The Peru Diary Part 5 (Dec 26-28)

Only two more days remained in our Peru trip and our last leg was a flight from Cusco to Peru on the 26th.  The flight was only around noon, but we didn't sleep in: Since we had missed the Cusco city tour due to my illness, Malini and I had arranged for a guide and driver (the same duo that took us around the Sacred Valley) to take us on a quick tour of the main sites in Cusco. Vinay and Sangeetha volunteered to watch the boys (who were only too happy to give another set of archaelogical sites a miss) and so we set out on our own around 7.30am.

Saqsaywaman

It was a pleasant morning for site seeing - it had rained during the night and the air was fresh and clean. Given the early hour, the sites were mostly devoid of other tourists. We started with the Inca site of Saqsaywaman - a large and historically important site that has a unique structure - 3 layers of zigzagged walls made of huge stones, some of them weighing hundreds of tons. The Incas believed in life being divided into three layers: the nether world (or the past) represented by the Snake, the earth (or the present) represented by the Puma, and the heavens (or the future) being represented by the Condor. The three layers of the Saqsaywaman complex are considered to represent those three facets.  Once we climbed to the top most layer, we were rewarded by some very nice views of Cusco, including all the main churches. We then hopped next door to the Q'enqo complex, which had an subterranean altar for ceremonies and (animal) sacrifices. We then drove to Tambomachay, which has the so-called "festival fountains." These are essentially artifical water falls that were created for the Inca royalty. The water continues to flow today through the ancient system of canals and channels and our guide held it up as an example of the advanced engineering skills of the Incas. Given that nobody else was around, our guide encouraged us to actually step upto the fountains and enjoy the water. It was cold and refreshing.  Our final stop that morning was at Puca Puccara, which served as a sort of watchtower and fortress along an important trade route. After this it was a quick dash back to our hotel, just in time to load up the van and head to the airport.

The flight to Lima was uneventful and as we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted by a blast of muggy air - we were at sea level again and right on the coast, to boot. For some reason, a number of us were fixated on McDonalds for lunch and we managed to find one just before reaching our hotel. We were booked in a place called 'Peru Star Apartments' and it had been a bit of an unknown.  Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and spaciousness of our accommodations. We had a 2-room suite to ourselves and the Murthys and RD were sharing a 2-story townhouse. They were all part of a rather large building located in the embassy district of Lima. This meant that we had a heavy security presence all around and the streets were wide and clean.
A bit later we headed out on a short walk to a nearby grocery store. Lima is a modern city and at least that part of town was very remniscent of "old" Bangalore - the feeling was the same.  Unlike every other city we had been in, there was very little about Lima that reminded you of Peru, or at least our idea of Peru. The rest of the evening was spent just chatting and we ate dinner in the little outdoor restaurant that was part of our lodgings.

Front of Presidential Palace

The next morning - our last, full day in Peru - we headed out on a short city tour. Sangeetha wanted to chill and Bhavna and Pallavi stayed with her. We drove to the main part of the city and stopped outside the Presidential palace for the usual photo-ops. The main destination were the catacombs of the St Francis church, which were close by. These catacombs (absolutely no photography allowed anywhere inside) were the main burial ground for all people in Lima for many years and it is quite remarkable to walk through the narrow tunnels and rooms that are part of the foundation of the huge church. After we got out, we walked around a bit, unsure as to where to head next. RD tried to bargain for some shoes, but eventually gave up. After some back and forth, we decided on a museum that was along the route back to our hotel. However, when we got there it was closed and we decided to cut our losses and head back. Lunch was once again in our local cafe and the kids jumped into the pool for a bit.

Peru Star Apartments

In the evening, we all headed out for some shopping and for the much anticipated visit to an Indian restaurant. After the series of dining disasters (& the generally bland food), all of us had been day dreaming of Indian food, torturing ourselves with descriptions of the feasts we were going to partake of, back in San Diego. We headed to the upscale district of Mira Flores and it was a happening place. We stopped for some shopping and spent quite some time negotiating and eventually buying several wool (alpaca) items. Then it was time for dinner. We had no clue what to expect (this was just a place RD had found on the web), but we were in luck this time - it was a somewhat upscale place and it turned out to be the perfect setting for a farewell meal. We ordered lots of food and managed to finish almost everything. We all over ate - the food tasted so good! It was a happy memory on which to close out our last night in Peru.
The next morning we headed back to the airport for our flight to LA.  There was some confusion in the airport, but eventually it was all sorted out and we made our flight safely. After landing in LAX, we couldn't resist heading to Cerritos for another dose of Indian food - once again, we lucked out: We were looking for "Mumbai Ki Galiyon Se" and found it just before closing time. After some hesitation, they agreed to serve us and once again, we stuffed ourselves.

How will we recall this trip? There were certainly times when I was questioning our decision (or at least our particular itinerary), but at some point (as is the wont), we settled into a rhythm and began to appreciate and enjoy the sights and sounds of Peru.  It is a country with a distinct character of its own - historically, culturally, and scenically.  The people we met were uniformly friendly and pleasant.  A place well worth visiting.