Lima Day 1

We finally got some rest last night.  So much in fact that it was 9 hours worth.  Once we woke in Miraflores House we just chilled out in the room and I worked on the blog.  

Then it was lunch time, so we headed out to a restaurant called Punta Sal.  Punta Sal is a seafood place that specializes in ceviche.  We spent quite a while there watching people paraglide and stroll through the neighboring park.  

After lunch, we walked to the edge of the cliff and could see surfers down in the water.  This park is a happening place with families and tourists all around.  We ended up walking another long distance close to 10k and rounded back to the hostel.  The night ended with a sandwich from the place next door to the hostel.  Tomorrow will be another day of exploring.

The parking attendant was a sight to see, mustache and hat for style. 

Ahhh. The ceviche is delivered.

Paragliders along the coast.

Coming in for a landing.

Thomas in the cat park (Parque Kennedy.)

Cusco to Lima

We had to leave the hostel early in the morning to catch our flight to Cusco.  We woke up at 5:15am and finished cramming our belongings into our overfilled bags.  The front desk guy called a taxi for us and we headed to the airport.  The Cusco airpot is small with only a few gates.  We decided a 1.5 hour flight was a better idea than the 24 hour bus ride across the mountains.  At this point in the trip, that sounds like a bad idea.   

That's our ride to Lima!

Katherine ready to go.

We arrived in Lima and got a taxi from the Taxi Green airport taxi service.  Lima has some shady taxi drivers and some cons you have to watch out for.  Our hostel owner sent a long e-mail warning us about several of the cons that taxi drivers may pull.  Luckily our taxi took us directly to our hostel and did not try to convince us that it had burned down!  The ride took us out to Miraflores along the beach, with nice views of the Pacific Ocean.  Even with the fog, Lima was looking really nice it is definitely much easier to breathe. 

Once we got to our hostel, we were greeted with a smile by Francis.  Francis is the hostel owner that we had heard so many good things about on Trip Advisor and Hostelworld.  He gave us a super detailed map and wrote about everything you can possibly imagine in 4 different highlighters.  We headed out for food and a little walking which turned out to be another adventure of it's own.

Francis showed us his 1981 BMW with a lot of custom work.

He fired it up and showed us his conversion from fuel injection to a Toyota carburetor.   I thought he converted it to make it more awesome, but he said that injectors cost so much, it was just cheaper to switch it over.  

Katherine at our lunch location called Cafe Cafe.  We sat on swing chair in front of a giant fake tree. 

Ceviche is what you get when you are in Lima.  Once again, nom nom nom!

Then my quest for the charango began again.  We were told from a guy in the laundry place in Cusco to look for the street called "2 de Mayo."  This is where he said good charangos could be found.  Our walk today just happened to cross this street and we found a little music store.  There were about 8 charangos on the wall and a very special one up and away from the others.  It cost four times as much, but was good quality and was very straight.  

The charango is a Bolivian / Peruvian 10 stringed instrument that was originally made from an armadillo shell.  They are now made from wood and played in the local folk music.  The one I chose has a green back and a really interesting fretboard.  The ladies in the store were ecstatic that I bought it as it probably was some good income for them.  We mentioned that we were music teachers and I will send pictures of me playing with the students at school.  We also got some Peruvian flutes and other instruments as well.  It is difficult to control yourself as a music teacher traveling abroad. 

Here we are at the churro cafe of all churro cafes, called Manolo.

Our hostel is right behind Thomas' head.

We have a 3 bed room all to ourselves.  

For dinner we ate more roasted chicken while we watched Peru play Chile in the Copa Cup semi-finals.  The entire restaurant, including the employees, were watching closely.  When Peru scored we all cheered loudly.  Unfortunately, Peru lost the match in the end, but it was still a fun time.

Tomorrow, we plan to walk around Miraflores some more and maybe get down to the beach for seafood and check out the paragliders.  The ocean is close and providing some much needed humidity.  This area is quite nice!

Cusco Rest Day

Today was a rest day after the four days of trekking.  Charles left at 5 AM to catch a flight back to Michigan, while the rest of us slept in a bit.  We got our laundry done and chilled in the city of Cusco once again.  It was a totally different feeling with the celebration being over, and it was Sunday.  Not many of the shops were open and the city streets were pretty calm.   I tried to get caught up with the blog at the hostel, but only got a few entries completed.  It was a game to pack our gear as we fly out tomorrow to Lima.  We have accumulated many gifts and they will not fit easily into our regular bags.  

Here we are at the Bagdad Cafe.  Our friends Tony and Mary Kay were in Cusco a few years ago and recommended this place.   Nom Nom Nom!!!

The laundry lady has these puppies running about while you wait to get your laundry done.  It's all fun and games until you realize one of them left a present on your duffel bag. 

The hostel courtyard.  This place is really nice and has many amenities for travelers. 

The front door reception area. 

Tomorrow morning we say goodbye to Cusco and fly to Lima on Avianca Airlines.  We are leaving 11,500 feet of elevation for 200 feet above sea level.  We will probably choke on the thick air along the Pacific Ocean.

Inca Trail Day 4

We had yet another early wake up today.  3:15 AM to be exact.  Camp was torn down in record time since the porters needed to hike down a trail to the village Aguas Calientes, and we needed to get to the gate and hike another trail to Machu Picchu.  We washed up, packed up, and said our goodbyes to the excellent porter crew.  All around us you could hear the other camps breaking down as well.  

In the night, a rainstorm came briefly through our area.  Luckily, it stopped, but I was laying there thinking about how I would pack my gear differently in the morning if it kept raining.  When we got up, it was damp, but did not cause a problem.  

Tearing down camp with flashlights.

It was a short walk tot the gate.  This is where Elias had to check in our party and then we could proceed, but not until after a 45 minute wait.  

Then the hike to the Sun Gate began.  All hikers were in full fury.  All had spent 3 days in the backcountry and were tired and excited at the same time.  We ran into a few hikers that were grumpy and had exhausted their patience and forgotten their manners.  Oh joy!  Our group kept a good pace and was in great spirits. 

Ahhh!  The Sun Gate.  This was our first glimpse of Machu Picchu.  The site was shrouded in clouds.  The sun was not yet illuminating the ruins allowing the clouds to take prominence.  

Today is Barry's birthday.  Jen and Barry planned their trip to reach Machu Picchu on this special day, so as we arrived at the Sun Gate we burst into "Happy Birthday."  Others groups joined in on the song too.  What a great way to spend a birthday!

You can see the road to Aguas Calientes with all the switchbacks and Machu Picchu through the clouds.  As we waited, the ruins slowly began to reveal themselves.  As the sun rose the skies would soon be clear.

Machu Picchu

We stayed at the Sun Gate for a while for pictures and to rest, but then proceeded down the trail to the site. 

The sun came bursting through the clouds to provide perfect lighting as we entered the complex. 

Hola friend!

Katherine enjoying the views.

We had to patiently wait for this picture, as the bus crowds of people started showing up on the site.  It was strange to see clean people with the smell of perfume and makeup.

Charles

Looking directly east towards the sun, obviously.  

A picture of me.  

Elias led the group along the site giving a wonderful presentation for 3 hours.

Our group listening to Elias. 

This is a recreation of how the roofs were attached to the stone walls.  Pretty cool!

I found the cement-less stonework the most impressive.  The time it took to make this is daunting. 

The coca tree.  They were not everywhere, but just in this garden for exhibition purposes. 

More awesome stonework!

Our group taking a humorous rest from the sun.  

Dorothy, Elias, Jen, and Thomas.

Hey guys!

I swear this is a face of a human and a llama, but it's not official. 

This is a food storage area called a colca. 

After our tour, the group rode the bus down to Aguas Calientes and ate a tasty buffet lunch.  Jen, Barry, Dorothy, and Jack are all staying overnight in the village, so after eating we said our goodbyes and our group headed to the train station.

Here we are in the train station heading back to Cusco.  Little did we know, but our train was a super swank tourist car with ceiling windows, comfy seats, and drink and snack service.

We rode the train to the Ollantaytambo train station.  This is where we got into our minibus to head to Cusco where hot showers awaited us!

What a great time!  We learned a LOT about Machu Picchu, but to tell you all about it would require a few more blog posts.  Tomorrow will be a rest day in Cusco, which is much needed and Charles will be leaving to go back to Michigan.