy that had been applied to many of the metal and beaded objects, creating a glossy sheen that looked very unnatural. But, the collection is quite impressive.

After about 2 hours at the Sipan museum, we had lunch at El Admirable on the main street outside the museum. Lunch cost under s/10 for both of us and was not bad.

We then headed over to the Museo Bruning, the museum that got left behind. This museum was built in the 1960's to house Moche artifacts, and was the former home of the Sipan treasures. However, when the new museum was built in the early 2000's, pretty much all the good stuff got transferred out of the Museo Bruning, leaving it with an abandoned feel. There are some OK items here, but it's kind of sad looking. Still, it's so close to the other museum that it's worth a visit if you're in the area.

Museo Bruning:


We took a combi back into Chiclayo and loaded up on a hefty beef dinner at La Parra, an excellent grilled meat restaurant on M. Igauza. We recommend the medallions of beef rather than the brochettes, although both were very good. They also have a massive Chifa restaurant next door. But, the most unique thing about this restaurant was the decor: not just a deer head, but also a (male) deer ass mounted on the wall.


Overall opinions:
Hotel Paraiso, Chiclayo: 6. Great friendly service, nice lobby, very safe, but the room was a bit shabby and the hot water was a luke-warm dribble. Too bad. Cost for a double with bath: s/50.
Museo Tombas Reales de Sipan: 9. Nice collection, but it is really damn dark in there! Note that bags of any kind (including pocketbooks) are not allowed. Cost: s/10.
Museo Bruning: 5. The small collection pales in comparison, and the figurines were creepy. Cost: s/8.
Restaurant El Admirable, Lambayeque: 5. Decent menu del dia.
Restaurant La Parra, Chiclayo: 9. Excellent buttery steak. Pricey. 2 entrees plus wine: s/80.

Chachapoyas (day 20)

This was another lazy day...

We had breakfast at the local cafe on Ayacucho, then packed up our stuff and bought tickets for the overnight bus to Chiclayo with Movil Tours (s/40 each).

We had a nice lunch at Eden restaurant, a vegetarian place... and yes, they actually had vegetables! And fresh juice!

I spent the afternoon reading a pulpy suspense novel, and we grabbed a quick dinner at Restaurant Chacha before catching the bus to Chiclayo at 8pm.

Gocta Falls (day 19)

On Thursday we had the bright idea of visiting Gocta Falls, the recently "discovered" (at least by the tourist industry and the general public) falls which are considered to be the third-tallest in the world.

The excursion to Gocta involves a two hour drive on dirt roads to the small village of Cocachimba, where one of the locals can be hired as a guide for the three hour trek to the falls. The trip can be done in one (very full) day. One nice aspect of this trek is that the money paid goes directly to the people of the village.

I ended up going alone since Daniel was still suffering from some stomach ailments. We had a group of eight, plus the guide from the village and most importantly, the true guide: a local dog who apparently joins every group that makes the 6-7 hour excursion to the falls from the town. Since they are doing work on the road, we had to park the combi about 30 minutes walk from the town. From here we could already see the falls. Hard to believe that something like this was a "secret".


This hike was actually a pretty miserable experience. It is a fairly grueling up and down trek, crossing three large hills, several rivers, and involving some steep switch-back paths. All in the heat of mid-day and under strong sun. Until we reached the jungle part of it, at which point it started to rain on us and the already muddy trail began to erode into the mucky river beds. To top it off, my hiking pants were at the laundry, leaving me with no choice but to wear jeans (a definite hiking no-no).



I can't say that the falls were really worth the effort of traversing all that steep countryside. The views on the way there and back were stunning, but the falls themselves were... well, just a waterfall. If you're really into waterfalls, maybe this is a more worthwhile trip. If not, you might consider a different day trip from Chacha.

Close-up of the lower part of the falls as seen from the trail. See 2 itty-bitty people at right center for scale:

By the time we reached the falls, I was cold, slightly sunburned (although I diligently applied sunblock, I was sweating so much from the trek that it just didn't stick), fatigued, and soaking wet. I stayed at the falls about 10 minutes and then headed back along the trail with my faithful companion, the little dog, who waited for me at the top of every hill.


In the jungle:

The entire hike back, the only sound in my head was that stupid Bon Jovi song I'd heard the night before... "whoa-oh, half way there..."

I got back to Chacha around 8:30 pm, where we headed to dinner at a restaurant popular with the locals and I had a well-deserved shower!

Chachapoyas (day 18)

We arrived in Chacha late on Tuesday after our (harrowing) ride down from Kuelap. We checked into Hostal Revash on the Plaza de Armas. This is a real backpacker hotel, with a central garden and an owner (Carlos) who is very involved in helping out the guests and organizing tours of the surrounding areas. It cost more than we were hoping to pay (s/65), but it was late and we were pretty tired after a long day.

We had dinner at Chacha, a restaurant about two doors down from the hotel (did I mention we were tired?). The sopa sustancia de pollo was kind on the stomach, and the tortilla de pollo was also tasty.

On Wednesday we did very little other than spend some time walking around Chachapoyas. We visited the market and searched for artesan shops (later came to the conclusion that there are nothing but crappy tourist tchotchkes for sale here). We had some soda and humitas and tamales at a little place one block from the plaza.

For dinner we headed to La Tushpa, which is the fancy restaurant in town (there is usually at least one in every town, even the smaller ones) specializing in grilled meats (parillas). The lomo fino was tender and juicy; the pork chop less so.

After dinner we finally made it to one of those elusive video pubs, Silvias Pub (on Ayaucho, one block from the plaza). The place was hopping and included photos of the Beatles, Elvis and Jon Bon Jovi on the walls, as well as some colored lights and a loft area. And they didn't disappoint: "Livin' on a Prayer" was the fourth or fifth video they showed on the TV (preceded by "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "New Sensation"). Now I know what all the fuss is about!

Overall opinions:
Hostal Revash, Chachapoyas: 8. Decent backpacker style hostal at higher-than-backpacker-prices. The water is indeed very hot. Nice courtyard with lounge chairs great for wasting an afternoon. Cost for a double w/bath: s/65.
Restaurant Turistico Chacha: 6. Food is ok, atmosphere feels a little like a cafeteria.
Restaurant la Tushpa: 8. Good grilled meat, stuffy service.
Silvias Video Pub: 10. Everything we hoped a video pub would be.

Kuelap (day 17)

At 6am Tuesday we were picked up by a taxi for the approx. three hour drive to the Chachapoyan fortress of Kuelap, at an elevation between 9000 and 10,000 feet above sea level. Kuelap is located near the town of Tingo (but about 1 km straight up from the town, so the road takes a winding route over several mountains and passing through several towns on the way, the largest of which is Maria. The taxi cost 170 soles (ouch!) from Leymebamba to Kuelap.

The fortress encompasses 15 acres (6 hectares) of area, with huge walls, and is back-filled, so the slot like entrances lead you up some rudimentary stairs to an elevated platform at the height of the walls. The interior contains hundreds of stone houses, some with stonework freizes. (Some restoration work is being done at the main entry area.)

One of the entry passages (steep, and you really feel it at that altitude):

Round houses within the fortress (entry "slot" at center of photo):

There is a secondary wall within the fortress, leading to two higher platforms:


At the other side:

We had a pretty easy time getting up to Kuelap, but arranging transportation back down to Tingo was a little trickier. We had thought that there was an afternoon combi at around 4pm, but this was not the case. The last combi is at 12pm, and combi service is spotty at best. So, we had to find some sort of p rivate transportation. Although there were taxis at the site, they were all spoken for. We actually almost got a ride in two separate taxis, but got kicked out when they had no room.

Eventually we got a ride down to Tingo in a tourist van. The driver's skills on this mountainous road left a bit to be desired... it was the kind of situation where you can imagine the headlines: "Tourist van plunges over mountainside in remote region of Peru, dropping over 3,000 feet. Driver sole survivor" Or something like that. We paid s/10 each for this pleasure, wondering the whole time if our backpacks (which were on top of the van) were going to fly over the side and down the mountain, never to be seen again.

From Tingo, it was easy to catch a car for the 1.5 hour ride to Chachapoyas (s/8 each), where we checked into the Hotel Revash.

Overall Opinion:
Kuelap: 10. Absolutely worth the trouble of getting there. Getting back was a little hairy.

The nicest little town in Peru (Leymebamba, day 16)

We arrived in Leymebamba around 8:30 pm on Sunday. Leymebamba is a tiny town of approximately 5,000.



There is very little tourist infrastructure in Leymebamba, but we found a decent room at La Casona de Leymebamba, one of the nicer hotels in the town. The hotel has large rooms, cool concrete floors, and a very open modern feel. The owners are very pleasant, as was just about everyone in this sleepy town.


Because we arrived so late in the day (and it was Sunday) we had some trouble finding a place to get dinner. After skipping lunch on the 9-hour bus ride (see previous post) we were pretty hungry. We decided to ask the woman at the general store on the Plaza de Armas, and she generously suggested a few places. We ended up at Restaurant La Tushpa, where they invited us into the kitchen to choose which meals we'd like out of the things they had left. The carne guisada (beef stew) was surprisingly tasty.

On Monday we took it easy, and had a snack of cornbreads from the local bakery. In the afternoon, we walked up to the Museo Leymebamba, which has an excellent collection of artifacts and over 200(!) mummies recovered from the nearby ruins at the Laguna de los Condores. The walk up to the museum takes about 30 minutes via the (steep) footpath, and slightly longer via the road. A local boy walked us up there (did I mention how nice everyone in this town is?) and was surprised at how out of breath we gringos were climbing the hill.

On the path to the museum:

We had a nice dinner of lomo saltado and pollo milanesa at a local restaurant (Celis) that was also very popular with the surprisingly large number of other gringos in the town. Although there are not a lot of tour companies in town, the archaeological sites in the area are closer to Leymebamba than the larger city of Chachapoyas.

That night, we arranged an early morning car to the Chachapoyan fortress of Kuelap. Most transportation out of town occurs in the early morning (combis to Chachapoyas leave at 3, 4, and 5 am) and is pre-arranged the night before in the Plaza de Armas. Finding public transportation to Chacha or the town of Tingo is not too hard, but getting to Kuelap from Leymebamba was a daunting task, and we decided that the extra money for a taxi was worth it.

From Celendin to Leymebamba (day 15)

The bus trip from Celendín to Leymebamba is not generally recommended in guide books (or by locals!) due to the length of the trip and the condition of the roads (mostly gravel). However, the scenery is some of the most stunning we have seen in Peru. We absolutely reccommend this trip to anyone interested in visiting the northern highlands!!

Buses leave from Celendín on Thursday, Friday and Sunday with Virgen del Carmen and cost s/20 per person to Leymebamba (more to Tingo and Chachapoyas). The trip takes about 8-9 hours. The bus is very cramped.

View of Celendín from the road:

The route travels up the mountains above Celendín, then begins to descend through desert hills to the valley of the Rio Marañon, a tributary of the Amazon.

The series of switchbacks in the road descend 9,900 feet to the hot, verdant, jungley town of Balzas.

The road crosses the river and then begins to climb up the mountains again, up 7,920 feet, before descending again to the more lush cloud forest around Leymebamba. The route passes through at least three distinct microclimates (mountainous desert complete with crazy cacti, jungle-like valleys, and green cloud forest), with unbelievable scenery.

We arrived at Leymebamba around 8pm, tired and dirty from the dusty road, but this was great trip. The photos (taken with much effort, sticking our hands out the window) don't really begin to describe this journey.

This little piggy went to market (Celendin, days 14-15)

Saturday morning we had breakfast of tamales and humitas with bread and coffee at a small restaurant on the Plaza de Armas in Cajamarca, next to Clarin tours. Tasty!

We headed over to Av. Atahualpa around noon to find a bus to Celendín, where we would catch the Sunday bus to Leymebamba. In Cajamarca there are a number of bus companies making this trip, all of them calling themselves "Inca Atahualpa" to add to the confusion of picking the right company. The first two companies we tried only had early morning buses. Fortunately practially every bus company in Cajamarca is located on the same stretch of this one street, so it's just a matter of going from one to the next until you find the bus you want. We found a 1 pm bus with CABA for s/10 each. The bus was fine, although it did contain a large number of children, and someone needed to have their diaper changed. But hey, at least there were no chickens.

The trip from Cajamarca to Celendín takes between 4 and 5 hours, almost all of which is on gravel road. The road winds through the altiplano, climbing mountains and passing through beautiful countryside with rolling hills of red, green and gold fields. Basically the most picturesque farmland you can imagine.

Plaza de Armas, Celendín:


Celendín is a small town with a thriving Sunday market. The main mode of transportation here is horseback, and the building material of choice is rammed earth. There is not much to see in this town, other than the market. It seems that most tourists are passing through on their way to or from Cajamarca and Chachapoyas. The other hotels probably cater to people from nearby areas who are in town to trade, sell, or purchase supplies.

Example of rammed earth construction:


We had some trouble finding a clean, quiet place to stay. Most of the hostals and hotels are in the budget category, and we actually tried several places before finding one that was just OK. The one place that seemed far cleaner and more pleasant than the others (but had no vacancies) was Hospedaje Naranja, just one block off the Plaza de Armas (on Unión, to the left when facing the Hostal Celendín). This is the ONLY place in town I would reccommend. The other places were dumps.

We had dinner at La Reserva, which had surprisingly good food. Everyone else in the restaurant was ordering chicken, so we did too. As a bonus we got to watch some great Saturday night wrestling (WWE). Dinner cost about s/15.

Sunday morning I got up early to purchase tickets for the 8-hour bus ride to Leymebamba. The market was just picking up, and there was some heavy cuy trading (guinea pigs)... basically huge mesh bags filled with squirming furry things. Other animals (pigs, chickens, bulls) were also being sold in a big open area nearby.

There are political signs posted on many walls all over Peru - usually for various candidates, but it seemed clear in this town that Mauro was the most popular:


Our bus to Leymebamba left at 11 a.m, with Virgen del Carmen and cost s/20 each. The emblem of the bus company is very similar to the emblem for a certain college some of us went to...

Overall Opinions:
Celendin: 5. Not much here, but the market was very interesting, and this is a necessary stop for travel between Cajamarca and Chachapoyas.
Hostal Celendin: 4. Not too clean, and the restaurant in the courtyard is very noisy. Cost for a double: s/30.
Hostal Imperial: 2. Quieter than Hostal Celendin, but we had to ask them to change the sheets when we discovered that they were (very) dirty. Eeew. Cost for a double: s/30
Hospedaje Naranja: 10. We didn't stay here, but from what we saw it looked WAY better than anything else.
La Reserva Restaurant, Celendín: 9. Good chicken dishes.
CABA "Inca Atahualpa" bus: 6. Fine bus service from Cajamarca to Celendín.

Cajamarca (day 13)

In the morning we went to a wonderful artesan shop called Quinde Ex, at 237 Jr. Dos de Mayo (this is on the way up Santa Apolonia hill). The woman who was running the shop is deaf, and makes some really nice items. We bought a number of wool items from her. Most of the other artesan shops had only tourist junk, but this place was worth the visit.

Rolls of woven wool:


Since we'd already gone to Cumbemayo aqueduct our last time in Peru (highly recommended!), we chose one of the other day trips from Cajamarca, the Ventanillas de Otuzco. We tried to get a combi that was headed that way, but couldn't quite figure out where to get on, and most of the one that passed us were full. So, we ended up hiring a taxi for s/10.

When we got in the taxi, the radio was playing regular pop music which we were fine with, but (as usual) the driver decided that since we were tourists we'd probably prefer some Andean pipe music. So in popped the tape, playing the typical Andean pipe ballad that was the basis for a Simon and Garfunkel song (condor pasa?). The damn stuff stayed in my head all afternoon...

The ventanillas (s/3) were interesting but not as cool or as vast as the cumbemayo ruins and scenery. Still, this is a nice solo day trip that doesn't require going with a tour group. (If you do take a tour group to either of these sites, we highly recommend Clarin Tours in Cajamarca. They gave a great tour of Cumbemayo and also refunded our money when we decided not to go on another tour)

Ventanillas de Otuzco:

From Otuzco, we decided to hike/walk to the Baños del Inca, which is approximately 5 kilometers away on a dirt road through relatively level terrain. We thought this would be a good way to see the countryside and avoid taking two over-stuffed combis into town and then back out. The walk took about 2 hours and our route wound through farmland on the road before we broke off and followed a path adjacent to the Rio Chonta into the town of Baños del Inca. We had to ask some local kids for directions at forks in the road.

Some photos from the walk...



After another nice soak at the baños, we took a combi back into town and decided that since it was our last night here, we would go back to both Sanguchon for a Pisco sour and Querubino for dinner. Sanguchon was great, but the dinner at Querubino was (a great understatement) a bit heavy. I had the gnocchi with "Puttanesca" sauce (quotes because it turned out to be meat sauce with chorizo sausages, not the Puttanesca that I was expecting). And who knew that "Cordon Bleu" means chicken-fried steak stuffed with ham and cheese? Who can eat that much food? (I'll never eat again...)

After dinner we hobbled over to the "nightlife" district (it was Friday after all) at the corner of Amalia Puga and José Gálvez, and checked out the local clubs. Unfortunately, it seems Cajamarca suffers from "two girls dancing" syndrome. There are too many clubs and not enough people, so the dance floor never reaches critical mass. It was pretty sad.

We did dip into one place, Peña Usha Usha, where an older gentleman plays traditional music and everyone (patrons, bartender, etc.) brings their instrument and joins in. It felt a bit like joining a family dinner; we were immediately incorporated into the conversation, and they kindly (?) played some Sinatra for their North American guests, as well as songs like Chan Chan and a Cuban revoltionary song about "Comandante Ché Guevarra". Excellent. Be warned: it is hard to slip out of this place once you've gone in. There is no turning back...

Overall opinions:
Cumbemayo: 10. If you're only doing one thing in Cajamarca, this should be it.
Ventanillas de Otuzco: 6. Not that impressive, but interesting nonetheless. If you have time for only one daytrip in Cajamarca, make it Cumbemayo, not the Ventanillas.
Walk from Ventanillas to Baños del Inca: 8. This is a pleasant and not too strenuous walk. There is, however, some unattractive construction going on near Baños del Inca (new viaduct) which marrs the scenic countryside.
Querubino restaurant: 8. Food is not bad, but the portions are obscenely huge and may give you a coronary.
Peña Usha Usha: 10. Rico!

Cajamarca (days 11 and 12)

Little did we know on Tuesday, the rest of our hotel (Hostal Cajamarca) was occupied by a school group (approx. age 11) and their chaperones. We rapidly checked out on Wednesday morning, and found a charming little Hospedaje called Los Jazmines. Part of their profits go to a school for the disabled which teaches crafts, woodworking and practical training so that these kids can get jobs. Our room feels more like a cabin in the woods than one in the center of the city:


The walls are a little thin, but we especially like the hot shower with lots of pressure. Best shower I've had in Peru so far.

Wednesday morning we had a breakfast Cajamarquina (coffee, bread, cheese, fruit salad) at Don Paco, across from the Iglesia San Francisco. We then visited the Cuarto de Rescate where Atahualpa was held prisoner, a complex of colonial buildings called the Conjuto Belén, and the archaeological museum (one ticket gets you into all three, s/4).

Facade of the Iglesia Belén:

In the afternoon we went to the Baños del Inca, or Inca baths, a natural hot spot about 15 minutes outside the city. We got ourselves a 30 minute private hot bath at the Pabellón Imperial for s/5 each (totally worth it!) and then had some good ceviche at Cevicheria Bahia on the Baños del Inca town square.

Natural hot springs at Baños del Inca:

We took a combi back to the city (s/0.50 each) and sat in the plaza by La Recoleta:

We then headed to Sanguchon.com, a burger restaurant on calle Júnin, for the perfect Pisco Sour and the best burgers either of us have ever had in Peru (mind you, it was no U.S. burger, but it was tasty).

Unfortunately, Thor caught a bit of a cough and some bad congestion on Thursday, and spent the day mostly resting. I spent some time walking around the colonial city and went to the huge market just north of the river to see if I could pick up some blankets and other craft items.

Colonial entrance, typical in Cajamarca:

We had lunch at El Cajamarqués, one of the fancier restaurants in town, with a courtyard filled with exotic (and not so exotic) birds. We had a brief conversation with Keith Muscutt, an author who happened to be staying at or hotel. He has spent a lot of time in the more remote regions of the Chachapoyas area (the place we're headed next), and has published a book called Warriors of the Clouds which has some stunning pictures.

Bird of prey at El Cajamarqués:

By dinner time we were both feeling pretty tired and out of it, so we got some soothing soup at Querubino, another fine restaurant. We also shared a humitas (similar to a tamale, but filled with cornmeal and local cheese rather than meat) which was excellent.

Overall Opinions:
Hospedaje Los Jazmines: 7. We like this place, especially the nice showers, but the paper-thin walls were a problem. Our room is also a little noisy from outside traffic. Cost for double with bath s/60.
Cuarto de Rescate, Conjunto Belen: 8. Not all that scenic, but very interesting historically. Cost: s/4.
Baños del Inca: 10. Nice way to spend the afternoon. Bring your own towel. Cost: s/5.
Sanguchon.com restaurant: 10. Good burgers, best Pisco sour we ever had, good price and nice atmosphere.
El Cajamarques restaurant: 8. Food is ok, but the real appeal is the courtyard.
Querubino restaurant: 9. Good food and reasonably priced. Dinner for 2: s/60.

Cusco - Lima - Cajamarca (day 10)

After getting up early on Sunday (5 am) for our trip to Machu Picchu, and having some trouble sleeping due to those nasty bug bites, we decided to sleep in on Tuesday instead of going to Sacsaywaman (we both really wanted to see it, but sleep won out in the end).

Caught the 12:30 flight on Aero Condor to Lima ($96), with the plan of either catching another plane to Cajamarca (we were not sure if there were any flights that afternoon) or catching the overnight bus. Upon arrival in Lima at 2pm, we realized there was another Aero Condor flight leaving at 3pm ($104). Needless to say things got a little hectic at that point. We did make the plane (our luggage miraculously made it too) and arrived in Cajamarca around 5pm.

View of Cajamarca from the road to Cumbemayo:

Cajamarca is a dairy center in the northern highlands, known for its fine cheeses and the local (still active) gold mine which helps to drive the city's thriving economy. Cajamarca is also a hot vacation spot for Peruvians, but we've seen very few foreign tourists here. We were here two years ago and since leaving had been looking forward to our return.

Cajamarca was the site of the capture of Inca Atahaulpa by the Spanish in the 1500's. The room where Atahualpa was held for ransom still exists and is located about a block from Cajamarca's Plaza de Armas.

We found Cajamarca to be much the same as last time, and went to one of our favorite spots for Pollos a la Brasa, Pio's Chicken:

We found that the hotel we wanted to stay at, Los Balcones, was fully booked. So we headed to Hotel Prado, where we had stayed last time we were here; also fully booked! Finally ended up at Hostal Cajamarca, 1 block uphill from the Plaza.

Overall Opinions:
Pio’s Chicken, Cajamarca: 10. Excellent Pollos a la brasa at an unbelievable price (under s/10 for chicken plus salad, fries, soda & tip).
Hotel Prado, Cajamarca: 8. Concrete building lacks charm, but the room was clean and had plenty of hot water. Cost: s/70 for double with bath.
Don Paco Café, Cajamarca: 6. We’d loved this place two years ago, but the food and drink are not the same.
Hostal Cajamarca: 6. There are much better places for the same amount of money. Hot water was sporadic and water pressure minimal. Cost: s/80 for a double with bath.

Ollantaytambo (day 9)

Monday we decided to get out of Cusco and head to Ollantaytambo, an Inca city and fortress in the Sacred Valley.

We started out at Jack's Cafe for breakfast (decent breakfast food, terrible coffee). Breakfast cost about s/20.

We then walked down to Av. Grau to catch the bus to Urubamba (3 soles, 1.5 hours). The bus depot is mid-block on the first block of Grau, on the left side next to the colegio. This bus also stops at Chinchero on the way to Urubamba. At Urubamba, we crossed through the bus depot (last stop) and caught a combi (passenger van) to Ollantaytambo (1 sol, 20 minutes). By the time we got to Ollantaytambo it was like a clown car (they kept picking people up on the way).

The ruins are a short walk from the Plaza de Armas. It costs/40 for this site alone, or s/70 for a combination ticket to multiple sites in Cusco and around.

View of Ollantaytambo from the town of the same name:

Agricultural terracing with a temple above (never finished, and turned into a fortress once the Spanish arrived):


We had read in our guide book that there was an express bus back to Cusco when the trains arrive coming from Machu Picchu, so we waited about an hour for the train to see if we could catch that bus. Unfortunately, the express bus either never existed or has been discontinued. So, we went back the way we came via combi and bus.

(Note: if you're in Urubamba and want the fastest route back to Cusco, you want the bus that says Urubamba on the front. Don't get on the Caminos del Inca bus, this is a less direct route going through the towns of Calca and Pisac.)

When we got back to Cusco, we stopped in at Fallen Angel, which is supposed to be reminiscent of a club in the East Village, or Paris, or London... We didn't really see it that way, but think it could be more like a cheesy "destination" club/restaurant in the outer boroughs.

In general, we enjoyed our day trip to Ollantaytambo and recommend it!! I found it very relaxing after the ordeal of going to Machu Picchu.

Overall opinions:
Jack's Cafe, Cusco: 7. Wish they had better coffee.
Bus/combi to Ollantaytambo: 5. Definitely the cheaper way to go (s/4), but we kinda wish we had splurged on a taxi (approx $10 each way).
Ollantaytambo: 9. Cute little town (though definitely touristy), and nice archaeological site/ruins.
Fallen Angel restaurant, Cusco: 5. Totally cheesy but decent drinks, though pricey. We did not try the food. Cost for 2 drinks: s/30.

Magic Kingdom (Machu Picchu) - day 8

Flights from Lima to Cusco and back: $392
Cusco hotel room: $100
Food & drink: $200
Train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes: $136
10 minute bus ride up mountain: $24
Admission to Machu Picchu: $80
Total cost of going to MP: $932

Knowing that we shouldn't have gone would have been priceless.

The setting of Machu Picchu is undoubtedly stunning. The Incas definitely chose a great site. What really bugged us about MP (other than cost and Disney World feel) was the fact that so much of the archaeological site had been botched up by explorer Hiram Bingham and his cronies back in the day. Much of the site is a reconstruction, and it is estimated that Bingham and his group removed 70% of the stones, without properly documenting their location. It seemed clear that many of the rebuilt walls were in the wrong place. We felt that MP couldn't really be called an archaeological site anymore. That said, it is a breathtaking spot and we saw some cool things.

Practical information for other independent travelers:

If you do decide to go, take note of the following.

The only way to get to MP is via the train, now run by PeruRail (a hotel chain). As far as we can tell, they have not done much to improve the originally government run train to Aguas Calientes. The station in Cusco is only open from 5am to 7am for ticket purchases. Be prepared to wait on line for at least 1 hour (not because the line is long, but because each person has to receive an assigned seat, give their passport number, etc.). The train is COLD. Bring long underwear, gloves and hat.


The train ride is an agonizingly slow and rather dull affair, taking approximately 4 hours. Taking photos is nearly impossible due to the bad condition of the tracks (bumpy ride).

Upon arriving in Aguas Calientes, apply insect repellent to ward off the blood-sucking gnats, ford your way through the booths selling tourist junk, over the river to the bus ticket booth. The bus up to MP costs $12 RT per person, in dollars. Note that there is a BCP bank in Aguas Calientes that spits out both dollars and soles. You will need both.

The admission ticket to MP costs 118 soles. They will not accept any other currency. If you find yourself stuck up there with only dollars (as we did), the concession stand will change your money at a terrible exchange rate. If you choose to buy your entrance ticket at the site, they may threaten to not sell you a ticket. We think this is an attempt to scare people into buying tickets in advance in Cusco (we are not even sure where that ticket office is). If you wait 10 minutes they will eventually sell you a ticket.

Check your bill closely if you eat or drink at Aguas Calientes (we also do not recommend doing this). Our bill was slightly padded.

On the way back to Cusco, you can catch a bus at Poroy for s/5 that takes about 15 minutes to get to the Plaza de Armas, rather than the train which takes nearly an hour to make the same journey. We did this and highly recommend it.

Ayacucho - Cusco (day 7)

Friday night we caught the overnight Cruz del Sur "Imperial Class" bus from Ayacucho to Lima. This bus was not bad (and included a bathroom, most importantly). The Imperial Class is not as nice as a BussCama (extreme reclining seat) but for s/50 ($15) this was not a bad deal as opposed to flying ($104).

Once in Lima, we took a taxi to the airport (s/23) and caught a flight to Cusco ($96) on Aero Condor. We found Areo Condor to have good service, and they are much less crowded than Lan Peru, which allows people to pre-purchase tickets from the U.S., etc.

We arived in Cusco in the late morning to find a four-man Andean band playing "traditional" music at the baggage claim. This was a bit off-putting but we'd pretty much expected as much fom the tourist-swarmed city of Cusco.

Cusco is a beautiful city, with winding pedestrian pathways, grand cathedrals and incredible Inca stonework. Unfortunately Cusco's charm is completely negated by the hordes of tourists crowding the streets and the vendors who cater to the tourist trade. Hundreds of shops selling cheap imitation artisan crafts, shamanistic rituals, massages and hippie gear line the streets around the Plaza de Armas. The dozens of people dressed up in "traditional" costume (the creepiest of which is "Inca Guy", permanently stationed in front of a large Inca wall in the San Blas neighborhood) contributed to the overal feeling that we were in Disney World, not a Peruvian city. And if Cusco is Disney World, then the Plaza de Armas is Epcot Center, with its array of less than mediocre international cuisine. We could not walk five feet without getting accosted with offers of places to eat, shiatsu masages, bad art and finger puppets. Not to mention that the prices here (for just about everything) are about 5 times the prices elsewhere in Peru.

"Inca Guy" on the far right (if I'd gotten any closer they'd make me pay for the photo):

All in all, we were saddened by the fact that the experience of Cusco had been completely muddled by tourists and the crap that surrounds the tourist trade. We did, however, find one restaurant worthy of mention: the Australian owned Los Perros wine and couch bar. The food here was excellent. We enjoyed the wontons with three dipping sauces (honey-soy, guacamole, and cheese/cream), potato skins with mint-cream sauce and guacamole, Indian curry, and an Asian style Mediterranean salad. Dinner averaged a hefty s/70 (we ate here twice).

Near the Plaza de Armas:

Overall Opinions:
Cruz del Sur Ayacucho to Lima: 7. Not bad service, though not as fancy as some of the other Cruz del Sur routes. Cost: s/50.
AeroCondor Lima to Cusco: 8. Not crowded at all, price comparable to Lan. There were slight delays however.
Los Peros Wine & Couch Bar, Cusco: 9. Delicious. Only problem was the price.
Hotel Turistico San Blas, Cusco: 5. This place was way overpriced for what we got. "Hot" water was often lukewarm, water pressure was very low, room was somewhat dingy. Cost: $30 per night for a double.

Cusco in general: 2. This entire city seems to have turned into one big tourist trap. Yuck!

Ayacucho / Wari (day 6)

Friday we headed out of Ayacucho to th ruins of the capital of the Wari civilization (pre-Inca). It is presumed that the city had a population of approximately 60,000 at its height. The Wari ruins are about 30 minutes outside Ayacucho, reached by combi (passenger van) via a great newly re-constructed road (cost: s/5, take the combi headed for Quillua). The ruins are mostly unexcavated and large portions of the area basically appear to be piles of rocks surrounded by dry desert cacti. However, there are a few large (12 meter high) walls which remain (see small person in archway for scale).

We ran into some interesting (and later itchy) wildlife out here in the desert, including many spiders similar to this one:


The Wari ruins are actually undergoing some restoration and re-creation, we're hoping they don't botch them up too much...

The ruins include five or six different types of funerary chambers; this is one of them:

After seeing the ruins (and getting some nasty insect bites) we flagged down a combi heading back to Ayacucho, and had lunch at a nice restaurant with a courtyard near the Plaza de Armas called La Brasa Roja. The menú del dia was quite tasty, as was the chuleta (pork chop).

We then had an adventure trying to find the Museo Arqueológico, which contains much of the ceramic and some monoliths recovered from the Wari site. We consulted two guide books with three sets of conflicting directions, none of which actually listed an address. After walking nearly a kilometer, uphill, in near-equatorial heat, we turned back and headed to the tourist information center, where we were told that we only needed to walk one block further than we had gone. An hour and one taxi ride later, we reached the Museo. (For reference, the Museo Arqueológico is located on Independencia, an extension of Assembla Street, just after the curve in the road. A taxi ride costs s/1 or you can take the no.10 or 3 combi for s/0.50)

My favorite piece of ceramic at the Museo was the death-cat (I am not sure what the symbolic significance of this piece is):


We caught the overnight bus to Lima with Cruz del Sur (to be continued...)

Overall Opinions:
Wari site: 8. Interesting ruins, although much of the site remains unexcavated. Bring insect repellent!
La Brasa Roja restaurant: 8. Get the menú (s/3) or the chuleta (s/9).
Museo Arqueológico Hipólito Unanue: 5. This is a very small museum. Most of the better Wari artifacts are on display in Lima at the Museo de la Nacion. A number of the pieces here are replicas.
Ayacucho in general: 10. This is a beautiful mountain city, untainted by tourism, with a lot to see both in the city and in day trips. The weather was beautiful and the food was great.