We get to the bottom of the mountain without incident and got to the train station to wait for our train. As we waited at the station, more and more people arrived. The boarding time on our ticket came and went and then about the time that our train was supposed to depart, they announced that the train had been delayed. It turns out that one of the train cars had slipped off the rail (not sure if it was due to the rain). So we sat and waited in this very full train station. They passed out free chips and some people even began to dance. Finally after three hours, the train was ready to board and we were on our way. This put Adaline way behind schedule and she stubbornly fought sleep until we got back to Ollantaytambo sometime after ten. She has a real determination to never miss out on anything. We collapsed into bed knowing we had another big day the next day.
At breakfast and checkout the next morning, the hotel staff and us took a picture for memory’s sake and we were on our way with our favorite taxista (Fidel; we had left our camera bag in his car on Wednesday but he randomly saw us on Friday morning and gave it back).
He drove us back up through the stunning sacred valley to Cusco. After a quick stop at the wrong hotel (d’oh Mr. Bluth!) we arrived at our charming place in Cusco. The streets of Cusco are the most narrow streets that cars can use, and all the buildings are built all the way up to the sidewalk. Sometimes there is only about 18 inches of sidewalk to navigate.
We headed out with the stroller and grabbed some of the best sandwiches we’ve ever had. Lomo saltado and chicken and egg. We quickly decided that the cobblestone-lined streets were not conducive to strollering and we returned the stroller. We then headed out on what was supposed to be a quick hike to some ruins just above the city. But somewhere we took a wrong turn and found ourselves climbing a never ending stairway that devolved into a dirt path. After 30 mins of climbing straight uphill we finally summited a hundred yards from Cristo Blanco - which was a gift from Arabic Palestinians that had been sheltered in Cucso during WWII (that sounds like a fascinating story!).
We then spent a little while exploring some fantastically large Inca walls that had once been a fortress. Mrs. Bluth then guided us to the Inca’s natural playground where we slid and played to everyone's delight.
At this point we were pretty exhausted and found the downward path (the one we were supposed to have taken up to the ruins!) to the city and headed in. We took a quick family nap to recover. Then we spent the evening exploring downtown Cusco. We spent a few minutes at the San Blas cathedral making friends. Soon we were headed down the Avenida del Sol where we found another cafe that served us some incredible sandwiches (again!) and cake. Afterwards, Adaline found delight in an amateur, middle-age, women’s basketball league that we came across. Finally dark, we headed in for the night.
The next day was Easter Sunday. We woke up early and headed to the traditional San Franciscan cathedral where we were hoping to catch mass in Quechua. We ended up getting there only for the last 15 minutes of so, which was mostly songs and chants. After mass we headed to the main cathedral in Cusco for another round of mass. However, in the square in front of the cathedral there was an Easter procession just beginning. It wasn’t huge but it had a few dozen dancers and some sign-holders and drummers. We observed for a half hour before ducking into mass. This cathedral only had standing room and Adaline was getting a little tired; probably due to back-to-back church meetings.
After that beautiful mass we headed to...a third hour of church. This time to the more familiar LDS meeting that was located a few blocks away. The building, while not a cathedral, was interesting, and pretty, by Mormon standards. The congregation was small and friendly. We stopped for some trout (very good) and some lomo saltado (drenched in soy sauce!) and then went to the hotel for a much needed nap.
By the end of nap time it felt like we had already done a full day’s worth of stuff but we still had the rest of the afternoon to enjoy.We headed back to the Plaza de Armas where we had gone to church. We toured a couple of chapels on either side of the main cathedral now that mass was over until that evening. We then headed to a special alley that was used by the Inca and led straight to one of the most impressive buildings in the city. Qurikancha is a fantastic example of palimpsest. The original Incan structure and stonework is readily apparent, but the Spanish built directly on top of and repurposed in order to further subjugate the native people. What’s left is an incredible edifice that we could explore. Adaline loved the very smooth floors.
That evening we ate at what would probably be our most visited restaurant if we lived in Cusco. Not well marked on the outside and down a dark hallway it was a little haven from the city. It was covered but felt like a patio seating because of all the plants. The food was great and the price was the best we had seen in Peru.
Exhausted, and knowing we had an early flight, we headed home and headed to bed.
Monday morning came early and our taxista Fidel gave us a lift to the airport. Flying from Cusco is kind of cool because there isn’t too much of an ascent and since it's only an hour and change from Lima, almost as soon as you hit the cruising altitude, it’s time to start descending.
Sometimes, even on vacation in a foreign country, you need to eat at a restaurant in a mall. Once back in Lima, we wandered around Jockey plaza (the largest mall I have ever been too) and found an Italian-Peruvian fusion place called Bodega de la Trattoria. We were not sure what to expect and we ended up being blown away. The Mr. had the Peruvian tortellini (stuffed with sweet potato and topped with some fantastic beef) and the Mrs. had the Peruvian-style lasagna (excelente). A nap was then in order.
Traditionally it's fun to visit the local LDS temple; so we did. It was only a 20 minute taxi ride and it was undergoing some minor work. There was scaffolding and a construction crew. So we walked around a little bit and took some photos. The Lima temple was built in the same unfortunate era as the Boise and Chicago temples. Lots of roof.
Estefania was kind enough to prepare us another fantastic meal that evening. And then our extremely gracious host took us on an 1.5 hour tour of the city. We waited until the traffic had finally died down and we zipped all over the city. Clear from the hill south of Miraflores to the Centro Historico with an extremely knowledgable guide sharing some great trivia.
Again we collapsed that night. (A quick note on our sleeping arrangements: It was much warmer than we were expecting but our hosts had a fan we could use. We spread a blanket on the floor and surrounded it with pillows where Adaline spent most of the nights. Except this night Mr. Bluth spent most of the night there and Adaline and the Mrs. shared the bed.)
Tuesday was our last full day in Peru and we had a few things we still wanted to do. We taxied to Miraflores and Kennedy Park for another play session. Afterwards we walked to a highly-recommended seafood joint named Punto Azul. Mr. Bluth enjoyed a delicious and large bowl of ceviche mixto with the spiciest sauce we found in Peru.
Since Miraflores is so pedestrian friendly and unique we then walked to a also highly-recommended Chinese restaurant. Madam Tusan’s was started by an up and coming Peruvian chef that has upscale restaurants in most of the big cities around the world. It was the fanciest meal we had there and it was sabroso.
Adaline had snuck a pretty good nap in during the walk and lunch and so we took her to the Parque de las Leyendas so that she could run around. The Parque de las Leyendas was full of geyser-shooting fountains that awed Adaline. And then we took the kiddie train all around the park and I think she was in heaven. We tried playing in one of the water features and she started getting a little mad. So we headed back to our accommodations for one last night in South America.
At 4 in the morning we were awake, and with little sleep since we had to pack up, we headed to the airport. The flight was long but Adaline did incredibly well. Lots of bathroom trips; she thought the little tiny sink was the coolest thing on the plane.
Our layover was in Miami this time. We left the airport and went to a mall (probably the Mr.’s worst decision of the trip) since we had such a long layover. We ate at a Johnny Rockets and turned right back around to the airport. Adaline did find a couple of friends in the airport to play with while we waited. As we were in line for that last leg of the journey, it looked like the last flight was going to be full. We were kind of dreading this especially since Adaline hadn’t napped and we were preparing for a gigantic melt-down. Blessedly, we somehow had a row to ourselves and Adaline mostly slept on Mrs. Bluth.
Somehow the trip of a lifetime was already over. Like all good vacations, if felt like it had simultaneously taken forever and was already over. We were missing both home and Peru. We had accomplished so many of the things we wanted to see and there was still a list of places to go. In sum, we highly recommend it.
