June 21: Lima - Cusco

We were up by 6:15, with just 4 hours of sleep. Our hotel in Miraflores, the San Antonio Abad, appeared to be in a predominantly residential area. As I expected, the winter cloud cover, or garúa as the limeños call it, made for a gray and misty dawn. We had no plans to stay in Lima more than one night. The guide books say that under all the grit and grime Lima actually has some wonderful sights for the tourist, and I don't doubt it, but we headed straight for the Andes.

As the LAN Peru flight began its descent into Cusco, I looked out the left side of the plane at a perfectly blue sky that served as a backdrop for several ice-and-snow-covered peaks. What a thrilling introduction to the Andes. As soon as the plane landed and we were making our way across the tarmac to the terminal, I began to feel the effects of the altitude (Cusco is at 11,500 ft). Nothing serious, just lightheadedness and a slight goofy feeling. The air was dry, slightly warm, and mountain clear.

I had the taxi driver stop at the Wanchaq train station on the way to the hotel so that we could pick up our train tickets for Machu Picchu for the following day. Then we went directly to the Niños Hotel.

What a pleasant hotel that turned out to be, with a lovely courtyard and incredibly sweet staff. The photo shows all three of us in the hotel courtyard.

We got settled in our rooms on the ground floor, and after a short rest, ventured into the streets. Cusco was in the midst of celebrations and preparations for the annual Inti Raymi (or winter solstice) festival, which would climax the following Sunday with an elaborate ceremony at the Sacsayhuaman fortress ruins above the town.
We worked our way through the Plaza de Armas, where all sorts of folkloric dance troupes were parading past what appeared to be a judges' review. The historic center of Cusco is very impressive. Of course you will see some of the Inca masonry supporting colonial architecture. But you will also see winding streets, beautiful painted doorways, and carved balconies reminiscent of Seville or Granada. But the city has a character all its own. Despite the huge concentration of souvenir stalls and tourist shops, the town is attractive, and the historical center very clean.

We walked up a narrow, steep street to a small restaurant, Granja Heidi, that was recommended by the hotel staff for a light lunch.The second-floor dining room of the restaurant is attractive and flooded with natural light. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for naps.

I woke up before Jim and Betsy and walked a few blocks to the Cultural Institute to see if I could purchase our entry tickets for Machu Picchu for the next day. Unfortunately, my guide book gave the wrong hours for the office that sells the tickets, and they were closed by the time I got there just before 5pm. At this point it was starting to get dark and I could feel a headache coming on. I figured it must be a symptom of altitude sickness, or soroche, as the locals call it.

By the time the three of us sat down to dinner, my head was pounding, I was having chills, and had lost my appetite. I ordered a bowl of soup that turned out to be too rich and spicy. I just had some of the broth. I was in such agony that could not participate in the most basic conversation. On our way back to the hotel, I thought I was going to be sick in the streets. But we made it back to the hotel, where I immediately got into bed and went to sleep. Although soroche would return to bother me over the next few days, it never got as bad again as it was that first night.