Cusco, Peru

Spanish classes concluded on 5 June. On 6 June we left Cuenca, Ecuador and headed to Peru. That´s where I am now. Cusco, Peru. (More specifically, an internet cafe where Eye of the Tiger is being played rather loudly by a band next door.)

We lacked a map of Peru, however, our keen sense of direction told us to head south. Here is a short summary of our journey:

CUENCA, Ecuador - LOJA, Ecuador (4 PM departure, 4 hrs)
If you blur your eyes, southern Ecuador looks a lot like Switzerland. At least the part that entails small homes nestled in spectacularly steep hills. That is where they eye blurring comes in. The poverty and ill repair of the roads was not very Swiss. Nor was the loud latin music played by the driver. Beutiful scenery and a window view of indigenous living.

LOJA, Ecuador - CHICLAYO, Peru (9 PM departure, 9.5 hours)´
If you read travel books, you´d expect the boarder crossing into Peru to be worthy of a Fear Factor episode. In fact, while creepy, it was not that bad. Throughout the drive in Ecuador officials arrived on the bus to check passports. No problem, however, I found it a little concerning that they boarded the bus armed and wearing ski masks from the chilly night air. The actual boarding crossing took place at 2 AM. We were aroused from sleep to exit the bus and obtain exit stamps. (A word of advice. That little yellow piece of paper they give you on the flight into Ecuador...you are supposed to keep that. Yeah. Don´t throw it away.) Next you have to cross a dimly lit bridge, over a river, toward the small building on the other side with the big Peruvian flag. Once in Peru, wake up the sleeping official to stamp your passport. (Another word of advice. Don´t leave your glasses on the bus. Or make sure you bring a boyfriend to fill out your paperwork). The bus arrived in Chiclayo around 7:30 AM. This is where we found out our connection left at 8:30 PM. While we had negotiated our ticket in Spanish, I am quite confident that the layover was supposed to be 2-4 hours...not 12. Now the story gets a little fuzzy. After presenting our position to a bus official he took us in a taxi to another bus terminal. A lot of Spanish was spoken and $10 exchanged hands. By 8:00 we were on our way to Lima via another bus company.

CHICLAYO, Peru - Lima, Peru (8 AM departure, 10 hours)
I did not expect the coast of Peru to look like Iraq. For 10 hours we saw nothing but barren landscape, dunes, and small dusty towns. That´s probably why the bus company played movies the entire ride. 10 hours probably sounds awful in a bus but it was quite nice. We brought snacks, we read, we watched movies, we tried to look South American as we were the only gringos on board.

LIMA, Peru
Yeah. One day here was enough.

Lima, Peru - Cusco, Peru (55 minute flight)
The flight was awesome. 55 mintues over the Andes. Cusco is touristy but very charming. It was warm and sunny upon our arrival. After a month in the Sierra the warmth was welcome. Tomorrow we will plan the remainder of our week.