Our return trip to Cusco was exhausting. We endured a painful four hours in the Puno bus station. Puno is a dirty city and quite frankly it doesn't offer much other than boats out of there. We were not comfortable stopping along the way and eating dinner anywhere in town. Some of the locals seemed dodgy and we even witnessed some of them urinating in the lake. So we had dinner at the same cafe in the bus station. Apparently the same restaurant space is occupied by several venders. There is always someone trying to escort you to their restaurant for business. We followed one girl and sat down where we had breakfast, ignorant to the fact that the seat selection dictated vendors. The woman from breakfast the day before recognized us. She was happy to serve us again and this caused an argument between her and the lady we originally followed. It seems the lady didn't work for her and she felt we were her business. Silly gringos. Anyway, we wasted as much time as we could with our surprisingly good grilled sandwiches and fries.
The country's election was coming to an end with a blowout rally taking place next to the bus station. The music and cheering were incredibly loud, annoying and distracting. The influence and impact of this election has been evident since we first arrived in Peru. I knew there were locals who couldn't wait for it to end.
After dinner, we sat in the bus station and listened to the shrill sounds of bus vendors yelling town names. I can still hear the nasal chant, "Arequipa, Arequipa, Arequipa!" I thought someone was going to snap. But we made it onto the night bus which was quite a different experience from our first trip. The lights stayed on for a good 20 minutes into the ride. One woman's phone rang constantly and she felt the need to answer it. This driver made stops-something he shouldn't be doing-and picked up people along the way. It was awful and we barely slept.
We arrived in Cusco around 5 a.m. We negotiated for a while for a taxi back to Bill's. Fortunately, we had a key and could let ourselves into his place without waking anyone. We weren't able to contact Bill from Taquile (just no good reception in the middle of Lake Titicaca) to let him know we would be arriving a day late. We sat around until Bill got up. Michael and Liam had to turn around and head out for their fishing trip. I still don't know how they did it. Maeve and I tried to nap.
Maeve and I took our last trip through Cusco. We went to the chocolate museum and entertained the idea of taking a chocolate cooking class. In the end we opted for just purchasing some and bringing it back.
The boys returned a little early from their fishing adventure. This provided the kids one more opportunity to play with their friends since we had a morning flight to Lima. Maeve and Liam wanted to stay in Cusco.
As we prepared to leave, Michael slipped on the wooden stairs and had the wind knocked out of him. He had injured his ribs probably cracking one or two. There didn't seem a short term benefit to going to a doctor for this type of injury, so all he could do was rest, which would also have to wait until Lima.
The Plaza de Almas in Cusco on our last day. It was sunnier than when we first arrived.
Maeve and BIll and Nic's daughter having some fun
Our last dinner with new friends Ashley and Whitney from Bill and Nic's place
It was a late night for Tim as he fell asleep on the bench
Our flight was delayed. No surprise there; I should really keep track of these. It wasn't anything too long, so that was a relief. Once in Lima, we caught a taxi to an apartment which had posted the wrong address on airbnb. It took an hour to find the place. We had no internet connection to write our host and inform her that we were lost. We stopped for directions and then had to find a hotel with wifi so I could write our host. She finally responded with the proper address. I am thankful our driver was considerate and helpful. He even called his daughter who spoke English so we could talk to her on his cell phone.
We tried to book a nicer apartment with a pool so everyone could relax. The pool wasn't available (she should have let us know) and the apartment smelled of mildew. Yuck. It wasn't the ideal end to our stay in Peru, but we needed to rest...especially Michael. For that reason, we didn't get to do a day trip south to see some penguins and other animals often seen on the Galapagos. Maybe next time.
We found a trendy restaurant that served veggie burgers. We had a night flight out of Lima to Santiago, Chile and had to pay cash for a late check out (grrrr). We arrived on time to the airport, but as we could expect, the flight was delayed. First, the gate was changed. So everyone walked to the other side of the terminal. Then, they changed it again. Everyone got up and walked back, but this gate was downstairs. I swear I thought someone was having fun with us. Everyone would groan and get up and move.
Huge veggie burgers....even the lady in back seems excited
Extra time at the airport to braid Maeve's hair
There is so much to see and experience. Peru has a vast cultural spectrum. Lima is a busy, cosmopolitan city and Cusco is rich in native history bustling with both traditional Peruvians and other ex-pats working the tourism industry. You don't have to go far to find the average Peruvian working hard at a skill or agricultural business most likely inherited from the family, struggling to make ends meet. These are proud people. These are people happy to share and happy to learn. We will miss Peru and the adventure it offered. We will miss the people, many of whom we can now call friends.