Jenn's Big 30 in Peru Day 1: High on Life
There have been many times during Jenn and I's travel that it's felt surreal to sit down and write about where we are. I'll never forget sitting at our desk at the JW Marriott in Bejing starring out at a huge thunder and lightning storm, or writing from Switzerland after two days of flight insanity. Today I'm writing from Cusco, Peru a place that quite honestly I was never sure Jenn and I would ever visit.
Our journey to Peru started about six months ago. I was struggling to find a suitable trip to take Jenn on for her 30th birthday. After the seriously breathtaking week in Paris last year I really struggled to put my finger on where we should go. I finally landed on Peru, and today I'm sitting at our hotel in Cusco, Peru to write about our journey to get here. It started at our apartment, late on Friday afternoon (July 28th). We were both finishing up work for the week and finalizing some last minute packing. We scheduled an Uber to pick us up to take us down to LAX for our 9:30 PM flight to Lima, Peru and then onto Cusco.
We lucked out with literally one of the best Uber drivers we've ever had. He told us to sit back, relax, and let him handle the horrific Friday afternoon Los Angeles traffic. We got to LAX in about an hour and a half and had a lovely drive. I did freak out pretty early on in the drive thinking I might have forgotten my laptop, but good news, that was a false alarm.
We dropped off our bags at the LATAM counter and made it through security in a breeze (always a sigh of relief). Unlike last year's Europe trip we weren't lucky enough to upgrade our seats to business class so there wasn't a business class lounge to partake in. So instead we found a steak house nestled on the second floor of the international terminal called III Forks. We got a booth set in the back of the place where we ordered a Rib Eye steak with fries and devoured it. It was nice and quiet at the restaurant and we stayed as long as we possibly could.
After dinner, we walked around the International Terminal and boarded the 787 aircraft headed to Lima, Peru. We were seated in a row of three and I think within minutes of takeoff Jenn closed her eyes and really didn't open them until we landed in Lima. I, on the other hand, oscillated between sporadic bouts of sleep and staring off blankly at the other wide awake passengers. The flight otherwise was an uneventful red eye flight.
We arrived in Lima a few minutes early, picked up our bags and dropped them back off. We had a two-hour layover and spent most of it huddled around our drinks from the Starbucks right before security. Jenn went with a hot chocolate and I accidentally ordered two cappuccinos. My Spanish just isn't what it used to be, or ever was.
About ten minutes before our 9:45 AM departure we boarded our second and final flight of the day to Cusco. After taxing for nearly thirty minutes we were off and landed in Cusco in what turned out to be a pretty scary approach through the mountains of Peru. We got in right on time. and quickly picked up our bags from the tiny Cusco airport. Right as you exit the airport you can immediately sense the altitude. Just walking with luggage just seemed a tad bit more difficult than normal. Luckily our driver from the JW Marriott was there waiting for us and took us by bus to the hotel, around a twenty-minute drive.
We arrived at the stunning JW Marriott El Convento Cusco a little before noon. Our room wasn't quite ready so we had some Cocoa Tea (which is supposed to help with altitude sickness) and then sat down for a lunch at the hotel's bar/grill. Jenn went with a burger and fries and I had the Peruvian beef skewers. Both of these meals were fantastic. They also had these homemade chips as a starter that I annihilated. I think we went through three or four bowls of them.
Half way through our lunch the front desk brought over our room keys and let us know our room was ready. After lunch, we made our way to our room, took pictures and video taped a room tour. The room is perfect, we have a view of the city, a beautiful bathroom, and bedroom, and all the amenities that we need for our week here in Cusco.
Once we unpacked and had done all of the videos and pictures we both took showers and then passed out. I showered first and by the time Jenn was done I passed out after watching tennis on TV for a couple of minutes. We didn't wake until my alarm went off at 5 PM. From there we got a confirmation for our tour tomorrow, had a birthday cake delivered for Jenn (five days early), received a welcome fruit plate that was divine, and got ready for dinner at the renowned restaurant Qespi which we had 6:30 PM reservations for.
Our first truly Peruvian meal was out of this world. We started off with their home cooked bread that comes in a jar and you scoop it out. It was paired with a freshly made butter that was incredible. Jenn started with a glass of red wine (I sadly skipped tonight, because I was feeling more of the altitude then Jenn).
We started off this amazing meal with the Tiradito which was trout, leche de tigre, white corn and sweet potatoes. The fish was raw and the sauce on top was amazing. I was absolutely floored that Jenn loved this as much as I did. She loves sushi but I thought this cold dish would be her demise. Next, we had the cream of potato soup, which was Jenn's pick. They were nice enough to split it though so we both could enjoy it.
Our entree was alpaca tenderloin with potatoes aligot with gruyere cheese, roasted garlic, and red wine reduction. I figured for our first night in Peru, what better than to start with the alpaca, and our waiter agreed. It was amazing, cooked perfectly, with a great sauce, and not "gamey" at all.
Had we had this meal a few days from now I think we would have been licking the plates. Our waiter saw that we were on our last leg and offered us some complimentary tea to help with the altitude and digestion. It hit the spot.
In fact, it was so good that after dinner we got a second wind and went to the courtyard at the hotel for some smores. they had a table set up with marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. We both partook in some amazing smores while listening to the live band play some Peruvian classics.
And thus concluded our first day of Jenn's Big 30 in Peru. It has been an absolutely incredible start with everything going smooth, and both Jenn and I eager for the adventures that await us.
