Just a short note to let you know we arrived in Cusco early this morning. Despite not getting to sleep until nearly 11 pm, we were up around 3 am and downstairs and our taxi arrived 15 minutes early. Hence when we arrived at the airport it was all closed up. The security guard at the barrier made contact with one in the airport telling him he had two senoras in a taxi and I heard the comment about us being really early. We were allowed in though - the door was unlocked and we went into a dark check in area with just some background lighting indicating the Lan check in desks. We were really amazed that they let us in with the airport being closed.
Sitting on the floor with our suitcases, Layla was groaning ´why had we got up so early´ using her rucksack as a pillow! I said ´never mind, let´s eat the breakfast the hotel gave us´ and by the time we finished the Lan staff were arriving, the lights came on and other passengers began to arrive. In fact it was a bonus being early, being the first to check in, I managed to get my luggage down to 26 kilos so only 12 dollars to pay (by wearing two petticoats, three skirts, a cardigan and two jackets!!!). Unfortunately none of the coffee shops were open that early so we ended up boarding the plane at 6 longing for a cup of coffee to be offered when we were in the air. Alas that did not happen as we first flew to Juliaca, near Lake Titicaca, only 30 minutes so no time to serve everyone. Nothing on the next leg of the flight either as that too was only 30 minutes duration. The flight over the mountains had Layla awestruck, especially as we were coming in to land at Cusco with the mountains so close.
Then we were walking into the airport where Juan was waiting to meet us. He plays in the band who welcome all visitors to Cusco airport, Inti Llacta, and although they were having a rest right then, they played 3 tracks just for us. Then Juan accompanied us round to the check in part of the airport so we could all have a coffee together, then found us a taxi for a third of the price the taxis wanted who were waiting just 50 yards away for all the gullible new arrivals! We said our goodbyes agreeing to meet up again at 2 pm, as he was contracted to play with the band until 1 pm.
When we arrived at the hotel they could not find our reservation and neither could I find the print out in my suitcase. The main concern was that our reservation had quoted 14 dollars a night whereas the list above reception quoted 40 dollars a night because it is high season! They found us a room with twin beds and bathroom but it was very small. We were halfway through unloading our things when the porter reappeared and offered us a much bigger room which was without a bathroom. We decided to take is as the shared bathroom was really close. Within an hour we were settled in and all unpacked, and set off walking to have a proper breakfast. After this we went walking, checked out a few restaurants for future reference, and in one of the shops where there was a camera download of pictures onto CD or DVD service we handed over both our memory cards asking them to put both lots onto one DVD and make two copies, one for Layla, one for me - for the very reasonable price of 4 dollars each. I also have a 1 gig memory card I filled up in the Galapagos and hope to get that downloaded in a day or two as well. We listened to some great music in a nearby shop for half an hour, and when we went back to collect the DVDs were amazed to find that up until now we have taken around 1300 photos. I dread to think what all that is going to cost to get printed when I get back home!
We then made it halfway round the square and came to Patiti´s restaurant, one of my favourite haunts of previous visits, and at that moment some musicians came along and I recognised one of them as being Juan´s friend, asked him if he was going to play and he said yes, they were going to do 4 songs in Patiti´s. We went in and enjoyed a pisco sour whilst listening to them play and when they left to go to Yunga´s restaurant nearby we went with them and there it wasnt busy and they played for about an hour, playing everything we requested and we had a lovely time. Then Juan found us there at 2 pm, knowing that where there was a sound of music playing that is where we would be!
He came with us to Wanchaq station to get our PeruRail train tickets to Machu Picchu this weekend, which had been reserved online several months ago. We still had to queue but soon had our train tickets in hand at cost of 96 dollars each for the return ticket, which worked out at 288 soles. When I said we wanted to buy train tickets for Juan as well, the man would not serve us and said we had to queue up again, which meant pulling another ticket and a long wait. Juan being Peruvian, his ticket would only cost 10 soles each way, a total of 268 soles more for tourists!
We waited an hour and when it was Juan´s turn, the man was most unhelpful, saying he could not buy his ticket more than 4 days in advance and told him to come back the next day. I was really annoyed because I had told him he was travelling with us, yet he made us wait all that time instead of saying he had to return next day.
At 8 pm Layla and I are going back to Patiti´s in order to see Luciano´s band play - this time more than 4 songs as it is evening. We will probably have another pisco sour whilst watching as we had lunch so late we won´t bother with dinner, especially as Patiti´s is pretty expensive. We will be meeting Juan at 10, as he is coming with us to watch a live folkloric band at one of the clubs - he said there are good bands playing every night, and we will quite likely go to KamiKase, which is a club I adore. We have to be there by 10 to get a good table at the front. The band play at 11 for an hour or so and then it becomes disco into the small hours. I am only ever interested in the folkloric live band and we certainly won´t linger longer tonight as it has been such a long day, probably 20 or more hours without sleep by the time we get back to the hotel around midnight or 12.30. Having Juan with us means we won´t get any hassle from anyone else and he is fun to be with. Inviting him to accompany us to Machu Picchu will make it even better for us because of his brilliant musical ability. He is going to bring his charango and panpipes with him and play for us whilst we are in Machu Picchu and that will be awesome. He has musician friends he can stay with at Aguas Calientes and can introduce us to a whole new music scene there. We are so looking forward to it.
Tomorrow morning Layla and I are going to the Institute of Culture to buy the three Machu Picchu sanctuary tickets and then we will be all set for an exciting 4-day trip commencing Sunday - another early start but not as bad as today - we have to be at San Pedro station by 6.20 am latest, with the train departing at 6.50. Juan has to travel separately on the local train (which we tourists are not allowed to go on, even if we pay the tourist fare, sad to say, as that trip would be so much more exciting). Layla is in for a real treat when we leave Cusco because the train zig zags high above the city, with the conductor getting off and changing the signals at each zig and zag of the way.
Before that we are going to Urubamba for the day on Friday which is one of the market days and will meet up with another friend Alfredo (Waylacu is his nickname) who lives there with his wife and child. He is another musician and his band plays with violin, mandolin, guitar and pre-Colombian instruments including ancient bones, to create a mystical ethereal type of music. His band rehearse at 3 pm and if the other musicians agree we can be present while they rehearse which we will enjoy immensely. And if Juan can get out of playing in the band that morning he will accompany us there too. We have to leave early if we want to come back the same day because it is a 2-hour journey each way in a micro type bus which is an adventure in itself, following a beautiful route through the Sacred Valley. Juan also plays in a second band and has promised to ensure we see them perform somewhere at some point during our Cusco visit. Before coming to this internet cafe Layla and I walked to Tomines restaurant near the cathedral and found a live band still plays there too at 8 each evening. We cannot be in two places at once so will probably dine there tomorrow evening.
Each place we have arrived at Layla loves it more than the last. She raved about Arequipa and wants to go back, but landing in Cusco this morning it was fantastic to see her reaction, then all over again to see how much she adored Cusco, just like I do. In no time at all she said on our next trip we could skip all the rest and just stay in Cusco she was so enchanted with it.
Well time now is 7.20 so we are going to have to pop back to our hotel in order to freshen up and get back to Patiti´s in time for the band. After a very hot sunny day things have cooled down at night but nothing like what it was at Chivay which nearly finished poor Layla off. We have noticed no ill effects being 1000 feet higher up than we were in Arequipa. Cusco is about 11,000 feet above sea level. We were able to dance to the music in Yunta this afternoon without any problems, but Layla has a stash of coca leaves to chew just in case! I will probably write more in a day or two, plus add Layla´s writing to the end of my Arequipa episode which she is currently writing up.
