Date:  3rd July

Type:  Theme

RE:  Peru

BY:  Ruthann Gest

Are you looking for someplace different to visit?  Maybe someplace for a cultural experience and some adventure?  Peru, South America is just the trip you want.  The land of the Incas has quite a colorful history as told in the many museums.  It also has cloud forests, Inca ruins, and the jungle.

Start by flying into Lima, the capital.  Cars have the right of way in this city so watch out crossing those streets!  The traffic is heavy and noisy.  In a city of 7 million people that car horn is certainly one way to get your attention!  There are a number of different museums and Spanish cathedrals to see as well as some gorgeous plazas and parks.  The seafood is great and plentiful.

After a short stay to orient yourself to the Peruvian way of life you take an early morning flight through the clouds over the Andes to Cusco. This mountain city at 11,000 feet is the gateway to the Inca ruins. Upon your arrival you will be treated to the local Cocoa tea to ward off altitude sickness.  Then be whisked over the mountains on cobble stone streets to the famous Indian market of Pisaq for a mid-day snack and some interesting shopping.  On through the picturesque Urubamba Valley to the village of Ollantaytambo.  You notice the traffic now is not cars but mostly cows and pigs being herded home after a day running in the meadows and on the mountainsides.  Ollantaytambo pueblo is quite charming and small but at the far end is the Inca ruin that was never finished.  The ramp to haul the huge stones from the quarry to the site is still visible from the top.  After dinner at your hotel in the valley you settle in for a quiet evening in the cool, lush Urubamba Valley.


Finally, the next morning you board the van for the trip by train to Machu Picchu.  At the train station in Ollantaytambo are Peruvian mountain vendors selling their wares before the train arrives from Cusco.  From here it is a short hour and 40 minuets to Machu Picchu Pueblo.  On the way we pass 3 stops which are used for the people trekking up the canyon to Machu Picchu.  Upon arrival in the Pueblo you find the air is warn and moist from the evening's shower and the growth is thick and tropical with different kinds of orchids and other flowers everywhere.  You board a bus for the snake like ride to the National Cultural District of Machu Picchu As you zig - zag up the hillside you try to imagine how the Incas found this haven in the middle of nowhere.  Finally, you walk into the ruin and it is exactly like the pictures you have seen, only better!  It's right there in front of you to roam around in and explore.  How could this have been built so many years ago?  How long did it take?   What was each terrace, room, section of this magnificent village used for?  Most of what we know is all guess work from Hiram Bingham who first discovered Machu Picchu in 1911 and others who have speculated about the history of these people.  You see, the Incas had no written language so things were passed down by legend from the Inca to the ancestors of the Incas today.  Unfortunately, much is probably speculation but it is interesting to hear and decide what you would like to believe for yourself.  It is so amazing to think about and see you hate to leave, but there is more adventure around the corner.

You take the train back to Cusco or a short 25 minute helicopter flight and ponder the life of the Incas in 1350.  Back in Cusco you still have the colorful town to explore and you're lured into a restaurant by the now familiar Andean Mountain music played on wooden flutes, drums and guitar for a fun evening of music and food.  The next day you could go rafting on the class 3 or 4 Urubamba river or opt to visit the Inca ruins around Cusco by minivan or on horseback.  Through the parks you see many llamas and Andean people in their colorful native dress.  

Next, adventure is around the corner including a flight back to Lima then on to Iquitos.  Here you are met and taken to your boat transfer to one of the jungle lodges in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. You may choose from hikes and boat trips through the rainforest. The colorful birds and butterflies are fabulous.  It is a peaceful and beautiful few days in the jungle before you fly to Lima for a final farewell. Peru is an amazing diverse country to be explored and will be savored in your memory for a long time to come.