Coroico. Que rico!

We had 6 nights before our flight out of La Paz. Not long enough to merit the cost and time to go to Rurrenabaque in Bolivia's jungle, so we opted to see the Yungas, basing ourselves in Coroico for 3 nights.  Buses left from the Villa Fatima neighborhood and the bus cost $15B per person ($2.15-ish) and 4+ hours of winding, climbing, then partially dropping roads into jungle highlands.

It seemed hard to get any resrvation at even a hostel. The arses at Hostal Sol y Luna had this stupid system of requiring you to go to their La Paz office and pay in cash before granting you a reservation.  I asked if we could just walk-in when we arivd at Coroico, and they said the staff won't know if there is availability!  What if you were traveling from elsewhere in Bolivia and no from La Paz. Retards.


I ended up emailing El Cafetal who didn't take resos either, but at least he said there was space and to rock up when we arrived.$8 per person a night. We got a private room (#7) with a very old, funky and dark danky bathroom, whose shower trickled down hot water heated up by an electric widow-maker. Yeash!  The room was right on the verandah with stunning views of the Yungas mountains and valley, so what lacked in crisp cleanliness, was made up with the view and out of the way location of this hostal, located right next to the hospital.

Room #7 El Cafetal, Coroico

View from our door, Coroico

Weeks could easily be spent in Coroico, and being here for the patron saint festivities of Virgen de la Candelaria was an added plus, as we were treated to street dances and processions and partying by the villagers.  We hung out the Tienda on the plaza where the owners (los Gorditos) would banter with us as we sipped on beers and munched peanuts outside their store watching the world go by.

Looking forward to the German restauant I had read about, I learned from the Gorditos that he had died the week before: a stalwart mainstay of the village for decades sicne arriving from Germany (don;t mention the war!) Gutted, I turned to the gudiebook for plan B and there wasn't much to inspire-lame "Italian' pizza places dotted the square and all else seemed to have bland options, made harder still being with a vegetarian.  I overheard a young Italian guy talk to the Gorditos about their new place off the Plaza that had opened two night before. He was excited and pumped to have the locals try it out and took a pizza order from them.  Piqued, and hungry, we wended one block off the Plaza and had one of the best home made pasta meals ever. Excellent, and not least, the kids were full of vim, vigour and excitement to have you enjoy enjoy their home made pastas and sauces.

We were thrilled, vowing to eat there the next night, only to learn that because it was the holidays, they were heading to La Paz to pick up provisions and would be closed the Tuesday & Wednesday nights. Gutted again and left to muster meals with the places that were open-a choice of two virtually identical Italian' places 4 doors apart on the Plaza on either side of the Tienda. Lame pasta with runny sauce that compelled Mostafa to please 'thank them for the soup". I resorted to eating greasy fried chicken from a kiosk off the Plaza that were set up for the festivities and street dancing. Poor Mostafa had beer for dinner.

Los Gorditos of the tienda on the Plaza

The other German coffee shop was also closed (but we did get one breakfast of lovely morning pastries and coffee there!) so we strolled out of town about 15 minutes to Villa Bonita on Tuesday morning. Gorgeous gardens where they served breakfast, and I learned they also had rooms in the little houses dotting the property.  Learning of the vacancy in one of the cabanas, we stayed there the 3rd and last night.  It was nice too as it was on the opposite side of the outskirts of the village, so nice to get a flavor of that side of the mountains. $65B a night with an outside bathroom (down the spiral stair) including a Swiss influenced breakfast of meusli, eggs, organic home made bread, fresh juice and coffee. Wonderful place.

Villa Bonita, swiss bolivian owned gem in Coroico

La Paz. Not such a peaceful city!

Onwards to La Paz by bus from Copa is easy; loads of buses throughout the day for a few dollars, about 3 hours.  Nice ride as well as it climbs over the mountains, a ferry ride across the straits, and continuing to the higher altitude and density of humanity clinging to the sides of the canyon that is El Alto & La Paz.

We stayed in the Sopocachi neighborhood at La Loge, tucked in a laneway near the Alliance Francaise on Pasaje Medinacelli, off of Avenida 20 de Octubre. Cobbled tree lined streets, quiet, safe and lots of good quality restaurants from Peruvian, to Swiss, French, Argie and German.   La Loge is essentially 3 apartments, with fully stocked kitchen, TV, internet, big bedroom and clean bathroom. After 2+_ weeks of hotels, it was great to feel like we were i our home.  Breakfast was lovely fresh bread left hanging on our door, that we cold prepare with the fruit, juice, butter and jam in the kitchen.  There was the supermarket end of the street too.  $480B (approx $70 a night) a splash for Bolivia, but worth it.

La Comedie restaurant is downstairs. Great menu, well prepared French food.They also own the french cafe next door to the Alliance Francaise. Local cfe was La Terraza on 20 de Octubre and terrific fresh saltenas on 2 de Octubre right at the end of the laneway from La Loge.  Best meal was a Peruvian seafood place also on 20 de Octubre 2 blocks away. We went there twice to enjoy the divine chupe.

Copa Cabana. Finding respite from the traveler hordes

We arrived late afternoon and headed along on foot along the Costanera "road" (i.e. dirt).  A nice intro the place as it we wended away from the backpacker cluster along the stillness of this road overlooking Lago Titicaca, joined by the odd straggler Argie backpacker coming to/from a hostel run by Argentinians about 1.5km out of town.  Our place was the Ecolodge del Lago, about 1 km out of town, set back from the road with cabanas dotted up along the hillside set in lovely gardens. Very private with lovely views of the lake, our cabana was soare and lovely with a great modern bathroom; all run on solar power. 

Breakfasts were the expected combo of bread or toast, with eggs, coffee or tea and juice prepared by the family taking care of the place. We paid $720B for the three nights (approx $103, or $33 a night).  Given the many hostels there, it was likely on the spendy side, but the privacy, cleanliness, quiet and setting made this a bargain in my eyes. I am sure of we were to return, the town will have crept along the costanera, making this place less off-the-beaten path.

Amazing how little it tkes to actually get away from the backpackers who only seem to migrate wherever the LP guidebook tells them to go. In other words, the two block stretch of 6 de Agosto.  Head to the daily market, the church, or even the candle chapel on the side, and there was nary a sign of a tourist.  The weather was overcast and rainy so we passed on taking a ferry to Isla del Sol the whole stay, and opted to loiter around the town, climb up to Cerra Clavario, and relax.

Eating seemed limited if you didn't want to hang out with the tourists.  We got lucky and landed at El Emperador, one of the many kiosks on the costanera that served up lake trout, rice and other handlful of dishes. The owner was Balbina Elias whose mum had ad the same kiosk, and she and her husband served up a good fish and ice cld beers. Because we came back every day, she warmed up to us, sat with us, and shared village gossip, such as the jealousy of the other kiosk owners, and how everyone must serve the same menu so as not to outdo each other with any deviations or innovations. As she sat at a front table cleaning or peeling potatoes, she asked if I like peeling potatoes, hinting toward my taking the task on. Very cheeky. Day meals tended to be avocado and bread from the market, which kept things light and cheap. One dinner was at La Orilla, where the Bolivian owner grew up in the DC area, and wanted to come back to Bolivia, raising his child in a quiet town, so opened up this place. Great sense of service and quality food.

Puno...P.U. No!

Arequipa to Puno $15NS Julsa. Lots of companies go all day 5-6 hrs. passing through Juliaca, which must be the armpit of Peru. Glad we saw it and kept on going!  We arrived in Puno at night aftr a long day of travel from Cabanconde (including a lift with Wulf to Arequipa which was onyl 2.5 hrs thankfully). Stayed at Don Giorgio hotel  Tarapaca 238 ($100NS) right off the main pedestrian shopping area, so great location. Rooms was dingy, but bathroom was clean. Glad we only stayed one night.

Food: Don Piero on pedestrian street. Good solid but basic. Nice spot with  second floor dining room that overlooks the street.
Bakery with good pastries, sandwiches, coffee and breads Pan Ricos. A few locations on Avenida Arequipa.
Do: market was very entertaining and large. Great area to stroll in, including the waterfront (dowdy) and an art school.

Bolivia visa: DO NOT go to the consulate in Puno. Miserable guy there is old git who intentionally throws obstacles to your visa process, in the attempt to get a 'mordida'. Screw that. We humoured him for 15 minutes, said we'd be back in an hour with all the necessary documents and copies, but just got a bus and went to the border where we got the visa processed there.

Cabanconde: much to do about nothing

We stayed 3 days here and could have easily stayed a week to explore all the villages and trails that dot the canyon.  Cabanaconde is at 3,300 mtrs

Sangalle Oasis
It is at the bottom of canyon at about ,2,100 ntrs on a steep trail that winds down. It took us about 2.5 hrs through changing flora with an oasis complete with 5 pools, cabanas, mango, palm and avocado trees and exquisite grounds where they grow food too. You can stay here, but we did this as a very long day trip...yes, we schlepped back up!  3.5 hours, very slowly. Mules are also for hire.  Brilliant.

Mirador San Miguel
Walking on the main road out of town, past the cemetery and about 2km there is a dirt track that bops over a ridge and there is a lookout over the canyon. Not a soul and as we took pictures and congratulated ourselves on having hiked down to the bottom the day before, 4 condors came wafting over...magical. 15km out of town is the Cruz del Condor where the hundreds of tours and trips from Arequipa go and where you are charged too. You can get here by public bus from the plaza, I was told that they leave at 8:30-ish am.  Head to the Mirador San Miguel instead, though a local boy also said in Jan-March the condors go to this part of the canyon and in the winter they float around to the Cruz el Condor area...my guess is high-season the locals foist a dead sheep over the canyon around the Cruz, low season, they don't bother.

Villages in the area

San Juan, Tapay, Malata,Paclla, Llacta etc. All linked with trails and very easily navigable either a overnighters or long day trips.

Colca Canyon or bust

Arequipa was lovely but we had a full day and a morning there which was enough for us and we took off for Colca Canyon. There are two main towns to head for, Chivay at the 'beginning' of the canyon road and Cabanconde at the 'end'.  All buses go to Chivay (3 hrs) and some continue on to Cabanconde or you can change buses at Chivay where other services are available. We took a Reyna bus to Chivay (14NS) waited an hour for a bus to Cabanaconde (2hrs I think 2NS).  Had we taken a tour or private minibus the entire journey would've been more like 3 hrs, but I think it's more interesting to travel with locals and not least be shackled to a 'tour' for considerably more money.

Kuntur Wasi, Cabanaconde, Colca Canyon, Peru

Beware of folks in 'official' AUTOCOLCA vests and clip boards at the Chivay bus terminal asking if you are going to the Cruz del Condor and the Oasis etc, because they will ask you to pay a "ticket' ($30-35?NS) to go to these places. I was suspicious as I hadn't read about this fee, so I told him we were going to just hang out in Cabanaconde and decide there what we will do, Is there a local office there where I can pay the fee?  Stumped by that question he left us alone.

We stayed at Kuntur Wasi , a lovely brick, stone and adobe place one block up the hill from the plaza and run by Walther and Pepita, a Bolivian couple who really make you feel at home and part of the family. Low season rate for us was $100NS a night, private room and bath, very clean and every room seems to have a view of the mountains.  And the bar/dining room area also looks out to mountains.  Decent and ample breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, eggs, coffee and bread and jam. We also ate every night at the restaurant which was very good and varied menu.

I think we were one of three rooms being used there, and we were made to feel like part of the family. You are treated to a welcome drink of Pisco Sour the first evening.  Walter studied in Russia and when on the 3rd night a Russian couple was staying there, he played all his Russion music, busted out the beers for us and started singing along.

Walter and Pepa also insisted The Russian and I dress up in a traditional dress of the town and that part of Peru. Dresses that were worn for special occasions such as the saint day of the village, which was a few weeks away.

Going native in Cabanaconde

Arequipa: The White City

Lots of hotels and ranges in Arequipa. We stayed a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas at La casa del Sillar, an old colonial house made of sillar. Rivero 504, www.lacasadelsillar.com

Rooms were large but dark, stark and basic.  Thankfully clean, but it wasn't El Albergue!  Breakfast was included but it was a dry old basket of bread, watery coffee and surly service: eat breakfast elsewhere especially when the room was only 70NS (approx $25).

Eats:
Dinner at Chicha, Gaston Arcurio's magic in an old colonial building on Santa Catalina. beer, sparkly water, ceviche, swrodfish, stuffed rocoto, wine and shared dessert of the crepe, all divine and only 149NS (approx $50!) 
Breakfast: La Canasta et back in a courtyard in a lovely building. So-so breads, passable for breakfast, but awful coffee. Nice outdoor seating area in the courtyard. Jerusalen 115

Lunch: Cafe Bar Istanbul. Calle San Francisco 231 (2 blocks north of the Plaza de Armas) Run by a Turkish woman who has been there for 12+ years (why I ask...apparently she followed her brother there and he owns the Turkish restaurant across the street)  Her space is modern, vibrant colours and warm vibe, even when empty which it was. Food was great: fresh, delicious and good value. I had the Felafel Wrap which came with rocoto sauces.9NS. So good we went back the next day before our bus to Colca Canyon.

Night bus to Arequipa

Turns out 99% of buses to Arequipa leave in the evening anywhere from 7pm-9pm to avoid the high temperatures during the day. I did find a morning bus which was appealing because it would afford us the view of the countryside en route, which at 10-12 hours of driving, that could be a lot.  But the prospect of arriving in the night in a new city didn't appeal either. 

Several bus companies go to Arequipa with varying level of 'service' which is essentially how far back the seat reclines, if there's a bathroom and the number of stops.  They do book up so I suggest you go to the bus station the day or two before to book your ticket, which was about 25NS, but I can't remember exactly other than CHEAP.

Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu

Rather than make it a long day trip from Cusco and feel rushed and exhausted, we decided to be leisurely about it and split the trip to Machu Picchu as a 2-day excursion staying overnight in Ollantaytambo.  I prefered that to Aguas Calientes, which frankly sounded like a skin of a town that grew to cater to tourism and would be overrun with tour groups and backpackers. 

We took a microbus from Cusco that cost 10NS each (approx $3.40) for a 2.5 hr ride through gorgeous snow capped peaks and potatoe field dotted countryside. I was able to make a reservation a few days before at the Albergue in Ollantaytambo, located right on the train platform, for $65, including breakfast.  I think that is the off-season price.  It's a beautiful hotel with exquisite grounds and views, dining room, bar patio with views of the mountains and cafe that is right on the tracks. Rooms were clean, simple with dark wood furniture and still felt indulgent in a white adobe old station house. There were also newer rooms in other buildings on the small grounds.

Take the time to visit the ruins in town-really quite impressive and sets the tone of awe and wonderment of how they got huge stones quarried and hauled up the mountain side. It's also a great vantage point from seeing the town below and the surrounding peaks.

We had a 7:30 am train which left plenty of time to have a gorgeous breakfast that included coffee from the barrista, buffet of fruit salad and breads, and made to order pancakes or eggs. Great way to start the day.

Train options were many prompted by the recent opening up of PeruRails monopoly resulting in Inca Rail and another train company. We took PeruRail return for approx $63 for the morning run and $50 for the 2pm return, per person. These services were efficient, clean and even offered a lovely snack with tea/coffee (and a fashion show..)

ONce in Agua Caliente the bus to Machu Picchu park entrance (recommended unless you fancy hiking up for 2 hours!) is only 8NS per person and hustles up in 20 minutes, so money well spent especially if time is of the essence. You can also walk down-leave 2 hours to enjoy the well marked trail. Park entrance can be purchased by the shuttle bus at the park office or up at the actual park entrance.  I think park entrance was about $40 each-well worth it. Trust me.

Where to eat in Cusco

No shortage of places to eat in Cusco, but with a mild case of soroche, food was not high on the list for the first few days.  Here's a snapshot of the places we enjoyed:


Inka Grill on the Plaza de Armas. Excellent, fresh, clean Peruvian fusion food.  We ate there twice enjoying the ceviches, tiraditas, taku-taku and alpaca.  Good selection for vegetarians too.

Pacha Papa: Plazoleta San Blas #120 with nice outdoor garden eating area (with heat lamps!)
Victor Victoria on Tecsecocha has a great menu del dia. On our day we had asparagus soup, choclo, pesto spaghetti, lentejas, tres leches and beer (and an ample salad bar) for a measly $5 each!

Crash Pad in Cusco

The start of a 3 week stint through Peru and northern Bolivia started with a stay in Cusco. I reached out through a few Q&A travel forums for suggested places to stay and got some great responses. A Travellr.com reply was the one we went with and with no regrets. 

Hostal Casa de Campo on Sandapata was superb. Rooms are pepepred across a few buildings that ascend furtehr up the hill. Gettung ti our room at that altitude took the wind out of us, but it was worth it for the spectacular views. Our room (#30) had it's own little ante-room with fireplace overlooking the city. Gorgeous. Rooms are basic, but clean.  Low season rate was $30 a night, and includes breakfast.