In celebration of Desiree's 40th birthday (coming in August), the four of us set out on a week long Peruvian adventure! We utilized about every form of transportation except llama, because. . .well, they only carry 60 pounds anyway. . . .
We all met up in Fort Lauderdale for our international flight to Lima. We spent a short night at the airport Wyndham before boarding a flight into the mountains of Cusco. There we met up with our Andean Discovery tour guide, Elizabeth, and driver, Hector. They stayed with us for the next 3 days of adventures.
Saturday: our flight into Cusco was delayed two hours, so we got a late start on our Sacred Valley tour. Cusco is at 11,000 feet above sea level, so we took altitude sickness medicine in the days before our arrival. I had a headache later that night but attributed it more to dehydration than altitude, so I think the medicine helped. We drove through the Urubamba Valley to our ultimate destination: the amazing hotel, Sol Y Luna. Looking back we all said we wish we had more time at this particular hotel. It was so beautiful and relaxing, and the staff was amazing, including making me spearmint tea to drink in bed after I left dinner early due to my headache. But first we stopped by an area where weavers were working and alpacas, llamas and vicuna were roaming. After feeding the animals and admiring the handicraft, we continued on to our lunch at a hacienda and got our first taste of Lomo Saltada (beef stir-fry with French fries and rice).
Sunday: we woke up early and continued our drive. This time to Ollantaytambo, where we explored the royal estate of Pachacuti, the ninth Inca. Afterwards, we went across the street to board the Peru Rail train for Aguas Calientes, home of Machu Picchu mountain. The train ride was along the Urubamba River for the most part, and absolutely gorgeous. We had great views of mountains and could see hikers on the Inca Trail. Those folks walked 4 days to get to Machu Picchu, while we just moved between a series of hotels in our shuttle van or train.
We stayed at the world renowned Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel. But to be honest I was so in need of a nap that I took that nap and didn't explore the amenities. Everyone else enjoyed the afternoon drinking beer in the hot tub. Our lunch and dinner experiences were fun, since the hotel's restaurant was between the train tracks and we got to see all the trains coming/going with a very close-up view!
In the town of Aguas Calientes, at the end of the street from our hotel, was a huge market. After nap/hot tub time we walked down the hill to do our souvenir shopping. Of course items made from alpaca wool - specifically baby alpaca - are the prized purchases.
The next morning we woke up for our big day at Machu Picchu. We took a bus through winding switchbacks to get there. And when we arrived. . . . it was even more magnificent than I was expecting!
We all met up in Fort Lauderdale for our international flight to Lima. We spent a short night at the airport Wyndham before boarding a flight into the mountains of Cusco. There we met up with our Andean Discovery tour guide, Elizabeth, and driver, Hector. They stayed with us for the next 3 days of adventures.
Saturday: our flight into Cusco was delayed two hours, so we got a late start on our Sacred Valley tour. Cusco is at 11,000 feet above sea level, so we took altitude sickness medicine in the days before our arrival. I had a headache later that night but attributed it more to dehydration than altitude, so I think the medicine helped. We drove through the Urubamba Valley to our ultimate destination: the amazing hotel, Sol Y Luna. Looking back we all said we wish we had more time at this particular hotel. It was so beautiful and relaxing, and the staff was amazing, including making me spearmint tea to drink in bed after I left dinner early due to my headache. But first we stopped by an area where weavers were working and alpacas, llamas and vicuna were roaming. After feeding the animals and admiring the handicraft, we continued on to our lunch at a hacienda and got our first taste of Lomo Saltada (beef stir-fry with French fries and rice).
Sunday: we woke up early and continued our drive. This time to Ollantaytambo, where we explored the royal estate of Pachacuti, the ninth Inca. Afterwards, we went across the street to board the Peru Rail train for Aguas Calientes, home of Machu Picchu mountain. The train ride was along the Urubamba River for the most part, and absolutely gorgeous. We had great views of mountains and could see hikers on the Inca Trail. Those folks walked 4 days to get to Machu Picchu, while we just moved between a series of hotels in our shuttle van or train.
We stayed at the world renowned Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel. But to be honest I was so in need of a nap that I took that nap and didn't explore the amenities. Everyone else enjoyed the afternoon drinking beer in the hot tub. Our lunch and dinner experiences were fun, since the hotel's restaurant was between the train tracks and we got to see all the trains coming/going with a very close-up view!
In the town of Aguas Calientes, at the end of the street from our hotel, was a huge market. After nap/hot tub time we walked down the hill to do our souvenir shopping. Of course items made from alpaca wool - specifically baby alpaca - are the prized purchases.
The next morning we woke up for our big day at Machu Picchu. We took a bus through winding switchbacks to get there. And when we arrived. . . . it was even more magnificent than I was expecting!
