Lost city of the Incas

Trip Start Jan 10, 2008

Trip End Apr 22, 2008

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Where I stayed

Libertador Cusco
(aka. Libertador Palacio del Inka Cusco)

(Cusco hotels)

Flag of Peru Cusco, Peru
Saturday, January 19, 2008

I think every entry will begin with WOW!-that´s how I feel. We arrived in Manta, Ecuador on Jan. 17th & 88 of us were quickly whisked off the ship for 2 airplane flights & a bus ride to Cusco, the capitol of Peru. We´ve been staying at the Libertador Palacio Del Inka, a 5 star hotel. The only bad thing is the altitude. Cusco is about 12,000 ft. above sea level & I thought this is where I´d have the fatal heart attack. I´ve been taking altitude sickness meds but that only prevents the runs, headaches & nausea. With my heart pounding & gasping for breath, I wondered if I had made the right decision to come here. It affected all of us-young, old, thin, fat & physically fit. The only ones who didn´t notice it were from Colorado. After settling into our hotel, we took a tour to a cathedral & an alpaca factory. Too exhausted from walking around the church & knowing the factory was a tourist trap, most of us stayed on the bus.

Day 2:wake up call at 5 am. Felt good, no heart pounding & no gasping, still a little short of breath, none of us are moving very fast. A long train ride & a long bus ride took us to the reason for this overland trip-MACHU PICCHU. Now, don´t be alarmed if you haven´t heard of it, can´t say it or don´t know where it is, you are in the majority. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world & I didn´t even know that. M.P. is often referred to as the The Lost City of The Incas. It is a pre-Columbian site located about 8,000 ft. above sea level, built around 1400 & abandoned 100 yrs. later. There are many buildings built out of huge granite rock. I was amazed at how the buildings have withstood the time & Peru´s many earthquakes but the Incas built them in a keystone fashion, interlocking the rocks together. This was a chance of my lifetime to see Machu Picchu & I was not disappointed. Here is some late breaking news....one of our guides is an archeologist. His friends were convinced there was another Inca site & last week, they found it!!! Actually, new sites are often popping all over Peru due to this dense jungle. Our guide will join his friends on this new find, supported by National Geographic and the Peruvian Govt. They feel that the new site is even larger than M.P. & since it was lower in the valley, M.P. may have been where the Incas retreated to in case enemies arrived, ie. the Spanish.

On the way down the hill from M.P., there are numerous switchbacks. A young boy waved to us, then popped up down the hill at the next bend. By the time we reached the bottom of the hill, some 8,000 ft. below, there he was. While we were going around hair pin turns, he was running straight down. He boarded our bus with the cheering & clapping of everyone (he wasn´t even out of breath). Of course, we all gave Rafael
$1.00 & took photos. Here´s the storÿ: the young boys figured they could make $200. a day doing what Raphael did & soon dropped out of school. The Peruvian Govt. put a stop to it. Now only the 1st & 2nd best students are chosen & allowed to run for one mo. during 1 yr. So, that´s an incentive to stay in school here. School is compulsory only to the 6th grade. Raphael is 12.

Day 3: Ooooo, ouch, oooo, too many steps at M.P. yesterday & my knee, which had arthroscopic surgery a few years ago is hurting. I´m limping along but I´ll make it. Toured more archeological Inca sites today, visited two outdoor markets, took photos of llamas & alpacas (which are everywhere), cute little 3 wheeled vehicles, terraced hills made from Inca walls, old Peruvian women wearing those funny pork-pie hats, very colorful shawls & smoking a pipe & pics of the mud brick houses made from clay, straw & hair. There´s a Kodak moment around every corner. Tonite we went to a fabulous restaurant, The Inka Wall, where we had the best buffet & watched an excellent show of dancing & music. The buffet included Peru´s delicacies, Alpaca & Guinea Pig, no kidding. Yep, they were good. Gotta try it, you know.

So, early wake up call tomorrow at 4:20 am. Forgive me for not writing some of you personally but it is now midnight & I gotta get a little sleep. We´ll be back onboard the ship tomorrow.
¡Adios y Buenos Noches! Liñda

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