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Peru May, 2017
  • Linda Kohl

Peru May, 2017

A 9-day adventure by Linda Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 17, 2017
    Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Real Day 1 part 1

    May 17, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Day 1 Lima (Wed. May 17) (La Castellana Hotel)
    • I did my own personal adventure for Day 1. First I changed $220 into 708.4 Soles. Then I had a walking tour that I got off google. I also spent a lot of time just sitting and reading and conversing in Kennedy Park (named after JFK), aka Cat Park.
    Walking Tour: MIRAFLORES –an upscale, very nice suburb of Lima.
    1. Huaca Pucllana. This is the “Temple of the worshippers of the sea”. For 12 soles (about $3), I got an hour tour as well as entrance to the museum. It is billed on Google as “Remains of a clay & adobe stepped pyramid from the Lima Culture (200–700 A.D.)”. At this pyramid one is exposed to 3 different cultures that inhabited the pyramid. The most significant attribute of the Lima people’s belief system was the importance given to the sea. (Remember, Lima is on the ocean.) The tour included a demonstration of how the bricks for the pyramid were made. Farming was explained with the growing of a variety of vegetables and the raising of livestock, most notably llamas and alpacas and guinea pigs, a favorite meal. Pucllana is a flat top pyramid and the tour took us to the top. It was built between 600 and 700 AD. The site was abandoned for ceremonies when the Wari empire (650-1000AD) took over who eventually did use the pyramid for the elite. This empire collapsed and the Ychsma, a local society, took over.
    2. Miraflores Indian Market Bustling outdoor destination with vendors offering souvenirs, antiques & regional handicrafts. Checked it out and bought my wall hanging.
    3. Miraflores Central Park and Kennedy park. Triangular urban park offering trees, landscaped lawns & paths, plus an amphitheater & a playground.
    4. Salazar Park Park atop the coastal cliffs, with walking paths, contemporary art, shopping & views of the bay. I got directions to the ocean and the parks. Watched surfers for a while.
    5. Amor Park Landscaped park overlooking the ocean with a huge kissing sculpture, mosaic walls & a snack stand.

    After the long morning/early afternoon of walking and sight-seeing, I then went to Kennedy/Cat park to relax and enjoy cats. I was sitting on a bench below a tree and after a long time I became aware that there was a cat in the branches above me. Then a gentleman sat down with a clear glass bowl with his lunch – rice, veggies, beef. He bent down and fed cats, which came from all around. (It turns out more cats come out at night, though – so I only saw about 6-7 different cats.) We started a conversation but it was limited b/c he spoke no English and I tried my best. He was a bank guard who had retired from the policia. I told him he looked like “jefe de la policia”. It was at that point that I noticed he had Kevlar vest on. Boy, Linda, you aren’t very sharp. He comes to that bench everyday for his lunch hour to eat and enjoy the cats. He was really nice and people came by to watch him feed the cats.
    Pictures:
    1-4 Lima: Huaca Pucllana, "Inca Temple of the worshippers of the sea"
    5: Huaca Pucllana, tomb-people buried in fetal position but standing
    6: An entrance to Kennedy Park    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl
    2

    Day 1 - part 2

    May 17, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Group members met with the G rep (G Adventures tour company, Canadian based) at 6 pm and were given the schedule for our departure the next morning. People introduced themselves and some went out to eat but I didn’t. We met most of the group then. The full group of 16: 3 from Texas, 2 solos from Texas, 1 solo from NYC, 1 solo from CA, 1 from CA or NY, 3 from Vancouver/WA, 2 brothers from Vancouver, me from MI, 2 from London, UK. 5 of us were not doing an overnight trek, 1 was doing the Lares Trail, and rest were doing the Inka Trail. I was the oldest by far with my roommate probably late 50’s. There were about 5 in their 20’s and rest in 30’s to early 40’s.
    About 3:30 am loud banging on the door and was told my roommate was here. I wasn’t aware of getting a roommate. Cindy was from Texas and flew Aeromexico through Mexico City. She was traveling with her niece Andrea and grandniece, Rebecca – about 20 yrs old and was exhausted. Went to bed but snored very loudly. In the morning she apologized saying she couldn’t find an outlet for her cpap (sp?). It turns out it was next to my bed. It wasn’t a big deal since we had to get up at 5 am anyway. Once she could use her machine, there were no problems with her snoring at all.
    Pictures:
    1-3 Lima: Kennedy Park and Cat Park
    4-6 Pacific Ocean, surfers area, Kiss park    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 0

    May 16, 2017 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Arrived Lima Tues, May 16 at about 11 pm
    I flew from Detroit to Miama and then Miami to Lima. Flight problem: MIA-LIM. Got on runway but couldn’t get up enough speed to take off. They tried a fix without going to the gate but it didn’t work. So then to the gate but we couldn’t get off plane. Took off about 2 hours later (after the 2nd flight already left). I had paid G adventures $40 for an airport pickup and I was glad for the convenience, even though it was a total madhouse coming into the arrivals area looking for the sign. SOOOOOO many signs and drivers.
    I checked into hotel, made water and went to bed.    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 2 Part 1

    May 18, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Day 2 Lima/Cusco (Th, May 18) Hotel Prisma Elevation: 11,152 feet
    Flight to Cusco. Our flight was at 6:40 am and we had to get up early to get to airport. It took a while for us (16 of us) to find our ride into Cusco – they did have to bring out another van for us. The Inka/Lares trekkers had a lot of equipment. At the hotel our local G rep was Victor, who was also the guide for the Inka trailers. We were immediately served Coca tea which is supposedly the answer to altitude sickness, 11,152’. You can get coca in various forms, including gum and candy.
    After we got our rooms, we then met downstairs for a quick city tour. Victor took us to the Plaza de Armas (main square) and showed us some places we might want to see or eat at. Cusco is a city of ½ million people with a total of 1 million in the Cusco area. Lima has 9 million and Peru has 30 million. Koricancha The religious complex of Coricancha (Qorikancha) in the Inca capital at Cuzco contained the Temple of the Sun which was not only the most sacred site or huaca in the Inca religion but was considered the very centre of the Inca world.
    Pictures: 1-2 View of Andes from plane
    3 Street scene, Cusco
    4 Koricancha, Cusco    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 2 Part 2

    May 18, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We then went to a restaurant for lunch on the Avenida del Sol. I had an alpaca burger (like about 6 others) which was good. One of the group had alpaca tips but did not like, saying it was gamy. We were the only ones at the rooftop restaurant and there was one cook whom we saw cooking on the balcony. While waiting, we took some nice city pictures. The service was very slow and it took us 2 hours. We then were dismissed on our own.
    I have no recollection of what I did for dinner but it was not with the group. I probably ate leftover breakfast foods. By end of day I did have a headache. I wasn’t sure if it was altitude sickness or migraine. So I took both pills – better in the morning. So I quit taking both the next day.
    Pictures: 1-2 View of Cusco from restaurant patio
    3 My alpaca burger which was very delicious    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 3 part 1

    May 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Day 3 Cusco/Ollantaytambo (Fr, May 19) Hotel Inka Paradise Elevation: 9,260 feet
    Full-day guided tour of the Sacred Valley. We stopped along the way to the statue of Christ (Cristo Blanco), gift from Arabic Palestinians who sought refuge in Cusco after WWII. It affords a panoramic view of Cusco. We saw Cusco’s soccer stadium from statue: it is the largest in Peru, holding 45,000 and 2 local teams.
    GROUP PICTURE: Left to right: Kayla, Sarah, Laura, Ben, Mike, Jana, Ethan, Ben, Nicole, Katie, Heather, Andrea, Linda, Rebecca, Cindy, Simon
    pictures: At Cristo Blanco:, including view of Cusco and group    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 3, part 2

    May 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    G Adventures for Good: Ccaccaccollo Community and Women's Weaving Co-op.
    Visit the Ccaccaccollo community centre which G Adventures travellers' donations helped create in 2005, thereby enabling local women to sell traditional textiles to travellers. See local weaving and dyeing techniques used to create garments and souvenirs, and learn how the Planeterra weaving co-operative has impacted the community and those who visit it. The dyeing technique was truly interesting: they harvest cochineal bugs from cactus plants, dry them in the sun, grind them. Then they add a little water and then various other ingredients to make the colors. They demonstrated all of that. They weave from the fur of llamas (tallest), alpaca, guanacos, and vicuna (the finest wool). Both llamas and alpacas are domesticated.
    Pictures 1-6 Sacred Valley Ccaccaccollo Community: feeding llamas, the ingredients, weaving    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 3, part 4

    May 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    • Pisac Ruins Guided Tour
    Tour the fascinating hilltop citadel of Pisac, an Incan ruin with plunging gorges, a ceremonial centre, and winding agriculture terracing that's still in use today. It was truly an amazing site sitting amid sweeping green valleys and mountain peaks. Explore the back of the site to see a pocketed cliff across Kitamayo Gorge, which once contained hundreds of Inca tombs. (And, yes, I did climb up there)
    Pictures: 1: some of Pisac ruins,
    2: holes in rocks are grave sites, I think
    3. Here's the place I climbed up
    4. View of the rooster who lived just outside my bathroom window in Ollanta    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 3, part 5

    May 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    • G Adventures for Good: Parwa Community Restaurant the Sacred Valley
    Contribute to sustainable tourism in Huchuy Qosqo, a small village of 65 families in the Sacred Valley, by eating at the Parwa Community Restaurant. This is a successful farm-to-table program that boosts the local economy and several spin-off microenterprises. We had a 6 or 7 course meal here, including warm yam pudding (I had 2). Simon was very concerned about fish cross contamination because of his severe allergy to fish. Another hiker thought there was fish in the meal but Simon was told no. Next day he did not feel very well at all, lasting about 2 days. It was either cross-contamination here or at dinner tonight or from something else. I was stuffed from lunch. While having lunch, Victor announced that his boss had given him an envelope to open at lunch. He did so and found that he had a Golden ticket. Only 5 are given out each year in Peru. It is for a one week’s guest stay in Toronto getting trained for G Adventures. G has many employees in Peru; they run daily Inka trail hikes, Amazon adventures, and more. Keep in mind that our group of 16 had people on at least 4 different tours.
    • Continue on to the town of Ollantaytambo. Take a guided tour of the large ruin site adjacent to the town. Ollantaytambo is the first taste of what lies ahead in Machu Picchu.
    • Ollantaytambo Ruins Guided Tour Victor took us on a tour the town and fortress of Ollantaytambo with a local guide. Take a step back in time at this Inca archaeological site; it still shows signs of its former glory, including agricultural terraces, a Temple Hill, and storehouses. Learn how the area, overlooking the Urubamba River Valley, was an important stronghold during warfare between the Spanish and Incas. It was climbing the ruins and descending them that I first worked my quads into a 2 day recovery. But that was good b/c by the time I did Machu Picchu and after, I had no leg pains.
    Pictures: Ollanta (this is how it's abbreviated sometimes)
    1: Ollantaytambo ruins
    2-3 Ollantaytambo ruins- climbing to flat area at left top
    4 Ollgroup dinner in Ollanta - chicken/vegies, riceantaytambo ruins closeup of how stone fit
    5    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 4, Part 1

    May 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Day 4 Ollantaytambo/Cusco (Sa, May 20) Ollanta: 9260 feet, Cusco 11,152 feet
    The hikers left at 8 am and the Cusco stay people (5 of us) returned to the Sacred Valley with the CEO to visit the sites of the Maras Salt Mines and Moray. Simon was very sick and miserable. The bumpy car ride didn’t help. I think our guide was now Jose/Pepe (driver also named Jose).
    Notes on picture 5 (blurry): these bubbles represent hostel accomodations that you have to rock climb to and then zip line back down. On a later day we saw rock climbers.
    Pictures:
    Ollanta - central square
    Ollantaytambo ruins This is where we climbed to the previous day.
    Ollantaytambo ruins view from afar of what we climbed to top left (see people up there)
    Ollanta - cute kitten
    Road to Cuzco - better picture later- see notes-hostel
    Road to Cuzco    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 4, part 2

    May 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    • Maras Salt Mines and Moray Visit Maras – Moray 11,483 ft
    Drive a little more than an hour to get to the Moray archaeological site. Tour these unique Inca ruins, consisting of circular terraces and a sophisticated irrigation system located at 3500m (11483 ft). Learn about the history and study of this fascinating site – speculation has it that it was an Inca agriculture experiment station.
    Visit the impressive Maras Salt Mines, after Moray. See thousands of individual ancient salt pools spilling over a hillside. Each pool is probably 4 ft x 6 ft. Learn about the different varieties of salt, and try the renowned pink salt, famous worldwide.
    pictures:
    1-2 Moray archaeological site. circular terraces & sophisticated irrigation system(11483 ft).
    3-5 Moray archaeological site.
    6 Maras Salt Mines - 1000s of individual salt pools    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 4, Part 3

    May 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After a long bumpy ride back to Cusco, Simon opted to stay in bed and the rest of us went out looking for a restaurant to eat. We found what appeared to be a nice upscale restaurant near the Plaza. Kayla and I both had burgers, ben had spaghetti and I forget what Sarah had. Rachel had said I needed to try pisco sour. Since it was happy hour, I ordered 1 to be split into 2 glasses for 10 soles ($3.33). No one else wanted the extra drink.
    About 11 pm that evening, both Kayla and I got very sick. I vomited all night and she did that as well as diarrhea. I think my pisco sour killed those germs off so all I had to deal with was vomit.
    Pictures:
    1 Maras Salt Mines- different levels/types of salts produced
    2-5 Maras Salt Mines each pool is about 4' x 6'
    6 Cuzco main square - taking pictures    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 5

    May 21, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Day 5 Cusco (Su, May 21) Cusco Elevation: 11,152 feet
    Our local guide, Jose/Pepe, was to meet us in the square at 9 am for our 4 hour city tour. Kayla and I opted to stay in bed. Jose called me at 9:15 or 9:30 asking if we were coming. I told him the others had left 45 minutes earlier. He said he hadn’t looked for them yet. (later, Sarah said he had gone to pick up 2 others from a different hotel but they decided not to go). In the meantime, Simon was leading Simon, Sarah, and Ben to the G adventures office to complain that the guide had not shown up. Jose caught up with them and basically showed them the same things Victor had shown us, except for the Choco Museum. It lasted under 2 hours.
    Fortunately, the rest of the day was free time. I just stayed in bed. Simon brought me a Gatorade and later I went out by myself to look for some rice. I caught up with Sarah, Ben, Simon at a chicken restaurant and they gave me some of their rice. But that was all I could eat. I hadn’t been sick since about 5 am but food did not hit the spot.
    Pictures:
    1-3 (from my sick room) view of Sunday parade down Avenida del Sol    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 6, part 1

    May 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Day 6 Cusco/Aguas Calientes (Mo, May 22) Elevation: 6,693 feet
    Travel back by bumpy van to Ollantaytambo to catch the scenic train to Aguas Calientes. I can’t remember who our guide was if we had one. The train was nice – assigned seats, refreshments like a plane-juice, cookie, etc. I sat with 2 people from London doing 6 month tour of S. America with their next and last stop being the Galapagos and a woman from San Francisco who had just done Galapagos. It turned out they did/were doing the same boat excursion with gourmet meals. On my own I walked around Aguas Calientes (steep inclines and declines), did some souvenir shopping, checked out massage places (it seems that my first step onto the steep decline pulled my back just a little). Later I went back for a $20 (60 soles) massage but it was very difficult to tell them what was wrong. Very little English is spoken anywhere. I did not do dinner with others I don’t think.
    Pictures:
    1-2 car ride to Ollanta
    3-4 Train staton-Ollanta
    5 cusco stay group at train station: Ben, Simon, Kaela, Sarah
    6 Train ride to Agua Caliente    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 6, part 2

    May 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    At our 7 pm meeting, Lares hiker Mike showed up with his guide Marco(s) and 2 other hikers. Marcos took over our group and told us to be up at 5 am to eat breakfast and then head for bus at 5:20 am for 1st bus (5:30). He would give us a 2 hour tour and then we could do whatever. Luckily, Mike and the 2 young women wanted to do Sun Gate so it was going to be perfect. Victor had told us to meet him and the Inka trailers at 8:30 at the entrance to MP and then we’d have a tour and then free time. In hindsight we would never have made it at 8:30 b/c we didn’t know that there were long lines for the bus. Also, the plan was for everyone to take a bus noonish to meet up in Aguas Calientes for lunch at 1 and then head to train by 2:15. So, it would have been tough trying to squeeze in the Sun Gate.
    Pictures:
    1-2 Train ride to Agua Calientes
    3-5 Agua Calientes-main square
    6 Statue near bus station    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 7 - part 1 Machu Picchu

    May 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Day 7 Aguas Calientes/Cusco (Tu, May 23)
    Machu Picchu – 7972’ and Sun Gate – 8924’ (almost 1000’ higher) Cusco 11,152’
    Rise and shine – the best time to see the Lost City of the Incas is in the early morning light. I gained local insight into the Inti Mach’ay cave, Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Water, the Temple of the Condor, and the Room of the Three Windows. [This 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World (in a worldwide Internet poll).]
    Pictures:
    1 MP- Linda on trail to MP
    2 MP- view from trail to MP
    3 MP-getting closer
    4 Linda - at a lookout above MP
    5-6 Getting closer to MP    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 7 - part 2 Machu Picchu

    May 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The Cusco 5 and Mike and the Lares hikers (about 7 in total) took an early bus to MP. We did see Victor; Simon and Ben chose to go with them. Mike had brought his walking sticks but only elderly and incapacitated were allowed to use them. So when he went to check his sticks, I told him I’d be happy to be elderly for him. He was kind enough to let me use one for MP and the Sun Gate. When you enter the park, everyone must walk up and then back down to the actual ruins.
    Pictures: 1. Lares group passing through the Entrance
    2 you can see the trail that visitors take to get to site
    3-4 MP
    5 Linda
    6 MP-view from Temple of the 3 Windows    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 7 - part 3 - Machu Picchu

    May 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Hiram Bingham with the help of locals uncovered MP in the early 1900’s. With the help of National Geographic, they took years to uncover. MP is a 15th century citadel believed to have been built as an estate for Inca emperor, Pachachuti. It was inhabited by 500 royal families (or people). The Temple of 3 Windows represent 3 parts of the world: underground, heaven, and present time (i.e., past, present, future). They also represent the rise of the sun, very important to Incas. The Temple of the Sun is the round structure seen in my pictures. The Inti Watana stone (seen in my pictures) is believed to have been designed as an astronomical clock or calendar. It’s 4 corners point directly N – S – E – W. It points directly at the sun during the winter solstice. The Incas were very much oriented towards the heavens and the stars.
    Pictures: 1 MP-our group and the inside of a home
    2-3 MP (Temple of the Sun)
    4 MP- Inti Watana stone - phone placed to show accurate directions
    5-6 MP - why so high? To be close to heavens    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 7 - Part 4 Machu Picchu

    May 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After our nice tour of MP, Mike, about 4 other Lares hikers, and myself went to Sun Gate (about 1000’ higher). The Sun Gate is dedicated to Inti, the sun god. It was supposedly an hour to 1.5 hrs up. I made it in 40 minutes from the first sign post. Of course, I was at the back of our group and huffed and puffed the whole way. Thankfully, I had the walking stick and thankfully, Mike had the other as he tweaked his knee going up. There were not many on the path. When we got to top and enjoyed it for about 15-20 minutes, there was only a total of about 12 people, including us. It was clear and somewhat sunny up top.
    Pictures: 1-2 MP
    3 guess who climbs the trail - ALL visitors to Machu Picchu
    4 MP
    5 MP - stone points due north
    6 Getting ready for Sun gate    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 7 - Part 5 Sun Gate

    May 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    It started to drizzle just a bit going down and I slipped (but did not fall) a few times on the rocks. I took 45 minutes to get down and the others hurried ahead so they could do the Inca Bridge (thought by some to be a secret back entrance to Machu Picchu: Trek up to the bridge that's cleaving to a 579m (1,900 ft) cliff, and soak in amazing views of cloud forest along the way.) . Wish I had felt like it; it was only a 15 minute hike. I headed back to the bus to Aguas Calientes to meet up with the rest of the group and take a train back to Cusco.
    Pictures: 1 Getting ready for Sun gate
    2 Lookout on the way - lower right is MP
    3 Sun Gate trail-llamas on the path
    4 Trail looks very easy, doesn't it? See Sun Gate up top
    5 view from sun Gate
    6 Linda at the top - Machu Picchu over shoulder    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 7 - Part 6 - End of the journey

    May 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We had lunch at restaurant Hot Springs 2 (Ollanta has hot springs about ½ block from our hotel) and went back to Ollanta to catch a bus to Cusco. The Inka trail hikers spent a lot of time figuring out how little oxygen they got when they were hiking: their highest point was Dead Woman’s Pass at 13,824 feet. I thought we were all going to get together for farewell dinner but people dispersed to their rooms. Some eventually met up in the lobby and both Katie and Heather invited me out for drinks after they dropped off laundry. Cindy and I had a room with a view on the top floor but her niece and grandniece had a triple so she left all her stuff in our room but slept with the others. The room they gave us was just a double bed and I was on my way down to complain when Cindy gave me the update on her sleeping arrangements.
    Pictures: 1 Linda at the top - mp over shoulder
    2 Trail back down - MP to right
    3 View of the Sun Gate from the trail
    4 Back in Agua Calientes
    5 (Blurry-sorry) Rock climbers getting to hostel in rocks
    6 (blurry-sorry) hostel in the rocks - they zip line down    Read more

  • Linda KohlPeru May, 2017Linda Kohl

    Day 8 - Going Home May 24th really

    May 24, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Day 8 Cusco (We, May24) My flight was at 6 pm but I couldn’t do my check in to I sorta stressed out. I did the walking tour I had planned for earlier in the week but the Korincancha museum was way too expensive. I did do the Inca Museum (10 Soles) and it was very informative. I then shopped around for the best exchange rate to change back the 400 Soles I had left over (about $120). I only paid 10 soles ($3.33) plus $1usd tip for cab ride from the hotel. Others from the trip paid $40 for airport transport. (I did pay the $40 for my arrival as it seemed well worth it arriving at night, 45 minute ride in Lima, etc.) The Cusco airport, however, was only 10 minutes away so I left around 2:30 to go check in. My airline LAN has hourly flights so it was a zoo. I got my boarding passes and then spent 10 Soles ($3.33) to get free wifi for an hour so I could let Linda Miles know I had my boarding passes and not to worry. No problems getting back home. I will say the my American Air flight from MIA to DTW was probably on one of those newer planes with less leg/seat room. But it did have individual tvs, showing current, in the theater movies (ex., Fences, Logan), tv shows, etc. You could pick anything you wanted. It must have had over 200 movies to pick from. Home by 1:30 pm.

    As I’ve told a number of people, there were times when I was like a blithering idiot, due to ??? (altitude, dehydration from food poisoning, stress, lack of oxygen, ???). Examples: 1) after many of the hikes I could not walk a straight line for a few days, 2) I called a few people by the wrong name (not to their face, thankfully), 3) I sat in the wrong row on the plane, and 4) I left my purse in the restaurant at Agua Caliente right before our train/bus ride back to Cusco. I didn’t know it until a waiter ran up to our group at the train station and held it up.

    All in all it was a great trip and it was not a hardship at all, even given the 2 days I was ill. This did not stop me from doing what I so wanted to do. I would easily do it again, but this time do the Inka Trail.

    Linda
    Pictures: 1 View from patio outside room
    2 Koricancha (church)
    3-4 Main Square (Plaza de Armes) - kids in bee costumes
    5 Main Square (Plaza de Armes) - Le Catedral
    6 Main Square (Plaza de Armes) - Santa Catalina or La Compania    Read more

    Trip end
    May 25, 2017
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