The flight is long … I watch a movie during dinner, nap through a second, and intermittently watch a third (“Adaptation”) soundlessly, as I just saw it a few nights ago.
George is nervous as we walkout the plane and head for the immigration counter in Lima. Having just been here last year, I'm take control with confidence that I know where we're going and exactly what we need to do. We pass through the Immigration checkpoint quickly, and with great relief I spot my luggage almost immediately. Blessings to Spirit for taking such great care of me. Next the Customs line. I am asked to press a button on a post, a green light pointing to the right lights up, and the attendant waves me through without so much as a look at my luggage. George is not so lucky. A red arrow pointing to the left indicates that he must go to a Customs agent and open each of his bags for inspection.
As George and I make our way to the main terminal, a short older woman in khaki pants approaches me and asks if I am “Judi.” “Yes,” I reply and she introduces herself as one of our traveling companions on this adventure, and tells us that the security guard would not let her exit this area, for safety reasons, until I’d arrived — she has been standing and waiting for two hours!
Now we are three … George, Eddye and me. Walking over to the reservation area, we discover that we can’t check our bags to the flight to Cuzco, as it is 1AM. We have 3-1/2 hours to wait before check-in opens. Seeing all of our luggage we are pushing on carts as we head towards a staircase to a food court on the next level, a courteous security guard unlocks an elevator so we don’t have to try and carry all of our gear. Once upstairs, we locate our fourth traveling companion, Jane, who will be my roommate on this adventure. Over the next several hours, I learn that Jane is from Wisconsin, has a wonderful “Prairie Home Companion” accent, and owns/runs a Native American store. We also watch some really trashy Peruvian TV and take turns stretching our legs and guarding luggage.
Around 4AM, we make our way back downstairs to stand in line for the Aero Continente check-in desk to open. Meanwhile, workers slowly (and I mean slowly) lay out stanchions and create rows, only to move them inches several minutes later. Finally, a reservationist checks George, Jane and me through with seating together. Unfortunately, Eddye is booked on another airline, which apparently decided not to fly today, so she is re-routed onto a later flight.
George and I quickly pass thorough three security checkpoints, while Jane almost has two of her kuyas (medicine stones) confiscated from her mesa. Fortunately, an older (and wiser) dark skinned Peruvian guard returns them to her.
George is nervous as we walkout the plane and head for the immigration counter in Lima. Having just been here last year, I'm take control with confidence that I know where we're going and exactly what we need to do. We pass through the Immigration checkpoint quickly, and with great relief I spot my luggage almost immediately. Blessings to Spirit for taking such great care of me. Next the Customs line. I am asked to press a button on a post, a green light pointing to the right lights up, and the attendant waves me through without so much as a look at my luggage. George is not so lucky. A red arrow pointing to the left indicates that he must go to a Customs agent and open each of his bags for inspection.
As George and I make our way to the main terminal, a short older woman in khaki pants approaches me and asks if I am “Judi.” “Yes,” I reply and she introduces herself as one of our traveling companions on this adventure, and tells us that the security guard would not let her exit this area, for safety reasons, until I’d arrived — she has been standing and waiting for two hours!
Now we are three … George, Eddye and me. Walking over to the reservation area, we discover that we can’t check our bags to the flight to Cuzco, as it is 1AM. We have 3-1/2 hours to wait before check-in opens. Seeing all of our luggage we are pushing on carts as we head towards a staircase to a food court on the next level, a courteous security guard unlocks an elevator so we don’t have to try and carry all of our gear. Once upstairs, we locate our fourth traveling companion, Jane, who will be my roommate on this adventure. Over the next several hours, I learn that Jane is from Wisconsin, has a wonderful “Prairie Home Companion” accent, and owns/runs a Native American store. We also watch some really trashy Peruvian TV and take turns stretching our legs and guarding luggage.
Around 4AM, we make our way back downstairs to stand in line for the Aero Continente check-in desk to open. Meanwhile, workers slowly (and I mean slowly) lay out stanchions and create rows, only to move them inches several minutes later. Finally, a reservationist checks George, Jane and me through with seating together. Unfortunately, Eddye is booked on another airline, which apparently decided not to fly today, so she is re-routed onto a later flight.
George and I quickly pass thorough three security checkpoints, while Jane almost has two of her kuyas (medicine stones) confiscated from her mesa. Fortunately, an older (and wiser) dark skinned Peruvian guard returns them to her.
Still catching up on sleep, I snooze in the terminal lounge and again during the flight to Cuzco, waking in time to see Ausangate greeting me with blue skies and snow-capped planes flanking his upper extremities. Magnificent. My heart soars. After passing through a layer of clouds, we begin our descent into Cuzco by first banking for a beautiful view of Salkantay. |
The landing is smooth, which is a real treat, as flying into Cuzco can be very tricky with wind and air inversions. The first time I flew into Cuzco while on a World Wildlife Fund adventure with Rick, his sister Kerri and husband Trip, it took the pilot three passes before he was able to land safely!
The Cuzco Airport is crowded at 7AM. As we wait for our luggage, local musicians begin playing traditional Andean music, which I love. Again, all of my luggage (2 large duffle bags) arrive. Then, like a magician, a man appears from Rainbow Jaguar, Jose Luis' company, and stacks all of our luggage on several carts. He leads us to a van that will transport us to our hotel. Perfect.
Our hotel is the Hotel San Agustin (Calle Maruri 381), which is a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Our hotel is around the corner from the Palacio del Inka, which Rick and I stayed at on our first trip to Cuzco with the World Wildlife Fund, that is built within an historic mansion known as the Casona de los Cuatro Bustos and next to the Qorikancha Palace. While not nearly as posh, the Hotel San Agustin has a charm of its own and incredibly delicious cookies at the front desk for the taking. It is also across from a favorite pizza restaurant, La Pizza Carlo.
Already checked in are two other members — Holly and Greg — from our Utah allyu. After some matte de coca, I head to my room to settle in, take a shower and nap. Refreshed, I met up with Holly and Greg in the lobby for a walk to the Plaza de Armas and lunch. Having some difficulty with the altitude, George decided not to join us. Silly me for thinking I could slip into Cuzco invisibly — no sooner did we settle on a restaurant and order lunch, in walks Alberto. He was incredibly friendly knowing full well that I am here with some of his former students who are now studying with Jose Luis. Oh well, transparency is always best!
Afterwards, we head to the San Francisco Market where vendors, who earlier in the day had set up blankets on the Plaza to sell their goods, are now. On our way back, we stop at Trattoria Adriano, which Jerry and I discovered last year, for cups of matte de coca and slices of their delicious torte chocolat. Before heading back to our hotel, Greg and I stop at an internet café where I called Rick to let him know I’d arrived safely. Parting company, I made a brief stop at a pharmacia to pick up sun screen. Then ran back into Holly and accompanied her to a small leather-smith shop to pick up beautiful custom-made shoes she ordered the previous evening. The shop was two steps below grade, with a hard packed dirt floor and no windows. Sadly, none of the shoes available fit me properly.
The Cuzco Airport is crowded at 7AM. As we wait for our luggage, local musicians begin playing traditional Andean music, which I love. Again, all of my luggage (2 large duffle bags) arrive. Then, like a magician, a man appears from Rainbow Jaguar, Jose Luis' company, and stacks all of our luggage on several carts. He leads us to a van that will transport us to our hotel. Perfect.
Our hotel is the Hotel San Agustin (Calle Maruri 381), which is a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Our hotel is around the corner from the Palacio del Inka, which Rick and I stayed at on our first trip to Cuzco with the World Wildlife Fund, that is built within an historic mansion known as the Casona de los Cuatro Bustos and next to the Qorikancha Palace. While not nearly as posh, the Hotel San Agustin has a charm of its own and incredibly delicious cookies at the front desk for the taking. It is also across from a favorite pizza restaurant, La Pizza Carlo.
Already checked in are two other members — Holly and Greg — from our Utah allyu. After some matte de coca, I head to my room to settle in, take a shower and nap. Refreshed, I met up with Holly and Greg in the lobby for a walk to the Plaza de Armas and lunch. Having some difficulty with the altitude, George decided not to join us. Silly me for thinking I could slip into Cuzco invisibly — no sooner did we settle on a restaurant and order lunch, in walks Alberto. He was incredibly friendly knowing full well that I am here with some of his former students who are now studying with Jose Luis. Oh well, transparency is always best!
Afterwards, we head to the San Francisco Market where vendors, who earlier in the day had set up blankets on the Plaza to sell their goods, are now. On our way back, we stop at Trattoria Adriano, which Jerry and I discovered last year, for cups of matte de coca and slices of their delicious torte chocolat. Before heading back to our hotel, Greg and I stop at an internet café where I called Rick to let him know I’d arrived safely. Parting company, I made a brief stop at a pharmacia to pick up sun screen. Then ran back into Holly and accompanied her to a small leather-smith shop to pick up beautiful custom-made shoes she ordered the previous evening. The shop was two steps below grade, with a hard packed dirt floor and no windows. Sadly, none of the shoes available fit me properly.
Holly told me that they “discovered” this shop from a young teenager, Manuel, who she and Greg hired as their “guide” in Cuzco. She then took me to two other leather shops, nearer our hotel, where at once I saw a royal blue cloth and leather backpack-style bag with an inlay of mastana cloth that I plan to buy. |
For dinner, “the girls” (Holly, Jane and I) simply headed across the street to La Pizza Carlo for some truly delicious pizza. The thin is very thin and crispy and they do not overdo on toppings, which are all fresh. Upon returning to the hotel, we talked with Greg and George, who was feeling better, for a while in the dining room. Listened for awhile to some local musicians who came to play at the hotel, before heading to my room for another shower and bed. |