Saturday, 21 December 2024
Lima to Cusco, Peru
We are up and awake at 3am to get ready for our 4:15 bus to the Lima Airport (as explained in the previous blog). It only takes about 30 minutes to arrive. We have rearranged our luggage so that we can take only one suitcase and our cary-ons to Cusco. Will finds a seat inside the terminal and I take one large and one small suitcase across the street to the Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport Hotel, where we can store it until we return on Tuesday afternoon.
I walk back to the terminal and we are able to check in for our flight, get through security, and arrive at the gate with plenty of time to spare. Since it is a domestic flight on Lantam Airlines we don't have to go through immigration at this time. The flight leaves on time at 11:55am and we enjoy a 75-minute scenic flight over the coastal Andes from sea level at Lima to over 11,000 feet at Cusco.
Of course we have been warned about the dangers of altitude sickness, but as we descend a long flight of stairs at the airport (no jetway for this flight), and walk to the terminal, we are both feeling really good. We have arranged for a private car to take us to the Hilton Garden Inn, which sits high in the hills over the city at 13,000 feet. The driver and his mom meet us outside the airport. Because of heavy mid-day traffic, it takes almost an hour to reach the hotel. During that time we have a trying but delightful conversation with our hosts--my basic Spanish and the driver's basic English manage to serve us well. We learn that his mom's primary job is teaching at a local orphanage. She loves the work, but the pay is very low. Not surprising since the one-hour car ride costs under US$10.00. Naturally we donate a generous tip.
The Hilton is a lovely modern hotel with fantastic views of the city below. The best part is that our three nights in a terrace room, with breakfast included, is free using Will's Delta Airlines miles. We settle into our room, planning to relax for the rest of the day to get used to the altitude. But those extra 2,000 feet above the city really knock me for a loop--I am soon feeling very dizzy and not well at all. The altitude seems to have no effect on Will. We decide to cancel tomorrow's four-hour morning tour of Cusco.
The hotel staff is sympathetic and helpful and suggest I drink a local tea and some gatorade for electrolytes, and avoid caffeine. We have dinner in the hotel restaurant--with very large portions. After dinner I have ten minutes of oxygen (free from the hotel), and hope that a good night's rest will cure me.
Hilton Garden Inn |
With My 60x Optical Zoom Lens--the Closest We Get to Cusco Itself |
So I think I am ready for tomorrow's big adventure. Will decided before we left home that walking Machu Picchu was not for him, so he will stay behind and enjoy another rest day at the Hilton. Read all about it in the next edition of LFLatSea.