La da da da feelin' Peru-vy

  Puno, Peru
Sunday, January 11, 2009

Ah, this is the life
Cushy beds, fancy food, hugs
Bron´s parents are here!

Plaza de Armas, Arequipa at sunset

We have had an eventful couple of weeks since leaving Bolivia behind and sauntering across the border into Peru. We started the Peruvian leg of our journey in Arequipa, which quickly became one of Bron's favorite cities of the trip. Known as "The White City", Arequipa is dominated by buildings ornately carved from white volcanic rock - beautiful! Centered around a bustling Plaza de Armas, the city's attractions include the gorgeous 400 year old Santa Catalina Monastery (still home to a small group of nuns), some of the best food we've had on the continent, and a museum housing the perfectly preserved frozen mummy of a sacrificed Incan maiden known as Juanita. Truly a grand town. Bron was so inspired she even ventured to get her hair cut for the first time all trip (success!).

Cusco

We next moved onto Cusco, a town of a different color - namely red (red brick, red shingled roofs). We had a wonderful New Year´s Eve with our Australian friends from the salt flats tour, complete with about a million fireworks going off all over the city all day and night. Both beautiful and overrun with tourists, Cusco is the jumping off point for trips to Machu Picchu. The most exciting thing about Peru is that Bron's parents agreed to join us for our Machu Picchu adventure! They arrived just after the new year, quickly adjusted to the altitude, and were ready to paint the red city even redder!

Dia de Los Reyes Magos, masked paraders

We spent a delightful couple of days in Cusco, enjoying the town´s many cathedrals and a wealth of good restaurants.  On Monday we set out early for Ollantaytambo, a small cobblestone town halfway to Machu Picchu.

Terraced steps, Machu Picchu

We arrived in time to visit the town´s Incan site and to see a procession in honor of the Day of the 3 Kings, with dancing, masks, and religious relics.  We spent the night in Ollantay and caught the first train (5:37 am!) to Aguas Calientes, and then a bus up to the Machu Picchu site. We arrived to a dense covering of fog, which happily burned off by mid-morning revealing all the joy and mystery of these Incan ruins.  It is truly a marvel, and we were so excited to share it with Bron´s folks.

On a reed boat between the islands.

After another night in Cusco we took the Perurail Andean Explorer train to Puno.  It was an amazing 10 hour journey, traveling in true railway style - comfy chairs, linen tablecloths, wine with our gourmet lunch, a fashion show (!), pisco sour making class, live entertainment and dancing - all while hurtling through amazing green mountainous landscape.  We then spent 2 days relaxing in Puno on the beautiful shores of Lake Titicaca. Our major activity there was a visit to the Uros Floating Islands, a cluster of man-made floating reed islands a short boatride from shore.  Originally built by indigenous people fleeing oppression on the mainland, the islands, although still inhabited, seem now to be largely a tourist attraction.  They are nonetheless a fascinating work of construction in a beautiful setting.

After a simply amazing visit we had to bid adios to Bron´s parents.  Thank you Annie/Mom and David/Dad for coming all this way and making a fantastic week possible!  Now its back on the hostel trail, moving north through Peru towards Ecuador.

Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa

Bron braves a $10 fancy Peruvian salon

Iglesia de la Compañia, Cusco

Hilariously disinterested paid models!

Paragliders in the Sacred Valley

View of Ollantaytambo from the ruins

Our first view of Machu Picchu (where is it!?)

On train entertainment on the Andean Explorer

Collecting reeds on Lake Titicaca

Jerome gets into Peruvian fashion!