The Buses/Combis of Cusco

This post will be a bit different... It's a collection of the buses I've seen in and around Cusco during the 6 weeks I've been here...

Paradero = Bus Stop

Cusco is a wee bit interesting in that the buses aren't numbered or named by their destinations. Instead of catching the #8 to Kowhai Park to get home in Wellington, here I can catch buses with names like Imperial, Batman, Wimpallay Chocco, or Expreso San Jeronimo.

The "buses" are sometimes 3-quarter size buses, but most often they are "combis", or minivans. They squeeze a lot of people into these things, to the extent where you have your head on your side to fit under the roof of a combi and can't move because there's so many people crammed in.

Three-quarter size buses

Combis

There's a tout who shouts the stops out as you're going along. If you want to get off you shout back "bajo", meaning "I'm getting off".

At each stop everyone is treated to a tirade of "bajabajabajabajabaja; subesubesubesubesube" - meaning "get off get off get off get off get off; get on get on get on get on get on" to encourage people to move quicker, and then the combi speeds off as the tout closes the sliding door.

As uncomfortable as that all may sound, at 60 or 70 centimos (about 25-30 US cents), they're a cheap way to get anywhere.

I went on a photo-taking spree of the buses and combis and managed to find at least 33 different routes in just an hour walking around near the centre and back to my homestay. Here goes:

Arco Iris
(Rainbow - the bus I take to the volunteering school)

Batman

Batman

C-4M

Columbia

Correcaminos
(Roadrunner)

Cristo Blanco
(Cristo Blanco is a statue of Jesus with arms spread, like in Rio de Janerio, that sits on a hill overlooking Cusco)

Doradino

El Dorado

El Mirador
(The Lookout)

Expreso El Zorro

Expreso Inca

Expreso San Jeronimo
(San Jeronimo is a district of Cusco)

Expreso San Sebastian
(San Sebastian is another district of Cusco)

Expreso Santiago

Horizonte
(Horizontal)

Huancaro

Imperial

Leon de San Jeronimo

Luis Vallejos Santoni

Nuevo Amancer
(New Dawn)

Nueva Chaska

Pachacuteq
(Pachacuteq was one of the most influential Incan kings... I wrote a bit about him here)

Paraiso - Aeropuerto

Pegaso

Santa Ana

Satelite

Servicio Rapido

Señor del Huerto
(The Man of the Orchard)

Ttio La Florida

Tupac Amaru
(Tupac Amaru was the Incan king when the Spaniards conquered their empire)

Wimpillay Chocco

Yllary Qosqo
(Qosqo is another version of spelling Cusco, in the native Quechua language)

Catching the "#7 - Railway Station", "#11 - Seatoun", or "#15 - Sydenham" buses will never quite seem the same again.

Cañon del Colca

March 1 - 4

The day after summitting Chachani I headed off to the Cañon del Colca. This canyon is big. It's the 2nd deepest in the world (the deepest is Cotahausi nearby), and at 4,160 m deep, it makes the Grand Canyon in USA (1,800 m deep) look like a tiny dent. Everywhere you looked in the Cañon, the view was stunning.

View of the canyon from near Cabanaconde

I stayed in a small town called Cabanaconde, where my Spanish was put to good practice as there was very little English around. They were very helpful and booked me accommodation in the Cañon for my 3-day hike.

On Saturday morning, I visited the Cruz del Condor, where I was able to see some of the stunning condors enjoying the early-morning updrafts (but no decent photos). I then headed off on the trek, staying in Llahuar and Sangalle. I enjoyed trekking around by myself, simply enjoying the stunning views everywhere, being disconnected from all the worries of the world...

Stunning View #1
Llahuar is just visible at the far end of the river

Stunning View #2
The track on the other side of the canyon was day 1!

After a 5.30am start, I arrived back in Cabanaconde in time for the 9.00am bus... Only to discover that a slip on the road to Chivay meant that no buses were running for at least 3 days. No problem, apparently... This was my new transport, which took an alternative route...

Standing room only!

After 3.5 hours standing in the back of the truck with some 25 locals, I got back with a few more bruises and dust in my hair to Chivay, and was able to get back to Arequipa and then on the overnight bus to Cusco, where I arrived this morning.

Time for some rest & relaxation before more classes and meeting the children for the volunteering programme tomorrow...

Arequipa & Chachani

February 25 - 28

After two weeks of Spanish classes in Cusco, I headed to Arequipa on the overnight bus. That in itself was quite the experience, but the "full cama" (fully reclining seat) was actually comfortable, and I arrived safely in Arequipa, "La Ciudad Blanca" ("The White City"), so-called because of the use of the local white stone for most buildings.

Plaza de Armas & Catedral

There is not much to see in Arequipa, although I did visit a museum detailing the discovery of the "ice princess", the mummy Juanita. Found by accident on the top of Ampato, a nearby mountain, Juanita was an Incan princess, about 12-14 years old, sacrificed to the gods in an attempt to stop volcanic activity endangering the local settlement. Because of the cold, the mummy is in very good condition, with most internal organs intact. Another mummy was on view when I visited, although it was a bit haunting to look at.

There are a number of impressive-looking snow-capped volcanoes overlooking Arequipa, and I joined a trip to climb Chachani.  At 6,075 m (!), the altitude is definitely a factor, but it was also the first time I'd used crampons. After a short first day, we reached base camp at 5,200 m and in bed by 5pm...

Dinner at base camp

Our guide got us up at 1am, and we began climbing at 2am. It was a real struggle - one of the hardest things I've ever done. The sun rose...

Sunrise over a nearby ridge

And then, at 6.57am, when we summitted, I realised the struggle was worth it:

Summit of Chachani at 6,075 m

The views were stunning, we had amazingly clear weather, and our guide Ivan was excellent. The sense of achievement was amazing, and the experience will be added to my quickly-growing list of things I will never forget.

Cusco - Spanish lessons & more!

February 10 - February 24

After a hectic 12 days on the tour from La Paz, finishing with Machu Picchu, it was a relief to be able to relax for a while in one place.

For two weeks, I spent my mornings learning Spanish with an organisation called FairServices. They work with solo mothers to train them to become Spanish teachers, while also teaching them some English. The organisation, the school and the people are great here, there's a really positive friendly atmosphere around.

FairService's website

The Spanish classes are taken in two sections - I take 2 hours of grammar classes with Yesica, and then 2 hours of practical classes with Marianela. The classes are all one-on-one, but while the grammar classes are in a classroom, the practical classes are taken on the streets of Cusco, walking around the markets, a museum or anywhere else we fancy! It's a great way to discover some parts of Cusco I would never have known about by myself.

FairServices also runs "clases de cocina" (cooking classes) of typical Peruvian dishes, and salsa classes, both of which are a great way to meet some of the other students as well as getting to know a bit of the local culture.

In the afternoons, FairServices runs a volunteering programme for kids from poor families, but my Spanish isn't quite up to that yet. In the meantime I've been exploring some of the rest of Cusco:

The royal Incan bathing area of Tambomachay, several hours walk out of town
("Tambo" meant a resting place for the Incans, like Ollantaytambo in my last post)

View along Alameda Pachacuteq towards the main plaza, from the Pachacuteq Memorial

Pachacuteq Memorial
Pachacuteq was a local hero who saved the city of Cusco from an invading army and was promoted to god-like status, and was responsible for some important changes in the governance of Cusco & the Incan empire.

I found out from a barman that the two main Cusco football clubs were playing each other, so myself, Siebren and Pieter (another one, from Belgium!) went along to the local derby. The stadium was split in half, Cienciano supporters on one side, Real Garcilaso supporters on the other. Our tickets were on the Cienciano side, so we had to support them...

Cienciano (red) 0
Real Garcilaso (sky blue) 1 

Sunday 17th February was a Carneval day in the main plaza of Cusco. Four of us headed into town and picked up a can of foam spray...

Carneval - gringos are a prime target!

The second week of classes, I also moved into a homestay with a local family. They usually have about 3 or 4 others staying with them, but the family speak very little English, so it is good practice to speak Spanish at mealtimes etc. They have been very welcoming!

I've enjoyed the classes, people and homestay so much that I decided I wanted to stay here for a while. I'd already decided to head to Arequipa for a week, but with the promise of returning to Cusco as soon as possible. I'll be back in a homestay and also volunteering in the afternoon.