REPORT TRAVEL TO FLORIDA, PERU’, ECUADOR AND BOLIVIA.

 

 

FLORIDA (USA)

 

Punctual as never before, my American Airlines Airplane leaves from Milan Malpensa at 9.40 in the direction of Lima (Peru), with a short one-day stopover in Miami (USA) (round trip price including taxes Euro 690.29).

In order to set foot in the United States of America, I had to complete the quick online ESTA procedure by paying $ 14 by credit card. Entry into the country valid for 2 years was approved by the system immediately after the end of the online procedure which lasted about 1 hour.

 

At Malpensa Airport instead, to get you on a flight departing for the USA, during the online check-in you are subjected to a series of questions about who packed the baggage, when, where did the last night stay, how many electronic devices carry with you, when you bought them, ect.

 

It is also not allowed to send baggage directly to the final destination, in my case Lima, but it must be unloaded at the transit airport, in my case Miami, for a border control and then boarded on the next flight.

 

At Miami International Airport, located just 5 km from downtown Miami (USA), baggage and entry controls are very thorough. Past the same I take to the outside of level 1 of Terminal E where there is a small shelter inside which you can take advantage of the automatic machines that issue tickets for the Tri Rail, which runs along the line from Miami to Mangonia Park. A one-way ride to Fort Lauderdale costs $ 5. From here the free bus no. 133 which runs at regular intervals takes you in just 10 minutes to Miami Airport Train Station, where a train leaves every half hour towards Mangonia Park, making many intermediate stops. For Fort Lauderdale, the same takes less than an hour. Of course, the aforementioned ticket machines are also available at all train stations. The ticket must not be stamped.

 

Back in Miami this time I get off at the Metrorail Transfer Train Station, where there is the connection for the Metrorail, which would be the Miami subway. The ticket costs $ 2.25 and can be bought at the machines. The same I allow to make only one run.

 

Then I get off at the Government Center stop where I take the free Metromover, which allows you to take a panoramic tour of the city and get off in the heart of Miami, which I visit on foot.

 

I return to Miami International Airport, using the following means of transport: Metromover, Metrorail, and the free Mia Mover Train.

 

PERU’

 

 

Here I take the American Airlines night plane to Lima (Peru).

 

Security checks at Lima's Jorge Chàvez International Airport are quick and easy.

 

From Jorge Chàvez International Airport, located 20 km northwest of the tourist district of Miraflores in Lima, I take one of the many combos with the "S" on the windshield, for the price of S 3, which passes south along Av. Elmer Faucett , about 200 cmt. from the arrivals hall of the aforementioned airport. The journey takes about an hour and I spend most of it standing. The combi leaves me in Miraflores at 250 mt. about from the Mc Donald's of Ovalo. You pay when you go down or earlier if you prefer.

 

In Miraflores, rent a bicycle for the price of 30 S, for half a day, including lock and helmet from “Bike Tours of Lima” located in Via Bolivar 150.

 

There are endless police officers to ensure the safety of tourists and residents.

 

From Av. Petit Thouars, a few tens of meters north of the intersection with Av. Ricardo Palma, I take one of the many combos with the "S" on the windshield, for the price of S 3, which goes north. The journey takes about an hour. The combi leaves me in Av. Elmer Faucett, at 300 cmt. approximately from the arrivals hall of Jorge Chavez International Airport, located 20 km northwest of the tourist district of Miraflores in Lima.

 

ECUADOR

 

From Jorge Chàvez International Airport, located 20 km northwest of the tourist district of Miraflores in Lima, I take a LAN Company flight at 22.20 to Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport (Ecuador), located 30 km east of the center. of Quito. (I paid Euro 330.69 for the multi-leg air ticket for 5 flights: Lima - Quito, Cuenca - Quito, Quito - Lima, Lima - La Paz, La Paz - Santa Cruz). You can check in easily at the special machines set up in Spanish only.

 

From Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport (Ecuador), I take the local bus (there are many a day from 5.30 to 19.00) which makes several stops and takes about 1 hour and a half to reach Quitumbe land terminal, located in the south-west suburbs of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. The cost of the ticket is $ 2 and is paid to the vet who collects the money during the trip. For those who want to go to the north of the city, there is also the local bus that drops you off in the Rio Coca area.

For those who are in a hurry or want to travel more comfortably, you can take the Aeroservicios Company Bus, which makes the journey to the center of Quito without making intermediate stops, taking about 45 minutes for the price of 8 $.

To enter the bus area of ​​the Quitumbe terrestrial terminal, you pay 0.25 $ at the cashier but then you can take the Trole without paying anything that takes you in less than an hour, making an infinite number of stops, to the Estacio dei bus La Marin, which is the one adjacent to the historic center of Quito. Here I still pay $ 0.25 at the cash desk to take the Metrobus which in about 45 minutes takes me to the last station, Ofelia, located on the northern outskirts of Quito.

 

Here, without leaving the boarding area, I take one of the frequent buses to La Mitad del Mundo, located about 35 km north of the historic center of Quito. The ride takes about 40 minutes and costs $ 0.15 and is paid to the vet who collects the money during the trip. The bus leaves you near a large roundabout from which you can walk to the entrance to Mitad del Mundo in a few minutes. The ticket price is $ 3. The place is very touristic and is located on the equator at an altitude of mt. 2,483. There is an important monument whose entrance to the museum is paid separately and then there are numerous shops and restaurants. In the main square there are often several interesting shows.

 

The return to the Estacio of the La Marin buses takes place in the same way as the outward journey. From there the historic center, a World Heritage Site, can be easily explored on foot and, at least during the day, unlike other neighborhoods, it is quite safe as it is manned by the police.

 

Back at the spotless and modern Quitumbe land terminal, I purchase a 21.15 bus ticket to Cuenca from the Imbabura company for $ 12, including a boarding fee of $ 0.25. The seats are reclining and the journey takes over 9 hours. There are also other companies that cover this route at similar prices and in any case there are departures all day almost every hour.

 

In front of the Terrestrial Terminal of Cuenca in Ecuador, located 1.5 km north - east of the center, in Av. Espagna, several buses pass that in just 10 minutes take you to the historic center at a cost of $ 0.25. The coin must be inserted into a container as soon as you get on the bus from the front. Please note that paper money is not accepted and change is not given.

 

The compact historic center of Cuenca, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site by Unesco, is perfect for walking around.

 

Cuenca Mariscal La Mar Airport, located 2 km north-east of the center, in Av. Espagna, just 500 meters beyond the Terrestrial Terminal, it can be easily reached in about 10 minutes from the historic center with several buses, including numbers 26 and 28. The cost of the ticket is $ 0.25. The coin must be inserted into a container as soon as you get on the bus from the front. Please note that paper money is not accepted and change is not given.

 

BOLIVIA

 

From Cuenca's Mariscal La Mar Airport, I take a LAN Company flight at 1.25pm ​​to Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport (Ecuador), located 30 km east of the center of Quito. (I paid Euro 330.69 for the multi-leg air ticket for 5 flights: Lima - Quito, Cuenca - Quito, Quito - Lima, Lima - La Paz, La Paz - Santa Cruz). The journey lasts a scant hour. You can check in easily at the special machines set up in Spanish only.

 

 

From Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport (Ecuador), I take a LAN Company flight at 8.15 pm to Jorge Chàvez International Airport (Peru). I paid Euro 330.69 for the multi-leg air ticket for 5 flights: Lima - Quito, Cuenca - Quito, Quito - Lima, Lima - La Paz, La Paz - Santa Cruz. The trip takes a generous 2 hours. You can check in easily at the special machines set up in Spanish only.

 

From Jorge Chàvez International Airport (Peru), I take a LAN Company flight at 11.50 pm to Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz (Bolivia). I paid Euro 330.69 for the multi-leg air ticket for 5 flights: Lima - Quito, Cuenca - Quito, Quito - Lima, Lima - La Paz, La Paz - Santa Cruz. The trip lasts a generous 4 hours, including the stop in La Paz, made to pick up other passengers on the aircraft.

 

To enter Bolivia you need to fill in 2 forms. The staff are friendly and polite.

 

From the Viru Viru International Airport of Santa Cruz (Bolivia), located 12 km north of the city center, there are several minibuses, including the n. 135, which take you to the city center all day in about half an hour. The ticket costs 6 BOB and is paid directly to the driver. The closest stop to Plaza 24 de Septiembre is in Via Uruguay, at the intersection with Via Libertad less than 1 km from Piazza Succitata, which is constantly guarded by the police.

 

From the center of Santa Cruz (Bolivia), there are several minibuses that take you throughout the day in about 15 minutes to the Bimodal Terminal, located 1.5 km southeast of the center where both trains and buses leave. The ticket costs 2 BOB and is paid directly to the driver.

 

From the Bimodal Terminal of Santa Cruz there are an ocean of companies that offer bus travel to the capital of Bolivia Sucre at a cost varying between 60 and 110 BOB depending on the convenience of the same, as well as logically the boarding fee of 3 BOB. There are also buses with beds. One of the cheapest companies is Albus and it's not that inconvenient. The trip lasts from 14 to 16 hours and almost all departures take place between 16.00 and 18.30.

 

The Bus Terminal is located less than 2km north-east of Plaza de 25 Mayo. From there you have to go to the main road in front of the main entrance, cross it and take the microbus n. A or 3 which passes frequently and takes you to Via Arce a few steps from the Plaza de 25 Mayo. The ticket costs 1.5 BOB and is paid to the driver when you get off or even earlier if you wish.

 

The compact historic center of Sucre, the capital of Bolivia, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site by Unesco, is perfect for walking around.

 

To return to the bus terminal, you must take one of the many microbuses that pass through Via Junìn, at the intersection with Via Ravelo, near the central market.

 

To go to Potosi you have to take one of the many buses that leave approximately every half hour from the Sucre bus terminal. The ticket costs 20 BOB and can be taken at the desk of one of the companies that operate this route. The trip takes about 3 hours.

 

In front of the Bus Terminal, located 2 km south of the historic center of Potosì, several minibuses pass that take you near Plaza 10 Novembre for the price of 1.5 BOB. You pay the driver when you get off.

 

The compact historic center of Potosì, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site by Unesco, can be easily explored on foot.

From the Bus Terminal of Potosì there are an ocean of companies that offer the bus trip to La Paz at a cost varying between 20 and 60 BOB depending on the convenience of the same, in addition to the boarding fee of 2 BOB. There are also buses with beds. One of the cheapest companies is Cochabamba and it's not that inconvenient. The journey takes about 9 hours and almost all departures take place after 20.00.

 

For an hour's taxi ride downtown to the dangerous La Paz mt. 3,800, in Bolivia, I contracted 50 BOBs.

The mandatory fee to be paid for the use of the La Paz Terrestrial Terminal is 2 BOB. If you don't pay it, you can't board any bus.

Only at 8.00 in the morning, there is the Tourist Bus that in about 4 hours takes you to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca, on the Bolivian side, at a cost of 30 BOB. The same leaves from the La Paz Terrestrial Terminal and is the safest solution as the buses and Combi that depart frequently during the day from the La Paz Cemetery, an unsafe area, are not rarely hijacked by bandits, especially in the dark. who rob you and kidnap you.

During the aforementioned enchanting journey, you must also get off the bus for about 15 minutes to cross the Tiquina Strait of Lake Titicaca by ferry (3 BOB). The bus is transported on a separate ferry.

Copacabana is terrifyingly touristy, is full of money changers and is great for walking.

 

PERU’

 

There are countless agencies that offer the tourist bus to Puno at the price of 30 BOB. Departures are at 1.30pm and 6.30pm. This is also the safest and most comfortable solution to reach Puno in Peru also because the same awaits you during the operations to cross the easy border between Bolivia and Peru. Remember that you have to walk 300 meters. between the two borders and that it is more convenient to exchange money at the exchange on the Peruvian side.

 

This trip also offers enchanting landscapes. The bus arrives at the Puno Terrestrial Terminal, located about 1.5 km south of the center.

To reach the center you can either take the motor taxis stationed outside the terminal or you can take Via Tacna walking for about 400 meters. and from there stop one of the many Combi that continues to the center.

Puno can be easily explored on foot.

I sleep at the Inka's Rest hostel, located downtown in Pasaje S Carlos 158 in Puno for the price of 25 S per night including breakfast. Very comfortable and clean.

From the Inka's Rest hostel, located downtown in Pasaje S Carlos 158 in Puno, I walk for about 1 km to get to the port, where boats leave for some of the islands of Lake Titicaca.

I choose to visit the Islas Los Uros which are about 45 minutes by boat from Puno. The ferry leaves when it is full and is joined to arrive early in the morning as I did as it leaves when it is full of tourists and therefore difficult to fill up before nine in the morning. The ticket is made at the appropriate ticket office in the port and costs 10 S round trip as well as 5 S for the entrance to the Los Uros Islands, as well as 7 S for the transfer between a minor island and the capital with Islas Los Uros with a traditional boat.

The tour lasts half a day and allows you to have a unique experience on the floating islands inhabited by the locals who sell you their works of art.

Back at the Port of Puno I reach the Terrestrial Terminal on foot with a 15-minute walk, taking advantage of the beautiful lakefront.

From the Terrestrial Terminal there are several companies that offer almost every hour, for most of the day, trips of 6 hours to Cuzco for the price of 30 S, but the cheapest company (20 S) is Power which, however, makes many stops and therefore the journey, although comfortable because it is carried out with a double-decker bus, takes 8 hours.

The mandatory fee to be paid for the use of the Puno Terrestrial Terminal is 0.5 S. If you do not pay it, you cannot board any bus.

 

The Cusco land terminal is located about 2.5 km southeast of the city center. As written on a sign inside the terminal, in theory, a taxi ride to the center should cost 4 S, even though taxi drivers do everything to make tourists pay much more. In fact, mine asked me for 15 S to take me to Plaza San Francisco because it said it was 10pm and so there was a supplement. In the end, by bargaining, I gave him 10 S by sharing the cost with a German couple. Logically, for safety reasons, it is better to avoid buses and minibuses at least in the evening and only take official taxis with the sign with the telephone number on the roof as fake taxi drivers hide among others who then rob you.

In Cusco I sleep at the Pirwa Hostess, located in the very central Plaza S Francisco. A night in a dormitory, including free internet and breakfast, costs 20 S. The hostel in question is spotless, huge and very nice. Very friendly and helpful staff who also speak English.

Cusco is great on foot.

Minibuses to Ollantaytambo leave early in the morning until 11.00 pm from Calle Pavitos, just east of the intersection with Calle Lechugal, in Cusco, when they are full. The journey in the middle of the mountains offers enchanting landscapes, passing through the localities of Chinchero and Urabamba. The same takes about 1.5 hours and costs 10 S. Luggage is loaded on the roof. Minibuses run fast and are mostly used by locals. Few tourists who dare to take them. Of course, on the way you can get off when you want by asking the driver to stop. In Ollantaytambo you can get off at the Plaza de Armas or at the train station where trains leave for Machu Picchu.

 

The beautiful village of Ollantaytambo mt. 2,800, invaded by tourists from all over the world, can be easily explored on foot. The train station is located about 1km south of the center. From it there are tourist trains to Aguas Calientes (Machu Pichu) of 2 different companies: Inca rail and Peru Rail. While Inca Rail offers slightly cheaper fares (USD 114 round trip), Peru Rail has many more trains, some of which even reach Cusco. Logically there are the ticket offices of both companies near the train station but it is fair to reiterate that during the high season from June to September if you want to find a place on the train you must book either via the internet or through an agency at least 4 - 5 days in advance for do not risk staying on foot. Remember that there are many local trains that run this route every day at a cost of USD 6 round trip, but that foreigners cannot board these trains. The journey takes only an hour and 40 minutes and offers enchanting landscapes. On the train a drink and a snack is served, of course included in the price.

 

At the Aguas Calientes station an employee of the large Hospedaje Los Caminantes awaits me with a sign with my name on it to be recognized. I had booked by e_mail 2 weeks before. A single night costs only 20 S, without breakfast. It can be reached on foot in about 10 minutes.

 

Aguas Calientes mt. 2410 is a beautiful mountain village overrun by tourists and therefore full of hotels and restaurants. From the center depart from 5.30 in the morning until the afternoon, when they are full, the buses to Machu Picchu. The return ticket costs 54 S for tourists and 10 S for Peruvians and can be purchased at the ticket offices located adjacent to the bus stop in Via Hermanos Ayar. The 8 km uphill unpaved journey through the woods takes about half an hour.

 

Entrance to Machu Picchu costs about 40 S for locals and 124 S for foreigners. Logically the same can be purchased anywhere: in the ticket office of Machu Picchu, in Aguas Calientes, Ollantaytambo, Cuzco, Lima and via the internet. The only important thing to keep in mind is that the archaeological site in question contains a maximum of 2,500 people per day and therefore it is fair to reiterate that during the high season from June to September if you want to find a ticket you must book either via the internet or through agency at least 4 - 5 days in advance to avoid the risk of being left on foot.

 

The return to Cuzco takes place in the same way as the outward journey described above.

 

In Cusco I still sleep at the Pirwa Hostess, located in the very central Plaza S Francisco. A night in a dormitory including free internet and breakfast costs 20 S.

 

In the evening, I ask for a taxi from the aforementioned hostel at 5 in the morning to reach the Aeropuerto Internacional Alejandro Velasco Astete, located just 6 km southeast of the historic center of Cuzco. Fare 6 S.

 

There are 4 companies that hang out at this airport: Lan, Avianca, Star Peru and Peruvian Airlines. I chose the latter, the cheapest, to reach Lima for the price of $ 105, even if the minimum price is $ 50. This company operates the Cuzco - Lima route three times a day, but always with the same aircraft and in my case unfortunately it broke down and therefore I left 5 hours late. The journey takes just over an hour and offers enchanting landscapes.

MIAMI IN FLORIDA (USA) 

Punctual as never before, my American Airlines plane leaves from Jorge Chàvez International Airport, located 20 km northwest of the tourist district of Miraflores in Lima at 24.36 in the direction of Milan Malpensa, with a scarce 1-day stopover in Miami (USA) (round trip price including taxes Euro 690.29).

At Miami International Airport, located just 5 km from downtown Miami (USA), baggage and entry controls are very thorough. Past the same I go to Terminal E, where I take the free Mia Mover to the Metrobus station where bus n. 150 runs every half hour towards Miami Beach where it makes numerous stops from 41st to 5th streets. The ticket costs 2.65 one way and can be bought at the automatic machines inside the structure. Brochures with timetables and route maps are available there.

 

From the Bike and Roll shop located on James Ave, near the intersection with Lincoln Road, I rent a city bike ($ 10 for 2 hours and $ 20 for a day).

 

Then I return to Miami International Airport, where I take the plane at 14.25 for Milan Malpensa of the American Airlines Company, which arrives at 7.15 the next morning with a short half hour delay.

 

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2016/12/viaggio-in-florida-peru-ecuador-e.html