Jan 02, 2011 | Written by Patricia Murphy

Day 9 Aguas Calientes to Cusco

We woke up to the sound of the roaring Urubamba passing our hotel room. We were both pretty tired, so we decided to rest for a moment before going downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, we did a tour of Aguas Calientes, which doesn’t take long since it’s not very big. We decided to have a “snack” before catching the train at 1:40 pm. We did that at Indio Feliz, a cozy restaurant run by a French woman. It was fun to hear everyone speaking French as we ate a heaping plate of pasta served with toppings on the side.

Finally it was time to take the train back to Ollantaytambo, where we would catch a cab back to Cusco. The train ride was beautiful, though a bit bizarre, as the crew went to great lengths to “Disney” up the experience, with costume changes, traditional dances, and then a fashion show set to blaring techno music. Um, how about the view, folks? John and I were happy to look out the window, where we saw some of the sights from our first day of the Inca Trail hike.

The taxi ride to Cusco was one of my least favorite experiences in Peru (ranking right up there with projectile vomiting for 24 hours). First, the driver tried to convince us we needed to see Moray and Moras and Salinas, though we insisted we had already been there. Then he proceeded to speed up the mountain to Cusco, passing any car or bus he saw, swerving all over the road then slamming on his brakes. By the time we got back to the Aranwa Hotel in Cusco I thought I would throw up again.

We settled into the hotel and had a spot of rest, then wandered out into town for drinks then dinner at ChiCha de Gaston, which was on the same block as our hotel. This meal was one of the highlights of the trip for me, with grilled octopus and chimichurri sauce, scallops in a beef reduction, and a sampling platter with chicken, pork and beef. Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio was recognized as one of the nine most influential chefs in the world, and I can see why. His combination of flavors is inventive and the execution of each dish is perfect. This was a great meal.