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CUSCO #3 - Full Power, Full Schedule

Published on Anja Tags: Cusco

CUSCO #3 - Full Power, Full Program

Accommodation

Our Airbnb accommodation was cozy but dark. Since we booked very last minute, we were not met by our host Saul but by two teenagers who opened the door for us. And that was quite an experience. Behind the main door lies a whole neighborhood or "Barrio." In our room, a kettle and a small selection of teas awaited us. Luckily, there was also hot water. For the five nights, we paid 70.77 euros; for the sixth night, an extra 45 soles.

Sights

So, where do I start... I had an incredible week. A really super incredible week. While Pascal had to work, I had a lot of fun 😁. Tuesday to Friday, I went on tours with "Tourismo Mágico San Blas." For each of the four tours, I had to be ready and set to go at 4:30 AM. Here's a small packing list:

  • Cap
  • Beanie
  • Gloves
  • Scarf
  • T-shirt
  • Sweater
  • Fleece jacket
  • Down jacket
  • Rain jacket
  • 1.5l water
  • Apple or other snacks
  • Camera
  • Small change
  • Coca candies and other remedies for altitude sickness
  • Aspirin, paracetamol, band-aids
  • Sunglasses
  • Extra pair of socks You can cover yourself with the rest of the jackets, as you usually sleep through the first part of the ride, and it's freezing in the car. There's also a link to the respective album at the end of each day.

Montaña Palcoyo - the "alternative" Rainbow Mountain at 4900 meters

As with the tour to the "real" rainbow mountain, there was breakfast in Cusipata. At the restaurant "Apu," hot chocolate, coffee, tea, bread, sausage, jam, and fruit salad were ready for us. At around 7:30 AM, we moved on. Half an hour later, we were in Checacupe, where we visited three different bridges. At 9:30 AM, it became evident: we have a flat tire. Our driver quickly changed both tires (yes, not just one tire, but two had given up the ghost). The last hour uphill, we saw many alpacas, and at the parking lot, the first rainbow mountain came into view. Another girl and I quickly separated from the group and stormed up the mountain (maybe I take after my grandpa, the infamous "summit stormer"?). Due to the many photos, I was eventually caught up to by Valentina. We climbed the rest together and had a great conversation in English. Yes, alongside my Spanish, my English has improved too. We took many photos (including with the alpacas along the way) and arrived at the so-called "Bosque de las Piedras," our destination. These are rock formations also known as the "stone forest." On the way, we saw the other two rainbow mountains. The scenery was simply fantastic: red mountains and the mountain "Ausangate in the background." Then back downhill and into the van. At around 2:00 PM, we arrived at the restaurant - the same as at breakfast. There were various salads, pasta, lentils, ... All in all quite okay. Then back into the car and home to Cusco. I slept through part of the ride, chatted the rest away ;) 5:20 PM, we were finally there. At almost 13 hours, a long day! Costs:

  • 100 soles for the tour
  • 15 soles for the entrance to the mountain
  • 5 soles for the entrance to the three bridges

Montaña Vinicunca - the "real" Rainbow Mountain at 5200 meters

Contrary to the statement that I would be picked up between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, there was nothing in sight far and wide. At 5:20, I was picked up as the last one. Only the guide was picked up later on the outskirts of the city. At 7:15 AM, there was breakfast at the restaurant "ReComiendo," right next to yesterday's one. Besides noodle soup (for breakfast!), you could get omelets, tangerines, watermelon, bread, sausage, cheese, and a few other things. Delicious! At 9:45 AM, we reached our destination, and our hike began. It must have been about 580 meters uphill. I stormed ahead on my own because I wanted to visit the "Valle Rojo," the red valley. Anastasia (from the Perito Moreno Glacier) recommended it to me. You can go up either on foot, by horse, or by motorcycle. The latter two options cost an extra 70 soles each. At 10:40 AM, I finally reached the top and took a few pictures. Since I was unsure whether I would make it to the red valley in time, I asked three different people. "Yes, yes, no problem, doable without stress," was their answer. On the way up, a French woman needed help with her altitude problems (it was her second day in Cusco, no wonder...) and I had to hurry. 11:52 AM, finally at the top! Oh dear, hardly any time left, I have to be at the car by 12:30... Partly on foot, partly on my butt, I lost track of the path and had no time to take pictures of the llamas... In the end, my hands were scraped, my pants torn, and my butt bruised 🙄. Back on the regular trail, I met Guy, my seatmate on the bus. We hurried to get down in time and made it with a small five-minute delay. At 2:30 PM, there was a super delicious lunch. Ceviche, nachos, pasta salad, vegetables, soup, baked potatoes, ... At around 5:00 PM, after a 50-minute wait and an almost 11-hour tour, we were back at the starting point.

  • 65 soles for the tour
  • 30 soles for the entrance to the mountain
  • 10 soles for the entrance to the "Valle Rojo"

Laguna Humantay - Start of the "Salkantay-Trek" at 4200 meters

Today's pickup went smoother than the last one. I even had the same driver as the day before :) At around 7:20 AM, we had breakfast. Omelets, fruit salad with papaya and watermelon, bread, and pancakes were available. But the pancakes tasted a bit strange... At 9:00 AM, our trek on the "Salkantay-Trek" paths began. The 400 meters uphill could be eased by the horses for 80 soles. At 10:45 AM, I finally reached the top and the lagoon and its numerous visitors lay before me. To take a picture, you almost had to line up; so many people were there. From higher up, the blue tone was even more beautiful. A little anecdote in between: Drones are not allowed. But no one told the foreigner guy. And as a drone owner, to first check if it's allowed? Nah, not worth the effort. After several warnings from a local guide to shut it off (the poor guy really didn't know, he felt so sorry!), he let the drone land. A hiker higher up the mountain dislodged a stone right at that moment, and who would have thought it, the drone was hit 😂. Karma?! At around 12:30 PM, we headed back down, but without our guide Mary Lou, who went looking for two lost members of our group. When we were back down, even Mary Lou hadn't reappeared. Turns out, the two had simply walked ahead to the car ;) At 2:30 PM, there were salads, pasta, lentils, soup, chicken, etc. We stopped at an ice cream parlor, and I was treated to a popsicle. Thank you, gladly! At 6:00 PM, back in Cusco, I stumbled upon a street festival, and an elderly lady pulled me into her dance circle and put her traditional hat on my head. What fun! Thus ended an eventful, 14-hour excursion :) As a reward, we treated ourselves to a massage at Inti Killa, a delight! And not even expensive: 90 soles for an hour for two people ;)

  • 65 soles for the tour
  • 20 soles for the entrance to the lagoon

Siete Lagunas - Seven Lagoons at the foot of Ausangate at 4770 meters

Since this was the last of the four tours, you'd think I was practiced. Hmm, maybe not; I left my backpack in the apartment and had to have Pascal come out in his underwear. At 8:45 AM, there were oranges, delicious pancakes, rolls, cheese, and jam. The hike began directly at the restaurant at 9:10 AM. On the way up, I had a great chat with Dani from Mexico. The beginning was harder than I expected because I took my altitude pills too late. Briefly, I was tempted to take one of the horses for 100 soles (round trip), but Daniela luckily talked me out of it. The ascent then went faster than expected. Seven beautiful lagoons awaited us at the top: Azulcocha, Otorongo, Pucacocha, Alqacocha, Q’omercocha, Orqo Otorongo y China Otorongo. The highest was 4770 meters high. On the way, I also got some coca gummy hearts and coca chocolate hearts from Dani. Delicious! On the way down, we saw a group of Germans. At 2:00 PM, the tired hikers finally had lunch. Pasta, trout, salads, baked potatoes, soup, lentils, fried bananas, salads, and much more was available. All very tasty, only the trout was too salty. At around 7:30 PM, we were back in Cusco, and our 15-hour trip and my 4 days of full power were over. Costs:

  • 90 soles for the tour
  • 20 soles for the entrance to the mountain (- 5 soles for the entrance to the hot springs)

Food and Drink

Besides the well-known restaurants, we also got to know a few new ones. For instance, we ate burgers and crêpes at the vegetarian restaurant "El Encuentro." But the best part was the free salad buffet that came with every meal. Another time, we chose the menu for 12 soles. It included "Chairo" soup and "Guiso de Pallar," a bean stew, as the main course. Bread, salads, and peppermint tea were also included. At the pizzeria "Urpi," we got a lasagna for Pascal, baked in a porcelain dish in a stone oven. At the questionable pizzeria "Dely," we ate a "Pizza mediana," which came with calzone and drinks. Unfortunately, the pizza of the day was with salchipapa… :( At "Dely's" we bought churros. At "La Cochita Café," we had the world's best "Pan de Chocolate," delicious baguettes, and fresh juices. At "Bonna Torta," we ate veggie omelets. At the market, we had empanadas for breakfast, "Crema / Ponche de Habas," hot chocolate, and a sandwich.

Cafés and Restaurants

  • El Encuentro
  • Urpi
  • Pizzería Dely Cusco (Recoleta)
  • Dely's
  • La Cochita Café
  • Bonna Torta

Plants and Animals

An album of the plants and animals I discovered during my four tours can be viewed here.

Contact with Locals

On the last day, I had a very nice chat with Saul, our host. We drank tea together and ate strawberries with honey from Cusco. Rolls and coffee were also available.

People We Met

On the four tours, I met all kinds of people. First, there's Valeria. Val is just over thirty, from the USA, and did the Rainbow Mountain Tour Number One with me. We climbed Montaña Palcoyo together and took numerous photos with cute alpacas. Just my type! I met Guy on the tour to Rainbow Mountain Number Two. We sat next to each other in the minibus and hiked (due to our different speeds) separately. On the way down, however, we met again and hurried back to the bus. We were a little late ;) I saw Guy again in Arequipa, where he, Pascal, and I went for a relaxed beer together. On the third tour to "Laguna Humantay," it was a bit more difficult as I was with a closed group. But they were also very friendly, and I talked to some of them. On the last tour along the seven lagoons, I met Daniela. Daniela, just over thirty, comes from Mexico and invited me to a coworker's baby shower the day after our tour. Pascal and I accepted, and let me tell you, it was an experience. Everything was a bit chaotic but with lots of decorations and ukulele singing about Mother Earth. Unique! The baby, by the way, turned one year old.

Expenses

Tourismo Mágico charged the following for my tours:

  • 100 soles for Montaña Palcoyo
  • 65 soles for Montaña Vinicunca
  • 65 soles for Laguna Humantay
  • 90 soles for Siete Lagunas or Ausangate The agency gave me an overall discount of 10 soles. Thus, instead of 320 soles, I only had to pay 310 soles. Well, I'll take what I can get ;)

Standard Stand Offer

As always, the same: Ponchos, cut pineapples, fake alpaca sweaters, "Queso Helado" (the so-called cheese ice cream with vanilla), ...

Laundry

We had our laundry done twice within the six days. We chose the Israeli laundry "Lavandería Ganwash" and were very satisfied. The price was 3.50 soles per kilogram.

Unsolvable Mysteries

Why does the traditional dish "Chiriuchu" consist mostly of tough meat? You can't eat such a gigantically large plate on your own, especially since it's available specifically during "Semana Santa" in Cusco...

Bus to Arequipa

We bought our bus to Arequipa quite relaxed through the internet portal of "Cruz del Sur." We first tried to buy it from an "official" seller on site, but the commission surcharge was just too crazy. For 95 soles per person, we set off at 8:30 PM. Our arrival time was around 6:30 AM. The ride was a complete disaster. Pascal had to throw up twice during the drive - luckily, the small puke bucket was right by the aisle and directly across from the toilet. It was not pleasant. Completely destroyed, we took a taxi (again, InDrive was cheaper than all other options) from the terminal to our accommodation. Unfortunately, we had to wait a bit for check-in; we could rest in the lobby on the chairs. Pascal stayed in the accommodation while I wanted to explore the city. It went quite well until I suddenly (unaware, drinking a pineapple juice) felt slight nausea. With a queasy feeling in my stomach, I slowly made my way back. Oh dear, maybe a taxi is a better choice? Due to a traffic jam, I decided to get off a bit earlier and walk the rest of the way. In the middle of the sidewalk, it then happened to me. Luckily, there was a small grassy strip next to it… Completely exhausted in the accommodation, I lay down in bed and felt like I was at sea ⛵ After a second session, everything was out of my stomach, and Pascal and I lay side by side in bed, wishing for healing sleep ;)