Peru-Bolivia 2017: A Month in the Andes (page 5 of 8)

I was wondering why we were so full of energy—here’s the explanation!!! 🤪

Day 21: East of the Valley

Sounds like an American movie title, but today we’re actually heading east of Cusco to visit Pisac. It’s Sunday, and on Sundays, there’s the Pisac market! The colectivo that takes us there leaves just a few steps from William’s apartment—easy to find—and after 45 minutes and 5 soles per person, we arrive in Pisac.

Well, maybe it was the shopping from the day before or the threatening gray weather, but we didn’t find the artisan market, even though it’s so famous and supposedly amazing. Prices were actually higher than what we saw the day before in town, and the products were the same... We gave in to a few trinkets and then set off in search of a picnic, since we’d planned to eat lunch at the Inca site. Fresh homemade empanadas, grilled corn, and some fruit did the trick. We took the chance to admire the live "pantry" of cuy, the famous guinea pigs you pick out at restaurants to be grilled. The sight of those little critters (and especially how they’re served) didn’t exactly make us want to try them...



To get to the site, there’s no other option but a taxi (unless you fancy a 2-hour climb). We ran into other guests staying at William’s place, and they hopped in with us for the ride—25 soles to the parking lot. There were quite a few people at the entrance, but it was 1 PM, and you could tell folks were starting to leave.

And the site was definitely worth the trip. The view of the valley was stunning, with massive terraces hugging the curves of the mountain. We also visited the ruins of Inca houses, all in incredible condition.





Big disappointment: the little tunnel that was supposed to give us access to the other part of the site had collapsed. The entrance was blocked (and guarded...), so we couldn’t visit the Intihuatana, or Temple of the Sun. Next time! ;)

We decided to head back to Pisac on foot. The descent was steep, and it would’ve been nice if the storm hadn’t rolled in... The path quickly turned into a muddy torrent, and we were drenched to the bone despite our ponchos by the time we made it back to Pisac an hour and a half later!

Luckily, the rain here doesn’t last long, and we took advantage of a break in a restaurant with a brazier to dry off...

The ride back in the colectivo was quite the adventure—it was Sunday, and the few vans heading back to Cusco were packed. We had to squeeze into an ancient bus that took nearly two hours to drop us off haphazardly near the city center...

Back home after a pretty unremarkable pizza near our place.

Day 22: D-Day Minus One!!

Because tomorrow’s the big day—our visit to Machu Picchu, the highlight of our trip ... but also the final stop 😕.

No real rush today, just making sure we catch the 4:30 PM train to Ollantaytambo. We kick off the day by exploring the sites around Cusco—Q’enqo, Sqsaywaman right nearby, and the Cristo Blanco overlooking the city. The weather’s gloomy, a storm’s brewing, so we don’t linger, but the visit’s still fascinating. It’s amazing how close these sites are to the city! Plus, we’ve got to make the most of that *boleto turistico* we paid a small fortune for...

A little Rio vibe?

Back on foot to William’s place, we pack our "day bag"—he’ll keep the big ones—and head back to Calle Grau for another *collectivo* to Ollantaytambo. Another stroke of luck: we fill up a brand-new bus that gets us there smoothly and quickly.

Once there, we wait for our train in peace, at a café terrace near the station. 4:30 PM rolls around, time to board the most expensive train per kilometer in the world... Inca Rail kindly offers us a drink during the ride—maybe to help the medicine go down! ID check at boarding, assigned seats—no messing around on Peruvian railways...







It’s dark by the time we arrive in Aguas Calientes, and let’s just say we weren’t fans of the village... Shops, restaurants, hotels, and a raging river right through the middle of it all! The streets are narrow, dimly lit—the only welcome guest here is your wallet... I’d scoped out a few guesthouses but hadn’t booked anything, so we could check them out first. We settled on Machu Picchu Packer, a reasonable rate for the area (80 soles per night) with pretty basic amenities...



After settling into the guesthouse, we hunt down some snacks for tomorrow—at a steep price. Dinner’s soup and spaghetti bolognese at one of the village’s many restaurants. This isn’t where we’ll find good Peruvian food at decent prices (they even charge a 10% service fee, a first in this country!)... In short, Aguas, like so many others, won’t leave us with fond memories—but it’s a necessary stop...

Hi Bruno,

Can’t wait for tomorrow (on the trip ;-)) 😉 😉 😉

Myriam

Oh yeah, we're really looking forward to Machu Picchu! :)

Thanks for this really detailed reply! I haven’t had much chance in my life to experience high altitude, but the few times I’ve been up (between 2,000 and 2,500m), I felt pretty okay. No major changes... So if you’re gonna get altitude sickness, you either will or you won’t—it’ll be a surprise when we get there!

Of course, I’d already read everywhere about chewing coca leaves or coca-based drinks. I didn’t know about Diamox, though—I should think about adding it to my first-aid kit!

Day 23: Here we are!!

Super early wake-up this morning—IT is waiting for us!! The hotel owner is used to it, and the (frugal) breakfast is already ready. We’ll be in line for the bus at 5:45 AM, already quite long, with our one-way tickets bought the day before—$12 USD per person (no, it’s affordable for a wonder of the world ....).



But the routine is well-organized, and we quickly board our vehicle. Half an hour of winding roads, buses crossing paths and dropping off passengers at the site entrance.



At this point in the day, we’re worried... Really worried, even, because for the past three days, you’ve noticed we’re right in the middle of the rainy season... In Cusco, Pisac, and especially here, rain and clouds are our daily reality. And this morning, we still don’t know what state OUR Machu Picchu will be in... When we arrive, the path leads us straight to THE viewpoint everyone knows, and this is what we see:



A Machu Picchu version of Pandora, maybe like how Hiram Bingham discovered it the first time... But this wasn’t how we’d planned it, and I’ll admit, our hearts sank a little. Still, we’re optimists by nature, and throughout the visit, the clouds played with our nerves while the clearings let us admire the site:





We hadn’t planned on a guide, but we tagged along with some other visitors who had one to get the necessary explanations about this mysterious place.

First, to avoid the crowds on the site, we head up to IntiPunku, the Sun Gate—45 minutes of climbing. My guidebook says this spot is the classic meet-up for sunrise, but not today!... We’ll have to settle for glimpses of the site between the clouds, the river below, and the countless switchbacks of the bus road...



The guidebook also says the best time to visit is after 1 PM, when most tourists are already on their train. We’ve got time—ours isn’t until 7 PM—and sure enough, the site empties out in the early afternoon, letting us explore in decent conditions.





In the end, we arrived at 8 AM and left at 4 PM—plenty of time to explore this magical place, even in the rain...

I’m not from Auvergne (saved $24 USD anyway!), but I’m a walker, and we’d planned to walk back down to the village. The pedestrian path beckons (our feet?), and we race down the thousands of steps in less than an hour. Avoid climbing up, though—there’s already enough to do on the site!!



Back in the village, exhausted but happy, a pizza and beer break (120 soles!!) before catching our train will be more than welcome. I’d booked a place in Ollantaytambo for the evening, at Mama Simona’s—a really nice little hostel outside the city center, by the stream, for 125 soles a night.

So, back by train to Ollanta, then a moto-taxi drops us off in front of the hostel, where we won’t stay up late—exhausted but happy!!

WE MADE IT!!! 🙂

Day 24: Warriors' Rest...

Because, when you think about it, yesterday was not only super long (4 AM to 10 PM...) but also packed with emotions and discoveries. Even without the sun, Machu Picchu is awe-inspiring and it’s one of those magical places in the world where, when you’re there, all you can say is: "Wow, just wow...". One of those places where no photo can ever replace the feeling of being there in person—like the Pyramids of Giza or the Statue of Liberty.

But today is all about rest. First, a sleep-in at our guesthouse. The garden is gorgeous, and the few rays of sunshine this morning warmed our faces as we sat on the terrace.



We lounged on the sunbeds until late morning before heading back to the village center. The visit was picturesque—it’s one of the few villages in Peru that’s kept its original layout, typically Inca with its straight-line design. We checked out the Inca fortress, guardian of the Machu Picchu trail, but the stairs were steep, and our joints were still stiff from the day before...

So, after yet another coca tea on the terrace of a bar in the main square, we set off in search of a collectivo to Cusco. Locals told us we had to go back to the train station, but we wouldn’t have had time—we were flagged down by a brand-new van with just two Dutch tourists inside. They offered us the ride for the normal fare. We hopped in, relieved, but only later found out that the driver had a meet-up at 3 PM in Plaza de Armas in Cusco to pick up more passengers—time was tight!

So we got a *Cusco Express*—borderline dangerous (first seatbelts we’ve seen in Peru...) but it got us to the city in no time!!!

Once there, we made a quick stop at William’s place to grab our big bags. For our last night, we decided to splurge and treat ourselves to a proper hotel. I’d set my sights on Antigua Casona San Blas, ranked #3 out of 162 on TripAdvisor, thanks to a Booking.com deal for $68. And we weren’t disappointed—the hotel was stunning, the staff incredibly attentive, and sipping coca tea by the fire that evening was pure bliss...



After settling in, we headed back to the city center for some last-minute shopping and, most importantly, our final ceviche (after debating *long* about trying cuy...) at our favorite restaurant in Cusco.

Back at the hotel, we relaxed by the fire and started packing—tomorrow, it’s back to Lima!!

Day 25, 26 & 27: A really tough return home...

Originally, the trip back to Lima was planned for the afternoon, since our flight to France wasn’t leaving until 1 a.m. on Friday. But after reading the forums and listening to William, who advised against leaving Cusco in the afternoon because flights are often canceled due to unpredictable weather, I changed our plans. And sure enough, mornings were usually sunny, while afternoons tended to turn bad. International flights don’t wait, so I switched to a morning flight to Lima. The flight left on time, giving us one last view of the Andes foothills from the sky...

We thought we’d spend the day exploring Lima before catching our American Airlines flight to Paris via Atlanta.

But with our backpacks feeling heavy, the trip winding down, and the excitement of heading home, we just didn’t have the energy. In the end, we stayed at Lima Airport all day... a *very* long day, since I ended up pacing the terminals for 16 hours...

I’ve got a *very* understanding wife...

Boarding went smoothly, the flight was fine, but then we hit another snag in Atlanta. We landed at 7:30 a.m. local time but didn’t take off again until 10:30 p.m., after a 5-hour delay from the original schedule. The reason? A technical issue—but the upside was they pulled a brand-new plane out of the hangar for us!

The delays snowballed: our 12 p.m. TGV to Geneva ended up leaving at 3 p.m., and we didn’t get back to our mountains until 8 p.m. on Saturday. So, we left Thursday morning and arrived Saturday night! The joys of travel!

And in the end...

We knew when we set off for this country that we’d have a magical trip. And in the end, we weren’t disappointed... Everything about this journey amazed us, and we spent a month in a space-time bubble (Marty, the DeLorean, quick!!).

A journey through space, with those stunning peaks of the southern Lipez,

A journey through time, discovering Machu Picchu in the morning mist...

A journey for our eyes, too—so many magical colors...

A journey for our taste buds, especially in Peru with its incredible culinary diversity.

A journey for our hearts, meeting people whose exchanges you’ll never forget—thoughts for Felicidad and Saïda, our cook...

A journey for strong connections, too—big hugs to our friends from Nice in Bogotá!!!

And let’s not forget the journey to the roof of the world, or close to it, with altitudes we’d never reached before (and handled pretty well, actually).

So yes, you *have* to go to Peru and Bolivia. Even if the path is well-trodden, you can still find gems that’ll make it unforgettable... and make you want to go back to get off the beaten track!!!!

I won’t insult you with a "what I liked/didn’t like" list—it’s so personal and subjective. Except to say I *hated* coming home...

Thanks for following along! Feel free to ask questions—I’ll do my best to help!

I can't wait to leave now!! All your photos make me so eager to discover these places that aren't necessarily well-known (it's all relative, of course), which I personally didn't know about until now :)

Did you feel unsafe (especially regarding theft) during your trip?

Do you have another trip planned?

Thanks Sophie!

As you said, it’s all relative because I really targeted the most popular spots for a first approach... It’s actually hard to skip the must-sees if you haven’t already seen them at least once. But the timing of our trip saved us from the crowds... Just like it’ll save you too...

Insecurity does exist in Peru and Bolivia. But honestly, we never felt stressed about it, except maybe one evening in La Paz.

Planning another trip? Yes, we booked the flights this weekend! We’re heading back to Asia, with a new must-see in the region: Vietnam!

Safe travels to you—I’m calling for a trip report!!

Except to say I didn’t like coming back...

Following your travel journal with great interest. As you put it so well, a corner of the world with that "come-back-for-more" feeling...😛

Hi Bruno, Thanks so much for this beautiful trip—it’s making me even more eager to go! For now, we’ll probably just stick to Peru, but Bolivia is *extremely* tempting🙂. True, photos usually don’t do justice to the beauty of incredible sites like Machu Picchu, but that’s exactly why we have to go—otherwise, we’d just stay in front of our PCs dreaming 🙁. Sure, the travel time can sometimes be *very* long, but it’s usually quickly forgotten because we’re left with so many amazing images in our minds😉. As for Vietnam, which I visited 10 years ago, it’s also a stunning country that’s surely changed a lot since then. Looking forward to it, and happy future travels! Isabelle

Hi there,

I’m right in the middle of planning my trip to Peru for August, and I’ve been loving reading this travel journal 😎

Thanks! !

Hey Bruno!

You might not like going home, but we love hearing about your trips!!! Can’t wait for Vietnam, then...

Machu Picchu is stunning even in the fog—what a memory that must be.

Same goes for the trip back, though not for the same reasons...

Thanks a bunch, and I’m already looking forward to the next one—when’s Vietnam?

I went to Lima’s Plaza de Armas, and the only day the military were checking access was on the national holiday. The next day, I got in without any issues or checks. Barranco is also a really nice neighborhood! In Arequipa, it’s such a shame I didn’t do Colca Canyon!

Glad to see I'm not the only one who suffered from soroche in Puno—luckily for me, it was just a bad headache and some trouble breathing!

Thanks Bruno for this feedback. Since I’ve never been to South America yet, I was hesitating between Patagonia and southern Lipez/northern Chile. Clever move—now Peru’s been added to the list 😉! Muriel

Thanks Cédric for your interest! Clearly a destination to "explore further"... Northern Peru, the Amazon... And also Santa Cruz in Bolivia... One lifetime won’t be enough... 😉