October 8th, we flew to Atlanta. Steve is putting on his compression socks for the longer flight to Lima, Peru. We stayed in a new Holiday Inn near the airport since we arrived at around midnight. The next morning we slept in, got oriented, exchanged money, dressed for the temple and ordered an uber car to pick us up. Our lunch in the hotel restaurant was delicious! They make their sandwiches 4 layers so we were able to share and still have plenty.
Traffic in Lima is very busy and congested so it took us over an hour to go less than 15 miles.
We were early for the session so we had time to pose for a photo with the temple president, President Gillispie and his wife who greeted us on the grounds. I guess Americans stick out like a sore thumb. It turns out that the temple president who is finishing his service in November is related to one of my book club members. Small world in the church.
We loved our endowment session in this beautiful small temple with our headphones for translation.
After the session, we ran into the temple missionaries who escorted us across the street to one of their favorite restaurants. The husbands spoke fluent Spanish and ordered us a delicious chicken meal.
It was so fun to be with missionaries again - the Andersons and Athertons.
I took this beautiful night photo from the window of the Atherton's apartment. We loved our Lima Temple experience and spending time with the temple missionaries!
The next morning bright an early we flew from Lima to Cusco after checking most of our luggage with the hotel concierge. We traveled with one small suitcase and a backpack.
I got some nice photos of the Andes from our plane window.
This was our cute little hotel La Casona Real, with its courtyard in the middle, located very near Cuzco's colonial square, Plaza de Armas.
We had heaters in our rooms but the area where they served breakfast was not heated. Notice the person who cooked the scrambled eggs in her coat and stocking hat.
Most of the people in Cuzco don't have heat in their homes. They wear warm clothes with layers and have warm alpaca wool blankets.
Many of the women in this area of Peru continue to wear the traditional clothing with skirts and hats. They carry children and many other items in slings made from blankets.
I couldn't resist buying some gloves and a sweater from this local market.
This cathedral is built on the foundation and walls of the most important temple in the Incan Empire-the temple of the sun Coricancha or Qorikancha. It was easy to see the amazing stonework of the Inca's. Quite a few Cuzco buildings are built on top of the solid, well engineered and built Incan walls.
Student artists were selling paintings all around the square. I bought this one from Ruben.
Women and children tending their alpacas or visa versa.
The women set up their blankets and wares just outside of tourist attractions, hoping to sell to the visitors.
These little cars are like tuk tuks and are basically taxi's.
The city of Cuzco including the Plaza and Cathedral near our hotel are in the bottom part of this photo.
After traveling to Cuzco, getting acclimated to the altitude, and touring some of the beautiful sites, we were ready for a good night's sleep. The fact that we were denied that opportunity by a noisy group of young travelers from Canada, turned out to be a blessing. We cancelled our 4 a.m. excursion to Rainbow Mountain and later had a private taxi and driver give us a tour of the Sacred Valley. That turned out to be very amazing and we were glad we missed our horseback ride up the cold, windy mountain.
Our first real stop was at an animal rescue shelter where we saw Peruvian bears, alpacas, condors, a puma and snakes. We also saw a lady weaving wool into blankets the same way she has done it for 50 years.
Pumas, condors and snakes each represent a stage of life in the Inca religious culture so they are important symbols to the Incas.
We had a very nice Peruvian buffet at a restaurant in a town in the Sacred Valley. The musicians playing Peruvian instruments provided a beautiful accompaniment to our lunch.
One has to look very closely to see these metal hotel rooms hanging on the side of the mountain. People pay $1,000 per night to stay in them. They access them by cable cars from the bottom.
Ollantaytambo is a town in the Sacred Valley with cobblestone streets and Inca ruins in the nearby hillside. The trekkers who spend 3 or 4 days hiking to Machu Picchu leave from this town. Scenic trains also take thousands of tourists to Machu Picchu Pueblo, commonly known as Aquas Calientes which is at the bottom of the mountain access to Machu Picchu.
There were many shops, restaurants and lodges/hotels in Ollantaytambo.
These are the ruins we climbed all around near Ollantaytambo. It is a national park I believe so there is a fee.
We really climbed all those steps and more. The site was amazing and the views were spectacular!
These structures on the opposite mountains from the main site were for military purposes to guard the town. They were also burial tombs for the royal family members.
Inca doors and windows are distinct as they are not rectangular. They are trapezoids which makes them stronger.
We made one more stop even though it was after dark. Chinchero according to Incan folklore is the birthplace of the rainbow. At an altitude of 12,500 feet, it is higher than Cuzco. It is known for its colonial buildings and as an agricultural center. The central plaza is one of South America's most traditional markets. The vendors were wrapping up their wares in the blankets and bundling them on their backs. They will set up all over again the next day.
We were eager to return to our hotel in Cuzco to rest up for our exciting trip to Machu Picchu the next morning at 4:20 a.m.
Once again, we drove to Ollantaytambo. We were glad we had explored it the day before since we only had a few minutes before we boarded our train for the scenic ride to Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu Town.
The interesting scenery, the river, the villages and the train stops couldn't be photographed well through the train windows. Of the dozens of photos I took, these two were worth posting.
When we arrived in Aguas Calientes, we walked immediately to the line for the 25 minute bus ride to Machu Picchu. We were fortunate to be met by an excellent guide who got us directly on a bus. He was extremely knowledgeable and MP is his passion. He knows this ancient site intimately.
In the photo below, Steve is stepping off at the end of the Inca Trail which runs from the Inca capitol of Cuzco to Machu Picchu. It was a thrill to actually be in this indescribable place. The Incan architecture and craftsmanship are truly breathtaking. That they could build this city in such a remote place with rather primitive tools is difficult to comprehend. When it was discovered as the Lost City of the Incas by Hiram Bingham, it was completely overgrown with foliage. It had to be uncovered.
Our clever guide took this panoramic photo of MP with us in it twice. He even shared his skills with another couple who was resting on a rock nearby. He was a fantastic guide.
Here I am walking on a portion of the Inca Trail. The serious trekkers spend 4 days on the trail.
The Incas stored the food they grew on the terraces in the buildings with the steep roofs.
The thatched roofs have been reconstructed but the walls are original and designed to withstand earthquakes.
After climbing all over the site with our guide while he explained the temples, homes of the royals and the servants for 2-2.5 hours, we took the bus back down to Aquas Calientes. As soon as we got out of the bus, it started to rain and then pour. We took shelter inside a huge marketplace with many vendors. This little girl was fascinated with my glasses and my gray hair.
Our tour included lunch at a local restaurant which served good food. Our only complaint was that a couple of local dogs wandered in and out as they pleased. No one else seemed the least bit bothered by that.
After the rain stopped we explored the town a bit, but Steve's hip and leg were feeling the pain of exertion from climbing all the steps. We had to take it easy. While we waited for our evening train, we rented swim suits and towels and spent some time soaking in the local mineral water hot springs that inspired the name Aguas Calientes or hot waters.
We were amazed at the workers pushing or pulling loads of cement and construction materials to build local buildings. It was all done by hand. They did not use motorized vehicles to move this stuff through the tourist areas of the town.
We were very happy when our train was finally ready to take us back to Ollantaytambo. Our driver met us there and drove us another hour to our hotel in Cusco. We were grateful for a quiet night in our hotel.
Staple foods in the Peruvian diets include lots of vegetables and fruits, rice and beans, chicken, guinea pig, alpaca and lamb. Their veggies and fruits are excellent. We didn't care for their taste in fried meats.
On the evening of the 13th, we went on an excursion which featured a marvelous light an water show, a Peruvian buffet, folkloric dancing and horses and dancing.
The light and water show is rather unique and is becoming quite famous. We met new friends from all over the world in our group including a young lady from the Netherlands, who was traveling solo. Eva Gons seemed happy to have "American parents" for the evening.
We enjoyed seeing the water show, dancing, horses and some more of the Miraflores district of Lima.
Getting our laundry done after Machu Picchu and before boarding the cruise ship, took some walking and help from the concierge at the hotel. Several of the addresses they gave us did laundry but couldn't have it done within a couple of hours. We were hoping for self-serve and we finally found one. Yahoo. They couldn't speak English but together we managed to get the coins we needed.
We stopped by this grocery store on our return trip to the hotel. We loved seeing the beautiful fresh fruits and veggies. Some were new to us.
We had a lovely 2 room suite in the Crown Plaza in Miraflores. They upgraded us even though we weren't paying for it but staying on points. It was probably the biggest suite I have ever stayed in. It was definitely bigger than our state room on the cruise ship. I loved having a bathtub!
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