Category South America
Peru – The Amazon
July 27-29 Our first day in the Amazon would be a full one, starting with a 3:00 am departure from our hotel in Cusco that soon found us at the airport for our flight to Lima (our direct flight was cancelled) to Puerto Maldonado, which sits 34 miles west of the Bolivian border and is […]
Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part Three
July 25-26 In our last post we left Joanna at KM 104 to begin her hike up the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. Not fond of writing, she reluctantly, but effectively, related her experience for us as follows: “When the train stopped at KM 104 (Chackabamba) I was a bit anxious as I wasn’t sure […]
Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part Two
July 25-26 The four of us (Luis, Beppie and Ian) soon arrived at the entrance to the grounds, cleared security and began to wind up our way upward through the terraced landscape until we reached a high ground overlooking the entire complex. It was steep going and at this altitude not as easy as one […]
Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part One
July 25-26 This would be a long and exciting day as we finally make our way to Machu Picchu, starting early in the morning to catch our ride, the Inka Trail’s 360 Machu Picchu Train, a dedicated line that runs from Cusco past Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes. Featuring panoramic windows, free snacks and an […]
Peru – Ollantaytambo, Part Two
July 24 Arriving in Urubamba, we parked on one of the main streets, walked into a walled lot and found ourselves ready to enjoy a break at AMA Sacred Valley, a local organization that provides training and job opportunities to the vulnerable populations of the Sacred Valley. Its boutique sells traditional (alpaca) handicrafts made by […]
Peru – Ollantaytambo, Part One
July 24 Although our driving time today would not be as lengthy as prior days, we would stay very busy visiting several sites, including the first of the day, a local jewelry maker high in the hills above Cusco. Operated by a local artist, we entered the shop through the ground floor garage and climbed […]
Peru – Cusco, Part Two
July 22-23 We set out from the hotel for a quick walking tour of the neighborhood nearby; indeed, one of the selling points of the overall tour was the central location of the hotels we had been staying in. In this case our initial destination was the San Pedro Central Market, the city’s main food […]
Peru – Cusco, Part One
July 22-23 The next day would be another long one, at 8 to 9 hours, with stops along the way as we motored to Cusco where we would spend two nights. Our bodies began to notice the slight drop in elevation along the way (we would lose over 1,000 feet, ending up at 11,152) and […]
Peru – Puno/Lake Titicaca, Part Three
We left the floating islands of Uros and made our way in short order to Taquile Island, docking on the western shore and then hiking up a steep hillside to a dirt plaza where we were rewarded with a presentation by some of the locals. It turns out that our guide is from the island, […]
Peru – Puno/Lake Titicaca, Part Two
July 20-21 Today would be full of exploring some of the different aspects of local cultures, but first we hit the restaurant for breakfast, another fully satisfying experience, offering many of the same items we would get each day with variation from place to place. I, as is my custom, arose early and was able […]
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