A City With Altitude
Written: Nov 21 '02 (Updated Nov 21 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Elegant Architecture, Machu Picchu & the Inca Trail.
Cons: The tourist is a marked money making target.
The Bottom Line: Once you catch your breath your breath will be taken away by the splendour of it all.
|
|
|
| indiecater's Full Review: Cuzco |
Cusco is one of South America's oldest cities with a proud and illustrious history. It is beautiful to look at with an abundance of classical buildings that are open to the public. The town sits in the shadow of the Andes mountains and their snow capped peaks adds to the cities grandeur. Cusco has recently reverted back to its original name, Qosco as a mark of respect for the local Quechua people.
Like most Peruvian cities the centre is marked by the Plaza De Armas. Cusco's plaza has an unusual fountain ranked by a good seating area and several imposing buildings including the Cathedral and a stack of hostels and restaurants all decked out in authentic style.
While Peru's capital Lima sits at sea level, Cusco is a full 3,300 metres higher. This characteristic can lead to plenty of problems if you arrive by air from the capital. Altitude sickness usually takes the form of headaches, breathlessness, tiredness and a general feeling of not been well. We came by bus from Arequipa (12 hours, 2,300 metres) which meant that we had partially acclimatised. Despite this, it took 48 long hours for us to adjust. For 2 whole days we walked around in a trance like state, had difficulty sleeping and were generally unhappy by the way we felt. Altitude sickness is called Soroche by the locals and their prescribed cure for is tea made from coca leaves. Drinking the stuff is tough work and we didn't really experience any improvement although some travellers swear by it.
Once you get used to the thin air you'll discover that Cusco craves and succeeds in attracting the tourist dollar. It comes as a little bit of a surprise to find so many gringo's in one place but it's easy to see why they come. Cusco has all the Peruvian charms that postcard makers look for. Its architecture is unique, its people are bona fide and it is within touching distance of one of the world's greatest ruins, Machu Picchu.
Beyond the Plaza and the Cathedral there is a maze of steep cobblestone streets and alleys to be discovered. Many have souvenir shops and rustic restaurants that could take days to investigate on their own. Climbing the streets comes at a price though. As you huff and puff your mind starts to wander back to a time when climbing steps didn't automatically mean palpitations. The trick is to take it easy or if you're in a lazy mood take a cab!
ACCOMMODATION
The best places to stay in town are located in and around the Plaza De Armas. Going any further makes for anguished walks back to your hotel at night. Muggings are quite frequent in less central areas of town so the general consensus is that you should a taxi at night.
Cusco's centre is overflowing with places to stay. Prices for the cheaper places are pretty uniform but the quality varies quite a bit. Like with choosing a tour agency tariffs are usually quoted in US dollars but payment can be made in Peruvian soles. Inexplicably quite big discounts can be engineered if you pay in the local currency. We were originally quoted 70 soles for our room but our astonished looks and plea bargaining brought the price down to 40 (12 euro).
Hostal Singapor down an alley off calle Quero is where we settled for nearly a week despite the fact that we never felt our belongings were safe. On more than one occasion the staff entered our room, we're not sure if it was for cleaning or snooping purposes. We made sure any valuables were well locked up in our backpacks. Perhaps it was all the stories we had heard about thefts that made us paranoid but this state of mind certainy makes you doubly careful.
The Hostel had a safe of sorts (a wooden drawer in the staff sleeping quarters!) which we never used. All rooms have ensuite facilities and a TV (no cable, natch!) and are quite airy and clean. One of the best things about the hostel was their free baggage room (the staff room again!) which meant that if you are going to Machu Picchu you don't need to lug heavy backpacks. Overall the place was quite but on footie nights the TV at reception was set at ear piercing levels. This was South America after all.
ATTRACTIONS
Cusco and the wonders that surround it are the prize attraction for tourists visiting Peru. Inevitably they are loads of agencies offering a multitude of tours. With intense competition many hound visitors to the point of distraction. As a rule we tend to avoid these places, surmising that if an agency is good enough you'll hear about them from other travellers. The friendliest operation we dealt with were Suri Adventures based just off the Plaza who spoke English and who at least pretended to care.
Andean Adventures are another reputable agency. They (as well as most of the bigger companies) offer day tours to the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley's (the Rio Urubamba) main town is Pisac, 30 kilometres away, that is the gateway to well known Inca ruins and is characterised by its agricultural terraces. We decided to give the trip a miss but quite a few people we spoke to recommended it.
In order to get into many of the churches and ruins in the Cusco vicinity you need to buy a visitor card for $10. These cards expire after 1 week and are available from the tourist office in the Plaza or at any of the sites that use the card. We figured that in order to make your money back you would need to visit nearly all of the attractions. Some are way out of town so it's not altogether possible. There are cheaper day tickets available for $6 but it does not include all of the attractions. If you have a student card a visitor card costs just $5. Cusco is one of the few places in South America where student identity will save you quite a bit of money (something to remember if your trip includes a visit to Bangkok's Koh San Road).
Another popular trip is a day tour of the town and some of the nearby attractions. This tour costs just $3, the catch being that in order to enjoy the places the tour visits you need the Cusco Visitor Card. The itinerary includes the Cathedral (with its huge last supper mural) and the closest Inca ruins to Cusco, Sacsayhuaman. The Inca's grand plan for Cusco was that the area would be shaped like a Puma with Sacsayhuaman acting as the Puma's head. Today the huge zig zag walls that remain at the site indicate where the Puma's teeth were marked. You don't need to take a tour to visit Sacsayhuaman as it can be reached by foot in under an hour. Another alternative is to take the new wooden tram from the Plaza. For 5 soles you can get a unique impression of the town and some of the nearby attractions.
It's hard to believe that the Inca Empire held sway for only a century. Just 5 hundred years ago its empire extended far beyond its spiritual home at Cusco. The empire crumbled as petty internal greed allowed the Spanish conquistadors to replace it with their own puppet. It is said that the Inca's feared correctly that their culture was on the verge of extinction and so retreated to Machu Picchu to build a mighty city as a monument.
Machu Picchu lay undiscovered for centuries until 1911 when explorer Hiram Bingham came across it by accident. Today it is South America's greatest archaeological site. There is still lots of restoration in progress as evidenced by the scaffolding on a number of its sides. It is disappointing to see that some restored buildings still retain number sequences on their surfaces. It is like the whole thing was put together like some children's game.
The moment you arrive at Machu Picchu you will be blown away by the grandeur of it all. Not so much by the ruins, as pretty as they are, but by the location on a high mountain outpost with fluffy clouds blustering about at its edges. Guided tours are available to flesh out your imagination but there are several books dedicated to the ruins that provide ample information to do it unhurriedly by yourself.
The main highlights of a day at Machu Picchu includes the panoramic views from the Hut Of The Caretaker Of The Funerary Rock. Here you get a full sweeping view of the ruins and the surrounding area. It's easy to get lost in the moment and go through several rolls of film. The ceremonial baths (with running water, something you can't say about a lot of hostels in Peru!) are fascinating in their basic functionality. The highest point of the main ruins is Intihuatana, a shrine that retains its original sundial. The sundial was not actually used for telling the time but for indicating the change in seasons. The ruins also boast a large residential section, an industrial section and a prison.
A lot of people arrive at the ruins after a 4 day hike through spectacular mountain passes and valleys. This hike is the most famous on the continent and is known as the Inca Trail. There is quite an effort required to complete the trek as you battle with the altitude, the weather (temperatures can dip to freezing and beyond at night) and your own lack of fitness
Most Inca Trail operators (it is illegal to do the trek without a qualified guide) include all food and equipment in the price. Some of the better companies even lay on porters so you don't have to carry your gear This is advisable because carrying 3 days food, a tent and extra clothes on your back can become taxing if you are walking for 7 hours a day.
Besides the Inca Trail, the only other way to get to Machu Picchu is by train. Travel agents in Cusco sell tickets but it is much cheaper to buy from source at Huanchac Station on calle Paracutec (the train actually leaves from San Pedro station). There are 3 different classes to choose from but the most popular (cheapest and most basic) is the backpacker express for $35. The journey to Aguas Calientes, the nearest village to the ruins, takes 4 hours (110 km). At times the train chugs along at a snails pace but the views outside can be spectacular.
Aguas Calientes (translated as hot water) is a place you need to at least pass through, whether you like it or not, if you are going to Machu Picchu. It is more expensive than Cusco (using the internet price index, 6 soles Versus 2 soles per hour) and is not much to look at. In fact, you could even call it a dump without too much argument. Here you can eat and pay 10% tax on the bill, buy overpriced souvenir's at the market, watch the local train take off down the main street, soak in the filthy hot springs for 5 soles or just lounge around the worst Plaza in Peru.
We stayed at Hostal Imperio De Los Inkas on the main street Av Pachacutec. We could sense the owner (who also runs the upstairs restaurant) was a bit of a chancer (there is a lot of them in Aguas Calientes) who had dollar signs clearly tattooed on his forehead so we had to play him at his own game. Astonishment and playing the poor mouth was the only way to get a reasonable rate of 40 soles for a nights accommodation.
There are loads of places to eat on the steep main street Av Pachacutec. Govinda's is a good vegetarian with 3 course meals for 8 soles. The sweetly named El Tumi has a good breakfast for 6 soles and a really friendly owner. The hip Blues bar sells greasy meals but its stock of English magazines more than makes up for your cholesterol filled veins.
Entry to the ruins at Machu Picchu costs $20 or just $10 with a fake student card, er I mean legitimate International Student Identity Card. Getting from Aguas Calientes to Machu is expensive (more of the fleece the tourist mentality) considering it is only a 20 minute bus ride there. For $9 you get delivered to the entrance to the ruins and back again. For fitness fanatics there is a steep walking trail there that takes just over an hour. Taking the bus up ($4.50) and walking down could be a nice compromise.
SHOPPING
Cusco is a haven for arts and crafts. There are markets everywhere and when you get sick of them there are plenty of souvenir shops to keep you and your wallet busy. Typical items include alpaca sweaters, tapestries, rugs, hats, pottery and figurines. Of course you can also get the ubiquitous T-shirt emblazoned with the local beer (a personal favourite, this time it was Cusquena - Cerveza Va Para Ti).
Mercado Central right beside the San Pedro train station is an experience. Here you can eat a 2 course meal for 2 soles but your stomach will be truly put to the test. Apart from dozens of stalls selling such essential rubbish as safety pins and Llama hats there is an eye opening meat market and fish stalls. Quite how people manage to avoid getting food poisoning from the cuts of meat that are haphazardly thrown on dirty tables is hard to fathom. Here every piece of the animal is up for grabs, from testicles to tails!
EATING OUT
The street where you're gonna eat whether you'd like to or not is the pedestrian mall Procuradores. Getting from one end to the other is a challenge in itself as you pass eager touts looking to line your stomach and their pockets. For this reason we tended to avoid it after day one.
Eating out in Cusco is a little more expensive than in the rest of Peru but set lunches (completos) still offer great value. The locals use lunch (which is often served up to 4 in the afternoon) as their main meal surviving on a snack around teatime for the rest of the day. For 8 soles you can pick up a fairly good 3 course meal that might not pass the gourmet test but certainly fills you up.
Intl Raymi on calle Alemagro is a cut above the average. The owner speaks good English and the quick service and value for money is hard to top. We were staying just across the road so we called in for their breakfast americano each morning. Chez Maggy on the appropriately named calle Plateros (also in Aguas Calientes) has enough soft lighting and good evening deals at 12 soles each to be packed every night. The long bench seating means that you can share travel experiences with other gringos.
Cafe Baghdad has a great location overlooking the Plaza. It's second level balcony is ideal for watching the goings on down below. As with most of the restaurants in the Plaza prices are pretty much standard but the very quick service and banos (toilets) with loo roll increases its attractiveness.
ENTERTAINMENT
Paddy O'Flaherty's on the Plaza De Armas is a rare beast. For once the Irish theme is spot on, with Irish staff and decor that doesn't try too hard to look perfect. There are other attractions too as the pub shows a lot of English football. Their happy hours are from 8 - 9 and 11.30 - 12 but the selection on offer is limited to shots. During the day there is a limited food service including baguettes that are a little pricey at 9 soles but are filling and very tasty. What would an Irish Pub be without the black stuff, unfortunately it comes at a price. For a can of Guinness you'll need 17 soles, it seems that rip off Ireland has even reached South America!
X'SS also in the Plaza De Armas doubles as a bar and a mini cinema. The screen might not be exactly plasma but it is big and the sound is great. All you gotta do to watch films hear is spend 3 soles on food or drink. For those not into movies there is always chess by candlelight. X'SS happy hour is quite good and falls between 11 and 12, or as soon as Gladiator finishes. Sunset video lounge is another variation on the X'SS theme except that here movies take top priority. They charge 3 soles admission per movie but the picture quality and sound is excellent. Greasy food and bottled beer are the menu highlights.
Rosie O' Grady's on calle Maruri has the only happy hour in Cusco that includes beer. The local beer is Cuzqueno and is not bad if taken in moderation. Drinking at this altitude means getting drunk quicker, faster dehydration and unmerciful hangovers that can leave you debilitated..
Mama Africa's is one of the most popular spots in town, so much so that it has 2 locations on the Plaza. Both have an alternative feel with a worn facade, few chairs and loud music. They show films in the early evening (you get a free drink coupon) and music until the early morning.
MISCELLANEOUS
Despite its shiny exterior Cusco has its share of problems that need to be kept in mind when you visit the city. There are several areas that should be avoided late at night especially if you are on your own. The streets that surround the Mercado central are known for pickpockets and the steep streets at the north end of the Plaza are so badly lit it's not too surprising that the shadows contain undesirables.
The main post office in town is on Avenue El Sol but most souvenir shops sell stamps and have their own post-box. In order to use a shops post-box you must buy the stamps there, something we found out from a scowlish shop owner! Stamps are not cheap either, it costs 3.80 Neuvo Soles to send a postcard to Europe, thank God for email.
You'd be amazed at the number of internet cafes dotted around Cusco. The biggest concentration can be found on the streets close to the Plaza De Armas. Despite some extravagant claims of hyper speed there is little to distinguish the majority. Prices range from 2 to 2.5 soles and the overall quality of lines is pretty good.
A must read when you get to Cusco is the English written Cusco Weekly News. It has a great international news section as well as matters closer to base. There is even a footie column written by Stefano Bozzi who is (was?) an associate producer on 'Match Of The Day'. The best thing is that the paper is free and is widely available throughout the shops and restaurants in the town.
Football is certainly popular in Peru but it does not infuse as much passion as elsewhere on the continent. Basketball it seems is almost as popular with concrete courts doubling as 5-a-side pitches. There is a public court on Avenue El Sol and at weekends there are several games to watch from the concrete gallery. Viewing the games is a real social occasion with plenty of beer being downed and conversations becoming more important than the action on the court!
Manu adventures (they will also do your laundry at the cheapest rates in town - 2 soles) based on Av El Sol are dedicated agents for trips to the Parque Nacional Manu but also run a money exchange (cambio). The Peruvian currency is the Neuvo Sole and like with many South American currencies it pays to hoard loose change because many smaller businesses have difficulty changing the larger denominations.
While we're on the topic of foreign currencies, we've never seen the need for travellers cheques because 90% of places we've visited have ATM's. Using an ATM works out much cheaper than having to shell out commissions to convert cheques to cash plus you also get a preferential exchange rate (the rates the banks get) if you use ATM's.
Cusco has its fair share of hassles that can sometimes wear you down. The Plaza draws the full gambit of touts, postcard sellers, shoeshine boys and pickpockets. There are even local Quechua women with Llama's in tow who demand a fee if your camera comes within 200 feet of them. They don't charge per session either, a different snap requires offloading more coins. Get them when they've cornered another unsuspecting tourist for unlimited shots.
WHERE TO NEXT?
When the time comes to leave Cusco there are plenty of options. The town has a small airport and there are regular flights to Lima and Arequipa. We were moving on to the town of Puno near the Bolivian border. This route was traditionally taken by train but since the road there has been paved the bus has become a quicker and more economical option. Millennium Tours at Portal Mantas 117 have about the cheapest bus fares. Travelling on a comfortable Tours Peru bus the journey takes 7 hours and costs just 35 soles.
Puno sits on the shores of Lake Titicaca and while the town itself has little to offer except a pleasant mall and several good bars it is a great base for exploring the world's highest navigable lake. Many tour agencies in town can organise an overnight stay at one of the lakes islands with a local family (accommodation made of mud, bed made of straw!). Along the way you visit the floating islands of Uros, get dressed up in traditional clothing and dance the night away to the local band. A truly unforgettable experience to rival Machu Picchu.
Cusco is a beautiful city that takes several days to really appreciate and explore. Once you realise that it is a tourist city and you are going to be pestered you can start enjoying yourself. When you eventually get sick of the continual touting for dollars it is probably time to move on. Despite this, the memories of this unique part of Peru will stay with you forever.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
indiecater
|
|
Location: Ireland
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
I now write at http://mp3hugger.com
It's an indie mp3 blog don't you know.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.