Peru

Tuesday, April 27. Today we were bound for the Sacred Valley, an area filled with Inca sites. Our first stop was a small animal farm where you could feed the llamas, alpacas and vicunas. Next up was the town of Pisac where we got to shop for an hour or so at a seemingly endless handcraft market. We had a delicious buffet lunch and then headed off to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was a magnificent Inca complex that served as both a temple and a fortress. There were many steep terraces and a ceremonial site on top. All of the stone for the complex was quarried from a nearby mountain and it was fascinating to hear how the Incas had moved enormous stones up and down the mountains. We spent the night at beautiful complex nestled in the Sacred Valley with huge mountains on either side. It was wonderfully peaceful. We had a few glasses of wine by the fireplace, some dinner and called it a night.

Wednesday, April 28. Today was finally the day of Machu Picchu! After a 30 minute or so ride down a very a bumpy road (because of the recent flooding, the train is closed until marker 82), we hopped on the Inca Rail for an 1 ½ hour ride to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. The ride was beautiful and it was interesting to see all the flood damage. As soon as we arrived we were shuttled onto a bus for a 25 minute very steep ride (with no less than 10 hairpin turns) up to Machu Picchu. After meeting our guide, we were off. The “lost” Inca city was perfect. By the time we arrived most of the crowds were gone and it was almost like having the place to ourselves. My Lonely Planet describes it as the following: “Undeniably the most spectacular archaeological site on the continent, it tantalizes with its mysterious past and is deservedly world-famous for its stunning location and craftsmanship.” Though we had just a few minutest of rain, the weather held off. Our guide was wonderful as we spent 3 plus hours wandering around the amazing ruins. It was one of the most spectacular sites I've ever seen. We eventually caught one of the last buses down, checked into our hotel and headed to the hot springs. The hot spring weren't quite hot enough for my liking, but it was still nice to relax under the stars for a bit. After some dinner, we called it an early night.

Thursday, April 29. The alarm went off at 4:30 am and by 5:15 am we were standing in line with a few hundred other people to be the first ones to Machu Picchu. We, in particular, wanted to climb Huayna Picchu – a very steep mountain that supposedly provides spectacular views of Machu Picchu. They only allow 400 people to climb a day, so if you want to climb, you need to get there early to get a ticket. Fortunately we were one of the first buses up and were given ticket numbers 395 and 396! It was a very cloudy and overcast morning and for awhile, you couldn't even see Mach Picchu. Finally it cleared just a bit, and you were able to see the ruins. We wandered around for awhile and then started our climb up Huayna Picchu. It was an hour long very steep climb. When we made it to the top, it was still very cloudy and overcast – Machu Picchu was no where to be seen. We waited on the top of Huayna Picchu for a couple of hours and fortunately we were able to catch a glimpse here and there of Machu Picchu. The hike down was just as difficult as the hike up and I, personally, was glad to be off the mountain. We wandered through Machu Picchu for a bit longer and then bid it farewell. After grabbing a bite to eat, we hopped back on the train. An 1 ½ hour train ride and a 2 hour car ride with a driver who thought he was Mario Andretti we arrived back in Cuzco. Keith and I were both exhausted (especially since our driver dropped us off at the wrong place and we had an additional 15 minute walk through town with all our gear). We grabbed a bite to eat and called it a night – or so we thought.

Friday, April 30. It was a long night/morning for Keith and I – Keith more so than me. Unfortunately Keith seemed to have gotten food poisoning and much of Keith's night was spent in the bathroom. I was up making sure he was okay. Despite the sickness, we were off to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon basin – about an hour flight from Cuzco. From Puerto Maldonado we were supposed to have a 45 minute bus ride and a 2 ½ hour motorized canoe ride up the Rio Tambopata. Unfortunately due to heavy rain a couple of days before, we ended up having a 15 minute bus ride and 4 hour canoe ride – just what Keith was hoping for;-) It was a long ride, but the weather was nice and we saw some wildlife. After disembarking on the side of the river and a 10 minute walk through the jungle, we reached our lodge. It was a charming “one with nature” spot in the middle of no where. The lodge only has electricity in the main area for four hours at night. The rooms have only kerosine lamps and candles and have walls (if you can even call them that) on only 3 sides. The 4th side is open to the elements. We were able to have just a short rest before it was dinnertime. Keith was still not feeling his best so after a small bite to eat, we headed to bed while listening to all the sounds of nature.