Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 741

wall of what used to be the Inca Roca's
old imperial palace.
Walking up the Cuesta de San Blas,
you come to the Plazoleta de San Blas,
which hosts a Saturday handicrafts market
(9am-4pm). Also on the tiny square is the
small Chapel of San Blas (daily 8am-6pm;
S15 or free with Boleto Religioso). The
highlight here is an incredibly intricate
pulpit, carved from a block of cedar wood
in a complicated Churrigueresque style by
an indigenous man who allegedly devoted
his life to the task and whose skull rests in
the topmost part of the carving.

del Sur, which has its own bus depot at Av Industrial 121
( T 084 243 261); Ormeño ( T 084 227 501); Inka Express
( T 084 247 887); Tour Peru ( T 084 236 463); Litoral
( T 084 281 920); Movil Tours ( T 084 262 526); Cial ( T 084
256 216); San Martín ( T 097 970 9615).
Destinations Arequipa (hourly between 6-9am and 7pm-
midnight; 10hr); Arica, Chile (twice weekly; 2 days) La Paz,
Bolivia (daily at 10pm; 12hr); Lima (at least hourly; 20hr);
Nazca (hourly; 12-14hr); Puerto Maldonado (10pm and 5-
6 daily between 6.30-9pm; 7hr); Puno (4 early departures
between 7 and 8am, one departure at 10pm; 8hr). Cruz del
Sur to: Arequipa (daily at 8pm & 8.30pm; 9hr); Lima via
Nazca (daily at 2pm & 6pm; 18hr).
By train If you're coming from Puno, you'll arrive at the
Wanchaq station in the southeast of the city. From here you
can hail a taxi on the street outside (around S5 to the centre),
catch the airport colectivo , or walk the eight or nine blocks
up a gentle hill to the Plaza de Armas. If you're coming by
train from Machu Picchu, you'll disembark at Estación Poroy,
east of the centre; arrivals are met by a bus (S8) that can drop
you off at the Plaza Regocijo, or else take a taxi (S15-20).
Destinations Wanchaq station to: Puno (Mon, Wed, Fri &
Sat at 8am, April-Oct; Mon, Wed & Sat Nov-March; 10hr).
Poroy station to: Machu Picchu (Vistadome daily at 6.53am;
Expedition daily at 7.42am; Hiram Bingham daily at 9.10am;
4hr). Peru Rail has an o ce in town at Plaza Regocijo 202
(daily 7am-10pm), though it's also easy to buy tickets
directly through Perú Rail ( W perurail.com). For Machu
Picchu, it's best to buy a week in advance in peak season.

9

Museo de la Coca
Just up Calle Suytuqatu from Plazoleta
San Blas lies the fascinating little
Museo de la Coca (daily 9am-7pm; S10),
devoted to the history of the coca leaf
through the ages. The exhibits explore
the significance of the plant in Peru from
its first known ceremonial use by the
Andean people to the present day
through a series of displays, from ancient
ceramic figures with cheeks bulging
from chewing coca leaves to nineteenth-
century texts on research into the medical
use of cocaine. The curator is happy to
answer any questions you may have.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Cusco Airport (Alejandro Velasco Astete Inter-
national Airport; T 084 222 611) is 4km south of the city
centre. You can either take a taxi from outside the arrivals
hall (S10-15 to the city centre), or hop on a Correcaminos
colectivo (S0.60) from outside the airport car park, which
goes along Av Sol to C Ayacucho, two blocks from the Plaza
de Armas.
Destinations LAN, Star Peru and TACA have regular flights
to major national destinations, including Lima (every
20min between 7.35am-3.30pm; 1hr 20min), Puerto
Maldonado (4 daily between 11.50am-1.20pm; 55min),
Arequipa (daily; 2hr 15min) and Juliaca (for Puno; daily;
1hr). AeroSur flies to La Paz (daily; 1hr 55min) and Santa
Cruz (daily; 5hr 25min) in Bolivia.
By bus Most international and inter-regional buses
use the Terminal Terrestre ( T 084 224 471) at Vía de
Evitamiento 429, 2km southeast of the centre. Colectivos
from the nearby Pachacutec monument uphill run
between the station and the Plaza San Francisco or the
Plaza de Armas (S0.60); a taxi will set you back S5-8.
There is an embarkation tax of S1.50, which you pay before
getting on. Recommended bus companies include: Cruz

INFORMATION
Tourist information The main tourist o ce (Dircetur)
at Mantas 117-A (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-noon;
T 084 222 032, E [e-mail]) has limited
information on the city as well as free maps, though the
staff are friendly and helpful. iPerú, at the departures hall
at the airport (daily 6am-5pm; T 084 237 364), offers a
decent amount of information on the area as well as free
maps and brochures. There is also a small iPerú kiosk at the
arrivals area, which meets incoming flights.
South American Explorers' Club (Atoqsaycuchi 670;
Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-1pm; T 084 245 484,
W saexplorers.org) is by far the best source of information
about Cusco and around, with trip reports compiled by
fellow travellers, as well as good trekking maps and a good
book exchange.
Andean Travel Web ( W andeantravelweb.com) also has
up-to-date information about events and festivities in the
Cusco area.

GETTING AROUND
By bus and colectivo The city bus and colectivo networks
are incredibly complicated, though cheap and fast once
you learn your way around, and charge S0.60 per person. If