Peru Trip 2010

July 1st
John and I left home early this morning, dropped off Da Boys at a friend's home, and made it to SF in time to celebrate Anneliese's 25th birthday with a progressive dinner to some of the eateries on the 100 best places to eat in SF.
Please go to the Picasa link listed on my Blog for pictures of our trip!

July 2nd
We spent the day eating through SF again. In the evening we watched Nolan and Anneliese pack their things before heading to the airport.

July 3rd
After an absolutely wonderful trip with outstanding flight connections, we arrived in Lima in the late afternoon and we took a taxi to our accommodations. There were no restaurants within walking distance so we went to a local (nice) grocery store where we partook of all sorts of delicious items.

July 4th
We got up early in the morning to catch our flight from Lima to Cusco. As soon as the doors to the plain opened, we noticed the adjustment in our breathing. In the airport there were several station with oxygen tanks with masks for those needing assistance to the elevation. We were okay but took it easy the rest of the day as we explored Cusco.

July 5th
Today we took a tour of Cusco provided through Apus Peru that we had enlisted for this trip. Cusco was the previous Inca capital and today we were going to see some of the ruins on horseback. We went to many archaeological sites and ended up walking more than we had anticipated. By the end of the day, my legs were a little weak and bowed (from sitting on my horse.) When I got off at the last stop I landed wrong and did a job on my right knee. I feared that this might impact my ability to participate on the hikes in the coming weeks. Nolan ended up finding two knee braces for me which I wore (both of them) and I was able to enjoy the rest of our vacation, albeit it did slow me (us) down a bit. We found a wonderful Peruvian place to have some dinner and then John and I went back to our hotel while Nolan & Anneliese did some night exploration.

July 6th
Today we took a taxi to Pisac, a little town about an hour from Cusco. The main attraction: the fabulous market and more Inca ruins. We ate some delicious foods off the street vendors. The market was so great that we never did leave. I wonder if having to watch the World cup football game that was on TV had anything to do with it. We found a little bakery that had a TV and planted ourselves there for the duration of the game. Then it was back to Cusco. Thank goodness the taxi driver on the return trip was a little less aggressive. Boy are they crazy drivers there! John and I took it easy again in the evening and packed up for our departure the next day.

July 7th
We were picked up this morning by our guide from Apus Peru and we drove to Urubamba where we visited several sites from a Community Agricultural Project. We saw pottery being made, chocolate processed, bee hives robed of honey, and a Guinea pig (cuy) farm. Again we had to make time for another football game, this time at a local home where we were also served a three course lunch. At last we were taken to our next accommodation... Casa Calibri. The hosts, Barbara and Robert were awesome as was their place. The facility was beautifully landscaped and very comfortable. Nolan and Anneliese went back to the market place after settling in and ended up bringing us back an array of local goodies. Boy more food! We had already eaten some delicious treats with Barbara and Robert. So much for not overeating!

July 8th
This morning we got up early to join Robert so that he could showed us the coffee making process from husking the raw beans all the way to brewing us a delicious cappuccino. How awesome was that. Robert roasts his own beans in what may be called a primitive way as they can not always count on electrical power being available.
After another short trip to the market which by the way reminded me of Spain some 50 years ago, we took a taxi to our next destination: Ollantaytambo. We saw some of the most beautiful ruins there. Ollantaytambo is the only Inca city that is still inhabited. Ollantaytambo is significant in another way.... Anneliese and John actually ate Cuy today. Nolan and I were the only sane ones. Who eats these little pets?!! We also purchased some beautiful artworks before leaving the next day.

July 9th
The BIG awaited day! We met up with our guide Big Willie from Apus Peru this morning just before boarding the train towards Aguas Calientes. We had about an hour-and-a-half ride before being let off at kilometer 104, in the middle of nowhere. This was the beginning of our Machu Picchu, 6.7 mile, stair master trek! And what a trek it was. We saw beautiful flora as well as beautiful mountain and valley views. The higher we hiked the more the civilization below looked like miniatures. There were several ruins to visit before hitting the grand-finally, the most impressive being Winayhuay. The steps leading up to the Sun gate were very steep and with very high treads, apparently constructed in this way to increase the speed with which the Quechua people climbed them. Once we went through the Sun gate, Machu Picchu unfolded before us. Wow, what a site. We behaved like typical tourist and took many pictures. As nightfall was just around the corner, we took a shuttle bus down to town, Aguas Calientes, were we had dinner and spent the night in a hostel.

July 10th
The first set of buses to Machu Picchu left at 5:30 AM. We got up at 4:00AM to get in line with the hundreds of other tourist who wanted to be first! Big Willie gave us a new appreciation for the Inca civilization by giving us an awesome tour. By 10:00 AM there were literally 1000s of people at the site. We lost interest in staying as all one could see was tourist all over the place. We took the shuttle back to town were eventually we got back on the train to Ollantaytambo. We were grateful to arrive back at our hotel and shower and put on clean clothes.

July 11th
Taxi service... again, to just east of Urubamba. We stayed Aranwa, a swanky, westernized place. After at first being impressed with all it had to offer, we grew tired of it and got back in a taxi and visited another village and it's market. Nolan and Anneliese bought some dolls and we bought some artwork for Chelsey. Then it was time for the World Cup football finals. We found a local eatery with a TV and had a three-course-meal for under $2.00 amongst all the locals. When we got back to our accommodations Anneliese and I took advantage of the spa and had a massage while the guys played pool. Dinner followed and then to bed for a good night's rest.

July 12th
This morning we had to carefully decide what to take with us on our 3-day trek in the Andes. We packed our day packs and duffel bags, the latter to be caried on the pack horses. Our first stop of the day was at a market Calca to buy oranges and toys for the indigenous people. Our next stop was Lares where John and Anneliese took a dip in the hot springs. From there we went on foot to our fist camp site that was supposed to take about 3 to 4 hours. Since I was slowing our trek down due to my injured knee, I ended up riding the "emergency" horse so that we could get to our destination before it was totally dark. Boy, was it getting cold when that sun started to go down!!! Eventually we got to our campsite where a "tea time" was already set up for us. A while later we were invited into a local family's hut where they shared their dinner with us: boiled potatoes. Potatoes is their staple food and most families high up in the mountains eat just them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were glad to be able to share our prepared dinner with this family in return. Nolan was even able to do a mini diagnosis of two family members who had hiked 4 hours one way to see a doctor only to find out that the doctor was not in. His help was much appreciated.

July 13th
After a hardy breakfast we hit the trail again. Today's trek would take us to a height of 16,000 feet. It was a slow and steady hike and very enjoyable. When we finally descended into the valley for our second night, we came across a woman weaving a scarf that Anneliese fell in love with. I think she would have bought it but we were told that it would take a few more days to finish. Disappointed we all continued down to our campsite where we were met by the school children for whom we had brought the oranges. It was fun handing those out and even more rewarding was knowing how much these children are in need of nutritious foods. Nolan played a little soccer with the children and went on another hike to a lake with Anneliese while John and I again rested our older bones for the afternoon. We shared our dinner with the school teachers and had a wonderful visit before going to bed. Both John and I were in much need of a good night's sleep. Unfortunately that was not to happen. I froze my little butt off, and I kept waiting for that sun to come up all night to warm me back up. Brrrrr.

July 14th
Finally I see some rays of light appearing. Brrrrr! We were greeted with a cup of coca tea to get us moving. And, as the sun appeared, it amazed us how quickly the temperatures rose. For the record... I am never sleeping in a tent in freezing temps again. Our tents were covered with frost and puddles were frozen solid around our tents. No sooner had we gotten up when the indigenous women started to arrive with their wears to sell. We were all surprised to see the scarf that Anneliese had fallen in love with, completely finished. Apparently the lady had stayed up all night to work on it. Needless to say, Anneliese was delighted and the sale was finalized. After breakfast we left on the last leg of our trip. What a beautiful scenery. Today's trek included a trail that had disappeared due to a mountain slide. It was a scary section and I was glad when we had all traversed that site safely. Lunch awaited us by the van that was to pick us up and take us back to civilization. It took us a couple of hours on the dirt and rain washed out roads to get us back to Ollantaytambo. From there we drove another two hours to get us back to Cusco. A warm shower and a clean, warm room never felt so good. After cleaning up we met our two guides and driver for a farewell dinner at what had become one of our favorite Peruvian eateries. Wow, what a vacation we've had.

July 15
Our last day in Cusco was spent going to the local market were we purchased chocolate and coffee to take home with us along with a bottle of Peruvian wine and Pisco. We ate at some of our favorite street vendors and bought some more artwork. We asked the hotel were we were staying to make us some of their delicious coca cookies to take home as well as some of their chocolate tortes. All of these they had ready for us the next morning.

July 16
The kitchen at the hotel accommodated us by providing us with breakfast extra early as our plane left too early to make it to breakfast during regular hours. Again, our actual flights were terrific. The only downer is having a 5 hour layover in Lima this time. We arrived in SF Int. Airport just before midnight and were waived through customs without a hitch.

July 17th
When arriving back at Nolan & Anneliese's apartment we took time to exchange the pictures we had taken as well as two music CD that we had purchase. We even said our goodbyes as we did not want to wake Nolan & Anneliese up should we want to leave before they were ready to get up. It was 2:30 AM before we put our heads on our pillows. John and I left SF at 8:00 AM this morning to head back home. We met Chelsey just north of Santa Rosa, who was on her way to a wedding, to say hello and to pick up Da Boys from her. Home sweet home around 7:00 PM. Ahhhhh my own bed. How sweet it is to be home again!