Urubamba’s ‘old-world charm’

My wife and I took a trip to Peru, Bolivia and Chile, Nov. 11-Dec. 22, 2007. I had traveled most of South America as a single young man more than 30 years earlier, and I wanted my wife, who had not been there, to experience the warmth of the people and their culture.

We went first to Cusco, Peru, primarily to experience nearby Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. I immediately noticed how Cusco had changed, acquiring the veneer of most popular tourist spots throughout the world.

Hawkers were selling anything and everything tourists could possibly want, and the tourists were congregated mainly in the same section of town (Plaza de Armas). It had become a place where it was hard to find the local non-tourist-related charm.

Instead of staying a second night in Cusco, we chose to make Urubamba in the Sacred Valley our home base for touring the area. To my pleasant surprise, it provided all the old-world charm I had experienced in my previous travels in South America.

Each of the four days we spent there we walked in town. There were no tourist shops and almost no tourists, the markets had no Inca trinkets, the restaurants had only local food, and the local chicha (corn beer) vendors were easy to find in the afternoon. The pace was slower and the locals were very approachable.

Urubamba is a great base from which to tour Cusco (about an hour’s taxi drive away), Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. Above all, for those who do not have much time to spend in the area, it will get you off the tourist track and firmly into the local culture and charm.

In Urubamba we stayed at Quinta Patawasi Bed & Breakfast (Pisonayniyoc 220, Urubamba, Cusco, Peru; phone/fax [51] 84 201386, www.quintapatawasi.com), which we found by searching the Internet. It is run by Jim and Antuca Rogers (an American and his Peruvian wife).

We booked their 3-night/4-day package, the 2008 price of which is $460 each. It included our round-trip transportation from Cusco; a large bedroom with separate bathroom; seven meals, and a Sacred Valley tour (Pisac and Ollantaytambo) and a Machu Picchu tour, each with transportation and a private guide.

Jim picked us up in Cusco at our hotel with his car and sent us back to that hotel by taxi after our stay. On the trip to Urubamba we made three stops to learn about Indian textiles, stone masonry and chicha making.

I highly recommend Urubamba and Quinta Patawasi B&B for those who want more local flavor during their visit to the fantastic archaeological sites near Cusco.

ROBERT ROTHWAY

Walnut Creek, CA