Yes, this small hotel is noisy early in the morning as the guests are probably all heading for Machu Picchu and the bus lineups. When we returned to our small room yesterday our bed had been made and fresh towels/bathroom cleaned. We are in no rush this morning as our Peru Rail train does not depart until 08:53. Our hotel is situated pretty close to the train tracks and regardless in this small town everyone is pretty close to everything. We head down for breakfast but no bread for Lana to make us a couple of small sandwiches for the train trip.
We both agree it was a good decision to either not rush to Aguas Calientes or rush back to Cusco. Better to take our time and enjoy the town before Machu Picchu and after our big day versus trying to catch a train.
The remainder of our trip is really connecting to Cusco and then onto to Lima. We are open to whatever occurs in both Cusco and Lima. I am hopeful to continue to enjoy Peruvian food and that Lana's stomach improves...
Train route for Machu Picchu <-> Cusco although we stop in Ollantaytambo.
Signage on the side of the tracks as we are leaving Aguas Calientes..Lana saw this on the way into town the other day so wanted to make sure she didn't miss getting a photo (nice sandbag decorations eh?)
We arrive at the small train station at 08:20 and first in line to board Car C. We are eager to board first to ensure our two pieces of luggage find a home in the storage bay. Great, as we find two spots so all good. The process is we take a train to Ollantaytambo and then transfer to a waiting bus for the ride in Cusco. Both tickets are with Peru Rail. We will arrive in the central area of Cusco so that will be an advantage. Both our seats are facing forward so Lana very happy.
We notice very quickly the train is full and it is super noisy. Lots of American accents and at least two loud males who don't stop talking for the duration of this trip. One of the loud talkative males was a minor tv celebrity named Edwin Barnhart who is an expert on shows like "Ancient Aliens". Yup, the guy can talk....I think lots of the passengers are still excited about their Machu Picchu experience. Lana here--when we say loud, it's SO loud that my noise cancelling headphones cannot cancel out all the voices! These headphones work so well that when a flight attendant asks me if I want something on the plane, I can't hear them speaking to me. Seriously!!! It's THAT loud! Who knew men could talk incessantly like that?!??!!! (just saying, . . . )
We leave on time for 08:53. Beautiful sunny and very warm day. The announcer indicates a 1 hour 30 minute trip. Famous last words!!!!
We have a long stop at the Hydroelectric dam apparently for an oncoming train. At 09:27 there is an announcement "Train Derailed, do not leave the train, please await Instructions". So Lana is thinking that our train has derailed!! But the Peru Rail attendant comes by and clarifies it's another train that's detailed--whewww. At 09:44 the train is now rolling forward which feels great. At 09:58 we are stopped again and in fact rolling backwards for a bit. At least the a/c is working. Lana listening to music off her iPhone. There are about 25-30 people milling about beside the train tracks. Uniformed train employees are there as well with walkie talkies.
At 10:23 a Peru Rail train going the other way picks up these people heading toward AQ. We are still not moving and they turn up the music on the train speakers pretty loud. At 10:41 another train going the other way, but we are still stationery. At 10:44 our train jolts forward. We are not moving very quickly though. For a good period no internet and the ride is now super jerky.
Lana's VIDEO of our train just passing by the walls of a tunnel. It's THISCLOSE.
Into another train tunnel.
One of the places our train stopped.
This mountain was just behind the snake statue and we think it has some significant but need to do some research on this in this.
.
We finally arrive at Ollantaytambo train station 12:20 (about two hours late!) and it is mass anarchy outside as we all depart the cars. We need to find our bus and there is a lady carrying a sign that we need to follow. Very hot here. Lots of hustlers trying to convince departing passengers to take their taxi or tourist van to Cusco. Hot, dusty, sweaty, Pandemonium.
We board the bus as the first persons and our luggage is stowed below. The first row of seats is RESERVED. We find out the Peru Rail uniformed girl is taking all those seats. Harrumph! Lana is trying to pick the side of the bus that will get less sun. Unfortunately the last girl on needs a seat and Lana needs to shift over to sit beside me. We definitely put our seat belts on. During our bus trip to Cusco the driver more than once stops the a/c causing Lana and other passengers to open the side windows.
At one point the bus pulls into a rest stop where passengers can use the toilet for 1 Sol. The route we are taking is mostly familiar to us as we drove our rental car to Ollantaytambo. We arrive at Wanchaq bus station at 14:46 so it was a two hour 10 minute bus ride. According to Google Maps it is about a 25 minute walk to our Hotel so we decide to grab a taxi. The driver starts at 30 Sol and I negotiate him to 15 Sol. He is a great driver and carries our suitcases into the hotel so I give him 20 Sol so we both feel better. He was appreciative of the gesture.
I booked a five star boutique hotel called Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel and it is located near the main plaza where all the action is. We are greeted by Guido and complete our sign in and providing our passports. Guido covers some hotel details and takes our bags with us up to our room. We are in Room 302 across from the elevator. This is a beautiful hotel and a great treat for the both of us. We are checked in by 15:10 and Lana wanting to nap. Our room is really classy. King size bed with vintage table and mirror. Large bathroom and lots of storage space. The internet/wifi is super fast.
Courtyard of the Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel.
We have some logistical tasks before Lana can lay down. Lana did online check in for our Lima hotel especially given we have an early arrival in Lima as Jet Smart dramatically changed our flight to a 07:28 start time from mid morning. Yikes, that is early and means we have to leave the Aranwa super early. We are told it will be a 20 minute ride to the airport at that time of the morning. Plus, for whatever reasons we have not received our online boarding passes. We have checked into our flight, but no passes. You need to be at the gate at least 50 minutes prior to plane departure. Our decision is to leave the hotel at 06:00.
Lana tries to nap in the comfy bed, but no luck. She showers and we figure out where we are going for dinner tonight. We did not eat lunch due to the train delays so getting hungry. Plus, we are wanting more Peruvian food. Arturo from Refugio Amazona mentioned Pachapapa as an excellent restaurant in Cusco. We do our research, check the menu and it is a 14 minute walk. The link I provided is to Trip Advisor given their webpage is inclusive of other restaurants under their umbrella and then connected to Instagram.
Given Lana's ongoing stomach woes she won't be having much to eat, but this place has a list of various soups. I do have a chance to update our blog and Lana in no rush. Current temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. Did I say our room is pretty fantastic especially in regards to the super modest room we had the last two nights in Aguas Calientes.
Nice night for a walk. We walk through two plazas inclusive of the very large Plaza de Armas. Unfortunate for Lana, but the last part of our walk is up a very steep and narrow street. She is out of breath with the elevation in Cusco. We find the place fairly easily. Walk in the door and it is a small room with a large bar and the fellow indicates with his hand the restaurant is through the lower door.
We are first asked if we have a reservation? No.... we are taken to a table in a far corner pretty close to the huge wood fired oven and a handy outdoor heater. We are outside under giant umbrellas and it has a good ambience. Very extensive menu with the dishes in Spanish, but explanation in English. Lots of decisions if you are looking for wine, drinks, starters, soups, mains, pizzas etc.
Takes a while for the server to return to take our order. Lana trying to figure out what her stomach can handle. She orders a Mix Quillabamba drink composed of mango, ginger and passion fruit.
Randy's wine order of a 2023 Peruvian Sauvignon Blanc from Ica, Peru. Excellent nose of crisp green apple. The taste is fresh and the classic Sauvignon Blanc profile. A good pairing with my dinner.
Randy's order of Cusco-Style Chicharrón at 55 Sol. Soft and crunchy fried pork belly made with grilled potatoes and creole sauce. This was simply delicious. The pork belly was perfectly cooked.
A good stroll back to our Hotel. So many people in the streets and in the huge main plaza. It is good to be around crowds again and the energy of a city. We know we have a very early get up tomorrow of probably 05:30. In addition to completing today's blog, I want to update our word document itinerary and maybe do some Trip Advisor reviews. Stats for today 7,500 steps and 12 floors.
No comments:
Post a Comment