Around the world for the 1st time [Day 14] Lima ⇒ Cusco ⇒ Ollantaytambo

Lima ⇒ Cusco

First, we flew from Lima to Cusco. When we arrived at the airport with a long name, Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, I knew that we were at a high altitude. I was working out at the gym, so it was no big deal for me, but the mermaid looked like she was having trouble breathing. The altitude of Cusco is 3,399 meters, which is a little lower than the 3,776 meters of Mt. Fuji, and I remember the air was thin at the top of the mountain.

Cusco ⇒ Ollantaytambo by chartered microbus

According to Gmap, it is about 65 km from the airport to Oryantaytambo, which is a fair distance! I thought it would be a shared ride, but it was a chartered bus! The bus drove through the quiet scenery. We stopped at a rest stop and took a picture with a girl dressed in traditional clothes, and she asked us for money. Oh, that’s how it is in other countries…

Then, a strange woman got on the bus, which was supposed to be chartered. I didn’t think anything of it, but the mermaid looked doubtful. She seemed to be the lover of the driver and was flirting with him. The mermaid said, “I thought we chartered the bus, but I can’t allow the driver to bring his private life into it! and sent an e-mail complaint to the person in charge of the Round-the-World Tour.

Arrival at the inn in Ollantaytambo

We arrived at the inn with nothing more than the driver’s girlfriend. We check in and go to our respective rooms. And the inn has a rooftop with a view. As I was looking at the magnificent view, I had a spontaneous conversation with the lady next to me, who also said she was going to take the train to Machu Picchu the next day.

It was still light outside, so we strolled around the town. There were several restaurants, so we went in at random. But still, there were dogs everywhere! They are running around everywhere. Just like Rapa Nui, it seemed like the whole town had dogs. I ordered an alpaca steak, but it was dry! Inca cola is cola, but it is different. I don’t remember what it tasted like, but I remember drinking it a lot in South America, and when I went to the Galapagos Islands on my third trip around the world, they had Inca Cola. I don’t remember what the meat on the skewers was or what it tasted like.