Cusco to Puno

2/20/14 8:35 AM

After such an exhausting time in the jungle, we spent yesterday relaxing and just taking it easy in general. Alli was granted a late checkout time from the Marriott (she got a special rate). We used the pool for the 2nd time and and took our time packing up. At about 1 PM, we finally left the hotel and wandered around Cusco, stopping by a couple of churches and stumbling upon the central market, south of the main square, Plaza de Armas.

Mercado de San Pedro

The market featured juice counters, meat sellers, fruit sellers, and even souvenir stalls. We wandered through the colorful stalls, and Alli found some trim to use for craft projects.

Colorful trims at the market

Dried corn and beans at the market

Afterwards, we stopped by one more church and then headed to a vegetarian restaurant on Calle Tigre. Many, many vegetarian and even restaurants exist in Cusco. It's surprising how easy it is to stumble upon one. I had the bistek a lo pobre (made from glueten) and Alli had the falafel. Funny, my "steak" had a big hunk of cheese on it! (See the cheese post.) Fortunately for me, it was a different kind of cheese.

bistek a lo pobre made from glueten. 

We had tickets for the 10 PM night bus to Puno, so after dinner we headed back to the Marriott to catch up on a few last emails and pick up our bags.

The taxi driver dropped us off outside Terminal Terrestre (the bus station). The fare was higher if he drove in the gate and paid the parking fee. So we walked the rest of the way. I was expecting a sleepy little bus hall, but what we got was a huge amount of confusion. There were people everywhere. Although we had been given instructions on where to go, those instructions seemed to be lacking, and we had to figure it out on our own.

We made it to the bus company booth; the bus station is essentially a hall lined on either side with various bus company booths. There, we checked in and dropped off our bags. We thought we had survived the chaos fairly easily. Then we were directed to the "Tame" window. Here, all persons leaving Cusco were required to pay a 1.30 sole city tax (about 46 cents US). The amount of money wasn't the problem, waiting in a line that snaked through a third of the bus station was. Fortunately, a second window opened as we were standing at the back of the line stressing about whether we'd be through the line in 15 minutes to make it to the bus with a few minutes to spare.

At first look, the bus was cushy. Each bus seat was roomy and reclined a fair amount. A foot rest folded down as well. The problem arose when the bus started moving. We couldn't see much out of the windows. Despite being on the top level of the bus, all windows were curtained except the front ones, and it was still difficult to see out of those. The road was so bad that the bus was almost constantly lurching from side to side. When the bus wasn't lurching, it was weaving back and forth. I first thought that we must be driving through mountains, but I finally decided that although the road was somewhat windy, the real issue was that the bus driver was swerving back and forth to avoid potholes. The result was that I couldn't sleep. I was more relieved than anything when we arrived at the Puno bus station this morning at 5 AM.

Spotlight on the Guide

2/18/14 12:15 PM 

As promised, here is my post about our tour guide.

I should first mention that although he introduced himslef, we never caught his name. We didn't understand it when he said it, but after asking him a second time, I felt it impolite to keep asking. On day 3 of our jungle tour, I heard the boat driver call him what sounded like "Olivio" So, for my purpose here, the guide will henceforth be referred to as Olivio, even if that is not his real name. 

Olivio showing us around the local market

Olivio was a nice enough guy, but he drove me crazy. He spoke very slowly, which I could handle, but he waas also incredibly boring. I had to make a very sincere effort to listen to him because it was much easier to tune him out. Yes, we were paying for his services, but that didn't make him interesting. 

I should give him some credit - he did seem to know what he was talking about (except when he told us a stick was a snake, and even we jungle novices could tell that it was just a stick). He was able to identify plants and animals we asked about. He was also very excited about showing us the "flora and fauna." Once, upon sighting a monkey, he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me toward him so I could see too. At the time, we were standing in six inches of water, and the suddenness of his pull threw me off balance. I very nearly became very wet.

He was constantly ordering us to stand in a particular spot for the best view. More than once, I had a view of the animal where I was and lost it when I moved to meet him. He was also constantly shoving his sweat-stink binoculars at us so we could see the birds and other wildlife more closely.  

I suppose what bugged me most were his assumptions. He made a comment about us being "city girls" and ubnable to handle longer hikes. (He made this comment after finally realizing I was too tired to finish our hike). That was the 2 1/2 hour mud and water hike taken after a long and active ten-hour day that started at 4:30 AM. Of course I was tired! I was understandably tired!

Furthermore, he essentially told us we both have fat calves when he discovered the Wellingtons were a bit tight at the top on both of us. My pant legs were bunched up underneath! I actually think I have nice calves. Just goes to show what he knows.  

I suppose I really shouldn't be so harsh; he was trying to give us what we wanted 

after all, animals. He just wanted to make sure we got a chance to see them. Regarding his assumptions, I am sure he is basing his perceptions on what he sees and hears on television and what he hears from other tourists; those sources aren't always accurate.

Alas, we are no longer in the jungle and are no longer being guided I guess I'll have to start the long, arduous process of getting over it.

Back to Cusco (Again)

2/18/14 11:42 AM

Here we are on the airplane, this time headed back to Cusco.

Last night before dinner, we headed out on the motorized canoe in the hopes of seeing caymans and capybaras. In fact, we saw a stick (the guide mistakenly thought a stick was a snake, a bat, and a cayman. Again, the rains and flooding had kept the animals away. As we drifted along in the canoe, the guide used a high-powered flashlight to scan the water in search of dots of red. Caymans' eyeballs appear red under flashlight beams. Finally, the guide gave up on finding more, and we headed back to the lodge.

So far today, we have spent our time traveling.  We woke up early to be at breakfast by six and to leave the lodge by 6:30 AM. The canoe took us two hours and ten minutes back up the river to the port. This port appeared to be a center of commerce We witnessed a couple of guys unloading pineapples from a boat and loading them into a cart pulled by a motorcycle. The mud banks (not normally muddy, but now covered with several feet of mud) were lined on either side with small shops selling various wares. 

Unloading bananas from the banana boat

Although the guide attempted to get us onto solid mud as we exited the boat, I stepped just a bit too far and sank down several inches. The mud had such a strong hold on my shoes that when I attempted to free myself, my shoes stayed behind. Alli had to help pull me out. Unfortunately, my new shoes are caked with mud and every shoe polisher we pass persistently tells me my shoes are dirty and asks to clean them. Fortunately, I still have shoes. 

Alli later told me that while I was grappling with the mud, I had missed something big. A young Peruvian man approached us with a realistic-looking gun, pointed it directly at Alli, and made the gun noise, "Pew, pew. Pew, pew." She said it took her a few seconds to realize that the gun was a toy gun. She also thought it was odd that in that crowded area, not  one person seemed to notice what was going on. I didn't even notice! That's right, let the two tourists get shot up while everyone else loads and unloads produce!

A car met Alli, the guide, and me at the dock. Since we arrived early in Puerto Maldonado (the city we would be flying out of), we had time to stop at the local market before heading to the airport.

Notice the bananas strapped to the top of our tour van.

This market was nothing like the tourist market we had seen in Aguas Calientes. This market featured covered stalls selling everything from underwear for one sole (about 33 cents), to piranha head key chains and candied Brazil nuts for 4 soles.

The Puerto Maldonado mercado

After sharing a bit of information about local goods, the guide led us back to the tourist car, and we were driven to the airport. We said our goodbyes to the guide and checked in to our flight. And now here we are, flying back to Cusco and landing shortly.

The plane taking us back to Cusco