December 31, 2017
Cartagena
Cargagena is the No. 1 tourist destination in Colombia obviously because it's considered the best colonial city in Latin America. There is no shortage of flights from North America. My flight from Miami touched down in the early afternoon, giving me enough time to have a half-day tour of the old city (with luggage checked early into my evening flight, it's even easier).
Official taxi inside the airport costs 13,300 COP and takes 15 minutes to reach Torre Del Reloj (Clock Tower), the traditional entrance to the old city. Torre Del Reloj is also where Plaza de la Paz is located. There is no set route to follow inside the old city. I designed a route Plaza de la Paz -> Plaza de La Aduana (Iglesia de San Pedro Claver) -> Bolivar Plaza (Museo del Oro, Palacio de la Inquisición) -> Teatro Adolfo Mejía -> Las Murallas -> Las Bovedas -> Plaza de San Diego, covering most interesting places. The bus to the airport is near Monumento India Catalina but there are many buses passing by going to different directions so it’s better to ask if it’s the bus to the airport.
 |
| Torre del Reloj |
January 1, 2018
Bogotá-Zipaquirá
Due to late arrival to / early departure from Bogotá, I stayed at Hotel City Express near the airport. It's a new hotel and quite comfortable but you still need to take the hotel shuttle bus (free) or a taxi to/from the airport. To travel around Bogotá I used TransMilenio exclusively. TransMilenio is a very efficient BRT system but needs some advance planning (routes and schedules on weekends/holidays are quite different from weekdays).
Since it's a holiday, I took route L97 in the morning from Portal Eldorado Station, just besides Hotel City Express (though the main entrance to the hotel is on a small side road, there is a short-cut to get to the TransMilenio station nearby which is quite convenient). You need to get a card at the station and there is a deposit of 5,000 COP (difficult to get refund). The one-way fare is 2,200 COP and you can pre-load whatever amount you like. About 40 minutes later, I got off at Jimenez Station and got out of the station at the exit towards the head of the bus, crossed the street and walked along the small road for 10 minutes to reach Plaza Bolivar. It was around 10am but not many people were around. There were police present. Several important buildings surround the plaza, including Catedral Primada de Colombia, Capitolio Nacional and Palacio de Justicia. The Casa de Nariño (presidential palace) is on a side road from Plaza Bolivar. You can get into the road but not inside the palace. There are also two important museums nearby - Museo Botero and Museo del Oro. Unfortunately, they were all closed due to holiday. I decided to go to Zipaquirá.
Back to Jimenez Station, I took route B93 to Portal Norte and from there changed to another bus to Zipaquirá (5,000 COP, 1 hour). Most restaurants in Zipaquirá were closed on this New Year holiday but luckily some fast food chains near Plaza de la independencia were open. After a quick lunch, I walked along Carrera 6 for a couple of minutes. At the end of the street there is a clear sign indicating the way up to Catedral de Sal. Catedral de Sal is no doubt one of the biggest attractions around Bogotá and the entrance fee has been increased to 54,000 COP. Tourists are supposed to get into the site on scheduled times with guides (mostly Spanish and some English). However, once inside, you are free to move around. There are numerous chapels with crosses inside the mine and you eventually reach the biggest chapel with the biggest cross which is significant.
 |
| Catedral de Sal, Zipaquirá |
January 2, 2018
Quito
Although Quito is near the equator, perhaps because of its high altitude, there are snow mountains surrounding the area. The mountains are so high that the airplane I took from Bogota could only fly between the mountains. Again I chose to stay near the airport - in the community of Tababela. Unlike Bogota, hotels in Tababela are mostly family hotels that provide shuttle services to the airport for a fee ($10 one-way).
After a simple but delicious lunch near the hotel, I got a taxi to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) for $35. There is a $5 entrance fee to see the monument and the exhibitions inside. As many people know, the real equator is at the nearby Museo de Sitio Intiñan ($4). There are some interesting equatorial experiments inside and almost everyone got photos taken at the real equator measured by GPS.
From Mitad del Mundo, there are buses going to different parts of Quito. I happened to take one going downtown and got off at a spot about 1km from Basilica del Voto Naciona. This magnificent church is on my list mainly because of the view from one of its twin towers. Visitors take an elevator first then climb two times to the top level. The view is unforgettable.
From Basilica del Voto Naciona I walked 8 blocks downhill to reach Plaza Grande, the center of Quito. Around Plaza Grande there are some important buildings including Palacio de Carondelet (presidential palace), Catedral Metropolitana de Quito and Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús. Not too far from Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús is the grand Iglesia de San Francisco, said to be the largest church in Latin America. From Iglesia de San Francisco, I walked a few blocks to Iglesia de Santo Domingo, before jumping into a restaurant near the walking street Calle La Ronda when heavy rain started. Unfortunately, the food was so-so.
Taxi back to Tababela from central Quito cost less than $20 (police helped to get an official taxi).
 |
| The real equator at Museo de Sitio Intiñan |
January 3, 2018
Santa Cruz
Start of the 4-day, 3-night Galápagos experience. Nothing really exciting when the airplane touched down the airport on Baltra Island, as well as the bus-boat-bus trip to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. The excitement started during a highland tour ($15 per person) when we visited El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve. The nearby lava tunnel is also quite interesting. The tour also included Los Gemelos, the twin craters in central Santa Cruz which are so-so.
Back to Puerto Ayora in the evening and had some good dinner at a food outlet around Charles Biniford and Av Baltra (the food outlets there serve mostly fresh seafood including fish and lobsters).
January 4, 2018
Isabela
Isabela is the largest island in Galápagos and one of the four inhabited islands. It's possible to take public ferries from Puerto Ayora ($30 one-way) and take local tours once there. However, I negotiated a day trip to Isabela for $100 including lunch that makes the tour more attractive than travelling independently.
On arriving at Puerto Villamil, passengers were welcomed by sea lions and marine iguanas around the pier. About 20 minutes later, we were transferred to a small boat to tour Las Tintoreras where we saw Galápagos penguins and blue footed boobies from a distance. The boat also landed on a small island where lots of marine iguanas and sharks (in a river) can be seen.
After the boat tour, we had lunch at a local restaurant then had a land tour to see flamingos and giant tortoises (at a breeding center) before taking the 3:00 p.m. boat back to Puerto Ayora. The boat ride was quite smooth (no v medication needed).
At the Fish Market in Puerto Ayora, I bought a piece of tuna meat from a vendor and handed to a restaurant nearby to cook - a unique experience. The Fish Market is an interesting area to see sea lions and groups of pelicans hanging around begging for food from vendors.
January 5, 2018
Seymour Norte
I booked this Seymour Norte tour in advance for $185. Although it's more expensive to book in advance, it's necessary as you cannot get the tour for the next day while in Puerto Ayora during high season. Another popular tour that needs to be booked in advance during high season is the Bartolome tour which I tried to book in advance but still failed.
Unlike the tour to Isabela which uses express boats, the tour to Seymour Norte uses the 16-person yacht which is slower and more comfortable. Lunch is served on board and there are frequent snack/drink services. The tour I took actually landed on Playa Las Bachas of Santa Cruz first for a walk (2 flamingos were seen) and snorkeling (nothing could be seen). After lunch on board, we landed on Seymour Norte and did a circle trail on the island. We saw lots of frigatebirds (with a feeding/stealing food scene) and some land iguanas. Unfortunately, we didn't see any blue footed boobies due to hot weather, according to the tour guide.
Back to Puerto Ayora, it's still early for the day and I decided to walk to Tortuga Bay. The beach officially closes at 5pm but security guard started to ask people leave around 5:30pm so I had a chance to walk to the west end of the beach to see some marine iguanas.
January 6, 2018
Santa Cruz to Lima
A transit day from Galápagos to Lima via Guayaquil by airplane. On arriving in Lima, I got a Taxi Green taxi from inside the airport to Bilbao Hotel (60 Sol) just opposite the Cruz del Sur bus station for an early morning bus next day. Bilbao Hotel is a modern hotel. Its "Fashion" rooms (179 Sol) feature Jacuzzi, an exercise bike and an electronic massager.
January 7, 2018
Nazca
The definite attraction in Nazca is, of course, Nazca Lines. The overflight tours seem booming at the moment with about 10 airlines competing for business. The companies mentioned in guidebooks got more businesses and it's sometimes difficult to get an immediate spot on walk-in. I arrived in Nazca in the afternoon and preferred to do the overflight the same day so decided to fly with a company not listed in the guidebooks. The experience turned to be good as it's a small airplane containing only 2 passenger seats. I bought the slightly longer tour which also includes seeing some aqueducts for $90 (the lowest price on offer was $60 for a 6-seat airplane for the classical tour). I went to the airport by taxi ($4) but the airline offered free shuttle back to town.
 |
| Nazca Lines |
January 8, 2018
Nazca to Arequipa
Land journey from Nazca to Arequipa takes about 12 hours. There are numerous buses from Nazca to Arequipa but they're mostly night buses. Cruz del Sur has a bus leaving in the early afternoon (but still arriving around midnight). I prefer day buses and decided to take local buses separately for the journey. First I took a colectivo to Chala (2 hours, 20 Sol) where I changed to a local bus departing at 11:30 heading for Arequipa (30 Sol) It's also possible to take a bus from Chala to Camana and get another bus to Arequipa. Not only daytime buses are safer than night buses but also the view along the way is definitely worth the time.
 |
| On the Way from Nazca to Arequipa |
January 9, 2018
Arequipa to Puno
Before heading to the bus station, I had a quick look at Plaza de Armas and outside Monasterio de Santa Catalina (regretfully I didn't have time to visit it inside).
The bus journey from Arequipa to Puno took 6 hours with good views of the Andes. The place where I stayed, Suites Antonio, offered free pickup from the bus station as well as a Uros Island tour starting at 3:50pm for US$7. The tour visited 2 Uros islands. It's kind of commercial but still acceptable. At night, I dined at the popular Mojsa Restaurant just next to Plaza de Armas and had my first Alpaca (as the name of the restaurant suggests, it’s really delicious).
 |
| Uros Island, Lake Titicaca |
January 10, 2018
Cusco
There are both Cruz del Sur and Turismo Mer luxury buses to Cusco and I decided to try the Turismo Mer one. It turned out to be a wise decision. The Turismo Mer buses offer free wifi, plugs on-board, as well as wide seats on the second level (wide seats are only available on the first level on Cruz del Sur buses). The second level offers better views for passengers. The view from Puno to Cuzco is similar to that between Arequipa and Puno. Since the road is kind of along the railway it's not necessary to take the expensive trains just for views.
In Cuzco, I exchanged my train tickets and Machu Picchu tickets (bought in advance) at Peru Rail office next to Plaza de Arms. Surrounding the plaza are two important churches - Catedral del Cuzco and Templo de la Compañía de Jesús. A colectivo to Ollantaytambo took less than 2 hours and cost 15 Sol.
Ollantaytambo is a smaller and much better town than Cusco to stay and I had my first Cuy (guinea pig) at a restaurant near the main plaza.
 |
| Catedral del Cuzco |
January 11, 2018
Machu Picchu
The trip to the No. 1 destination in South America isn't over-exciting for me, though the train trip to Aguas Calientes is quite relaxing (at US$150 return ticket it's not surprising). Even at low season, I waited quite some time for the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu (both at the ticket office and for the bus).
It's raining (therefore low) season but it doesn't rain all the time. I spent 2 hours at Machu Picchu with the first hour without rain and the second hour with heavy rain but I visited most sites during the first hour. Although very touristy, Machu Picchu is still nice to visit, if just for the views. Though the price is high (US$50), no maps are given and I found the free MAPS.ME app most helpful to navigate inside Machu Picchu. During the raining season, Peru Rail offers bus services from Ollantaytambo to Cusco's Wanchaq Station (with one ticket). My return journey happened to be such one.
In Cusco, I tried the only chifa (Peruvian-style Chinese food) during my Peru trip - mainly to get some tofu. The taste was not bad but nothing spectacular.
 |
| Machu Picchu |
January 12, 2018
Cusco to San Pedro de Casta
It's said flights out of Cusco often get delayed or cancelled, especially during the raining season. So I bought my ticket out of Cusco one day before my international flight. Luckily, my flight from Cusco to Lima was only delayed for one hour.
At Lima Airport, I hired a Taxi Green taxi to go to Chosica (with a 10 minute stop at Plaza de Arms in central Lima) for 200 Sol, hoping to catch the 4pm bus from Chosica to San Pedro de Casta. Unfortunately we were a few minutes late and I had to hire a private car to San Pedro. Most part of the road to San Pedro is not paved and zig zag on the mountain which is exciting to some but threatening to others.
There is only one hotel (no name) in San Pedro de Casta, a small village of 1,300 people. A couple of restaurants surround the main plaza, including a chifa (not owned by Chinese).
 |
| Plaza Mayor, Lima |
January 13, 2018
Marcahuasi and Lima
One can walk to Marcahuasi (3 hours uphill and 1.5 hours downhill) but due to the high altitude (almost 4,000 meters), I hired a car for 90 Sol. The driver also walked with me to and around Marcahuasi and showed me some interesting sites. He said to view all the sites in Marcahuasi 2 days are needed with a professional guide. I spent about 2 hours there but still saw some unbelievable scenery. Absolutely off the beaten track and totally worth the effort.
Back to Lima in the late afternoon. My international flight is after midnight so I needed to kill some time in Lima. First I checked out Circuito Mágico del Agua at Parque de la Reserva (4 Sol), then headed for Museo Larco to admire the famous erotic pottery. It’s a little bit surprising that some tourist attractions in Lima are open late at night - perfect for tourists with a late international flight. The only important thing to note is to only call official taxis at night, or ask the personnel at the site to get an official taxi.
 |
| Marcahuasi |
Summary
It's understandable that Peru is the No. 1 tourist destination in South America, with diversified sites and relatively low cost. Galápagos is no doubt a once-in-a-lifetime destination. In fact, I will consider going there again sometime in the future. Colombia is more expensive to visit but is more modern and well organized (also very safe at the moment).
If, I am asked to describe my Ecuador Tours in a single word –it would be “Amazing”. It’s not only about turtles and volcanoes, because there are so many things to do in the exotic locations that I feel like returning back every year.
ReplyDelete