Lima - Zoo - Busses
So we decided to head down to Cusco to get our Inca Trail trip sorted out, and broke up the long bus trip in Lima. We left Trujillo and Huanchaco around 10pm and arrived in Lima just after 6am the next morning, very tired and irritable. After sorting our bags out and agreeing to let the taxi driver take us to a hostal we had found in our guide book, we left the bus terminal. At first our taxi driver took us to a random hostal in Lima that he probably recieved commision from, which was definitely not the one we asked him to take us to. After kindly refusing he set off for our hostal. I was trying to keep up with the streets on our little map while he drove by and soon realized that he was going in the opposite direction, probably to another hostal he would get commision from. I got him turned around and directed him through the one way streets of Lima to where the hostal we picked should have been. Unfortunately as we have been finding out, our 3 year old guide book doesn't really have all the most recent information in it, and many things have either moved, closed or changed names. Reluctantly we agreed to a hostal he had a brochure for and we checked in paying almost twice what the driver told us the price would be. We dropped our bags off, choked down some bread and tried to figure out what to do for the morning. We were'nt allowed a bed (unless we paid for half a day) until around noon, so we checked out the local zoo! 
It was really one of the only interesting non-museum thing we would think of doing, and it turned out to be pretty fun. We talked to three taxis to take us there, the first offering 120 soles ($40) for the ride. We settled on the last guy who offered a reasonable 10 soles ($3).
The zoo was pretty well run, with lots of infrastucture and they were in the process of expanding and updating many exhibits. It was a saturday, and there was a function of some sort going on with lots of moms and children running around. We strolled around in the sun, checking out the penguins and sea lions, who were very good at swimming upside down. We did find it kind of strange to see the lions and tigers caged in a fairly small enclosure, with only cement floors, wheras the turtles enjoyed a large forested enclosure with grass and water... we decided they must take turns at the good spot, maybe just to ease our consciences.
The main reason we came was to check out the local peruvian animals that either you have to spend a lots of time in the jungle or other areas, or get really lucky, or spend lots of money for a good guide, in order to see. They had a million different kinds of monkeys and birds at the zoo. The monkeys were very fun to watch as they ran along branches and ropes and tackled each other. The birds were mostly just loud and obnoxious, but they do look very beautiful.
We ended up spending most of the day at the zoo, and arrived back at the hostal late in the afternoon, thoroughly exhausted and went for a nap. The kitchen at our hostal was well stocked and had an oven, which is a rarity down here it seems, so we baked up a little veggie lasagna, and called it a night.
The next day we lazed around all morning, having decided to take off for Cusco at 4pm for the 18-26 hour bus ride. We checked out at noon, went downtown and bought our tickets then wandered over to a nearby park to chillax (that one's for you d). It was Sunday, so most people in the cities don't work, they spend time with the family or significant other at the park. We found a nice spot on the grass in the shade, but only had a few moments to enjoy it as we were hered off the grass by security. Apperently the park was a part of the Art Museum and sitting on the grass was not allowed. We snuck off to a far corner and grabbed a piece of grass just off the
walkway, so we could scoot back if we saw the heat coming. The best part was when someone decided that on a busy sunday, it would be a good idea to turn on the sprinklers, much to the dissapointment of some poor guy napping under a tree.
We boarded our bus, well prepared with snacks and juice and water and music and games, ready for the 18-26 hours to come. The long distance busses down here are very different from the smaller busses in Ecuador, and much bigger than any bus we've seen back home. They are double decker, and the driver sits in the very front on the bottom level.
The seats recline most of the way on the bus cama or bed bus, and they even have a steward(ess) to serve meals! It's not all posh and spice though, especially if you decided to be stingy and buy the cheaper upper level seat (we did), and if you decided to eat the suspect chicken and rice meal they served (we did), and realize in the middle of the night that all that swaying back and forth is very much like beaing on a boat at sea (yup, we did)... So after eight movies (all in spanish), 23 hours, no bathroom stops, a couple of ear popping mountain passes, here we are in Cusco! I definitely recommend taking the trip in 3 days, or flying if you don't think any of that sounded fun heheh.
We booked our trip for the Inca trail yesterday, managing to score two spots on a trek leaving as soon as it was possible. After hanging out in the city and surrounding valley for a few days, getting used to the altitude (3280m), we set out on the 17th!
It was really one of the only interesting non-museum thing we would think of doing, and it turned out to be pretty fun. We talked to three taxis to take us there, the first offering 120 soles ($40) for the ride. We settled on the last guy who offered a reasonable 10 soles ($3).
The zoo was pretty well run, with lots of infrastucture and they were in the process of expanding and updating many exhibits. It was a saturday, and there was a function of some sort going on with lots of moms and children running around. We strolled around in the sun, checking out the penguins and sea lions, who were very good at swimming upside down. We did find it kind of strange to see the lions and tigers caged in a fairly small enclosure, with only cement floors, wheras the turtles enjoyed a large forested enclosure with grass and water... we decided they must take turns at the good spot, maybe just to ease our consciences.
The main reason we came was to check out the local peruvian animals that either you have to spend a lots of time in the jungle or other areas, or get really lucky, or spend lots of money for a good guide, in order to see. They had a million different kinds of monkeys and birds at the zoo. The monkeys were very fun to watch as they ran along branches and ropes and tackled each other. The birds were mostly just loud and obnoxious, but they do look very beautiful.
We ended up spending most of the day at the zoo, and arrived back at the hostal late in the afternoon, thoroughly exhausted and went for a nap. The kitchen at our hostal was well stocked and had an oven, which is a rarity down here it seems, so we baked up a little veggie lasagna, and called it a night.The next day we lazed around all morning, having decided to take off for Cusco at 4pm for the 18-26 hour bus ride. We checked out at noon, went downtown and bought our tickets then wandered over to a nearby park to chillax (that one's for you d). It was Sunday, so most people in the cities don't work, they spend time with the family or significant other at the park. We found a nice spot on the grass in the shade, but only had a few moments to enjoy it as we were hered off the grass by security. Apperently the park was a part of the Art Museum and sitting on the grass was not allowed. We snuck off to a far corner and grabbed a piece of grass just off the
walkway, so we could scoot back if we saw the heat coming. The best part was when someone decided that on a busy sunday, it would be a good idea to turn on the sprinklers, much to the dissapointment of some poor guy napping under a tree.We boarded our bus, well prepared with snacks and juice and water and music and games, ready for the 18-26 hours to come. The long distance busses down here are very different from the smaller busses in Ecuador, and much bigger than any bus we've seen back home. They are double decker, and the driver sits in the very front on the bottom level.
The seats recline most of the way on the bus cama or bed bus, and they even have a steward(ess) to serve meals! It's not all posh and spice though, especially if you decided to be stingy and buy the cheaper upper level seat (we did), and if you decided to eat the suspect chicken and rice meal they served (we did), and realize in the middle of the night that all that swaying back and forth is very much like beaing on a boat at sea (yup, we did)... So after eight movies (all in spanish), 23 hours, no bathroom stops, a couple of ear popping mountain passes, here we are in Cusco! I definitely recommend taking the trip in 3 days, or flying if you don't think any of that sounded fun heheh.We booked our trip for the Inca trail yesterday, managing to score two spots on a trek leaving as soon as it was possible. After hanging out in the city and surrounding valley for a few days, getting used to the altitude (3280m), we set out on the 17th!
1 comment:
Now THAT sounds like south America. . .how entertaining. Don't forget to charge your batteries for the trail, or I will come down there personally and express my distaste. . .
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