Off to Lima and heading home.

Tags

2009, Cruz Del Sur, Flights, Lima, Peru, Travel, Trujillo

Today was the start of the long journey back to Seattle and the first leg was a nine hour stretch on the Cruz del Sur. I thought that after enjoying the lower VIP section, that I wouldn’t be able to deal with the smaller standard seats upstairs but they were still roomy and comfortable. They also recline almost fully and I was yet again, able to manage the impossible of some sleep on the bus.

After sitting on the bus for so long, I wasn’t in the mood to haggle over taxis on the exit from the terminal and was hopeful when a driver walked up smiling and asking if we’d like a ride. Something I hadn’t noticed before when leaving Lima, was the same pricing board that I’d encountered in Chiclayo. This one said 35 soles to the airport which seemed pretty steep, compared to the guide books recommendation of around 15. I’d already decided that I wouldn’t be paying more than 20 and offered this to the driver, at which point, he promptly laughed and walked off shaking his head. Another driver headed over and offered the trip for 30 but I was pretty adamant. He dropped the price to 25 and complained about the traffic, but then finally agreed after I walked off, saying I had nothing more than 20.

It took forever to cover what looked like a short distance on the map to the airport, but the route took us through some of the more interesting areas of Lima, including the district with governmental buildings and it was nice to be able to get some kind of perception of Lima, that was more positive than the first night of arrival, three weeks ago.

Now I’m at the airport and all checked in, after having to wait for the AA desk to open at 7pm. Lima airport doesn’t have much in the way of choice, to keep you entertained for longer stays before take-off, so it’s time for a few celebratory drinks before catching the first of three flights back to Seattle, starting at around midnight.

Out of the jungle and on to the North.

Tags

Chiclayo, Flights, Heat, Hotel, Lambayeque, Peru, Tambopata, Transfers, Translation, Transport, Travel, Weather

What a crazy night. After the 42C heat of the last couple of days, the rains finally broke in the wee hours of the morning. I’ve never been deafened by so much heavy rain in my life and it was fantastic to lay in bed and listen to. If maneuvering with cracked ribs wasn’t so exhausting, I’d have sprung out of bed and stayed up all night, mesmerized.

Someone forgot to tell the morning call that we were on the later boat, so there ended up being a 4:30am holler. Drifted back to sleep for 45 minutes before finally getting up and ready to get out. I’m sad at having to leave but in a way glad that it’s not longer, as the humidity has meant that clothing won’t dry and only being able to sleep in a set position with the cracked ribs, and in a pool of sweat, made things a lot more uncomfortable and difficult than they should have been.

After breakfast it was a short hike in the now light drizzle, back to the boat, and a speedy journey that took one hour less than the time heading in, three days ago. Going at the later time to our original group meant there were a lot more people and the bus back to the lodge was packed solid. With some reggae blasting, brown pooled bumpy roads and plenty of palm trees swaying, the trip back could have easily been in Jamaica and the ambience of it all was very enjoyable.

Didn’t really have the time to visit any of Puerto Maldonado but we did drive through it on an alternate way back to the lodge, so that will suffice for now. By time the baggage was checked in, there was still a couple of hours to wait for the flight. The timing here is odd, as the flight (as with the incoming) is supposed to be one hour to Cusco but ends up being 35 minutes. The rest of the time, seems to be made up with boarding and having a tow truck pull the A319 Airbus out from the gate. We weren’t due to stop in Cusco, but I guess it’s a combination drop-off/pick-up stop and refuel. Got to sit for 45 minutes on the plane during the process, before finally taking off and heading to Lima.

I knew it was going to be cutting it fine with 45 minutes between flights in Lima when the flight was booked, but there wasn’t much else in the way of options at the time. The plane eventualy arrived fifteen minutes late and it was literally a mad dash to get off, go through the baggage claim exit and back to departures, so we could pay the aiport tax to fly out. Why they don’t have the option to come off the plane and walk to the departure gates without leaving the area for internal flights, I don’t know. It’s a hassle and unessessary. Thankfully the bags were checked right through to Chiclayo, otherwise the flight would have been missed.  Finally made it to the gate, ten minutes before take-off.

Just an hours’ flight North and it was arrival in Chiclayo. Big relief when the bags had made it, too, and that there was also some daylight left to get bearings and validate the taxi drivers. There’s a board in the exit area with set prices on it, Lambayeque being 25 soles – this was almost double what the tour books had said, so be aware if visiting here (They don’t appear to have an ATM, either).

Sunday night appears to be party night in Chiclayo and the streets were packed, with the music blaring out. It’s more relaxing to be sat in a car passing through and enjoying a bit of people-watching from a comfortable distance. After about twenty minutes, we were outside the hotel. A brief greeting later and the eyes are treated to some very fine living areas and well-tended plants. Unfortunately for me, the night staff didn’t comprehend any English or attempts at translation and when responding with ‘no comprende espanol’, they just kept rattling off conversation in Spanish like there’s no tomorrow. As luck would have it, there was one other occupant of the hotel this evening, which was a girl who spoke great English. We were able to get some basic info and I was able to get across that I’d like the passport copied for the record now, rather than them leave it on the front desk all night to hand back ‘later’. I’m ok trying to translate basic words slow but I don’t think this guy got it, as he just barely stopped talking to breathe and didn’t seem interested in sticking to the key points. Despite this, he opened up a wonderful room, with a balcony overlooking the walled pool and the church a couple of blocks down. After he left, all I wanted to do was sleep and get out of the still damp clothing. The water was cold, so I’m going to have to see if it’s a set-time thing but I did manage to get a basic wash and a good shave, before getting in to bed and passing out within minutes.

Getting to Nazca from Lima.

Tags

Accidents, Ballestas, Ballestas Islands, Bus, Cemetery, Chauchilla, Chauchilla Cemetery, Dangers, Flights, Hijacking, Hotels, Lima, Nazca, Nazca Lines, Oro Viejo, Peru, Tours, Transport

This seems like an easy plan to book so you would think, but travel through the standard agencies that I’ve inquired with, are mostly geared up for the usual tourist routes and/or trips that start and end in Lima. Take for example the Nazca lines tour; turns out that the best way for me to get there in a short space of time, involves an early morning bus from Lima to Nazca, a mid-afternoon arrival and half of the following day for the fly-over of the lines, before hopping on a lunchtime bus to Arequipa.

There are of course alternatives if you have both the time and money, although flying, isn’t one of those options. Currently there are no scheduled flights to Nazca, with the nearest inbound flights arriving at Ica, where you can take a charter flight over the lines as part of a tour package. This is not a bad idea if you just want a flight over the lines, but I also wanted to visit the Chauchilla cemetery, which is located 28k to the South of Nazca.

Looking at the tour operators, there were a couple of choices by private coach that terminated in Nazca, and also covered the Ballestas Islands. While most people will take this option, it didn’t fit into my schedule for getting to Arequipa and ultimately, I cut the Ballestas Island excursion and just booked a bus from Lima to Nazca. While I have no doubt the coastal relief and the expanse of the reservation are a spectacular sight, it’s not something I can’t live without and in the toss-up between that and Chauchilla cemetery, it came out the loser. For those interested, the tour package from Lima to Nazca (and back) varied between $300 and $600, which included a three day excursion with Ballestas Islands, accommodation, coach tickets and flight over the Nazca lines.

The final reservations were done through Hotel Oro Viejo, with whom we will be staying with overnight. Always check with the hotel to see what they recommend, as they can often supply much better guides and suggestions than the tour operators. In this case the rates were favourable, with the Chauchilla cemetery costing just $20 per person for an all inclusive tour, and currently $65 for the Nazca flight. The reason I say currently, is that the flights look to be standardised and capped for the tourist season at this price, and they are unsure as to whether the cost will go up (or down) by time we arrive in September.

It’s becoming increasingly evident on this trip that when you’re travelling on a budget and can’t afford to fly everywhere internally, the buses do offer good alternatives but also languish the itinerary, as it often takes a day to get between destinations. This can be minimised with overnight sleepers where available but be aware, that while these should be safe, there is a higher number of incidents involving accidents and hijacking on the night routes.