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My Dream Trip to Machu Picchu

Zed and I at the Sun Gate
Zed and I at the Sun Gate
My Dream Trip to Machu Picchu: After months of planning and years of dreaming, my grandson, Zed, and I left the Austin airport around noon on Monday, July 12th, for Peru. It was a wonderful trip with no disappointments. Now, where am I going next?
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Photo Album

Arriving

Jul 12, 2010
Zed at Moray
Zed at Moray (Sandra Woerner)
After months of planning and years of dreaming, my grandson, Zed, and I left the Austin airport around noon on Monday, July 12th. The flight to Houston was short and we had a couple hours layover before boarding for Lima. The flight to Lima was uneventful except that the sound for my entertainment system did not work . We arrived in Lima about 10:20 PM. After going through customs, we walked across the street to our hotel, the Ramada Inn, which was very nice. We were ready for some sleep as we were tired and excited about the next day.

Walking tour of Cusco

Jul 13, 2010
Moray
Moray (Sandra Woerner)
Our flight to Cusco was at 9:30 AM so we awoke early and ate a good breakfast and walked back across the street to go through security and board our Lan flight to Cusco. We were met by a representative of Adventure Life who took us to our guide, Herbe. He was to be with us for a couple of days. After we checked into our hotel, Hotel San Augustin, we drank a cup of coca tea, which I found to be very tasteful. After eating lunch, we were picked up by Herbe and we walked to another hotel where a couple and their two teen-aged daughters were staying. They were to be with us for the next four days. We took a walking tour and saw the Santa Domingo church and courtyard and a museum in Cusco. We were surprised to see real mummies in the museum. We were told that the ancients believed in keeping their relatives with them in their house. They believed in reincarnation and needed that body to re-enter the world. We had a good meal that evening and both tried a Chicha Morada(a drink made from purple corn), which was good, but a little sweet and not very cold.

Tour of the Sacred Valley

Jul 14, 2010
Salt Flats
Salt Flats (Sandra Woerner)
When Herbe came to pick us up there was a parade of protesters(workers) marching in the streets. We had to wait a few minutes before our driver could get the van through the streets. We were going to the Sacred Valley that day. Because we would be going on the train the next day to Aguas Calientes, we left our luggage at the hotel and only took a small bag and our backpacks. We stopped at Chinchero, an Incan city and walked through the old church and around the grounds. There were lots of potatoes drying in the sun. We stopped at Moray where there were round terraces. There is a sunken amphitheater made up of four circular terraces. Apparently, it was originally designed for experimenting with crops at different altitudes and enabled the Incas to grow more that 250 plant species. These were the only round terraces in Peru, we were told. The altitude was getting to me here. Zed walked down into the bottom and he said it was difficult walking to come back up. We stopped at a place where we were shown how wool was spun, dyed and woven. Another stop that day was at Salinas, the hot salt springs. This was very interesting. The hot salt water flowed out of the mountain and was caught in small traps. When the water evaporated, the salt was shoveled into containers for use. Our final stop for the night was at Ollantaytambo. We checked into our hotel, the El Sauce, which resembled a Swiss chalet. We climbed over 250 steps to the top of the ancient ruins of that Incan city. It was a tremendous view. The view and history of this place was awesome. I ate a delicious pizza that night and sampled the Peruvian popular beer, blanca Cusquena. Herbe was to leave us that night and, Santiago, our new guide for the next three days met us at the hotel and ate with us. He was very animated and interesting. I had very vivid dreams, both at Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes. We went to bed early as we were tired and we were to take the train in the morning to Aguas Calientes. We bought a walking cane for my oldest son. This is a tradition for me to bring him back a cane from my travels.

Train to Machu Picchu

Jul 15, 2010
Herbe and Zed at Salinas
Herbe and Zed at Salinas (Sandra Woerner)
After breakfast, we walked to the train station and boarded for the two hour journey to Aguas Calientes. The Urubamba River ran alongside the railroad tracks and the mountains were on either side of us. It was beautiful scenery the entire trip. We checked into our hotel, El Mapi, which was very nice and then walked across the street to have lunch. I ordered a chicken sandwich and everyone had an animal figure carved from a potato on their plate. A group sang and played traditional Andean music. We walked across town with the other family and Santiago to their hotel, the Inkaterra, which was built on a former tea and coffee plantation covering 44 acres. After they checked in, a lady took us on a nature walk where we saw scores of hummingbirds (different varieties) and orchids. Some of the hummingbirds were smaller than my pinkie finger. We watched as they came to the feeder with their delicate wings moving faster than I could see in their plumage of greens and blues and reds and yellows. The way they can hover in the air defies description. Also, I was surprised to see orchids smaller than my fingernail. We also learned how tea was grown, picked and processed. Zed and I headed back to our hotel after the nature walk and bought a few souvenirs along the way. I bought my first Andean cross. We saw a group of male musicians dressed in costume practicing music. We later found out that this town, as well as others in Peru, were celebrating a patron saint. There was a parade on our street and much eating and drinking and merrymaking long into the night. In fact, those people love firecrackers. We decided to wait and go to Machu Picchu early the next morning as it was already about two in the afternoon before we finished lunch and we did not want to be rushed or get into huge crowds.

Machu Picchu and the Sun Gate

Jul 16, 2010
face on the mountain at Ollantaytambo
face on the mountain at Ollantaytambo (Sandra Woerner)
I awoke to the sound of rain at two in the morning. It sounded wonderful against the greenery outside our room, but I was afraid it would ruin our morning on Machu Picchu. I did not sleep much that night. It was still raining at 4:30 and I was starting to bemoan the fact that I had waited about ten years to get here and was not going to be able to see or enjoy the ruins of Machu Picchu. Zed and I got up at 4:30 and ate breakfast as Santiago was going to pick us up at the hotel at six and we would walk to the bus station where we would make the 30 minute trip up the mountain. I had left my poncho back in Cusco and debating whether to go buy one when Santaigo showed up promptly at six and when we walked out of our hotel, the rain miraculously stopped. I had been praying to the rain gods and anyone else who would listen to please not let my morning at Machu Picchu be ruined by the weather. By the way, it was never very cold, only early in the mornings. The weather was beautiful while we were there. We met about 17 buses coming down from the mountain as we rode up. There were many switchbacks in the road. Seeing the mountains through the mist made for some spectacular scenery. We were there for the sunrise, but due to the mist did not get a very good picture. Then, miraculously, the clouds slowly parted and the image of the ancient Incan ruins came into sight. It was like watching a slow motion movie. The backdrop of the mountains, the terraces, the llamas grazing below made me feel as though I was the first outsider to see this amazing and wonderful sight. My first glimpse of the ruins of Machu Picchu will be forever etched into my memory. Santiago maneuvered us around the many people and we never felt crowded. We were very impressed with the engineering and architectural skills of the Incas. They worshiped Mother Earth, the sun and water. I was determined to hike to the Sun Gate, so Zed, Santiago and myself started up the trail. The other family went back to Aguas Calientes to meet us later for the train. I had to stop and rest a couple of times, but reached the top in good time. I was disappointed when we first got to the top as the ruins were hidden by clouds. After a few minutes, the clouds dissipated and we had a wonderful view of the ruins, the road up to the mountain and the river. The mist made for some fantastic pictures. I felt like everything was working to make this trip perfect for me. The hotel on Machu Picchu was once a museum. We boarded the bus at noon and once we reached Aguas Calientes, we boarded the train and were met by our driver and van at Ollantaytambo for the hour and a half ride back to Cusco. I was delightfully tired and ready to shower. However, when we went to retrieve our bags at our Cusco hotel, we were told we did not have a reservation. After about 30 minutes of talking, Santiago had taken care of matters for us and we walked a few blocks to their sister hotel for the night.

Cusco Market and Pisac Ruins

Jul 17, 2010
Fountain for ritual bathing
Fountain for ritual bathing (Sandra Woerner)
We had all decided the previous day to hire a driver to take us to Pisac and surrounding areas. Zed and I met Santiago in the plaza by the church . A couple of the members of the other family were not feeling well so it was just Zed, Santiago and myself off for the day. We walked to the market (food etc.) in Cusco where the sights dazzled my eyes and the smells permeated the air. It was very busy with people shopping and eating. Several ladies were cooking or boiling food to be eaten. I wasn't sure of what it was, but I was sure I did not want to taste any of it. The market was under a roof and there were hundreds of stands or booths. Some sold vegetables and some fruit. We saw bread, round and the size of a platter, being sold. There were many items I did not recognize. We stopped at one stand and Santiago showed us the worms they sold. There was a food item similar to peyote, which we were told was illegal, but it was out in the open. The meat section made our eyes bug out and our jaws drop. There were long calves' tongues, brains, whole faces of calves, calf feet, livers, hearts and the stomach lining of animals. There was jerky made from whole animals and simply salted very heavily. There were clothes and shoes and many handicrafts, also some jewelry. We left the market and walked back toward the center of town to meet our driver. While we waited, we ducked into a small coffee and pastry shop where Santiago ate a sandwich as he did not have breakfast, Zed ate some brownies and I order a cinnamon caffe latte. While standing on the curb waiting for our driver, we saw a new car with a wreath on it and Santiago told us that people would baptize a new car by washing it in the river and then putting a wreath on it. We climbed into the van and headed toward Pisac where we hiked for two hours. The ruins there were very interesting. On one of the last steps going down, I came down hard on my left knee which had been scoped the previous year and it hurt some after that. I was very pleased and proud that I hiked at Machu Picchu the day before and did this hike the next day. As we descended into the town of Pisac, we could see the plaza full of revelers. We passed through an open bazaar with acres of jewelry, souvenirs and handicrafts. My legs were getting very weak from all the hiking I had done and I thought my knees would give way and I would fall flat on the street. We sat for about five minutes and then Zed and I did a little shopping for folks back home. We were entertained by dancers and musicians in the plaza. Their costumes were a palette of vivid colors moving in the sunlight. We were told that the people love to celebrate and this went on for a couple of days and nights. This was still part of the celebration of a patron saint that we first observed in the streets of Aguas Calientes. On our way back to Cusco, we stopped at a small llama farm. They had llamas with wool reaching to the ground, alpacas, a few vicunas and guanacos. We found out there is a small patch of wool on the breast of the vicuna which is shorn once a year to be spun and dyed and woven into a sweater or hat etc. This makes any article made from vicuna very expensive. Zed fed the llamas as they were very friendly. There were three women sitting on the ground, legs extended in front and no back support, weaving. They sit there for long hours doing that and we observed there were often very young children close by, entertaining themselves all day long. Our last stop for the day was the sacred ruins of Sacsayhuaman (pronounced like sexy woman). This is the biggest sun temple of the Incas. It got a little cooler while we were there and sprinkled a little. As we climbed to the top, it started sleeting! It only lasted about five minutes and we continued our tour. Huge rocks and walls enclosed a huge grassy arena. We learned that people from Cusco and surrounding areas used to play soccer on the space, but could no longer do so as it is a sacred place. There were tall smooth rocks that looked like a slide and people were sliding down them. Santiago urged Zed to try it. He ran up the rock and then slid down. It was fairly steep and made for a hard landing. There is a large white statue of Jesus (Cristo Blanco) overlooking Cusco. We were told that at one time there was a large population of Jews living in Cusco and they gave this gift to the city as a token of their appreciation of being treated well. We arrived at our hotel about 4 and we freshened up and waited in the lobby for the guides who were to take us river rafting the next day. Due to a mix up in communication, they did not show. Zed and I walked a few blocks to watch a local dance show featuring folk dances and music. We stayed a short while and Santiago met us outside where he got us a cab to head to the Collindas restaurant to eat. The other family was leaving Cusco the next day and we were rafting. We told Santiago our rafting guides did not come so he left to get our wet suits for the next day. We bade him farewell and had our last meal with our travel companions. Zed ate octopus for the first time and decreed that it was tasty.

Rafting on the Vilacanota River

Jul 18, 2010
Streets of Ollantaytambo
Streets of Ollantaytambo (Sandra Woerner)
Our two river guides, Gilber and Eduardo, along with our driver, Jose picked us up about 9 AM at our hotel and drove us for two hours to our starting place on the river. We stopped at a small store in a village where our guides bought snacks and the lady owner unlocked a rest room for us. (In Cusco, everyone is asked to put toilet paper in the trash can and not in the toilet as the plumbing system is not very good). Zed helped the guides manually pump up the raft and pontoon as their battery powered pump was out. While they did that, I shut myself in the back seat of the van and changed into my swimsuit and wetsuit. I had never worn a wetsuit before and it was a little difficult to pull it on in that small space. Finally, after much tugging, I was presentable and stepped outside the van to do some adjusting. We proceeded to get our helmet and vest on and started our trip on the Vilacanota River. Eduardo was in the raft with us and Gilber was our safety guide in his pontoon. The rafting was mostly Class II—a few Class III rapids. It was way too tame for Zed and I could have handled a littler rougher waters, but I think they were concerned about grandma. After rafting a distance, we had to get out for safety reasons (apparently, there is one really rough rapid) and we walked over slippery rocks to meet up with our guide and raft. It was quite fun. As we got to the end of our trip, we climbed out of the raft and Jose had driven ahead and was heating our meal. While the guys set up the canopy, I peeled off my wetsuit which was much harder than getting it on in the first place. We sat down under a canopy to eat. One other rafting group was there also. Actually, it was a good meal, although not very hot. We had chicken stuffed with cheese from Cusco and bell pepper and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we ate canned peaches and drank sodas. After eating, we all helped clean up and the guys packed everything and Gilber placed it to perfection on the rooftop of the van. When we got back to the hotel (making the same stop on the way back for the rest room), Zed and I cleaned up and walked to the plaza to eat. We were tired and went back to the hotel and watched TV and I repacked my suitcase for the trip home as we were to leave Cusco the next day. Zed waited until morning to repack, but he did not have as much to shuffle around as did I.

Leaving Cusco

Jul 19, 2010
Creek through Ollantaytambo
Creek through Ollantaytambo (Sandra Woerner)
I slept a little better that night and I got up around 7 am, dressed and went to drink some coca tea and check my email. We were not leaving until noon so I let Zed sleep a little later than usual. He finally came to breakfast . The fruit looked so good, but I did not want to take a chance on getting TD. We still needed a few gifts to take back home as we had not done much shopping. The receptionist at the hotel told us there was a huge covered market about 15 minutes walk away. We exchanged some money for soles and found the market by the railroad tracks. We found a silver Andean cross right away for Zed and within an hour, we had bought everything we needed or so we thought. I wish I had bought a couple more silver Andean crosses. We had checked out of the hotel before we walked to the market and stored our bags at the hotel. On the way back to the hotel, we exchanged a little more money so we could eat at the airport. We waited at the hotel until we were picked up about 12:10. A lady named Marcia came with a driver and van to take us to the Cusco airport. It was time to begin our long journey back to Texas. We had an eight hour layover in Lima. Marcia stayed with us until we went through security. All the while Zed was carrying the walking cane. Our flight left Cusco about 2:35 (about 30 minutes late). On the hour and half flight, we were served a snack and drink. When we landed at Lima, we retrieved our luggage and went to find something to eat. The airport was very crowded. There was one family taking pictures of their children in their graduation caps and gowns. I found that a bit odd. We took turns walking around while the other stayed with our luggage. There was not much to see. Zed had this Texas Football magazine with him so he talked to me about football and some of the players. At eight o'clock, we walked to the Continental desk and checked in. We had to pay eight dollars to have the cane wrapped in plastic. That cost almost as much as the cane. I wanted to check my small carry on (I also had a backpack), and was told it would cost an additional thirty-six dollars. I declined. We were both getting tired. As we boarded the flight for Houston, we went through handchecked security and they took out my three dollar bottle of water that I had bought after I went through the first security check. I could not figure that out. Our flight left about 12:35 AM.

Home to Texas

Jul 20, 2010
Machu Picchu!
Machu Picchu! (Sandra Woerner)
Our evening meal on the flight was not too bad. I don't think Zed ate. This time the sound system on my seat worked and I watched a couple of movies. We landed in Houston about 6:30 AM. We had a three hour layover here so Zed had a meal from Subway and I ate a croissant and drank a latte in the airport. We had to take the train to our terminal and then we had a long walk to our destination gate. Our flight left at 9:25 and we arrived in Austin at 10:15. We got our luggage (my suitcase was annihilated and I had to throw it away) and my youngest son, Cody, who took us to the airport nine days earlier met us. We stopped at Red Robin on the way home and we ate wonderful fried onion rings and big Texas burgers. It was a wonderful trip with no disappointments. Now, where am I going next?

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