I arrived in Peru on Sunday May 13th after a very long flight from Madrid, Spain. My flight arrived at 6am, so I had the whole day to explore the city of Lima. The first thing that I did after checking into my hotel was to take a very long, hot shower that felt amazing after the 13 hr plane ride. Then I went out exploring. I came upon a church which had a mass going on, so I went to mass. I love going to mass in a different language, because even if you have no idea what they are saying, you know the routine so you know what is going on. After mass I wandered down to the coast. Lima is located on the coast of the Pacific ocean, and it was beautiful. It was a gorgeous day and there were plenty of rollerbladers and runners out exercising among the palm trees and the crashing waves of the coast. There were even surfers out! After exploring the parks along the coast and the city a bit, I made my way back to the hotel for an early night.
I was awaken early Monday morning by a knock on my hotel room door. My cousin Carrie had arrived! I was so happy to see her! After catching up on what each other had been up to for the past couple of months, we went out to explore the city a bit more. After walking along the coast, we caught some lunch at a cute cafe and then went on an organized city tour. The tour took us to the old center of the city where there were a lot of churches, plazas and important buildings. The most interesting one, though, was the monestary of St. Francis where we were able to walk through the crypt. There were millions of bones of Monks that had lived there perviously all arranged in different designs. It was kinda cool, but kinda creepy at the same time. Later that night we met up with our GAP tour and leader Andres for the first time. We got a briefing about what was to come and then all went out to dinner together. It was an enjoyable evening and a preview of what was to come.
Tuesday was mainly a travel day. We slept in, had a big breakfast, shopped a little bit and then headed to the airport where we caught a flight from Lima to Juliaca. Once in Juliaca we took a bus to Puno where we would be staying the night. It was a long day, but we finished it out with a nice dinner at a restaurant where I tried my first Alpacca dish. It was pretty yummy!
Wednesday morning we were transported from our hotel to the port of Lake Titticaca by some local bicycle taxis! Lake Titticaca is the largest and highest lake in South America because it is located high in the Andes mountains. It also forms the border between Peru and Bolivia. Once at the port we boarded a boat and took a 3 1/2 hr boat ride to the island of Amantani. Once on Amantani we hiked up the island and through our first village. The buildings of the village were made out of adobe brick and although simple, loked nice. We walked to the town center where we were able to by some of the products that the men in the town hand wove. It was a great experience to wander around the island and see how the isanders lived.
After a great lunch of trout, we got back on the boat and made our way to the island of Tequile where we would spend the night with a local family in a home stay. When we arrived at the island Carrie and I met our host mother Sylvia who took us to her home. It also was made of adobe brick and the lower floor was all dirt. The kitchen had a fireplace on which they cooked all of their meals, and the bathroom was an outhouse. Even though it was very basic and simple, it was very nice as well. Carrie and I felt completely welcomed and comfortable. Comfortable except for the fact that it was cold outside and we had not yet adjusted all the way to the altitude. That evening we took a hike to the highest point on the island where we were able to watch the sunset over the lake. It was a beautiful sight, but we were definately huffing and puffing after climbing all the way up in the high altitude. Along the way we were able to buy some hand woven alpaca hats and scarves. When we returned to our home, we were fed a yummy dinner of soup, corn, fried cheese and potaotes. After dinner our host mother dressed us up in traditional clothes and took us to a fiesta where we danced the local dances and listened to local music. It was a very neat, unique experience.
The next morning we awoke early and said goodbye to our host mother. We got aboard the boat again and traveled to the Uros islands. The Uros islands are floating islands made completely of reeds. The locals pile reeds upon reeds to form a floating, waterproof area on which they live and build thier house. We took a ride in a boat made entirely from reeds and were able to visit with the locals a bit. It was a very interesting experinece. Later that day when we arrived back at the port of Puno we took a tour to some inca ruins of funerary towers. However, our tour guide wasn't very good, so I didn't learn very much. I did get to see more of the beautiful countryside thoug,h and buy a couple more hand made crafts. That night Carrie and I had a pizza party in our room before bed.
Friday was a long day. We had a 6 hour bus ride from Puno to Cuzco that took up the majority of the day. When we arrived in Cuzco, we had some time to wander around and take in the city before it got dark. We saw the main plaza and a couple different churches. When we returned to the hotel, we were briefed on what our inca trail hike would be like and then went to get some dinner. Dinner took forever to get... we sat at the restaurant for about 2 1/2 hrs just waiting for some chicken sandwhiches. Needless to say, I got kinda crabby and was definately ready for bed once we got back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we left bright and early for the Sacred Valley. Before reaching the sacred valley we stopped off at a place where we were able to see local women making the wool from the alpaca that they then dyed with plants and weaved into beautiful crafts. It was interesting to see the whole process and then the finished products. I supported their cause by purchasing a couple of thier products. From there we made our way to the Sacred Valley, an Inca ruins site. We walked around the ruins a bit with our guide and learned about how the Incas built the terraces that scaled the mountain side and the temples that were lined up astronomically.
From the ruins we made our way to Ollantaytambo, stopping off at a bar that made corn beer for a taste. It is called Checha, and tasted pretty good! Once in Ollantaytambo we toured more inca ruins. It was neat to learn about the astronomy that the Incas had figured out and that was the basis on where they built thier homes, tembles and even grain storage rooms. Everything depended on where the sun hit on the summer and winter solstices. Kinda cool.
Sunday morning began the Inca trail. The Inca trail is a 25 mile trail that has three main mountain passes, the tallest being 4,200 km. We arrived at the trailhead about 8:30 and began walking the 10 km that we would do that day. The hike today was fairly easy- a flat trail over rolling hills with a slight incline. The scenery along the way was beautiful with the Andes mountains surrounding us and the Urubamba river next to us. We arrived at camp about 4:00 and had a wonderful dinner cooked by our cook. That night, after some popcorn, our group sat around and played a crazy version of crazy eights before making our way to our tents for the night.
Monday's hike was much more difficult than Sunday's. We began our hike at 7:30 with a steep incline up. It continued until about 10 AM when we had climbed a full 600 meters up in elevation. At that point we stopped to rest at a beautiful view point and had lunch there as well. By 11:30 we were back on the trail and continued another 600 meters up in elevation... by climbing very steep stairs. It was hard work but really cool to watch the scenery get farther and farther below you. When we finally made it to the top of Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 meters above sea level, it was such a great feeling! Aftre enjoying the views and taking some photos, we began the treck down the mountain. It was more stairs down and we traveled another 600 m down in elevation before making camp for the night. Night time was really cold that high up, and after dinner Carrie and I crawled into our warm sleeping bags and called it an early night.
Tuesday morning began with another steep climb up 400 m of elevation before reaching the second mountain pass at 4000 meters. From there we went almost straight down on very steep steps for the next 3 hrs. Yuck! My IPOD kept me happy though... I was jammin to the tunes as I made my way down. After going over the thrid and final pass at 3650 m we found ourselves on the jungle side of the Andes. The clouds came rolling in and you could tell this was a cloud forest becasue of all of the moss hanging from the trees. We found our way through a little cave on the path and made our way down numerous more stairs before arriving at camp. The good thing about camp was that there was beer! We sat outside under the sky, surrounded my mountains and watched the sun dissappear the the stars make a showing all while drinking a nice cold beer. It was a great way to wrap up the day.
Wednesday morning began at 3:30 am with a wake up call. After packing up our stuff and catching a quick breakfast we were on our way by 4:30. We stood in line to be one of the first groups on the trail that morning because we wanted to catch Machu Picchu at sunrise. At 5:30 the trail opened and we practically ran the last 5km of the trail to the Sun Gate where we stopped to watch the sun rise over the ancient city. It was almost a magical moment as the ancient city of Machu Picchu came out from behind the low clounds that were covering it. We took a lot of photos as the sun made its way across the city, and then hiked closer for a better look. We had a tour around the ancient city and then wandered around a bit taking it all in. It was a very beautiful setting and you could tell why the Inca nobles had picked this place as one of their main temples. After walking around the ruins, we took a bus to a nearby city where we ate some lunch, did a bit of shopping and then caught a train back to Cuzco where we had a shower and crashed into bed.
Thursday morning we woke up in our comfy hotel rooms, had a nice hot shower in a clean bathroom and then tried to organize our mess of stuff. After trying and failing, we gave up and went horseback riding instead. We made our way out to the countryside where our stubborn horses were more interestd in eating the grass than walking where we wanted to. It was funny, but frusterating, and we eventually made our way back the the ranch. The rest of the day was spent doing errands like laundry, calling people and catching up on my journal.
Friday morning we said goodbye to the rest of our GAP group as the GAP tour was over. Carrie and I made our way to a local market where we finished up the rest of our Peruvian purchases and then to a restaurant for a pasta lunch. We just hung out the rest of the afternoon catching up on things that needed to be done and relaxing. Tomorrow morning we will leave Cuzco early and while Carrie will fly home, I will finish up the last leg of my trip in Equador with my friend Barb.
Photos to come with a faster internet connection.
I was awaken early Monday morning by a knock on my hotel room door. My cousin Carrie had arrived! I was so happy to see her! After catching up on what each other had been up to for the past couple of months, we went out to explore the city a bit more. After walking along the coast, we caught some lunch at a cute cafe and then went on an organized city tour. The tour took us to the old center of the city where there were a lot of churches, plazas and important buildings. The most interesting one, though, was the monestary of St. Francis where we were able to walk through the crypt. There were millions of bones of Monks that had lived there perviously all arranged in different designs. It was kinda cool, but kinda creepy at the same time. Later that night we met up with our GAP tour and leader Andres for the first time. We got a briefing about what was to come and then all went out to dinner together. It was an enjoyable evening and a preview of what was to come.
Tuesday was mainly a travel day. We slept in, had a big breakfast, shopped a little bit and then headed to the airport where we caught a flight from Lima to Juliaca. Once in Juliaca we took a bus to Puno where we would be staying the night. It was a long day, but we finished it out with a nice dinner at a restaurant where I tried my first Alpacca dish. It was pretty yummy!
Wednesday morning we were transported from our hotel to the port of Lake Titticaca by some local bicycle taxis! Lake Titticaca is the largest and highest lake in South America because it is located high in the Andes mountains. It also forms the border between Peru and Bolivia. Once at the port we boarded a boat and took a 3 1/2 hr boat ride to the island of Amantani. Once on Amantani we hiked up the island and through our first village. The buildings of the village were made out of adobe brick and although simple, loked nice. We walked to the town center where we were able to by some of the products that the men in the town hand wove. It was a great experience to wander around the island and see how the isanders lived.
After a great lunch of trout, we got back on the boat and made our way to the island of Tequile where we would spend the night with a local family in a home stay. When we arrived at the island Carrie and I met our host mother Sylvia who took us to her home. It also was made of adobe brick and the lower floor was all dirt. The kitchen had a fireplace on which they cooked all of their meals, and the bathroom was an outhouse. Even though it was very basic and simple, it was very nice as well. Carrie and I felt completely welcomed and comfortable. Comfortable except for the fact that it was cold outside and we had not yet adjusted all the way to the altitude. That evening we took a hike to the highest point on the island where we were able to watch the sunset over the lake. It was a beautiful sight, but we were definately huffing and puffing after climbing all the way up in the high altitude. Along the way we were able to buy some hand woven alpaca hats and scarves. When we returned to our home, we were fed a yummy dinner of soup, corn, fried cheese and potaotes. After dinner our host mother dressed us up in traditional clothes and took us to a fiesta where we danced the local dances and listened to local music. It was a very neat, unique experience.
The next morning we awoke early and said goodbye to our host mother. We got aboard the boat again and traveled to the Uros islands. The Uros islands are floating islands made completely of reeds. The locals pile reeds upon reeds to form a floating, waterproof area on which they live and build thier house. We took a ride in a boat made entirely from reeds and were able to visit with the locals a bit. It was a very interesting experinece. Later that day when we arrived back at the port of Puno we took a tour to some inca ruins of funerary towers. However, our tour guide wasn't very good, so I didn't learn very much. I did get to see more of the beautiful countryside thoug,h and buy a couple more hand made crafts. That night Carrie and I had a pizza party in our room before bed.
Friday was a long day. We had a 6 hour bus ride from Puno to Cuzco that took up the majority of the day. When we arrived in Cuzco, we had some time to wander around and take in the city before it got dark. We saw the main plaza and a couple different churches. When we returned to the hotel, we were briefed on what our inca trail hike would be like and then went to get some dinner. Dinner took forever to get... we sat at the restaurant for about 2 1/2 hrs just waiting for some chicken sandwhiches. Needless to say, I got kinda crabby and was definately ready for bed once we got back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we left bright and early for the Sacred Valley. Before reaching the sacred valley we stopped off at a place where we were able to see local women making the wool from the alpaca that they then dyed with plants and weaved into beautiful crafts. It was interesting to see the whole process and then the finished products. I supported their cause by purchasing a couple of thier products. From there we made our way to the Sacred Valley, an Inca ruins site. We walked around the ruins a bit with our guide and learned about how the Incas built the terraces that scaled the mountain side and the temples that were lined up astronomically.
From the ruins we made our way to Ollantaytambo, stopping off at a bar that made corn beer for a taste. It is called Checha, and tasted pretty good! Once in Ollantaytambo we toured more inca ruins. It was neat to learn about the astronomy that the Incas had figured out and that was the basis on where they built thier homes, tembles and even grain storage rooms. Everything depended on where the sun hit on the summer and winter solstices. Kinda cool.
Sunday morning began the Inca trail. The Inca trail is a 25 mile trail that has three main mountain passes, the tallest being 4,200 km. We arrived at the trailhead about 8:30 and began walking the 10 km that we would do that day. The hike today was fairly easy- a flat trail over rolling hills with a slight incline. The scenery along the way was beautiful with the Andes mountains surrounding us and the Urubamba river next to us. We arrived at camp about 4:00 and had a wonderful dinner cooked by our cook. That night, after some popcorn, our group sat around and played a crazy version of crazy eights before making our way to our tents for the night.
Monday's hike was much more difficult than Sunday's. We began our hike at 7:30 with a steep incline up. It continued until about 10 AM when we had climbed a full 600 meters up in elevation. At that point we stopped to rest at a beautiful view point and had lunch there as well. By 11:30 we were back on the trail and continued another 600 meters up in elevation... by climbing very steep stairs. It was hard work but really cool to watch the scenery get farther and farther below you. When we finally made it to the top of Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 meters above sea level, it was such a great feeling! Aftre enjoying the views and taking some photos, we began the treck down the mountain. It was more stairs down and we traveled another 600 m down in elevation before making camp for the night. Night time was really cold that high up, and after dinner Carrie and I crawled into our warm sleeping bags and called it an early night.
Tuesday morning began with another steep climb up 400 m of elevation before reaching the second mountain pass at 4000 meters. From there we went almost straight down on very steep steps for the next 3 hrs. Yuck! My IPOD kept me happy though... I was jammin to the tunes as I made my way down. After going over the thrid and final pass at 3650 m we found ourselves on the jungle side of the Andes. The clouds came rolling in and you could tell this was a cloud forest becasue of all of the moss hanging from the trees. We found our way through a little cave on the path and made our way down numerous more stairs before arriving at camp. The good thing about camp was that there was beer! We sat outside under the sky, surrounded my mountains and watched the sun dissappear the the stars make a showing all while drinking a nice cold beer. It was a great way to wrap up the day.
Wednesday morning began at 3:30 am with a wake up call. After packing up our stuff and catching a quick breakfast we were on our way by 4:30. We stood in line to be one of the first groups on the trail that morning because we wanted to catch Machu Picchu at sunrise. At 5:30 the trail opened and we practically ran the last 5km of the trail to the Sun Gate where we stopped to watch the sun rise over the ancient city. It was almost a magical moment as the ancient city of Machu Picchu came out from behind the low clounds that were covering it. We took a lot of photos as the sun made its way across the city, and then hiked closer for a better look. We had a tour around the ancient city and then wandered around a bit taking it all in. It was a very beautiful setting and you could tell why the Inca nobles had picked this place as one of their main temples. After walking around the ruins, we took a bus to a nearby city where we ate some lunch, did a bit of shopping and then caught a train back to Cuzco where we had a shower and crashed into bed.
Thursday morning we woke up in our comfy hotel rooms, had a nice hot shower in a clean bathroom and then tried to organize our mess of stuff. After trying and failing, we gave up and went horseback riding instead. We made our way out to the countryside where our stubborn horses were more interestd in eating the grass than walking where we wanted to. It was funny, but frusterating, and we eventually made our way back the the ranch. The rest of the day was spent doing errands like laundry, calling people and catching up on my journal.
Friday morning we said goodbye to the rest of our GAP group as the GAP tour was over. Carrie and I made our way to a local market where we finished up the rest of our Peruvian purchases and then to a restaurant for a pasta lunch. We just hung out the rest of the afternoon catching up on things that needed to be done and relaxing. Tomorrow morning we will leave Cuzco early and while Carrie will fly home, I will finish up the last leg of my trip in Equador with my friend Barb.
Photos to come with a faster internet connection.
5 comments:
Just had a momment to copy and print you blog to readf on our way up north so I don't have much to say but Love you and HI11
Jules,
you did the climb with Carrie. Awesome. Can't wait to see the photos. The home stay sounded way cool. Can't wait to see you when you get back home.
Love
Aunt Kathi
Hi Julie,
I just spent some time rereading all of your travels and updating my post its on my map. It is such a nice way to spend some time on a holiday weekend. I am of course honing in on where my first trip will take me. That may possibly have to be Machu Picchu. I can't wait for photos. I have shared your blog with a few close girlfriends. They too have been enjoying your travels. You are quite an inspiration. Thank you so much.
A little news from this side of the world. Trevor and Marjee just bought a home in Farfax county Virginia. It is a wonderful home in a great location. They of course are very excited. I just say wow - My kid is growing up,. Or should I say grown up. I will be great for them. That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your travels. Aunt Marie
Julie- These pictures look fantastic! I'm glad you are having such a wonderful time. Looking forward to hearing all about it in person :-)
Hey this is Rose from PC3!! I just looked through your blog and read about your adventures! Now I desperately want to go to Africa, Greece, and Peru...Im so glad you are having so much fun! I miss PC!
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