We spent much of this holiday waking up early to travel and then waiting in lots of lines. Monday morning was no different. We headed to the airport at the crack of dawn for our 9:44 flight to Cusco.
Our ultimate goal for this trip was to visit Machu Picchu, but there’s no easy way to get there. You have to fly to Cusco, catch a train to Aguascaliente, and then ride a bus up the mountain to the site.
The Lima airport defies logic. Most airports offer few entertainment options until after you get through security. In Lima, however, you can poke around in a variety of shops, wet your whistle in any number of bars, or fill up at the expansive food court before getting in line for the security check. Wise seasoned travelers such as ourselves know that you should get through security as soon as possible, so we did. Unfortunately, the other side of security was like Siberia. Not a single restaurant. One snack bar. One souvenir shop. And our flight was delayed for more than three hours.
By the time we reached Cusco and checked in to our cute little hotel, we were all famished. We met up with Ian’s father, Peter, who had flown from the States, and we all walked down the hill in search of food. We arbitrarily chose the restaurant, Morena. Reviews were mixed, but I loved my meal, and I was starting to see how easy it was to be vegetarian in Peru. In fact, the Incas in this region cultivated quinoa, which continues to be a Peruvian staple. I ate a LOT of quinoa on this trip and never tired of it.
Guinea pig is another staple here. Crispy tandoori guinea pig? No thank you!
Cusco was gorgeous. I was looking forward to spending more time here on our last day in Peru. For now, it was just a stopover.
Our hotel, Tambo del Arriero Hotel Boutique, featured a central courtyard, bold colors, and quirky decor. We were too tired and full from our late lunch to venture out again for dinner, so we met up for drinks and crashed early. We knew we had another dawn departure planned.
