Leaving Cusco for Machu Picchu

July 5:

Today we have arranged transport from Cusco to Aquas Caliente where we will stay a couple of nights and visit Machu Picchu tomorrow morning.....very early.  Our transport involves, riding in an expensive private van for about 1.5 hours to the town of Ollantaytambo where we will pick up the very expensive train to Aquas Caliente.  Peru may be a bargain for some things, but modes of transport is not one of them.  We stock up on supplies for sandwiches as we have heard that Aquas Caliente is kind of a rip off since they literally have a captive audience.  This is THE place to be if you plan to visit Machu Picchu as there is no other access to the mountain.  Our day goes pretty much like clock work.  The train is very comfortable and only about half full....maybe people know something I don't about this expensive train?? Perhaps this was not the only option, but we are here and underway.  Once we arrive, we find our hotel easily and we all retire to our separate rooms for a while before venturing out to dinner. 

Morey Maras & Salineras

July 4:

Today we got up and ready early for our tour of the Morey Maras  (Inca amphitheater/agricultural lab) and the Salineras Salt Flats.  There was a brief mix up about our pick up to meet the bus, but once it was straightened out we were off.....down some very bumpy cobblestone roads toward Poroy and into the countryside.  The weather here has been beautiful....bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine....most days are hot until around 3pm when the temps dip tremendously and we all are running for wool sweaters.  Never thought I would be sporting an alpaca sweater in mid July.....just thinking about the weather back home!

This is an incredibly scenic ride with beautiful mountains and farmlands all around us.  The air is so pure here and it is such a lovely day.  In the distance, we can see the snow capped Andes mountains...breathtaking!

Along the way, we stop at a traditional Inca village where we are shown a demonstration on how the women harvest the alpaca wool, clean it and dye it with the natural dyes.  We are also told about the different costumes they wear and the significance of the head-dress and the way they wear their hair.  Afteward, we are (of course) shown all of the beautiful products that we can purchase.  Never to miss a shopping opportunity, Annie and I make purchases and are back on the bus.  Only problem.....we have spent all but the basic money we need for entrance fees and to pay the balance of the tour.....Uh oh :-(  Before we leave, Hudson finds the cutest Cocker Spaniel puppy and the kids take turn cuddling with it....they want to bring it along with us!

Back underway (minus puppy), we arrive at the Morey Mara site and get some of the background info on why the Inca's built this site.  As it turns out, the best engineers were "recruited" (aka taken by force) by the ruling Inca leaders and brought to this site to create an agricultural lab.  There are concentric rings of terraces that descend into the pit that was created by a meteorite.  This site is thought to have possitive magnetic energy in the center of the crater.  It looks much like an amphitheater, but each terrace has its own unique climactic zone.  This allowed them to plant a variety of crops that require very different climates in one locations....engeneous!  The walk down is a bit precarious.  You have to balance on these floating stairs in order to get to the bottom....great leg workout.  Since we are at such a high elevation here, the slightest activity can leave you winded and this "hike" is no exception.  When our tour group arrives at the center, we all hold hands and do a little chant to the sun god, regulating our breathing.....this is all very granola and mystical.  But we go with it.  We reclimb out of the inner bowl and back to the bus for the next stop when we discover that Annie, Sam and Hudson have snuck off with an American Flag that was brought along on the trip for this very moment....they photographed themselves in a remote part of the site with the flag to celebrate July 4th!!! 

 We get back in the bus and off to the Salineras Salt Flats...which are also very interesting.  The natural salty mineral water rises out of the earth at a spring and is harvested in these pools.  Once the water evaporates, the salt is left behind.  As it is getting a bit late in the day and the World Cup game between Brazil and Columbia that we want to watch.  As we are let off at the main square in Cusco, the kids are now able to find our hotel on their own so we let them head back.  Paulie and I do a little shopping and meet up with them.

 

Photo Catch Up...

Here are some photos we were previously unable to post......

Selfie in Cusco, Plaza de Armas

Weavers in Cusco

Plaza de Armas, Cusco

City View from Christo Blanco, Cusco

Christo Blanco at night, Cusco

First Day in Lima

Morey Maras, Inca Agriculture laboratory

Happy Paulie at Morey Maras

Me and My honey, Morey Maras

July 4th in Morey Maras

Dying the Alpaca Wool

View of the Andes

Overlooking the Sacred Valley en route to Pisac

Pisac Handicraft Market

Salineras Salt Flats

Great Day exploring the Sacred Valley

Annie and Me - selfie

Pisac Market and Awanacancha Llama Farm

July 3:

We awaken a little late by tourist standards and head down to breakfast around 8:15.  Lovely spread and we eat and then start to think about finding transport to the sites we want to see.  Apparently, we are too late to get a driver.  Never willing to accept defeat, we agree to head toward the square to see what our options might be for hiring a taxi or private driver to take us on the hour and half drive to tour destinations. We locate a nice lady that speaks English and she can't believe we have waited so late to plan :-(  But she says she can get us a driver to Pisac and Awanacancha which we had planned to do the following day.  Then we have time to plan to go to Morey Maras and Salineras tomorrow.  We go get out cash at the ATM and around the corner for snacks and soon enough, Juan Jose comes with his spiffy van and whisks us off toward Pisac, about 35km away.  He stops intermitantly so we can take pictures and offers us an amazing amount of information on the history and customs of the people.  Our first stop, at the Pisac ruins, turns out to be a bust because we did not pony up the entrance ticket in advance....so we head down to the town of Pisac to visit the local market......widely known to be the best artisan market in the country.  WOW....it really is amazing and we spend far too much time gawking at and buying some amazing things.  We return to the van around 3pm and invite Juan Jose to lunch.  He takes us to a local restaurant where we dine on local fare that is grown in the town....YUM!  We finish up and it is starting to get cold again, but we head toward the llama farm and it is amazing.  The llamas, alpacas and vicunas.  We feed the llamas and take any number of funny pictures and then admire the wonderful weavings.  We are all a bit weary from our day, but have a surprise stop courtesy of Juan Jose....to see some live Andean Condors......the place is closed but we sneek a peek at the animals from the entry way....awesome!  As we return to Cusco, we stop at the Christo Blanco, a towering sculpture of Christ that is lit at night and stands guard over the town.  It is an amazing sight.  We diembark at the Plaza de Armas and the kids make their way home while Paulie and I head to the market to pick up a snack dinner since we ate lunch so late.  Great day here in Peru.

Heading to Cusco & The Sacred Valley

July 2:

We rise very early to catch a 9:30am flight heading to Cusco.  Our drive to the airport is fairly uneventful, although, once again, I have put too many people into too small of a space.  We hired the father of the hotel owner to drive us in his sedan....FUN!  Checking in is a snap and we are off to the security checkpoint, when we hit a little snafu....Sam's boarding pass won't work.  We return to the check in desk and get it sorted out, pass through security, and get to the gate after purchasing one of the strongest coffees I have ever consumed.  I have put each of us in a window seat so we can experience the wonderful view of the Andes mountains en route.  We touch down and are greeted by our hotel driver.  It is so nice to see the blue sky again as Lima was covered in overcast and fog.  The hotel is in a wonderful, quiet neighborhood and we are quickly settled into place.  It is much warmer than we thought it would be and are shedding out long sleeves before long.  We decide to check out the town after lunch and head out in search of a reasonable restaurant.  We have discovered that the "menu of the day" is often the best deal going and we try it again....appetizer, main course and beverage for s/10......which translates into roughly $3.25.  We have a great meal and walk toward the main square.  Hawkers are out in droves trying to get us to buy any assortment of things or take any assortment of tours, but we are resolute, and then we arrive at another handicraft market.  We restrain ourselves and continue walking up toward the square.  This is a beautifully quaint mountain village.  The main square is surrounded by colonial style architecture with a large green in the middle and replete with cobblestone streets.  Fountains and Cathedrals designate this as an important place.  As the former center of the Inca Empire, Cusco is bathed in history dating back thousands of years.  In the distance, you can see the beautiful mountains and the villages that dot the countryside.  Women dressed in traditional garb with babies on their backs in slings made of beautifully woven cloth and carrying baby goats as a counter-weight are a common sight.  We stop by the Textile Center and watch the Inca women weaving the intricate and colorful cloth.....it is mind boggling how much detail they create through the patterns.  Many of them travel to the center 1-2 hours per day and then work for 12 hours weaving then travel home again.  It will take them approximately 15 days to create a modest size cloth and they will receive about $50 for their work.  The museum shows how the alpaca wool is harvested and and spun into thread.  Then the herbs and natural products are ground into powders to create the natural dyes.  Then the women start weaving.....and we tourists start bargaining for a great deal on what become of their labor.  Don't get me wrong, I like a bargain as much as anyone, but it is heart-breaking to see how hard they work for so little.  We return to the hotel for a nap and by now it is FREEZING both inside the unheated hotel and the outside.  We venture off for dinner and are unable to eat the enormous portions.  Instead of leaving it to be thrown away, we pack it up and decide as a family that we will find a needy person to give it to.  It is nearly 9:00 and Annie, Hudson and I are off in search of our recipient when we come across a small boy of 3 or 4 sitting alone on the sidewalk with a plastic bag at his feet.  He is begging for money and giving small pieces of candy in return.  We offer him our leftovers and his smile lights up the dark sidewalk.  I give him some change and as we walk away, we see him peeking inside the box and nibbling on the french fries.......we are all so happy that we have made a small difference in one person's life.  We go to bed happy.

A little bit of Lima culture and World Cup defeats

Peru – July  1

Got everybody in gear early today and we all got up and out for our cultural tour of Lima.  We are given pretty good instructions on how to get to the center of town on the bus/metro system.  The kids are not eager to learn this navigation skill, but we press on all the while talking about the merits of being able to figure out how to get from point “A” to point “B” and how this will serve them well in the future…yada yada.  We arrive, get our tickets and are on our way to the Plaza San Martin which is a short walk to Plaza de Armas in the city center.  Not long after, we disembark and make our way to the long esplanade toward the Plaza.  We stop for a strong coffee on the way and have a snack (gotta keep up our energy levels – haha).  We arrive at the Plaza de Armas and soak in the gorgeous colonial architecture.  At one end is the presidential palace and perpendicular is the Cathedral de Lima.  After some fun, staged pictures with the kids, we make our way to the Cathedral and into the not too busy interior.  We are among only a handful of tourists so the inside feels nearly empty.  We first check out the area where Don Francisco Pizarro has his bones interred.  They discovered his head in a lead box with an inscription on it and the rest of his mangled body strew about an unmarked grave.  Body and head have now been reunited in a single chamber.  The mosaic depicting the Spanish conquistador’s conquest of the Inca land is immense and beautifully rendered for what must have been a horribly violent time in the Andean community history.  Afterward, we spend an hour or so walking through the catacombs and crypts of Archibishops and Cardinals and view the reliquary, art and sculptures throughout the church.  As we emerge in the main square, it is time for the changing of the guards at the Presidential Palace.  Full band and all, it is quite a festive atmosphere.  The pomp and circumstance is very interesting and we watch the 15 minute performance in awe.  Once this is done, we walk along a pedestrian street and start looking for a lunch spot.  As the World Cup match between Switzerland and Argentina is on, we find a lunch spot that is broadcasting the game.  Unfortunately, just as we finish our meal, the Swiss lose in the final moments of the overtime.  We all commiserate with Paulie and move on toward more adventures in the city.  We walk to a couple of shops that sell macramé products for Paulie and Annie to check out and Sam picks up a pair of soccer shorts along the way.  We continue onward toward the Chinatown section of Lima, but are quickly aware that this is not really of interest.  Our return trip to the station has us stopping in an electronic store and ducking out of the slight mist that has started to fall.  An added bonus is that we get to watch the first half of the USA vs. Belgium game.  Once back at the hotel, we see the US lose in overtime which is a bummer.  Off to find dinner ….which we locate at a French bistro beside our hotel.  Afterward, the kids and I return to the handicraft market in search of the stall where Sam purchased his sweater.  We find the very nice lady just as she is preparing to close up for the day.  Hudson and I both purchase a alpaca sweater in preparation for our departure for Cusco in the mountains in the morning.  Off to bed and early to rise.

Handicraft market and more....oh my!

 Peru-June 30

Awaken kinda groggy.  A difficult night’s sleep.  What was I thinking when booking a room for the entire family?  I guess I was thinking of dollar signs and how nice it would be to co-exist in harmony with our three teenagers……NOT.  Oh well.  Paulie and I go out to the breakfast area for some much needed coffee and meet the nicest lady who will cook to order our request.  Fresh juice, fruit and bread, cheese, ham slices, cooked eggs and warm, steaming café con leche…..just what the doctor ordered.  We enjoy a few moments of bliss before the grumpy ones awaken to brighten our day.  Hudson is too tired to get himself up, so we allow him to get his beauty sleep with the rest of us get going around 9:30.  We are off in search of local handicraft markets which we understand are close by.  We find them and an ATM across the street…..SCORE!! 

The vast array of brightly colored cloth, alpaca sweaters, musical instruments, silver jewelry and any assortment of other exotic and never before seen items are all lined up, stall after stall.  We tentatively, at first, amble through the various stalls and after about an hour, make our first purchase – a baby alpaca sweater for Sam.  Then we are off and running – a wrap for Annie, a woven purse, etc.  We decide to tame our purchases until maybe the second day....duh.  While we are dizzy with excitement, Paulie lingers in the doorways checking out the World Cup matches on the TV’s that are omnipresent around the market.  We find yet another market across the street.  After several hours, we make our way back to the hotel to grab Hudson so we can get a bite to eat.  We make it no more than the corner store, before we are all gulping down the warm empanadas at the nearby bakery.  We move on walking and talking and trying to figure out where we are actually going….when we find a safe taxi to drive us to the a park near the ocean front area of town.  Parque Kennedy is home to the city's vast cat community….all shapes, colors and sizes call this place home.  We meander through the park and out the other side, when, much to Paulie’s dismay, we find yet another place to shop!  This place is a re-seller of some of the top brands in the US – Vineyard Vines, North Face, Free People, Madewell, Southern Proper among other big name clothing lines that have their products produced in the ultra-soft Pima cotton of Peru.  Well…..Hudson is now in heaven.  He stocks up on two Vineyard Vines shirts and four Southern Proper t-shirts for the hefty sum of $22……hard to beat a deal like that.  Afterward, we finally make our way to the Pacific Ocean….not as far as one might think (about 15 city blocks).  It is hard to appreciate the view because the city is covered in fog most of the time and today is no exception.  We check out the wonderful sculptures that are strewn about the park and then, feeling a bit hungry, decide to find a place to eat.  There is some dissention in the ranks as to where to eat and Sam and Hudson opt for fried Popeye chicken.  Paulie, Annie and I do not.  We are so tired of walking, but are freaked out by the reports of getting into the wrong taxi and getting robbed so we continue walking and before we know it, we have arrived in our neighborhood.  We rest up before dinner and then, afterward, call it a very tired and early night.