Wake up call 4:30. Leave at 6am. then drive 45 min. Train on the “Inka Rail” at 7:20 until 8:45 where we get to Aguascalientes Towne. From there a bus7-8 min. +25 ride to main site. Bring passport for stamp.

25 min up. By 1:30 take bus back down. 3:45 regroup at train. Arrive 4:12….. back at Ollantaytambo then Cusco by 8:15pm. 62FMP, 49F Cusco

2500-3000 people per day visit MP

In the morning as we were passing through Urabamba the whole village was crowded with vendors bringing their produce including vegetables, animals and flowers… they’re big on flowers especially gladiolus.

Couple of notes… no screens on the windows, no bugs and this is rainy season.

On the way someone asked if there is ever flooding so 2010 Roger told us about picking up 80 travelers from a Carnival ship ….they had 3 days only which to see Machu Picchu…..insisting they must go. It must have been really raining for some time cuz on the way up on the train the raging Urubamba River was up to the tracks in places (it was flooding when we went up too but…). When they were finished up at MP they found out the river had washed out the tracks and that they had to stay in Aguascalientes, which they did for 6 days. They ended up being helicoptered out. 3 other people plus guides had decided to walk out but unfortunately were killed in a rock/mud slides. Thank goodness it hadn’t been raining that badly but it definitely was flooding. No white water rafting …… for anybody including experienced rafters.

If you hike the Inka Trail to MP it takes 4 days and the max height is 14,280′. We saw people starting across the suspension bridge and up the trail. Not for me. I’m having a lot of difficulty with the the altitude (and the motion of this bus but has nothing to do with climbing).

As we get closer the vegetation changes to more jungle (liana vines eand bromeliads) like along with the birds…… toucans, hummingbirds, mutt-mutts, tanagers, etc.

Inca trail is 3700 miles long covering from southern Colombia to northern Chile and from Argentina including all of Bolivia, to Pacific Ocean.

These mountains are spectacular…… mostly straight up and down….. sheer! Wow!

After train we take a bus up series switch backs….. 13 turns believe it or not!!!

We are at 7500’…., down considerable from last night at 9500′ but it’s foggy. Be are in the clouds….. waiting for them to lift so that we can see the amazing Machu Picchu. It lifts but then the clouds cover again, then clear, back and forth. Finally…… Oh My God!!! Spectacular !

Marilyn and I at the top

The Incas grew coca on these terrraces

30% has been restored 50% is original.

The Inca were astronomers and this place was perfect for seeing the heavens. It also is the centre of the Incan empire. It was an important religious place. The population was only 500 but was for high class and priests only. Inca mean king of which there were 14. The lower classes were called Quechuas.

They get 164 ” rain Dec to April… walks never collapsed because of construction.

Found mummies. Heads misshapened. Performed brain surgeries…80% success rate.

Jeanette, Linda and assistant Pepito Jose took a different a little easier way. On the way I think it was Jeanette, spotted a viper sticking out of the rocks so Pepito tells Linda to move to the other side of the walk. In doing so she didn’t notice a puddle but fell in it. She never did see the snake.

Our Hotel Sonesta Del Yucay

Before going to Ollantaytambo in the afternoon, Marilyn, Jeanette, Kathryn and I took tuk tuks (called motocito here) into Urubamba for a little tour. Our driver was a young woman with her 3+/- year old daughter. The village itself is nothing really to get excited about but it was fun to ride in the tuk tuks again. These ones looked like they’re souped up racers that could burn rubber. Not!

Urubamba mural

Ollantaytambo

45% of population still live as the Incas lived as in the 1400’s with seven families to a complex with a max seven persons to “a” room…. entranced by a gate .

Aqueducts along cobblestone streets. This place called Ollantaytambo that I had never heard of, is amazing…. unbelievable actually. The Incas did experimental farming on the terraces to find out what soils worked best with which product. Different grains for different conditions. They also built the terraces to prevent errosion.

Storage facilities … granaries up the hills to keep dry….built with ventilation.

On top of huge terraced tract is a temple but was incomplete because Spaniard came in 1530s. Some of the terraces were built pre-Inca. They moved 40-50-70 ton granite boulders by using pebbles and logs because they didn’t have the wheel.

It took 110 years to build this city. 80% of the city has been uncovered…20% has not.

On way back we stopped and watched a number of people climb up an almost totally vertical mountain to a “Sky Lodge” cantilevered off the side of the mountain. After you spend the night there, you have the option of repelling or zip lining down. OMG!!!

Zip line down

Someone asked what the stick with bag on top signifies? It means the bar is open. Chicha is what they are selling. It’s made from corn chewed then mixed with pure alcohol!

Up at 4:15 this am for flight to Cuzco at 8:15. It was a 1 hour flight on Latam airlines (takes 23 hours by bus). Amazingly enough, passengers can carry on water on domestic flights believe it or not. The check-in was extremely fast but our guide had printed off luggage tags, boarding passes. New plane, big clean airport. Our luggage was handled going into airport & out…. no tipping necessary….yeah! Nothing to worry about. The uniforms (royal blue/purple and red) of all Latam employees are so very attractive.

Cuzco.. “Quosco” is its real name is at 11,000+’ above sea level.

Taucca first place we heading to…. where we visit a school.

Hotel is at 9,500’…Sonesta Del Inka Yucay… such a gorgeous location surrounded by mountains. The rooms were very nice although not as lovely as the last place.

Agriculture is first economic income of this area, then tourism.

Rainy season they get 155” rain from December through April.

No snow but sometimes frost in the 16-17,000 ‘ mountains but not in the city.

80% still speak Quechuan (native language) besides Spanish.

Houses everywhere (particularly in Cuzco) on side of very steep hills… no roads… only able to get to by walking …. 2-4 times a day. Makes for being in good shape. Have to get water from springs by walking and carrying. Homes made of mud and adobe or now ….concrete.

On top of homes…Cross…. indicates they are catholic and 2 bulls-prosperity

600,000 live in Cuzco city

At stop for washroom and snacks the altitude is 11,500’ and I’m feeling it… no energy, a weight on my chest and shortness of breath. They are growing fava beans and lupins which they boil the seeds 3 times. It’s called tarwi … very high in protein. Incas developed 3000 varieties of potatoes & 300 varieties of corn.

Alpacas short nose, short neck and ears, tail down, more wooly, more protein no fat, good for eating. llama (said yama) are used as pack animals (but not more than 40 lbs), not for meat, has long ears long nose and neck.

Lake used for reservoir for all Cuzco city water.

We stopped into see the school that Gate 1 supports in Taucca. Gate one has foundation that is funded by our purchase of trip for the school. When we arrived the kids were there, took each of our hands and walked us in….. a bit too fast for most of us. They are used the the altitude. It wasn’t long before the youngest traveler, a man 30 years of age, passed out cold. The kids sang a song for us, then another in Quechuan language wishing one of our travelers a happy birthday. Then they ending with all the 25 kids hugging him… so sweet! Noella (said Noeyya) is the girl in picture with me —6 years old.

At 13,000 feet we go to restaurant in Sisichakuna. We were greeted by villagers dancing and singer. The outfits they were wearing are their usual daily garb. We were treated to Chuta wheat bread, Quinoa soup, a green paste made from cilantro and yellow peppers…. very good but spicey hot, guinea pig, purple potatoes, chicken, giant kernel corn and tortillas made from corn but not at all like ours at home. It was pretty much really good. I could not finish my lunch cuz I became very unwell & required oxygen. Katherine required oxygen as well. Not in our wildest dreams did we expect to be affected.

Roger and one of the ladies at the restaurant with ever present llamas.

At one place we will be at 14,280’. Tonight Hotel is at 9,500’

Rogger is our Gate 1 Guide and Jose… the guide for Lima

We will be seeing the before, during and after arrival of the Spanish

Pizarro came in 1532. They were here for 300 yrs until 1821.

5000 yrs of civilization pre Spanish.

Miraflores is high rent area.

The “Lima” people built pyramids …

20 pyramids at Pachacamac

First …. stop is San Francisco Monestery.

There are 90 universities in Lima. In San Isidro, near one we drive by, the houses are worth 3+ million$$$… diplomats mostly cuz no one can afford on $7000/ year the average income in Lima (outside Lima income is less).

There are no gutters in the streets, flat roofs. 1976 was last time they had a thunderstorm here.

43 districts so 43 mayors… so separate police. And we thought it bad in Victoria!!!

$13 million for water complex and laser light show that is the largest in world.

Lima was capital of all of Spanish South America…13 countries…. only Brazil was not under Spanish rule.

Independence Square (Mayor)… meeting place whenever demonstrations are held. While there around the corner, there was aa lot of yelling going on. They were protesting that a former president’ daughter should be released from prison…. (for accepting bribes). BTW the ex-president was also in jail for corruption.

Economic -stock market. and religious capital in S.A.

At the San Francisco monastery … 25,000 buried in crypts below. It cost more money to be buried there…. but you got to heaven sooner….lol!. No pictures in this monastery (post cards for sale though)… t’was a shame… amazing, more beautiful than any other monastery (tiles crafted and brought from Spain. It took a year travel over Atlantic then through malaria infested jungles of Panama, then sailed down the Pacific) ….. strange since they only belief in poverty but the doner was the sister of Pizarro who had great wealth.

Drove by Santo Domingo pink monastery as old as San Francisco but not as many crypts

Lots of moorish influenced buildings in the city.

Population in Lima-1.5 Italian, 1.3 Chinese, Venezuelan then Japanese.

60% of economy is in services, construction second biggest economy ….then textiles (Pima cotton).

For 4 decades they had poor economy…2000% inflation crisis, communist government, terrorism & dictatorship ….now they are thriving.

Mining biggest outside Lima.

Destruction came with arrival of conquistadors. Made of Adobe so not as durable as others I’ve seen.

Altar, burial site & government site. Is 2000 years old.

Going through an area of former squatters…. all are uncompleted on upper floors with rebar sticking out so they pay no taxes.

Ficus trees with pink blooms like in Buenos Aires

Surco… middle class area.

Only one elevated train 9% use it, 13% bus users, Rest privately owned vehicles (informal transportation). They are going to build a 2nd. Want to make 5 in total.

Homes (condos) in Miraflores 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms….$300,000. 150,000 in the middle class area. $200/year taxes. Cheap!

60% send children to private schools.

Gone from 4 to 10 million people in 40 million ….from migration to escape terrorism from “Shining Path”

Squatters buildings are made of wood. They have not yet received title. Cement … they have it.

Natural sand dunes used to make building materials.

3.5% economy increased last year …10% of it in construction.

In the afternoon I went to Pachacamac which is an archeological site.

It was an oasis…. a religious destination.

Pre-Spanish civilizations in Peru are :-Lima 200-700 AD, Wari 700-1100AD, Ishma 1100-1470AD, then Inca 1470- 1533

Inca site-

1st temple we saw was restored then partially destroyed by earthquake in 1940. It was dedicated to chosen women & fertility. The indents in temple are only niches … only one opens.

Pyramids made by Inca-3; 16 built by Ishma … have ramps. They were astronomers.

Regional temples

Inca temple to left.

Limas had human sacrifices … had to be woman, 12-24 & short

Inca Trail… all around South America……entrance to Pachacamac.

Next site is cemetery for priest… took all organs, broke tendons in elbows and knee… to bury in fetal position, mummified then pillow was placed on top with drawing of a face.

Temple to sun…huge number human sacrifices.

Another mummy found last year unusually well preserved at Pachacamac. Another was found with blue eyes.

Not unusual to find mummies…. one place they found 1000 and still digging… amongst the squatters. …15 years ago it was started.

50% of petroleum produced in Peru is in the rain Forrest so they have halted a lot because of environmental concerns.

In the greater Lima area there are only 7.8/100,000 murders per year… no organized crime… just burglaries and the like. More people die by car than murder.

We arrived fairly early in the port of Callao. We were forwarded that it could be chaos and it was. The port is quite ugly but then as we head into where we are going to be staying ….. oh it vastly improves! It’s gorgeous driving along the shore with a pier and surfing schools. The steep banks are covered in nylon netting then planted mostly with Purple morning glory. It holds the hillside and looks pretty. Then up into Miraflores…. the “high rent district”. Oh my! Gorgeous, gorgeous hotel!

For a couple of day before starting our tour we just wandered this area going to Kennedy Park, Indian Market (Indigenous….. with tons of crafts), a drive down to the “Love Park” on the board walk overlooking the ocean. Marilyn and I walked down the side of the hill and back up! (Training for Machu Picchu).

When I added pictures the notes were getting mixed up so I quite…sorry!

The four of us shopping in the “Indian Market” with a llama

Pisco….. what we learned from lecturer…. for March 15/19

The ship doesn’t actually go there unless you’re going to the airport to fly over the Nazca Lines.

Something to see is Peruvian Galápagos Islands, off the coast called Ballestas Islands.

Be wary in Peru.

Humboldt current off the coast.

2nd exporter of copper and silver in world.

When the Europeans arrived there were 9 million indigenous ……. down to 600,000 soon after Europeans arrived.

Today 4% of population is Asian, 27% are indigenous.

The Napoleonic war in Europe lead to end of Spanish rule in South America because the Spanish had to concentrate efforts on Napoleon and not so much on the new world.

Guano…. bird poop is a source of wealth…. it’s gold.

1980 end of dictatorship in Peru but it is still iffy with corruption.

Paracas is nearest port from where we dock….. Playa el Chaco…. every half hour drive shuttle. Also to go see is Paracas national reserve.

Now my observations of our excursion to the Nazca Lines.

Absolutely barren…. salt on the hills near the port and the area of theNational Reserve. Two different stories… one that salt deposited from sea spray, the other explanation is that it’s from the rains from a month ago that caused the salt to leach out.

Guide on trip said:-

One of biggest producers of asparagus, paprika (banca chili is their similar spice but is redder and hotter), also yellow onions.

Discovered in 1911 but 1920…wrote about Machu Picchu; Nazca lines

450 sq. kilometres.

5 century BC to 2 century AD

Figures were made at different times

Nazca people used those same figures on pottery etc. On the June and December solstice the hummingbird and heron bird (both face east) there is a connection so there is a belief it is of a bigger “picture” calendar. …. astrology!

Pisco means flying bird but is also the name of a tribe.

Me:-

Wow…. what an airport! Brand new…. so different than the town which is nothing but shanties…. with lots and lots of tuk tuks!

At the airport we had to get weighed….that is to balance the plane and make sure it isn’t overloaded (the weights that we had previously given when we were at home are not necessarily the same now that we are coming to the end of a 3 week gastronomic cruise…. lol!)

Finally at 2:30 our flight took off…. 1/2 hour to get there….1/2 hour there then 1/2 back +/-.

Absolutely desolate countryside but then you see great swathes of farms that are apparently irrigated by underground sources.

We had been forewarned to not eat a heavy meal before and to take Gravol because of the fact the plane tips from side to side so that each side get to see the figures. Well…. some people didn’t fare so well! I would say that it was so very hard to see the figures before they tipped the plane the other way. And then my good camera wouldn’t snap. Very stressful after coming all this way and at a premium price.

Hint:-When looking at these images of the “Lines”, in most cases you will have to expand them to see the figures.

Lima …. where we got off on March 16/19

City of kings

10 million pop.

Could be chaos at Callao port.

Gold museum

Colonial architecture

Huge Cathedral from 1700s

Spanish been here since 1535

Plaza de Major.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry & narrow mindedness.. mark twain

I had a whole lot written but I did something and it all disappeared ….. grrrrr! So this is all I have. We went for a walk around the central square where there is an old theatre, a fountain and local crafts for sale. It is all quite nice. We also went a checked out “Zofrei”…….their supposed “duty free shopping mall”. I wouldn’t recommend it. It was just a very huge mall… yucky!

So this what we heard from our guys that drove us up to Alto Hospicio where we took flight….500 metres above sea level…. spectacular views and ride but what a dilapidated town.

In 2014 they had really strong earthquake. (Everywhere in Chile they’ve had extremely strong earthquakes but seem to survive).

One month ago they had the first rain in 70 years…13 mm in 2 hours.

Going to fly over “cerro dragon”…. protected because it is symbol of Iquique… 5 kilometres long from head to tail.

Comancha beach for swimming… because it is in an area that is protected from the Pacific.

What a wonderful day Marilyn and I had paragliding in Iquigue. Sorry pictures aren’t in any specific order but they are from the flight down. I have more pictures and video but can’t send now.

Whoohoo!!!

La Serena … Gorgeous 7 mile beach up the ways a bit

Colonial style buildings…. that we never saw

Mummification developed 1000 years before Egypt.

Arid valley…. north point for growing grapes.

20C on coast but warmer in Elqui Valley.

There has been civilization in existence here up to 16,000 years ago.

Complex society 4-5000 yrs ago here. Before arrival of Europeans. Textiles ….Incas developed cotton. Ate fishes.

Largest domesticated animals…. llamas and alpacas.

This place I had never even heard of before but it’s quite huge and gorgeous …..except the area around the harbour where you see streets running almost straight up. There is a giant cross on the top of the hill.

OMG… the bird shit on the pier was the worst mile I’ve ever had to step amongst land mines

270 days a year are cloudy.

Most arid region in Atacama desert.. driest atmosphere in world even if it has a permanent fog bank.

Limari valley…. one of 3 alleys in the area. ….. great for growing white wine grapes.

600,000 inhabitants

Las Tacas…major resort … most expensive.. beautiful. $270,000 to buy… 5-600/ monthly fee though.

Major product caught….Scallops, sole & sea bass.

Chilean Pisco can be made from only (incl. pink) muscat from this area.

1000 mm of fog moisture/year…. not rain so the fog produces the cold at night that is necessary for growth of good white wine grapes.

So many cacti… so dry! Juice of the ? cactus is the “red bull of Chile” …. like Aloe Vera juice… pirates looked for it because the fruit prevented scurvy.

Coquimba means place of riches.

Limari valley was last bastion of the Incas.

Amazingly beautiful highway…. toll …. no one using it.

Sweet cucumbers and olive trees.

Incas called the Milky Way, the “river of souls”. I like that!

Loica…. beautiful red breasted bird at the toll.

Border…5100 metres Andes at Elqhi Valley but not here where it is not as high. Incidentally the border between bordering countries is decided by which way the rivers flow away from the high points of the Andes. That is why it is not a straight line.

The narrowest part of Chile to the south of is only 86 kilometres.

70% loss of agriculture in drought 2008-2014….. devastation. That was very apparent at the winery we went to.

At the petroglyphs… first there was a snake, then a scorpion, a cluster of stars, the condor nest, shaman, astronaut all of which were just holes in the huge rocks. Then there were numerous specific figures some looking quite human or like aliens. Those made it worth seeing.