Down time in Cusco.
March 9 - We woke late and took our time checking out of Gaia house hostel. It was a pleasant sunny morning and we enjoyed the free breakfast to its fullest. After packing our things we checked out of Gaia house and promptly marched down the street, past the square, down a winding road and when the road ended in a set of stairs we scaled the steps, our muscles slightly sore from the mountain climb the day before. Down a little side alley was our new accommodation in Cusco, Tricia had originally planned this to be our regrouping accommodation after we had trekked hard for 4 days, so naturally it was a little more luxurious than normal. We checked in and found our room complete with a soaking tub. We lingered there for the remainder of the evening aside from a brief venture out to retrieve some papa rellenas to satiate T's ever-present hunger.
March 10 - We woke at 5 am to venture down to the main square in hopes of capturing a few photos without being heckled or having crowds of people in them. We succeeded and then after a brief nap, ventured out to the San Pedro market. The place was alive and buzzing with merchants peddling their wares. Everything from meats and vegetables to fine leather goods were present in some form or fashion. T found a much needed black leather belt and I spotted a small trinket that I would need to spend some time deliberating on.
After this, we began a ridged search for a matador freerain 24L 2.0 (an amazing packable daypack, which I highly recommend) to replace my long-loved Katmandu daypack. Sadly, we did not find one. Resolving instead to make do with our current damaged pack (the top seam had separated and had spread between the main straps of the pack) until we could acquire the freerain pack. We then enjoyed a marvelous lunch at the Inca Grill and spent the remainder of the day planning and working in the coziness of our new accommodation.
March 11 - We slept in late and enjoyed a late breakfast, we returned to the San Pedro market to claim the trinket I decided I wanted after all. We also decided to try out one of the many lunch options within the market. To our delight, it was only five Soles each (about $1.50) and included an appetizer and full entree. We both chose the quinoa soup and lentils with salad, rice, and a fried egg. Otherwise passed the day away in comfortable, boring fashion in our room, in-spite of the world declaring the Coronavirus a pandemic.
March 12- We again slept in a little, enjoyed breakfast, and then, after feeling fully recovered from our hike, packed our belongings and checked out of our small hotel. We had contemplated venturing forth again that morning, but sleep had overruled out plan. We waited for a half-hour or so before catching an Uber to the airport. Once there we checked in and enjoyed the Cusco lounge until our flight to Iquitos departed.
As we departed Cusco, I reflected on the small city. It was, though small, one of my favorite cities visited during this trip so far. A pleasant breath of quaintness mixed with a thriving center. It was clean, safe, and the people were warm and welcoming.
From the plane, we could see the landscape change from highland mountains to dense jungle. In the distance, we could see thunderstorms and swaths of rain. It was therefore not surprising that shortly after we landed a roll of thunder rang out and it began to rain. Fortunately, T had arranged for a ride to be waiting to transport us to our hotel in Iquitos. We quickly found our way to the car and in a short while were bouncing along the broken asphalt roads towards our hotel. All around were moto-taxies, swarming like mechanical insects.
Only slightly bigger than a tuk-tuk of Asia, the moto-taxis consisted of the front portion of a honda motorcycle and the rear was a retrofit pair of motorcycle tires wide enough for two or three people to sit abreast and usually a small luggage area behind them. Due to the heavy amounts of rain, they were covered and in place of a windshield the drivers would use clear or colored tarps which they would drop just below their eyes, thus allowing them to see over them. To prevent the tarps from wrapping around them they used a stick at the top and bottom of the tarp. These moto-taxies varied in color and vehicle parts in almost every way imaginable but generally adhered to this basic practical format. The roaring of their engines when a light turned green made us feel like we were in the first wave of a motocross event.
Fortunately, in spite of the wild driving and sudden maneuvers of the moto-taxis, our driver made his way to our hotel where he opened the garage and parked. We then met our host and realized our hotel was more akin to a homestay than a normal hotel. This suited us just fine. The room was clean, comfortable, and most importantly air-conditioned. It was now late in the day, and pouring rain, so we turned in for the evening.
- G