Trip Reports - PHX to Cusco, Peru via BWI, DCA ,MIA and LIM

My daughter, as many of you know, is in Cusco, Peru for a year. Having never gone more than 2 months without seeing her - we were now over 4. There was only one solution - atrip:)

Having "found" 60K AA miles and after a bunch of discussion on the phone for Business class award availibility an ITN that went DCA-MIA-LIM-CUS-LIM-LAX on dates within a day or so of when I wanted to fly was booked. Of course you may say - gee thats great but you are starting on the east coast now. No worries - my DH and I had a wedding to attend in Annapolis Maryland. But how to get there. UA wanted a fortune for 1 way tickets and I surely did not want to burn 50K for a one way award. Thanks to the CO-Choice-Amtrak-WN deal I had lots of WN awards and a Companion pass. Wait my daughter said - you are going to fly WN ACROSS the country ????????
Well yes.

PHX-BWI - WN

We received B36 and 37 as I was out of the house at the 24 hour mark. On a full flight we ended up with aisle and window and an empty middle. Free full cans of soda and lots of snacks. As a UA 1K based in a TED city I have to honestly say that this was not much different than a non-exit row E+ flight. Flight left and arrived on time. My big concern was luggage. I had a 32 inch duffel packed to the gills at 72 pounds and a 30" checked bag that weighed in at 53 pounds. Visions of overweight charges danced in my head.
Upon arrival my sson dropped us off at the outside baggage check. Skycap looked at bags - looked at me - printed off tags - took his $10 and all was well ;). Flight one accomplished .

A great weekend that included 2 FFN nites at the Park Hyatt - I must say that hotel treats Diamonds right.
An incredible dinner at BLT steak with some old friends ( be prepared for $100 a person) and a FT dinner at Lima's ( much less :) ). The Newseum was great .

Finally it was time to head to DCA for my flight to MIA.

AA - FC - 5:15 to MIA

So here I am with these huge overweight bags again . Get to the check in counter and go to put them on the scale. Never mind says the agent - they look like they are less than 50 pounds. Works for me - get tags and bring them to the TSA line. Flight is about 10 minutes late. I have not flown AA in years and I must say I was impressed. FA's bright and cheerful and a hot meal on a 2 hour 15 minute flight. Didnt need the hot meal but it was a contrast to UA FC thats for sure.

Arrive in MIA around 8 pm - flight to LIM is at midnite. Go to the LAN counter to trade oout the AA boarding passes for LAN boarding passes, try to check my roller which is bulging at the seams ( all the 120+ pounds in the checked luggage is for my daughter - things like peanut butter, rice a roni, soup, a printer, games for her to work with her speech pathology kids, new sheets and towels ( no hot water and hand washing means things dont get real clean), etc. They look at it and go no no its carry on no need to check. Fine. Get my "invitation" to the LAN lounge. Go up there - not much some soda and cookies - I think it was an open bar but not really sure.

Now the fun begins. I decide that I should go through security so I can hit duty free before they close. The "guard" ( not TSA but tthe ID checker guard) tells me I cant have this carry on. well the truth is that I did have this overstuffed roller, a backpack and my purse. No one else had cared but this guy did. YOU MUST CHECK ONE he says. So back I go to the LAN counter. My spanish sucks and their english was not much better but I finally got it across that they would not let me through security. She could not see why but finally decided that she would just check it at no charge to me. Worked for me. Unfortunately by the time all this was resolved and I got thru security - duty free, etc was closed. :( )

LAN Business Class - 11:55 pm - 5:25 am to LIM

I was impressed. First the gate agent kept boarding under control. They boarded wheelchairs and people with babies first. Some man in front of me got all upset because they had called for preferred boarding and HE wanted to get on with the wheelchairs and babies. Told he had to wait he started yelling. GA basically ignored him so he turned to me and started complaining. I told I was sure we would be next :)

Boarding was nice. Water and drinks offered as we got to our seats. Full size TV monitors built into seat backs. ( I didnt try it -as I got on- as soon as we took off- pushed back lay flat seat into a very comfortable bed - FA brought a down ccomforter and amenity kit) and I went to sleep. Unlike American airlines she did not wake me up until we were in our landing appoach.

More to come.......

LIM-CUS - Y class

Upon arrival in Lima I collected my luggage, got the "green light" - which meant that not yet another person was going to go through my bags - and went to recheck my bags. Unlike in the US - you actually have to go to the counter and recheck them. Here they "discovered" that I did have more than 2 checked bags and 46 kilos. $56 USD later I had bailed out the nutragrain bars and peanut butter and the bags were on their way to Cusco. With 4 hours to wait I discovered the sole restaurant that allowed smoking. I figured I better smoke then because everyone told me that I would never be able to smoke in Cusco as the altitude was going to get me.

Boarding was chaos - but I was in south america now . sitting in my ailse seat the girl next to me asked if I would change with her so she could sit next to her friend across the ailse. Um no - I will change with your friend though. Suddenly she lost interest in changing seats :). A short one hour flight ( on which a snack and soda was served) and we were in Cusco. I paid some guy 2 soles ( about 60 cents) and he took my 160 pounds of bags off the caresoul and outside to where my daughter was waiting with a taxi. Now I was to learn fear.

The taxi to the hotel took about 20 minutes and cost 10 soles ( 2.5USD) . I dont know how these people make a living as petrol is 4USD a gallon here and has been for a long time.

Check in _ Hotel Novotel

After checking on flyertalk and tripadvisor, I had booked the hotel Novotel
at 125USD a nite for the "new " section it seemed reasonable. This turned out to be a good choice ( although I paid $50 a nite for the first 3 nites to upgrade to the old section. ) The old section used to be a convent- the rooms look out over the lobby and are very nice. Check in was smooth - copies of passports etc, escort to the room and I was ready for a nap. The decision was made to eat a quick lunch ( it was about 11:30) and then I would nap for a while. To my daughters disgust I had no signs of altitude sickness and could even smoke a cigarette. Her choice for lunch - of course - McDonalds. A walk to the square ( which is full of people harrassing you to buy things and my first Peruvian meal - McDonalds. The irony did not escape me .

Enjoying your trip report so far. One of my biggest regrets is not flying on my Avianca $236 fare from LAX to CUS last October.

Cusco was an enlighting experience to me. Though I have traveled all over the world; I have never been to South America ( I don't think that Mexico counts :) ). Because I waas there as a visitor rather than as a tourist I saw things that in some ways I wish I had not. My daughter lives in "LaRapa", which is a fairly middle-class neighborhood. Still there is no heat nor hot water in her apt. That however is nothing. We went out to the village where some of her clients ( she does volunteer work with special needs children) live. A large number of children are born with fetal alchohol syndrome. It is hard for me to even explain ( let alone understand) the day to day grind of no water, no heat, little food , "houses" that are made of adobe and tin roof ( if lucky). Most of the women look "fat" - but it is not from eating too much but from eating a diet that mostly consists of potatoes and rice.

Anyway a trip report is probably not the place for the above; so on to Machu Pichu.

Because I did not want to deal with the stress of planning the pieces of the trip up to Machu Pichu I had booked with SAS travel. The package was to include the bus up, transfer to a train , the hotel, etc.
So we take the bus - which is to stop in Pisac ( a market town) and then go up the hill to some ruins that cost 60USD to get into. We had explained that we did not want to pay 60USD to see ruins and the agency had said that we could just stay down in the town. Umm, the bus does not stop in Pisac. After discussion ( my daughters Spanish by now is fairly fluent), we take a cab down the hill and wait for the bus to come down and pick us up. then we get back in the bus to Ollantaytambo where the bus driver is supposed to turn us over to the guide who has our train tickets and entrance tickets to Machu Pichu. Bus driver just drops us off. Not so good. We call travel agency and they say "Just wait". The very nice train security people call travle agency and ask for the guides cell number. They refuse to give it to him. Guide finally shows up 5 minutes before train time. Whew !!!
Machu Pichu itself was incredible. We got a beautiful sunny day and made it up to the top to watch the sun rise !!!

Suggestions - it is easy to book all the tickets yourself and probably less stressful. Taxis to Ollantaytambo cost 20 Soles per person ( $6.50) from Cusco and from there you can get the train. Lesson learned.
Some other lessons learned - toilet paper does NOT get put in the toilet.
Always negotiate with the cab driver and everyone else ( I hate that part).
Drink the coca tea - the whole time I was there I suffered no altitude sickness and kept smoking ( sorry)
Watch what you eat and drink. A few times I almost instinctively brushed my tea with the tap water. Luckily I didnt so I did not get sick either.
The black market has DVD's for $1 a DVD of just about anything you would want to see.

Cusco was an enlighting experience to me. Though I have traveled all over the world; I have never been to South America ( I don't think that Mexico counts :) ).

Thanks for the trip report. Sounds as if you had a great time! Nope mexico is not part of South America. It's actually part of N. America lol. Anytime my friend hears someone say how Mexico is "part of S. America" he goes balistic! good thing he's not reading this! :)

Thanks for the trip report. Sounds as if you had a great time! Nope mexico is not part of South America. It's actually part of N. America lol. Anytime my friend hears someone say how Mexico is "part of S. America" he goes balistic! good thing he's not reading this! :)


I knew that - thats why the smilee - I'm PHX based

Did you buy any rugs?

Did you buy any rugs?

If so, how many???

If so, how many???

YUP :):)

2 - one for me, one for daughter

You guys make me laugh :D

Oh and a tapestry :)

If only one side is finished it in all probablility is of Ecuadorean origin. These are
touted to be the best. Finished on both sides are probably Peruvian or, sigh, perhaps from Columbia. Some are even made in factories.

But of course you knew that before you negotiated for them.

;)

If only one side is finished it in all probablility is of Ecuadorean origin. These are
touted to be the best. Finished on both sides are probably Peruvian or, sigh, perhaps from Columbia. Some are even made in factories.

But of course you knew that before you negotiated for them.

;)

Well of course. :)


so on to negotiating.

One of the cool skills my daughter has gotten is a good command of the Spanish language. One of the best things she says is " XYZ soles - plus mucho " ( or however you say it ) - with a Peruvian accent and this tone that says just because I'm a gringa doesnt mean I'm stupid. It was great having someone else to say no .