After our adventures in Lima, Huacachina, and Paracas, and saying goodbye to my brother and his family, we boarded a flight for Cusco. Cusco is the capital of the Cusco Province. Its population is 500,000 people. The elevation is about 11,200 feet, and you can feel it as soon as you step out of the airport.
We spent one night in Cusco because some of our friends from Ecuador were there. It was exciting to hang out with the Hansens and the Flemings for a night. We had a great dinner at the Andean Grill and a satisfying breakfast at Jack’s Cafe. The french toast at Jack’s is delicious, and the portion sizes are huge.
We will be spending more time in Cusco, but the day we were there, we walked around the main square and went to the Mercado San Blas. A large bag of cashew nuts is only $5 at the market. Coca leaves, coca tea, and coca sucking candies are sold at the market. These are supposed to help with Altitude sickness. None of us got altitude sickness.
Urubamba was our ultimate destination. We spent three weeks there. We chose to stay here for three weeks because the boys attended a local school (I will write about that in another post). Urubamba is the largest town in the Sacred Valley.
It is a transportation hub where many tourists stop before going to Machu Picchu to help acclimate to the altitude. Urubamba is about a one-hour and twenty-minute drive from Cusco. We hired a taxi for S/100 ($25), but you can take collective vans from Cusco to Urubamba for about S/10 per person. The main transportation around town are mototaxis.
The drive from Cusco to Urubamba is beautiful. The Andes mountains are enchanting. Urubamba is in a valley along the banks of the Urubamba River about halfway between Pisac and Ollantaytambo. It is a small town of about 3,000 people.
We rented a two-bedroom, one-bath Airbnb in the city for about $20/day. The place is on the fourth floor of a five-story building. Our first impression of it was a giant steel door and uneven rough cement steps. The unit is a nice size with a lot of natural light and amazing views of the mountains.
There are some unique things about the property. After we arrived, we found out that the water shuts off every day at around 5 pm for the night. The shower water runs 24/7, but not the water to the sinks and toilets. There is a giant red trash can full of water for use at night. The shower has instant hot water, but it is a little scary to look up and see exposed wiring on the showerhead.
The kitchen consists of a stove, sink, full-sized refrigerator, and washing machine. The odd thing about the kitchen is the giant beam in front of half of the sink. Like other places in South America, you cannot drink tap water or flush toilet paper in the toilets. We would buy 7-liter water jugs as needed for drinking.
Despite the oddities (what we perceive to be oddities), we enjoyed this Airbnb. The location is convenient. It was exciting to have an oven. We often only have a stovetop. A two-bedroom place was nice after a couple of months of sleeping together in close quarters. The internet was not good when we arrived, but the host upgraded it, and the new internet is great.
Food shopping in Urubamba is similar to San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. There are no large grocery stores. There is a big market in the middle of the town and small tiendas throughout the city. We found toilet paper that comes as a complete roll with a small paper roll in the middle that comes out. These small rolls come in handy to keep with us when we venture out because many public toilets do not provide toilet paper.
We ate a lot of good food in Urubamba. Most of the food is Peruvian cuisine, but you can find pizza, Chinese food and some American fare.
We did not play tourist too much while we were in Urubamba. The kids had school five days a week and Soccer three days a week after school. Michael traveled back to the United States for ten days to attend his grandmother’s funeral.
We met friends in Ollantaytambo to explore the town and the Inca fortress. The Inca ruins are an impressive sight. Transportation in Sacred Valley is easy with the collective taxis. The trip from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo costs S/2.50 per person, and some collective taxi drivers charged us half price for the kids. Taxis are found at bus stations in towns and can be hailed from the side of the road. Before we left Ollantaytambo, Lucas and Henry found a soccer game to join.
We went to the Sacred Valley Brewing company one evening with our friends. It is a cool little spot in Pachar, between Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. The beer and the food are tasty. There are several games to keep the kids busy. We recommend stopping at the brewery if you ever come through the Sacred Valley.
On our last night in Urubamba, we went to a Karaoke bar. Henry really wanted to do it and it was just a few doors down from our apartment.
We enjoyed the downtime in Urubamba. It is a peaceful city surrounded by stunning views of the Andes Mountains. The Sacred Valley is a perfect place to come to relax.
