It didn’t take me long
to decide whether or not to join a group of four travellers and go to Machu
Pichu in the Andes Mountains. About 2 minutes.
It was an
independent-of-the-ship excursion that was put together by one of our group’s
travel agent in Atlanta. The ship sanctioned excursion would have cost $6999
... I spent considerably less. But, whatever the cost, it was definitely worth
it.
It was too bad that
Steve could not contemplate making this trip, but we had to fly into Cusco
which has an elevation of almost 12,000 feet, which would have made breathing
impossible for him. As it was, altitude sickness was a very real possibility
for all of us. Three members of the group had been taking medication prescribed
by their doctor in anticipation of being that high. I picked up some pills at
the airport, but it turned out I didn’t need them.
The symptoms of
altitude sickness are headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomach pains, and vertigo.
As soon as our plane landed in Cusco, we were told by our tour guide to move
very slowly and to drink lots of coka tea, a tea brewed from the leaves of the
coka plant. We were also told to drink lots of water, not to drink alcohol, and
to eat lightly. At that altitude, our digestive systems slow right down and if
we overload, it can cause big problems.
Our hotel in Cusco was
a beautiful old monastery that is now part of the Orient Express group of
hotels. It was very luxurious and even included its own chapel with tons of
gold leaf on every conceivable surface and many beautiful paintings.
On Friday afternoon we
toured the area and saw why the Inca civilization continues to be so highly
regarded (if you can get over the human sacrifice part). The architecture and
engineering is truly impressive. After hundreds of years, their structures and
their designs would fit into today’s world with little adaptation required.
Friday night was
dinner (light) at a beautiful restaurant that was part of the Art Museum. I
found out that Peru is becoming a gastronomic destination by people from all
over the world. It is the home of the potato, with more than 4000 varieties
grown here. (I thought there were only about 6 varieties!)
Saturday morning we
had to be at the train station at 6:00 am. It was a 3 ½ hour trip down the
Andes mountains. We followed a rushing river that was wilder than anything I
have ever seen. This is the rainy season which accounted for its turbulence,
which is much too gentle a word for what we saw.
At the end of the
line, we boarded a bus that took a very narrow and very steep road up to the
mountain valley where Machu Pichu is located. Only local buses are allowed on
this road....which is a good thing because there is no room for more than one
vehicle at a time. I didn’t count the number of switchbacks we made on the bus,
but it must have been at least 7 or 8.
Four hours after
leaving the train station in Cusco, we arrived at mystical, magical, mysterious Machu
Pichu. This is an Inca city that was ‘discovered’ by Hyram Bingham in the early
1900s. He stumbled upon it while researching other archeological sites. He sent
pictures of the site to National Geographic and it was quickly heralded as one
of the wonders of the world. And it is. It is perched high on a mountain,
ringed by other mountains, and consists of buildings and farming terraces that
truly boggle the mind. The scope and scale is tremendous.
We had perfect
weather. It was cool and misty in the morning, with the sun coming out as we
were ready to head back to the train. However, it had been raining elsewhere,
which we were soon to find out.
The train ride was
pretty interesting. In addition to seeing all the scenery again, we were
treated to an impressive show of dancing by a costumed Inca medicine man and a
pretty good fashion show of Peruvian baby alpaca sweaters and wraps. All was
going well until the train came to a shuddering stop. All the rain had caused a
landslide over the tracks and we were stuck. Luckily, we were only delayed by
about an hour. The train in front of us, however, was stuck for about 3 hours
until they cleared the track. But, we finally made it back to Cusco and to the
very welcome bed.
The next day, we left
for the airport and once there, found out our flight was cancelled. There was a
couple of moments of panic as the ship was leaving that night. But, in true
traveller ‘roll with the punches’ attitude, we were all set to take what comes.
What actually resulted was we were put on a plane that arrived to Lima a full
hour than we were supposed to arrive. Hurray!
I didn’t get a chance
to see much of Lima, only what I could see on the drive from the airport to the
port. It was a poorer part of town, but seemed to have a good number of corner
parks and playgrounds. Many people put portable swimming pools out on the
street for their children to play in.
Steve, meanwhile,
spent a couple of days in Lima sightseeing with people from the ship. He
visited a number of museums (including the museum of erotica!!!) and of course,
the obligatory churches and cathedrals. He kept up his walking routine, putting
in 6 miles today. One of the first things he told me when I arrived back was he
has lost 1 pound since he arrived on ship. Way to go Steve!
We have now concluded
the first leg of this four leg journey. Many people have left the ship, and we
are seeing many new ones that have come onboard. One couple are people we met a
year ago onboard a Crystal cruise. They are from New Brunswick as well, and are
fun people to hang out with.
Tomorrow we dock in Pisco, Peru, home of the famous Pisco Sour, a drink that they claim will knock out even the heaviest of drinkers. I think I may have to try one.
THE 'MODEST' LITTLE CHAPEL AT THE HOTEL MONESTARIO IN CUSCO
AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool, Mom. I'm glad you were able to go! Too bad Dad couldn't go too, but sounds like he had a nice time in Lima. (And way to go on the weight loss, Dad!) Hope you have enjoyed Pisco ... and the Pisco Sours!
ReplyDelete