Flying from Lima to Cusco

We were up early to catch our flight from Lima to Cusco, a change in elevation from just above sea level to 3400 m (11,200 ft). The flight was full of tour groups from China, Japan the US and Canada and we seemed to be the only ones on our own (and the youngest). When we broke through the clouds and began our descent into Cusco, it was clear immediately how much had changed in our hour plus flight. We were clearly in the mountains and ancient terraces could be seen on the hill sides. Like flying into Kathmandu, the ground below was dotted with brick homes in various stages of completion.

On to Urubamba

From the airport we negotiated a taxi fare of Soles /.80 (about $25) for the drive to our hotel in Urubamba, at a relatively low 2870 m (9,420 ft). All three of us fell asleep, even on the winding road from Cusco, but woke just as the taxi began the steep descent into Urubamba. In the distance we could see the snow capped Chi’qun at 5530 m (17,713 ft) overlooking the city.

Tambo Del Inka

Arriving at our hotel, the Tambo Del Inka, we were taken aback by its luxury and architecture. They had us sit near the fireplace while the staff checked us in, and even served mate de coca in the traditional way, using whole dried coca leaves instead of bags of ground up leaves. Lunch was a delicious combination of duck breast and quinoa (an andean cereal similar to rice) risotto. The deck overlooked the Urubamba river, flowing fast and brown with springtime snowmelt and the air was cool and breezy.

The room itself was a great combination of modern woodwork and Inca designs, with leather furniture and every imaginable amenity, from Dish Network to high speed wifi. We’ve roughed it plenty of times on previous trips and didn’t feel too badly about a little luxury.

Urubamba

After a short rest we headed out Urubamba’s central plaza to find bulk bottled water (a necessity with a small child) and a few other things. We discovered Pizza Wasi, a small pizzeria with a wood burning pizza oven and great pisco sours. We were back in our room by 8pm and ready to go to sleep, but not before we caught the first few innings of the World Series. Go Boston!