Why Peru, Again?
The friendly and colorful people, the beautiful country, to re-live some of the adventures we loved and to climb Wayna Picchu.
Our first two trips to Peru were in the dry season and, yes, we were assured of dry weather but that didn't mean it would be warm--after all, our summer was their winter. But both our trips in July had great weather with the exception of Cuzco--one time it was extremely cold. This time we went in the rainy season--their summer. Not knowing really what to expect weather-wise we were prepared just in case with extra hiking boots, rain gear and even umbrellas! As it turned out, the rain came at night and our days of learning and discovery featured blue skies and mild temperatures!
We arrived in Lima at midnight but we were up early and ready to start our first full day after an early morning trip to Starbucks!
Our hotel was located in the stylish Miraflores District which is full of many small cafes, fine shops and art galleries (including Starbucks and Pinkberry yogurt).
One of the things we did in Lima was to visit the San Francisco Church, with its distinctive yellow color, beautiful painted ceilings and catacombs full of early colonial bones. It was constructed in the Baroque style.
The main city square in Lima is beautiful with churches, the Presidential Palace and other large beautiful buildings, with the hustle and bustle of people everywhere.
We also visited Huaca Pucillana located in downtown Lima--it was built by the Lima Culture between 200 - 700 A.D. The ruins were made of adobe, which survived because it never rains in Lima, and were built up another level with each new regime over the five centuries.
And then Thomas and I took our lives in our own hands and got into a taxi--oh, my! Drivers in this city turn right from the left lane and honk their horns constantly! The taxi driver on the way to the museum didn't even have enough gas to get us there, so he would turn off the taxi engine at stop lights or in the traffic, and restart it over and over again. (I wanted to get out and walk but had no idea where we were or how to get to where we were going.) We eventually were treated to a visit to the gas station by our driver and finally got to the Museo Larco with its beautiful gardens and cafe. The drive was well worth the challenge of getting there!
The wet season brings with it the beautiful flowers in all colors of the rainbow, and coming along with the flowers are the birds and the bees. I was most amazed to find this gorgeous long tail hummingbird among the multi-colored bougainvilleas!
We next flew to Cuzco and its elevation of 10,909 feet; it was the capital of the Inca world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But before exploring Cuzco, we traveled down into the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River to acclimate to the high altitudes of the Andes.
We first visited the llamas and alpacas--learning the difference between them and the vicuña. The vicuna is wild and has exceptionally soft and silky wool which is very expensive. The llamas and alpacas make good pets or friends and have fine wool which is very soft; the alpaca wool is finer and softer than the llama wool.Did you know that when you buy a garment that says, "made of baby alpaca," it means the first shearing of the alpaca?
We continued our drive to the ancient Inca ruins at Pisac (9,751 feet elevation), where we hiked up to a spectacular lookout surrounded by Inca agricultural terraces and burial caves constructed by the Incas between roughly 1350-1530 A.D. The terraces were created by hauling rich topsoil by hand from the lower lands and are still used today.
Many visitors come to Pisac for the market on Sunday but there are smaller markets on Tuesday and Thursday.
One of the days we are in the Sacred Valley we climb the three hundred steps up the huge terraces guarding the hilltop temples to explore the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo.
We also toured the village below the ruins and visited the community oven (horno) where everything in the village is taken to be baked or roasted....
...even the dreaded guinea pig (cuy), a delicacy of Peru and raised in the kitchens of many village homes. How can anyone eat these little guys?
The village of Ollantaytambo also has a delightful square where women can be found selling their goods or old men can be found dancing traditional dances!
Next, it was off to the Ollantaytambo train station to travel about an hour and forty-five minutes along the Urubamba River and on to the village of Aguas Calientes where we got on a bus to drive the switchbacks up to Machu Picchu, the legendary "Lost City of the Incas," which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Aguas Calientes, sometimes called Machupicchu Town, is next to the Urubamba River and is the closest access to the historical site of Machu Picchu. It is about 3.7 miles up and takes about 25 minutes by bus, or if you prefer you can walk up in about an hour and a half.
Aguas Calientes is Spanish for hot water or hot springs, and after braving the Inca trails or just walking around Machu Picchu you can soak in a thermal bath. The baths are found by walking up the hill in town but they are more like a public pool and can be crowded.
This is what you see when you disembark the bus--
Wayna Picchu or Huayna Picchu is the mountain in the background, and is one of the reasons we returned to Peru. Hurray! We climbed the hundreds of stairs to get to the top and this is what we saw!
The first time we visited Machu Picchu we hiked the trail up to Sun Gate. On our second visit we wanted to climb Wayna Picchu but they were only letting two hundred people a day go up, all at once. This time, we bought an advance purchase time so we could be guaranteed our passage up Wayna Picchu. The peak of Wayna Picchu is about 8,920 feet above sea level and about 1,180 feet higher than Machu Picchu.
The Death Hike to Wayna Picchu--what? An actual nickname and people actually do die here. If you avoid rainy days, take it easy and play it safe--it isn't so dangerous, and it was all worth it once we got to the top. We didn't know this until too late! Still, it was a very difficult hike, and we shared the trail mainly with 20- and 30-year-olds.
We left Machu Picchu for Cuzco, and spent a day of learning and discovery in the community of Chincero, about 30 miles from Cuzco. After visiting traditional weavers in Chinchero, we took a beautiful drive through the patchwork countryside outside Chinchero. We learned that some of the farmers in this area are selling off their farms for the planned Aeropuerto Internacional de Chinchero - Cusco (AICC). Increasing numbers of visitors come to both Machu Picchu and Cuzco, one million this year, two million next year, and the prediction for 2015 is five million visitors.
Potatoes are big in Peru, over 3,800 varieties which differ in size, shape, color, pulp, texture and taste--everyone agrees that the potato's birthplace is in South America. The exact place is unknown but somewhere in Chile or Peru.
Our next stop is the Inca ruins of Moray located on a high plateau at about 11,500 feet elevation. These Moray ruins were perhaps an agricultural labortory used by the Incas, with each terrace level having its own micro-climate. The difference in temperatures from top to bottom could be 27 degreees.
Enjoying Cuzco and saying good bye before our flight back to Lima!
What a surprise--a Starbucks in Cuzco! And what a bigger surprise when I walked into Starbucks the second day and Mariana remembered me and my drink. On the third day I had to say good bye to Mariana but told her I would meet her someday in Seattle, where she hopes to visit!
Back in Lima--Men at Work!
We had a great trip with many adventures with our marvelous leader, Walter, and a very delightful group of people from many different states.
(Copyright 2013)
