smckay
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2010
- Posts
- 628
Day 8
Waking up in a stupor we went to breakfast. Asking our hosts if the noises in the night were normal, the answer was Si. Well, that’s not good.
Breakfast was included and was served in a small alcove on the ground floor. With 8 seats and e tables I guess they are working on not everyone arriving at once.
Options were tea and coffee, fruit salad and then 3 egg choices; fried, scrambled or omelette. Toppings could be cheese, tomato and ham. Not being a fan of the local Jamon I opted out. Juice choices were orange, pineapple or papaya.
The fruit salad turned up in a bowl and had papaya, pineapple, watermelon and strawberries. The scrambled eggs looked more egg than eggs but they were well cooked and tasty. Mrs Macca is not an eggs and bacon fan at breakfast so they knocked up a plate of tomato and avocado for her. Also included were 2 types of bread. 2 croissants, or a variation of them, and a larger flat white bun.
Once done, we trudged over to the Plaza de Armas to meet our walking tour guide, who we were also going to pay for the Macupicchu tour guide. Plenty of people about along with hawkers and police who whistled at said hawkers to love them along, as hawking is not allowed. But tolerated. It’s s quite annoying, they can be very persistent all selling the same trinkets or tours. What I have found with Perú is that they tend to speak softly even when trying to flog you something. Plus they only speak Spanish so you don’t know what they are saying.
The walking tour took us through the square to an old map showing the division of ‘power’. Then along some streets with examples of Inca building in stone, which were coughised by the Spanish and had Spanish style building built on the foundations. It’s quite common to see this and it’s an interesting mix of architecture. The churches tend to be all Spanish as they demolished the Inca temples and built new, although the church that is part of Qurikancha does use the Inca base.
Then we headed towards the San Blas area which is happening. Mainly for tourists as there are multiple shops, vendors and things targeted at the likes of us. Such and example was in a small lane with a regular shop, where the guide had us stop and attempt to pick out a depiction of a Lama and a serpent in the stone work. Based on the fact that most guides have stated they really do not have much fact about the Inca story, I reckon late one night the shop keeper was bored and looking aimlessly at the wall and thought he saw these animals, and thence made up a poster with the stones outlining these animals and has built himself up a nice little earner. The kicker here was we were given a free little toy Lama. No obligation. And later in the walk we saw the same toys for sale at 7 for 5 Sols. That old lady in Ollantaytambo we bought the one for 10 Sols yesterday? She’s just cut another notch in her handbag strap.
Next stop our guide asked if we liked cheese. The consensus was well yes we do, so off we went to an organic cafe where we were served quite a tasty Hors d'oeuvres with cheese and vegetables. For nothing. On May Day which is a public holiday and we were the only people in the place. There must be some good tip coming.
The tour had a mix of people but the common thread was hiking, with at least half of them doing the Inca trail or the Salkantay trek, both of which are 4 and 5 days walk. When we got to the steep street going up to San Blas 2 German girls just went hah and started power walking. Up the hill. And left us in their dust. Meanwhile I had 2 stops to catch my breath. But others did too.
At the top we had pictures of the fountain, which was running and a bit of a treat to be doing so, and then picture opportunities for nearly the entire city of Cusco.
With that the tour was finished. It was a good tour that gave a lot of background to the city and we have found across the world the ‘free’ tours are probably the best option. Of course nothing is free and we tipped our man 40 Sol.
This afternoon we had booked a private tour at an animal rescue sanctuary called Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. The cost was 199 Sol or $79USD which included collection and return to our hotel.
As the walking your finished at 12:30 we had an hour or so to kill so we went looking for some local food. Nothing really stood out as value, the reason we found out the next day, but we spotted a little cafe on the way back so stopped in. A hamburger and fries for me, chicken sandwich for her and all at the cost of 32 Sol.
Service was quick but my burger had somehow been deconstructed and lost its’ bun. The sandwhich was big but the bread was stale. Maybe this is a thing in Perú.
Both had flavour and filled us.
We also stopped in at a chemist to seek some more altitude sickness medication. Google translate is a wonderfull thing as pointing to the large poster on the door of the same stuff we initially got, I asked electronically if there was a chemical solution. So came the reply and 2 boxes were placed on the counter. 1 each every 12 hours would see me right our man said. At the bargain price of 2.50 Sol per tablet in a strip of 10. The same stuff we bought as a box in Lima was now sold per tablet at 2.50 Sol per tablet too.
So I stumped up 40 Sol, took my 20 tablets and hoped for the best.
Back at the hotel we went out front at 5 to 2 to find the car had just arrived.
A drive through the ‘burbs and into the hinterland saw us watching Cusco-ians at play at a park. People everywhere, wood fires burning, games being played and music all over. The road was also a goat track which seemed strange as it turned out to be the main road to the attractions out this way.
It started to rain as we arrived but these little black ducks are prepared and had our lightweight rain jackets to hand.
Once inside there was a bit of confusion; the guy said 25 Sol for the 2 of us. I said who pays the driver? That stuffed the game plan and phone calls were made. Originally I was told Mario would collect us and we could pay by card. Our driver was Tito and had no card machine. It transpires that Mario was the boss and he had elected to take today off. Hmmm. I had also forgotten we had booked the special your as it also included a donation to keep the place running.
So, we ended up cutting into our small stash of Sol to pay 199 for the special tour. The ‘special’ tour was kinda not. We got to hand feed some Macaws, have the door opened on the cage of a Toucan but no fingers out as they would be eaten, fed some Alpaca and Lama by hand, go into the Condor cage and picture one without fencing wire in front of it, and hear the story of a monkey and macaw that were pets in the same house and arrived there after the Police busted the owners. Others just doing the visit didn’t get the background to the animal arrival, which largely was poaching or private pets being confiscated. So, we did a good deed and were happy for it.
On the way back our driver showed us some sights and explained in very broken English all about the valley and how it was organic. It also only supplied the district of Pisac which is some while away from Cusco and there was a boundary. We also stopped at other view points where he described what we were seeing and took some happy snaps of us. Pretty good value adding and we chucked 5 Sol his way.
Back at the hotel just before 5pm we charged phones, backed up photos onto a portable hard drive and then went seeking sustenance. We had passed a chicken joint which was full of locals, so we wandered in there just on 6pm.
They had charcoal cooked chicken which was in full view in the main seating area. 1/4 chicken and chips was 25 Sol, and included a side salad and some dressings. They also had a gourmet meal with a lot of different dishes. Whilst She took the 1/4 chook deal, I was smarter than that. I decided to go gourmet, probably because of what MrsMacca had the night before, so settled on chicken Diablo which was chicken pieces in a spicy sauce with rice and salad.
It took about 15 minutes to deliver mainly due to my meal, as the chicken ‘n’ chips were being sent out by the handful by the minute.
When it arrived mine looked good and was good too. There were about 5 pieces of breast and they were very tender. The sauce was quite rich but had a creamy spiced kick to it.
The 1/4 was a leg piece and was quite big. It had a nice flavour on the skin of wood (but not bushfire) and was not quite as tender. The chips were ok, they had been sitting too long and had gone limp.
A couple of local beers at 12 Sols each finished the deal.
Back to Creaky Towers and into bed.
But again, loud doof doof music was present. There must be a nightclub or something nearby, or it could be a shop. In this area there are multiple barber shops, and they are always busy. Some of them have music playing loudly and some have speakers out to the street. I’m an advocate of its it’s too loud your too old so I think I am getting older as its starting to grate.
Anyway, I took a couple of sleep pills from a herbal shop to see if it would help. They did somewhat, but I think the effect of the altitude pills wear wearing off as I spent the night desperate for breath. I had to breathe through my mouth and really do some deep breathing. It’s a strange feeling, like you’ve just done strenuous exercise but without the pain and sweat. Between the doof doof, the breathing and then some sort of truck doing something truck like and loud in the street I didn’t get much sleep
Waking up in a stupor we went to breakfast. Asking our hosts if the noises in the night were normal, the answer was Si. Well, that’s not good.
Breakfast was included and was served in a small alcove on the ground floor. With 8 seats and e tables I guess they are working on not everyone arriving at once.
Options were tea and coffee, fruit salad and then 3 egg choices; fried, scrambled or omelette. Toppings could be cheese, tomato and ham. Not being a fan of the local Jamon I opted out. Juice choices were orange, pineapple or papaya.
The fruit salad turned up in a bowl and had papaya, pineapple, watermelon and strawberries. The scrambled eggs looked more egg than eggs but they were well cooked and tasty. Mrs Macca is not an eggs and bacon fan at breakfast so they knocked up a plate of tomato and avocado for her. Also included were 2 types of bread. 2 croissants, or a variation of them, and a larger flat white bun.
Once done, we trudged over to the Plaza de Armas to meet our walking tour guide, who we were also going to pay for the Macupicchu tour guide. Plenty of people about along with hawkers and police who whistled at said hawkers to love them along, as hawking is not allowed. But tolerated. It’s s quite annoying, they can be very persistent all selling the same trinkets or tours. What I have found with Perú is that they tend to speak softly even when trying to flog you something. Plus they only speak Spanish so you don’t know what they are saying.
The walking tour took us through the square to an old map showing the division of ‘power’. Then along some streets with examples of Inca building in stone, which were coughised by the Spanish and had Spanish style building built on the foundations. It’s quite common to see this and it’s an interesting mix of architecture. The churches tend to be all Spanish as they demolished the Inca temples and built new, although the church that is part of Qurikancha does use the Inca base.
Then we headed towards the San Blas area which is happening. Mainly for tourists as there are multiple shops, vendors and things targeted at the likes of us. Such and example was in a small lane with a regular shop, where the guide had us stop and attempt to pick out a depiction of a Lama and a serpent in the stone work. Based on the fact that most guides have stated they really do not have much fact about the Inca story, I reckon late one night the shop keeper was bored and looking aimlessly at the wall and thought he saw these animals, and thence made up a poster with the stones outlining these animals and has built himself up a nice little earner. The kicker here was we were given a free little toy Lama. No obligation. And later in the walk we saw the same toys for sale at 7 for 5 Sols. That old lady in Ollantaytambo we bought the one for 10 Sols yesterday? She’s just cut another notch in her handbag strap.
Next stop our guide asked if we liked cheese. The consensus was well yes we do, so off we went to an organic cafe where we were served quite a tasty Hors d'oeuvres with cheese and vegetables. For nothing. On May Day which is a public holiday and we were the only people in the place. There must be some good tip coming.
The tour had a mix of people but the common thread was hiking, with at least half of them doing the Inca trail or the Salkantay trek, both of which are 4 and 5 days walk. When we got to the steep street going up to San Blas 2 German girls just went hah and started power walking. Up the hill. And left us in their dust. Meanwhile I had 2 stops to catch my breath. But others did too.
At the top we had pictures of the fountain, which was running and a bit of a treat to be doing so, and then picture opportunities for nearly the entire city of Cusco.
With that the tour was finished. It was a good tour that gave a lot of background to the city and we have found across the world the ‘free’ tours are probably the best option. Of course nothing is free and we tipped our man 40 Sol.
This afternoon we had booked a private tour at an animal rescue sanctuary called Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. The cost was 199 Sol or $79USD which included collection and return to our hotel.
As the walking your finished at 12:30 we had an hour or so to kill so we went looking for some local food. Nothing really stood out as value, the reason we found out the next day, but we spotted a little cafe on the way back so stopped in. A hamburger and fries for me, chicken sandwich for her and all at the cost of 32 Sol.
Service was quick but my burger had somehow been deconstructed and lost its’ bun. The sandwhich was big but the bread was stale. Maybe this is a thing in Perú.
Both had flavour and filled us.
We also stopped in at a chemist to seek some more altitude sickness medication. Google translate is a wonderfull thing as pointing to the large poster on the door of the same stuff we initially got, I asked electronically if there was a chemical solution. So came the reply and 2 boxes were placed on the counter. 1 each every 12 hours would see me right our man said. At the bargain price of 2.50 Sol per tablet in a strip of 10. The same stuff we bought as a box in Lima was now sold per tablet at 2.50 Sol per tablet too.
So I stumped up 40 Sol, took my 20 tablets and hoped for the best.
Back at the hotel we went out front at 5 to 2 to find the car had just arrived.
A drive through the ‘burbs and into the hinterland saw us watching Cusco-ians at play at a park. People everywhere, wood fires burning, games being played and music all over. The road was also a goat track which seemed strange as it turned out to be the main road to the attractions out this way.
It started to rain as we arrived but these little black ducks are prepared and had our lightweight rain jackets to hand.
Once inside there was a bit of confusion; the guy said 25 Sol for the 2 of us. I said who pays the driver? That stuffed the game plan and phone calls were made. Originally I was told Mario would collect us and we could pay by card. Our driver was Tito and had no card machine. It transpires that Mario was the boss and he had elected to take today off. Hmmm. I had also forgotten we had booked the special your as it also included a donation to keep the place running.
So, we ended up cutting into our small stash of Sol to pay 199 for the special tour. The ‘special’ tour was kinda not. We got to hand feed some Macaws, have the door opened on the cage of a Toucan but no fingers out as they would be eaten, fed some Alpaca and Lama by hand, go into the Condor cage and picture one without fencing wire in front of it, and hear the story of a monkey and macaw that were pets in the same house and arrived there after the Police busted the owners. Others just doing the visit didn’t get the background to the animal arrival, which largely was poaching or private pets being confiscated. So, we did a good deed and were happy for it.
On the way back our driver showed us some sights and explained in very broken English all about the valley and how it was organic. It also only supplied the district of Pisac which is some while away from Cusco and there was a boundary. We also stopped at other view points where he described what we were seeing and took some happy snaps of us. Pretty good value adding and we chucked 5 Sol his way.
Back at the hotel just before 5pm we charged phones, backed up photos onto a portable hard drive and then went seeking sustenance. We had passed a chicken joint which was full of locals, so we wandered in there just on 6pm.
They had charcoal cooked chicken which was in full view in the main seating area. 1/4 chicken and chips was 25 Sol, and included a side salad and some dressings. They also had a gourmet meal with a lot of different dishes. Whilst She took the 1/4 chook deal, I was smarter than that. I decided to go gourmet, probably because of what MrsMacca had the night before, so settled on chicken Diablo which was chicken pieces in a spicy sauce with rice and salad.
It took about 15 minutes to deliver mainly due to my meal, as the chicken ‘n’ chips were being sent out by the handful by the minute.
When it arrived mine looked good and was good too. There were about 5 pieces of breast and they were very tender. The sauce was quite rich but had a creamy spiced kick to it.
The 1/4 was a leg piece and was quite big. It had a nice flavour on the skin of wood (but not bushfire) and was not quite as tender. The chips were ok, they had been sitting too long and had gone limp.
A couple of local beers at 12 Sols each finished the deal.
Back to Creaky Towers and into bed.
But again, loud doof doof music was present. There must be a nightclub or something nearby, or it could be a shop. In this area there are multiple barber shops, and they are always busy. Some of them have music playing loudly and some have speakers out to the street. I’m an advocate of its it’s too loud your too old so I think I am getting older as its starting to grate.
Anyway, I took a couple of sleep pills from a herbal shop to see if it would help. They did somewhat, but I think the effect of the altitude pills wear wearing off as I spent the night desperate for breath. I had to breathe through my mouth and really do some deep breathing. It’s a strange feeling, like you’ve just done strenuous exercise but without the pain and sweat. Between the doof doof, the breathing and then some sort of truck doing something truck like and loud in the street I didn’t get much sleep
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