South American Adventure Part 3

 

October 16

With no plans or tickets for Machu Picchu today we slept in, but then had to check out of the hotel by 0930 so new visitors coming in on the early train could check in.  We moved our bags to the lobby and wandered around Aguas Calientes, finally having lunch at Indio Feliz restaurant where we enjoyed more of the Peruvian “Salmon Trout” along with an avocado and papaya appetizer.   We could not believe how small the world was when we discovered the people sitting at the next table were also from Seattle. After lunch we returned to the hotel lobby until our train boarded at 1700.  We were not the only ones in this situation, so we all shared our experiences at Machu Picchu while we waited.  Thankfully the hotel porter carried our bags back up the hill to the train station for us.  As the train departed, the rain started, light at first and then heavier.  However, it gets dark by 1800, so there was little to see from the train windows as we headed back to Ollantaytambo.  The Condor Travel representative was waiting outside the rail station, but had not picked up the bags we had left in storage at the Casa Andina Hotel.  We went back to the hotel and then made a 2 hour ride back to Cusco, with the rain heavy at times,and crossing the 12,500 foot plateau before descending into Cusco at 11,250 feet.

We arrived at the Casa Andina Private Collection hotel in the historic district of Cusco at 2130 (9:30 PM) and waited in line to check in.  We were upgraded to a larger room with a separate sitting area, like a junior suite.  The hotel is a historic landmark and was built in the 1700’s as a private residence.  No wall is straight; the floors are all stone, but the rooms are very well equipped.  The restaurant was open until 2245, so we had time to get a late dinner, with more of the Salmon Trout and some Peruvian Red Wine.

October 17

Today was a “free day”, no organized tours, so after breakfast we headed up the hill several blocks to the main square. “Plaza de Armes” and wandered through the shops and then visited the Inca Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art.  Both of us could feel the effects of the altitude, no sickness, but definitely harder to breath and walk up the steep streets.  Returning to the hotel for lunch we sat in the sun in one of the courtyards and listened to a Andean Harpist while we ate, but shortly after returning to our room the clouds rolled in and we were treated to a thunder, lightning and hail storm for over three hours.  Since our lunch was big we just went to the Tapas Bar at the hotel and snacked on light appetizers before returning to the room to pack the bags for the flight to Quito in the morning.  Condor Travel will pick us up at 0545 for our flight on TACA airlines, part of Avianca.

Church at Plaza des Armes, Cusco

Plaza des Armes, Cusco



Cusco Cathedral

October 18

The day began with the alarm at 0430, followed by a quick breakfast at 0510 and then the Condor Travel driver was at the hotel entrance at 0540.  The streets were mostly deserted as we headed to the Cusco airport where we checked into to the TACA Airlines flight to Lima, connecting to another flight to Quito, Ecuador.  The first flight was mostly on time landing, but instead of a gate, we parked on the tarmac and were taken in by bus to the terminal.  This meant delays, but even worse, the lines for security to check in for the international flight were hundreds of people long and we were already past the boarding time for the next flight.  We talked our way to the head of the queue and ran for the gate, after going through immigration formalities.  At the gate we found a delay of 30 minutes, so the running was in vain.  We finally boarded and took off 45 minutes late and had an uneventful flight to Quito, where the Metropolitan Travel agent was waiting to take us to the Patio Andaluz Hotel in the historic district in Quito.  The drive is about one hour and on the way the thunderstorms, rain and then hail started.  By the time we got to our room the thunder, lightning and hail made a deafening roar on the glass skylights over the hotel atrium.  We checked in and made our way to the bar for our complimentary welcome drink.  The room we were given was in the main building ad was 2 ½ floors high, with a bed on each of the two floors and then a few steps further up to a deck overlooking the interior courtyard which is covered by a glass skylight.

After resting for a few hours we had dinner in the hotel since it was still raining outside and enjoyed a shrimp ceviche Ecuadoran style, followed by Patrick’s steak smothered in pickled and sautéed garlic and chili’s, Miriam’s sautéed trout as well as a shared plate of grilled asparagus.

Back in the room we downloaded the photos from the last two days and prepared for our trip to Otavalo Market in the morning.

October 19

The driver was a little bit ahead of schedule at 0720, so we headed out in heavy old town traffic across Quito to New Town area and joined three other couples for a shared trip to Otavalo Market.  We stopped several times to view the volcanic cones along the way during the two hour drive to Otavalo.  The market had many fruits, vegetables, food stands as well as native handicrafts and traditional machine made weavings.  After several hours wandering around the largest open air market in Ecuador we stopped at a traditional weaving center in Puchenge before heading to the Hosteria Hacienda Pinsaqui for a delicious lunch with Andean specialties.  Miriam and I both had shrimp ceviche, followed by grilled shrimp in garlic sauce and a Pinsaqui steak, which although flavored well was tough.

Otavalo Market

Colorful Textiles

Main Square, Otavalo

Roast Pig Anyone?

I


Knitted Masks

Incredible Variety of Vegetables

 

Yarn
 

 

The trip back to Quito and our hotel took 2 ½ hours and we arrived at 1800 to the sounds of loud disco music from a music hall across the street from our room.  Fortunately the music ended early since we have a very early (0430)  wakeup call for the trip to the Quito airport and then to the Galapagos.

We do not expect to have internet service until we return to Quito, and since the internet is slow in the room, only a few photos this post.

Catch Up Post

South American Adventure Catch Up Post

 

 

October 10

The flight from Atlanta arrived on time at 2200 and it took just a few minutes to clear customs and immigration and collect our bags.  Lima is at sea level. Our contact was waiting outside as we exited the customs hall.  We walked across the street from the terminal into the hotel (the Ramada Costa Del Sol), checked in, exchanged documents, found out about the arrangements the next morning and went to the room, which was very adequate.  We were given a coupon for a complimentary Pisco Sour, so we had those at the lobby bar and then headed to bed.  We set the alarm for 0330 local time to make a 0545 flight to Cusco.  Two things messed up this plan for 4 hours of sleep.  First, the hotel had a disaster drill with fire alarms and flashing lights at 0030 and then the alarm went off at 0130, since the cell phone time had reset to local time when we turned it on.  We finally got a few hours of restless sleep before heading to the airport check-in.  We could have stayed in bed another 30 minutes!

October 11

Since we left the hotel so early, we missed the breakfast included in our rate and instead had the Peruvian equivalent of a McMuffin and some coffee so strong we could not drink it.  The security lines were not too bad.  We boarded the LAN Airlines flight to Cusco right on time and landed on time in Cusco (11,250 feet) where the Condor Travel representative was waiting.  After loading the bags into the car we headed to the Casa Andina Private Collection hotel in Cusco and met our guide for the next two days, Celina.  After some heavy traffic we finally headed out of town up the 12,500 foot ridge between Cusco and the Urubamba Valley, also called “The Sacred Valley”.

Pisac Terraces

Pisac Terraces

More Pisac Terraces

Pisac Buildings

Pisac Entrance Arch

Looking out over the temple, Pisac

Miriam & Patrick at Pisac

Our first stop was at the Pisac Ruins, a set of terraces, houses and temples set up the side of a mountain.  The Inca’s did much of their agriculture on these terraces, which also slowed erosion from the rainy season rains.  We spent several hours exploring the ruins and trekking along the paths, even going through tunnels in the rock hillside connecting various parts of the complex.  In places the stonework was so precise that no mortar was used or needed on large blocks on stone.  It remains a mystery as to how the Inca people even got the stones up the hill and into location.  The scale of the ruins was astonishing.

Pisac Market

Our next stop was Pisac Market, which on Sundays is very large and well known.  We were there on a Friday and although much was open, there were few people.  The scale of local handicrafts was immense and the market reminded us of Chichicastenago in Guatemala.  There was lots of alpaca goods and Peruvian silver jewelry.

After Pisac Market we headed to the Alhambra Restaurant in Urubamba for lunch and then on to Ollantaytambo, purported to have some of the oldest continuously inhabited dwellings in South America.  The town is dominated by an immense set of terraces culminating in the remains of a temple.  This fortress town guarded the Inca empire and was built by the emperor Pacachuti after he defeated the Tambo’s.  Notched into the surrounding hillsides are granite storehouses.  The fitup of the stones is still so perfect that no mortar was used or needed.  The only way into the city is a narrow road snaking up the terraces.  At the end of the road, through the center of the city is the rail station which we will take to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu.

Storehouses at Ollantaytambo and Inca face in rock

Ollantaytambo Fortress



Main fortess face

Ollantaytambo Fortress

Following this experience we backtracked to the town of Yanahuana, where we finally checked into the Casa Andina Private Collection Hotel in the Sacred Valley.  The hotel is in a walled compound with blocks of buildings scattered on a hillside and a main reception building with a restaurant.  After checking in and realizing how tired we were from the short night in Lima, the altitudes going to 12,500 feet, and the full day of touring we decided on an early dinner.

October 12

Our day began with a visit to Maras, where the local people have been harvesting salt from evaporation ponds terraced into the hillside since pre-Incan times.  The last few kilometers to the site were over dirt roads leading down into a valley where the salt is harvested.

Maras Salt Ponds

Maras

Scooping the salt to dry

From Maras we headed out on dirt roads to the Inca agricultural research site of Moray.  The site consists of three natural depressions which have been sculpted into circular terraces down several hundred feet into the earth, with drainage so clever that they do not flood.  The terraces create microclimates with temperatures many degrees warmer at the bottom of the depressions.  Due to damage, visitors are no longer allowed to go all the way to the bottom.

Moray Terrace Steps



Main Moray Site

Moray Terrace Detail - see size of people

By now it was time for lunch, at the La Casa de Barro Lodge Restaurant restaurant in Chinchero, at an elevation of about 12,000 feet.  Following a delicious lunch of chicken soup (with vegetables, cheese and quinoa) and grilled trout we headed for the weaving centers in Chinchero for a weaving demonstration.  The work the women were doing was good, but expensive.  Following the demonstration we headed up the hill to the Catholic church built on the ruins of an Inca palace, reaching an elevation of 12,500 feet.

Chinchero Weavers

Part of Chinchero Market

Returning to the hotel we relaxed and repacked our bags, splitting them into what we could take on the train (10 kilograms each) and the rest went into storage at the hotel until we returned from our three night stay in Aguas Calientes.

October 13

We were picked up at 0700 for the short ride to Ollantaytambo rail station where we boarded the Vistadome train for the 90 minute ride to Aguas Calientes.  The rain began as we waited for the train and was a downpour by the time we arrived in Aguas Calientes.  The travel company took our duffel bags and we headed on foot to the bus station for the ride up to Machu Picchu, buying plastic ponchos along the way to keep a little drier.  The lines were long but moved quickly since as each 27 passenger bus was filled, another pulled into place.  We headed up the winding gravel/mud/stone road through many switchbacks 1000 feet above the Urubamba River to the entrance of the site where our private guide was waiting in the rain in a poncho.  Joining the long line of visitors we produced our passports and tickets and entered the World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu, joining the 2500 people per day allowed on the site.  Hiram Bingham is credited with the “scientific” discovery of Machu Picchu on July 24^th, 1911, even local farmers had been using the lower terraces for many years and knew of the complex on the top of the mountain.  This is one of the few cities that Pizarro did not find and destroy, so is remarkably well preserved.  Even on a Sunday morning, in drenching rain, the crowds were amazing, making it hard to get pictures of anything without people in all colors of plastic ponchos being visible.  There is a one-way system of routes through the complex and one has no choice but to go up and down lots of steps.  Needless to say, the complex exceeded our expectations and during the half day tour we went by most of the major temples, houses, fountains, sundials, agricultural districts and terraces.  Returning to the entrance we left our guide as the rain lightened up and had a buffet lunch with hundreds of other people at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge restaurant.  By the time we had finished lunch the sun had come out and we headed back into the complex to begin our independent explorations, including a hike most of the way to the “Sun Gate”, finally running out of time before returning to our hotel and checking in.  We are staying for three nights at the Hatun Inti, a 14 room hotel along the Urubamba River.  Our room was on the river side and included a fireplace and a two person Jacuzzi tub, welcome after a hard day of walking.  To our surprise, dinner was included at the Toto House restaurant down the street where we dined on both trout and chicken, accompanied by a bottle of Peruvian red wine.

October 14

Wake-up was at 0430 for a 0500 quick breakfast buffet (included) and walking one block to join the line of visitors waiting for the bus.  There was light rain, but not enough for the ponchos.  The reason for the early departure (Machu Picchu opens at 0600 and the buses start running at 0520) is that Patrick also had a ticket for entry to Waynapicchu (Huaynupicchu) which is on the far side of the complex from the entrance.  Only 400 people per day are allowed in, in two batches, at 0700 and 1000.  The rain quit and the skies cleared about 0700.  This hike turned out to be both strenuous and scary in places, with cables mounted in the rocks to assist ascending the 1300 irregular steps to the top.  The views just get better as you climb 1000 feet above the main complex to a series of terraces, guard shacks and finally crawl through a tunnel on your hands and knees to the rocks at the top of the mountain.  The way down is via another route, no less scary, until you rejoin the main trail and two-way traffic.  It is clear why each person signs in, is given a number and must sign out when they leave.

Miriam explored other parts of the complex while Patrick climbed Waynapicchu and after meeting up, continued self-guided explorations together until our lunch reservation at the a la carte restaurant in the Sanctuary Lodge, where among other items we enjoyed trout civiche.

Following lunch we decided to head back to the hotel and joined a long line of other visitors with the same idea.  This time the line was about 30 minutes long.  Dinner was again in the Toto House restaurant, but we ate early and after a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi, called it an early night.

October 15

Another repeat day, with an early departure (0545) for Machu Picchu, again with light rain and clouds as, we headed back for the third day of explorations, heading for the Sun Gate side of the complex.  Patrick headed up the trail to the Sun Gate, where many Inca Trail hikers were descending into Machu Picchu.  The clouds and rain prevented viewing the complex most of the time, and with no sun, this trek turned out to be mostly exercise.  Returning to the “Guard House”, Patrick joined Miriam and together explored the west side of the complex, where the main gate is located.  Having exhausted most of the site we returned and found a pizza restaurant in Aguas Calientes before relaxing in the hotel and downloading pictures from the cameras onto the laptop.  Dinner will be in the same place, but three nights in a row will be more than enough.

 

Miscellaneous Machu Picchu Pictures

Rooflines

Misty morning from guard house

Through the guard house windows

More rooflines in the mist

Miriam above Condor Temple

Miriam with Waynapicchu in background

Stairs- there are many7

Miriam in the noble housing area

From the guard house

Mist over Machu Picchu from Sun Gate trail

Patrick at the Sun Gate in the rain

Machu Picchu in the mist

Ceremonial Stone

Main Gate

Machu Picchu Day 2

October 14

Today we caught a 0600 bus to Machu Picchu in order to make the 0700 entrance to Wyanapicchu (Huaynapicchu), which is an optional hike at extra cost.  Only 400 people a day are allowed up the peak, 200 at 0700 and 200 at 1000.  Patrick had the ticket and Miriam continued exploring the main site.

Lunch was in the Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel just outside the entrance to Machu Picchu.

We spend one more day in the ruins before taking the train back to Ollantaytambo and then a car to Cusco for two days.

Patrick near the summit of Wyanapicchu

Machu Picchu from the summit

Miriam in the main site

Another view from the summit of Wyanapicchu

The main plaza early in the morning

Interesting roofline in the residence areas

Machu Picchu

This one picture captured some of what we expected when we headed to Machu Picchu.  We have two more days here and expect to climb Wyanu Picchu and the Sun Gate over the next two days.  Bandwidth is limited, so we have only included one picture.



Machu Picchu in the afternoon

South American Adventure Post 1

Over the past several years we have visited the ruins of the Mayan culture in Guatemala, Honduras and the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as Mexico City.  The Mayan culture peaked about 600 AD and was already in decline when the Spanish explorers landed in the “New World”.    Most of the cities were abandoned by 900 AD.  They Mayans had developed an extensive written language, but since the Spanish destroyed most of the written works, today we can only guess why the Mayan cities were deserted.  Much has also been conjectured over the meaning of the end of the Mayan Calendar in December 2012, but we know the world did not end.  Exploring the cities and pyramids was fascinating and whetted our interest in exploring another lost civilization, that of the Inca.

Like the Maya, the Inca were conquered by the Spanish in the 1500’s, notably by Francisco Pizarro with only 160 men, who founded the city of Lima.  The Inca Empire was large geographically, but only lasted about 100 years, and much was destroyed by the Spanish.  However, unlike the Maya, the Incas did not have a written language as such, but used sets of knotted cords for recording information.  The Inca empire stretched nearly 2500 miles north to south and had a population of about 12 million people.  There was a well-developed set of roads, but no wheeled vehicles and extensive use of terraces for agriculture high in the Andean Mountains.  The Inca or “Quechua” people called themselves “children of the sun” and until they were conquered in 1531 used Cuzco as their capital city.

One city that the Spanish did not destroy remained hidden deep in the Andes, at an elevation of 8,000 feet.  The modern world learned of “The lost city of the Incas”, or Machu Picchu from the American archeologist, Hiram Bingham in the early 1900’s and it is now a popular destination for tourists to Peru.  Bingham also uncovered other ruins in the Urubamba Valley, which we will also get to see and from which much has been learned about the Inca civilization.  Many people ride the “Hiram Bingham” train from Cuzco to Agua Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu.  We will ride the Vistadome train from Ollantaytambo to Agua Calientes.

Following our explorations in the Andes of Peru, we fly to Quito in Ecuador for several days and then fly to the Galapagos Islands for an eight day cruise of the “Southern” circuit, viewing the unique flora and fauna which formed much of Charles Darwin’s theories on the evolution of species.  We land on Isla San Cristobal and then visit Isla Espanola, Isla Santa Maria, Isabela (the largest island) and Isla Santa Cruz before returning to the starting point.  Many of the species we will see have been isolated from the rest of the world and have developed in unique ways and still have little fear of mankind.

We return to Bellevue following the cruise.

October 10, 2013

This morning we departed on an early (0630) Delta Airlines flight for Lima, Peru, via Atlanta. Our NEXUS passes allowed us to use the TSA Pre-check line, bypassing a large line for security.  This expedited security process allows us to keep on our shoes, belts, jackets, etc, but we still have to remove the metal objects such as cell phones and watches.  Laptops and liquids can remain in the carry-on bags.  There is the occasional random search, and TSA checked Miriam’s hands for explosive residue.  We were still inside the terminal in less than 20 minutes from arriving at the airport, checking in our bags and getting boarding passes.  Our flight left from the South Satellite and we were able to use the Delta Lounge while we waited for the flight to board.  The flight left on time, but headwinds meant a late arrival into Atlanta for our connecting flight to Lima. However, we still had plenty of time for the connection and are now sitting in the Delta lounge on E Concourse. 

The flight takes about 6 hours and we land in Lima after 10 PM.  Since we leave early the next morning for Cuzco, we are staying at the airport Ramada Inn, across the street from the terminal.  By the time we clear customs and immigration we will only have about four hours before we leave the hotel for the flight to Cuzco, about one hour away, but at an elevation of 11,250 feet.  Lima is situated at sea level and stretches up into the hills to about 1600 feet, so if we have any tendency to altitude sickness we will know right away.