Peru

Last night our flight left Atlanta around midnight. We arrived in Lima at around 5:30 am, before the Sun was up. Upon arriving at our airbnb we took a short nap before starting our trip. Our airbnb has a cute courtyard with a few apartments surrounding it. It is located directly across the street from the Congress building. Our day was off to a rocky start when the ATM we went to was closed and we were unable to find a bus station that sold a bus pass. With a little extra walking and an Uber we made it to our first stop, the Bridge of Sighs in Barranco. The bridge and park were filled with colorful plants and art that led to a beach filled with swimmers and surfers. This is where we were able to witness the towering and rocky cliffs that the city sits on. We walked along the tops of the cliffs which are filled with many lively green spaces that compose the Miraflores Boardwalk. We feasted on a yummy lunch on the cliffs before heading to Parque del Amore (love park) which has a huge statue of two lovers embracing each other. We then got a ride to another part of town with several markets along the same street, we purchased some souvenirs and felt the incredibly soft alpaca clothing and blankets. We headed back to our room a little early and in searching for food and snacks discovered a small China town only a few blocks from us. Walking around the bustling area we got Picarones, a delicious fried doughnut-like desert. Off to bed early tonight.

Today we stayed around our airbnb. to see the historic part of Lima. We saw many churches, each with a very detailed and ornate facade depicting saints and other religious figures, the largest, was a Franciscan monastery, the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, built in the late 1500s and early 1600s. The inside was filled with colorful tilework, detailed paintings, and intricate wood carved ceilings. We toured the buildings which eventually led us to the catacombs below, for 200 years thousands were buried here to be close to God. We were able to see hundreds of bones and skulls in pits that were often very deep. After the churches we walked around local shopping centers. Our day ends at the airport for a short flight to Cusco.

Our day didn't start as planned when we slept in and missed the 6:30am Easter mass at the Cathedral. We still had plenty of time to get ready and meet our tour guide. guide outside of the cathedral. Our first stop on the Sacred Valley Tour took us high into the foggy mountains to the Incan ruins in Chinchero. The ruins were filled with lush green terraces once used for farming and fog-covered mountain views with ancient terraces stretching into the distance. Just down the road we stopped to see traditional Incan textile methods for dying and weaving. Going further into the Andes, the winding and bumpy road took us into the sunny Sacred Valley. In Yucay, a town in the valley, we visited a museum where we learned about traditional life in the Andes, this included drinks, games, construction,clothing, and jewelry. Our next stop was the unfinished Incan temple Ollantaytambo, The temple provided our best views yet due to the size of it as well as the towering mountains immediately around it. Overall, the temple complex's scale and craftsmanship was impressive. From the top, after about 200 stairs, we could see the mountain which Machu Picchu sits on in the distance. Tired and hungry, our group headed to lunch at a nearby restaurant. After a filling lunch we started the 2-hour drive back to Cusco, we went a different way than we arrived and it provided beautiful views the entire ride. Back in Cusco we had a delicious wood-fired pizza for dinner, got some more snacks and called it a night.

It would not be a classic Ellie & Michael vacation without at least one major hiccup. We started the day with a walk to get a collectivo (shared taxi van) to Pisac. That plan changed due to a strike/protest about the rising cost of living. It was a bit more expensive but we managed to get a regular taxi instead. Plans changed again about halfway to Pisac when we reached a barricade of boulders and trees as part of the protest. After some discussion we walked past the barricade hoping to find another taxi to take us the remaining 8.5 miles. The walk was beautiful, but hopes of another taxi began to fade when we passed barricade after barricade with no cars in sight. We thought about turning back, but the road to Pisac is all downhill, so we decided to continue. About 5 miles after the first barricade we were able to hitch a ride in the back of a Police truck. Once in Pisac we got another taxi to the ruins. We were greeted with the amazing sight of only about 5 other people in the large ruins, we had it all to ourselves. The ruins were high atop a mountain with countless retaining walls and terraces covering the sides of the mountains. We explored the narrow and steep stairs of the complex and were impressed by how fit the Incas must have been. From there we headed back into town for lunch which was just okay since we stopped at the first place we found. We were hoping to shop around at the local market but it was closed for the strike/protest like many of the shops in Pisac. We did find one shop and purchased an Alpaca blanket. We tried to get a local taxi back to Cusco but they said the road was still blocked. At a local Ice cream shop we took a rest and came up with a plan that didn't involve staying in Pisac. Thankfully, we had the number of our taxi driver from the morning, and contacted him to come pick us up no matter the length of detour needed or the cost. It turned out the road from Cusco was starting to open back, so he was able to pick us up. On the way most of the barricades were cleared enough for a single car to squeeze through. About halfway, one of the larger barricades had been rebuilt since he passed through to get us. About 30 minutes later they started letting cars through. Back in Cusco we had the worst burgers possible but are glad to be back.

Unfortunately late last night we got. an email cancelling our ATV tour today we were able to reschedule it for another day we are in Cusco, since it was a day tour. After rearranging our schedule, Ellie had some delicious Peruvian coffee, and we headed to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. It was a grueling uphill walk to the ruins, which are at 12,000 ft and overlook the city of Cusco. The massive stones used for the complex (used for Incan ceremonies) were all precisely carved, and dwarfed the stones used on the pyramids. We enjoyed exploring the massive ruins complex with beautiful views, and there were even alpacas grazing in the grass. The nearby ruins of Q'engo were much smaller but showed the true stone carving capabilities as there were massive seats carved in bedrock. We were able to get a ride back to the main city square just in-time for protestors to arrive with horns, drums, and banners. At the local Chocolate Museum we learned that 95% of cocoa from Peru is shipped to Switzerland and other European countries. Also interesting, 7 of the 10 types of cocoa trees are native to Peru, and they are pollinated by mosquitos! After a quick break, we went to the Church of Santo Domingo, which was built on the ruins of Qorikancha. We had another relaxing break in our room before getting tacos for dinner and one more stop at the markets for our last change at souvenirs. We ended the day meeting our Machu Picchu guides and packing our bags for our 4 day journey. on the Inca Trail!

Today we were picked up at 4:30 am and taken to a nice buffet breakfast. Once we finished we headed to the start of the Inca Trail, we were surprised when the first day on the trail was more difficult than expected. The trail took us up and down tall hills, winding through. stunning valleys surrounded by towering Mountains. We passed through a couple of small villages and several Incan ruins along the way hiking and after about 8 hours and 12km, Ellie's feet were hurting and full of blisters but we will press on for the hardest part of the trail tomorrow. Our campsite is at 9,800ft tonight.

Today was another very challenging hike, even more than yesterday. At several times Ellie was regretting doing the trail and I had to keep reminding her that it'll be worth it in the end. We hiked 16km that took us through lush green jungle and then up to 4,215m (13,828 ft) for "Dead Woman Pass" which is the highest point on the Inca trail. The hike from our campsite to the pass was entirely uphill. After the pass the trail became rocky and steep, which was entirely downhill to our campsite at 11,600 ft. We were astonished by the stars at camp last night and hope for even better stars tonight.

The hike this morning was not as bad as yesterday but was still mostly uphill as we made our way to the second pass. At the second pass we were able to see a glacier covered mountain in the distance, some lagoons, and an Incan site. You could also see on one side the green tree covered mountains, and on the other side, grass covered mountains with little vegetation since the pass was between two different ecosystems. After the second pass we had a well deserved lunch and then started our way to the third trail to this pass was what our guide calls "Inca Flats" which is a series of hills varying in size. The landscape had now transitioned to a jungle, with lush green plants along the path, this section also had steep cliffs on one side. After the third pass we entered the 3-hour descent in the "Knee Killer" section, named because most of it is near vertical rocky stairs. Almost to camp, we reached a very large Incan. site with numerous terraces for farming, we arrived here just before sunset so the view of the valley was breathtaking! We finally made it to camp just before dark, our legs were extremely tired but we are glad this is the warmest campsite, as last night got very cold, we are excited for the 3km left to Machu Picchu in the morning.

After a long 40km with blistered feet, sore knees, and exhausted bodies, we were ready for our last day on the trail. We woke at 3:30 am to pack and headed to the last checkpoint which opened at 5:30am and we were excited to start the 5km journey to Machu Picchu. After 3km we reached our first stop, the Sun Gate. We weren't able to see Machu Picchu yet since it was still hidden by clouds, another 1 km down we were able to see the sunrise over the mountains and the clouds started to clear. At 7:30 am we reached the popular lookout point and the clouds cleared enough to see the famous Incan city. The view was even more. breath taking than we could have ever imagined.We felt as if we were in a fairy tale and thought a place this beautiful could only be imagined. We took lots of pictures from the top during which Michael had a big surprise with the friends we made on the trip, Anne, Bekki, and Lee. After the group photo, we took some with just us where Michael proposed! After all the celebration we started down to the entrance. The city was much larger than expected. Every corner we explored offered amazing views of the city surrounded by mountains. Our guides Henry to Soledad (sole) did an amazing job explaining the importance of the city to the Incan people. As we left the city we felt very proud of the difficult 45km we hiked to get to the city. We took a bus to Aguas Calientas for a delicious lunch and farewell to our guides. To end the day we are taking a train to Ollantaytambo and then a bus to Cusco for a well deserved shower and comfy bed.

We had another early morning getting. picked up at 4:30 am. We were extremely disappointed with our hotel this morning as we had no hot water, as in no water coming out at all. So still not having showered after the trail we booked another hotel for tonight and got picked up for our "Rainbow Mountain' hike. We knew the real mountain was closed and that our hike would be at a similar mountain, but we were still excited. Luckily, we were able to get some extra sleep on the 3+ hour drive. Ellie was so tired she slept. through the incredibly rough gravel road to the mountain. Once we got there we were amazed by the view of mountains with colorful stripes on them, unlike anything we have seen before. Despite the stunning view, we were unsure if the long drive was worth it. The short trail was packed with people whose only reason for being there appeared to be taking photos and selfies and then leaving. The large number of people made it challenging to appreciate the beauty. Not to mention we were at almost 16,000 ft so we saw numerous people getting sick, fainting, or behaving somewhere in between. After another long drive, and a sad lunch on the way, we switched hotels and were delighted by a modern room with a large bed and hot shower. We dropped our laundry off to get washed and headed to dinner at Chakruna Native Burgers where we had some pretty good alpaca burgers! Off to bed early tonight.

This morning we got up early for our ATV tour and took the opportunity to take some pictures of the main square in Cusco while it was not crowded. We got picked up around 7:00am and made our way to where the company stores the ATVs. We got a brief lesson and practiced on the road before making our way to Moray, about 7 miles away. The roads were bumpy and dusty which made the ATVS a blast. Even though Ellie says she was a little scared she had a lot of fun. At Moray we learned a little bit about how the Incans designed it for experimental farming, and we were impressed with the precision of the circles. After Moray we rode the ATVS back to the compound and got back in our bus to go to the Salt Mines. The "mines" which are just pools that get filled with salty water, evaporate to leave 3 kinds of salt in the pool, were much larger than we expected. The entire side of this hill was made up of hundreds of salt pools, some of which were bright white and filled with salt, others were being prepped for production over the winter months (the dry season). Back in Cusco we got to the airport where we have two flights to an entirely different part of Peru, the Amazon rainforest!

Today we got to sleep in a little, we had an okay breakfast at the hotel, which we think we were the only ones at. Unfortunately we were once again blessed with no running water. We were picked up in a tuktuk, which was our first time riding in one, to the agency office. We were able to meet the rest of the group, which was only one other person. Tiana, around the same age as us and from Canada, joined our tour after learning there were only 2 Americans in the group. From there we took a wooden bus down to the river. We parked and walked a little ways passing through a market with locals cooking various items. At one of the stands, Suri, a larva, was being cooked. Michael tried it first and noted the head was crunchy and the body salt, Ellie did not like it. We then got in a little boat for a 2 hour (slow) boat ride to the lodge. The lodge is a rustic, hand-made building with shacks attached to it for guests. Since it is still the rainy season everything is flooded so we walk from the boat to the lodge on wooden planks. Shortly after arriving we left again for a short boat ride where we got out of the boat and walked barefoot through the waters to some trees to see some playful monkeys. They climbed all over us to get the guava we had for them. Back at the lodge there was fish and meat that was chewy and tasted like bacon, we decided to wait until after to ask what it was, turns out it was Capybara, the largest rodent in the world. We went out again after lunch again and made a trip to a village and got to see the inside of someone's home, the house was completely open, no doors, window/screens, and interior walls didn't reach the ceiling. We were able to see the sunset on the way back to the lodge where we saw them carrying in 9 very large catfish, but then ended up having chicken for dinner. After dinner we went out to try and see alligators but had no luck. We did find tarantulas which we let crawl all over our arms and face, Ellie and Tiana suffered through.

Today, after a good breakfast, we were able to see a group of Pigmee Marmasats jumping in the trees around the lodge. As they are the world's smallest monkey they were hard to spot but Ellie was very happy to see them. Our first stop of the day was to an incredibly large tree in the jungle, normally we would be able to walk right up to it, but this time-of-year we had to wade through chest-deep Amazonian waters to get to it, all 3 of us had a great time. Our guide voluntold Ellie to stick her hand to a termite mound, once covered in termites, he smashed and smeared them all over her hand and explained this was a natural insect repellent. On our  way back to the lodge we stopped for a quick swim. After lunch we went to a local animal rehabilitation center, where we got to hold a macaw, 3-toed Sloth, and a 95kg anaconda. The three of us enjoyed the sloth the most. They have tiny faces and always look happy, like holding a hairy baby with claws. The center was flooded (unsurprisingly) so we had to go through thigh-deep water to get to the anaconda cage.

Last night we experienced a true Amazonian thunderstorm, the lightning was blinding and the thunder amplified across the water shaking everything. We were meant to leave at 4am but we slept in and left around 6am. We headed out to try and see dolphins, after a few glimpses yesterday. Sitting in the drizzle, we had no luck seeing dolphins so we went back for breakfast. We went back out again to see another tree, but opted out due to even deeper water. We then visited a local "tribe" where we practiced the blow dart gun. After a nice boat ride back to the lodge, we had a break and watched the lodge owners construct a new bridge due to rising waters from the rain. After lunch we went fishing, we caught nothing but Tiana caught some kind of fish and our guide caught a small piranha which we had with our dinner.

It rained and stormed again last night so we did not go out early to see dolphins, we got our stuff packed up and headed back to the city after breakfast. The boat took 3 hours this time since it had to pick up passengers at other stops. Once in the city the three of us crammed in a tuktuk, our guide in another, to go get lunch.The restaurant our guide took us to had an amazing view of the river. After lunch we headed to the airport where we were very sad to say goodbye to our new friend Tiana.