{"id":3322,"date":"2016-06-16T08:22:01","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T12:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.runkevinrun.com\/?p=3322"},"modified":"2016-06-16T08:22:01","modified_gmt":"2016-06-16T12:22:01","slug":"june-10-2016-machu-picchu-city-and-the-return-to-cusco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/?p=3322","title":{"rendered":"June 10, 2016 \u2013 Machu Picchu City and The Return To Cusco"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 10, 2016 \u2013 Machu Picchu City and The Return To Cusco<\/strong>
\nI only had a day at Machu Picchu but it was really something.\u00a0 Today, I\u2019m scheduled to catch the 1:37 PM PeruRail train back to Ollantaytambo so I have the morning free.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see a need to pay another US$40+ for another day\u2019s admission when I would only have a few hours, plus the bus ride cost about US$24 (albeit I guess I COULD have walked up the 14 corner switchbacks to the top of the mountain to reach the Incan city.
\nInstead, I wandered the small town of Machu Picchu City.\u00a0 I even managed to snap a few shots for UBS to thank them for my water tumbler.
\n\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

There was an Earth Day-ian celebration going on in the town plaza, a recycling initiative seemingly spearheaded by the area schoolchildren.\u00a0 They were decked out in costumes made from recycled material and while I couldn\u2019t follow the Spanish, I assume it was encouraging the town and the nation to do more to protect the environment.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a>\"20160610-WEB<\/a>\"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

I was most intrigued by the three folks dressed as mascots \u2013 I am ALWAYS a fan of mascots.\u00a0 These seemed to be I think a cat, a bear, and a chinchilla.\u00a0 They kept taking off their heads, both because of the heat and to talk \u2026 even with the kids who wanted their photos taken with them\u2026 including this big kid:<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think this photo does justice to the fact that a bear is taking a photo of his chincilla and cat friends\u2026 but that\u2019s what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

There was also a drop of water mascot but whoever was in there was either too important or too blind to mingle with the crowd.\u00a0 He stayed on the stage and had to be helped down by three or four wranglers when approaching any steps.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a>
\nThat\u2019s not even the weirdest part though.\u00a0 Apparently Peruvians LOVE Simon and Garfunkel\u2019s \u201cThe Sound of Silence.\u201d\u00a0 I heard two different Peruvian flute versions over the PA system waiting for the program to start\u2026 and then the local middle school\u2019s marching band played it as, I dunno, the school\u2019s anthem?\u00a0 The theme of the Earth Day fest, in that if we are silent the earth dies?\u00a0 I would have possibly thought the latter but honestly this wasn\u2019t the first day I\u2019d heard cover versions of \u201cSoS.\u201d\u00a0 At three other locations \u2013 restaurants, waiting areas, trains \u2013 I heard it played.\u00a0 The perhaps erroneous conclusion that I must draw, as all other explanations have been Sherlock\u2019d; this is all that remains, no matter how improbable, so it must be the truth.
\n***
\nI spent the afternoon souvenir shopping in the local artesian market and souvenir stalls.\u00a0 The breakdown on my haggling negotiations is as follows:
\nMAGNET
\nAsking Price: 10 sols
\n1st Counter: 5 sols
\nSale Price: 6 sols<\/p>\n

STICKER
\nAsking Price: 8 sols
\n1st Counter: 5 sols
\nSale Price: 5 sols<\/p>\n

ALPACA + HANDMADE HAT FOR SAME
\nAsking Price: 35 sols
\n1st Counter: 20 sols
\nSale Price: 30 sols<\/p>\n

TABLE RUNNER
\nAsking Price: 35 sols
\n1st Counter: 20 sols
\nSale Price: 20 sols<\/p>\n

In typical fashion, I was mostly a disaster at haggling but so be it.\u00a0 Hilariously, the Alpaca Saleswoman said she remembered me from the day before.\u00a0 I told her I\u2019m sure she did but I still thought I was paying too much\u2026 until I realized the thing was costing me less than US$10.\u00a0 Was I really going to argue over pennies, maybe a dollar, by trying to get to 25 sols?<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

***
\nI once again had the front seat on the train.\u00a0 The woman next to me only spoke Spanish but via hand gestures and my infantile Spanish, we established this was my first time to Machu Picchu\u2026 and hers too.\u00a0 She was Peruvian, maybe 50-ish, and she said her heart, her corazon<\/em>, was big from visiting.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

During the ride back, the train\u2019s service team were obligated to put on a dance party and fashion show as a marketing tool to later sell the alpaca items they modeled.\u00a0 They looked as uncomfortable doing the show as we riders felt watching it.\u00a0 When the sales pitch ultimately came, as I knew it would, the alpaca prices were as one would expect \u2013 599 sols (or about US$200) for a sweater and beyond.\u00a0 I passed.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

***
\nArriving at the station, I spied my Condor Travel contact through the window \u2013 this entire trip, people have thought my first name was Hanna and my surname was Kevin.\u00a0 So everyone calls me, \u201cMr. Kevin.\u201d\u00a0 To be honest, I think I prefer it to Mr. Hanna.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

The ride back to Cusco takes about 90 minutes.\u00a0 It\u2019s mostly silent as my contact\u2019s English is worse than my Spanish\u2026 and the driver doesn\u2019t seem too chatty either.\u00a0 I\u2019m the only passenger in the 7 seat van, the guide and the driver in the front seats.\u00a0 A few points of interest are listlessly pointed out to me \u2013 some more Incan terraces, a bungee jumping attraction.\u00a0 But mostly it\u2019s just me sitting there thinking of time and space and where I\u2019ve been and what I\u2019ve done.\u00a0 And I\u2019m ok with that.\u00a0 In my head, I\u2019m trying to review and log details I want to include\u2026 and in the back of my mind, I\u2019m figuring if I can squeeze a run in after getting to the hotel.\u00a0 I suddenly realized I had my swimsuit in my checked luggage and while it\u2019s not exactly standard issue running gear, it was better than nothing.
\nPlus, there was a rainbow!\u00a0 And as discussed with some new friends at Easter Island, is there anybody who doesn\u2019t like rainbows?\u00a0 I have some potential candidates but no confirmations yet\u2026 I for one am pro-rainbows.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a>
\nAbout 15 minutes from the hotel, my guide said there was a problem.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure what that meant and he said it wasn\u2019t a problem for me, it was a personal problem for him, and he needed to get out here but the driver would get me to the hotel.\u00a0 We all have things come up but I have to admit I did think this was a set-up to a bad episode of TV, wherein a Kidnap and Ransom expert would be getting a phone call about some stupid Americano in Peru who had gone missing.\u00a0 All that they had to go on was a black jacket embroidered with the words, \u201cRun Kevin Run Dot Com.\u201d\u00a0 But fortunately, no kidnapping and therefore no ransom.\u00a0 Huzzah!
\nThe one additional hiccup was that the Cusco Celebration had apparently started and certain roads were blocked.\u00a0 My driver had to circle around quite a bit, navigating one-way side streets to get me closer and closer to my hotel.\u00a0 Again, visions of back alley hooligans dragging me into the darkest recesses of Cusco flashed before me\u2026 but quickly I was back at the hotel and checked in.
\nIt was 5:15 PM and I thought I really, really needed a run to help reset and offset some of the over-indulgent decadence I had enjoyed this trip.\u00a0 It was a slow 4 miles \u2013 down the hill and then a struggle back up thanks to the high altitude and my general meh-ness.\u00a0 But I did it and as is always true, no matter how slow and how rough the run might be, it\u2019s always better to have DONE the run than to NOT.
\nI wandered through the night-time festivities in the city plaza square, noticing the odd fireworks shot into the air.\u00a0 Mainly they seemed to be roman candles, sometimes launched by specific groups parading the streets with their Mardi Gras-ian floats.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

Along one stretch of the city, I spotted a gang of youths shouldering a large display of a patron saint mannequin on their shoulders.\u00a0 They seemed to be shoving other similarly dressed members trying to join in and help shoulder the burden and it felt like a musical chairs competition for the honor of carrying the saint.\u00a0 Weird ain\u2019t the half of it:<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a><\/p>\n

After hemming and hawing over dinner options, I finally wound up at this placed called Los Balcones.\u00a0 It afforded a balcony, natch, and it overlooked the town plaza, giving me if not a bird\u2019s eye view than a really tall person\u2019s view of the action.\u00a0 I went with the trout and vegetable skewer and it was hands down the best meal I had in Peru.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a>
\nIn the distance, larger fireworks were being shot off over the city and because of my vantage point I was able to place my camera on the balcony ledge and make use of the tripod assisted fireworks setting.\u00a0 A few nice shots to cap the evening, part of the month long celebration of Cusco.<\/p>\n

\"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a> \"20160610-WEB<\/a>
\nNot a bad way to spend one\u2019s last night in Peru.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June 10, 2016 \u2013 Machu Picchu City and The Return To Cusco I only had a day at Machu Picchu but it was really something.\u00a0 Today, I\u2019m scheduled to catch the 1:37 PM PeruRail train back to Ollantaytambo so I have the morning free.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see a need to pay another US$40+ for another […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[84,731,422,744,745,746,748,426,739,427,747,740,749],"class_list":["post-3322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-city","tag-cusco","tag-day","tag-earth","tag-festival","tag-fireworks","tag-garfunkel","tag-last","tag-machu","tag-night","tag-parade","tag-picchu","tag-simon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3322\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}