And now onto Peru
Trip Start
May 02, 2006
1
14
15
Trip End
Jul 27, 2006
Cusco,
Peru
Thursday, July 20, 2006
It has been about a week since we last wrote many adventures since then. As Justin mentioned we spent an incredible week in the Galapagos islands. This was a truly an amazing experience. It is as if we went back in time. We spent the week going from island to island on a boat ( it is the only way you can visit these extraordinary islands). Some islands are not even allowed to have tourists. All were very unique. Some had dry hot climates others were more lush. We had a naturalist on board with us and were able to learn about the plants and animals as well as the history of the islands. We canīt wait to get the photos up and show all the cool animals that by the way are not scared of humans
We swam with sea lions, Galapagos and white tipped sharks as well as sea turltes and penguins. We had to watch our step on land as we might accidentally step on a marine iguana or a seal pup. I have never had this amazing experience with wild animals. Just to see how balanced nature is there was an eye opening experience .
We flew into Peru and stayed a night in the city. It is a pretty crazy city and not the safest for tourists as our taxi driver would avoid every red light as many people try to rob tourist by breaking into the windows and stealing their bags
We left Lima and flew to Arequipa, talk about a beautiful city! It is set at the base of many volcanos at 7,000 feet. The city is laid out in grids and small stone roads with high walls line the city. We had a great time exploring. Including a chance to see a real inca princess frozen in time-! Next off to Puno ( flying again ). We stayed the night in Puno and then boarded a boat on lake Titticaca they donīt know what the name means but is the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,500 ft ). We visited 2 islands. The first was a floating island where 7 families made their homes ontop of reeds. It actually floated!! We were introduced to the families and given a tour of their homes and explained what their lifestyles are like. It was very interesting. We actually were lucky enough to stay on an island called Suasi. It was incredibly beautiful. The island had lots of great hikes to view llama and Vicunya. Unfortantley Justin got sick ( I think it was the Pisco sour). The island was the perfect getaway for rest and relaxation and after a day he was back to himself.
We left Suasi and headed back to Puno and got on a train to Cusco. The train ride was 10 hours and full of spectacular scenery. It actually went by a lot faster than we thought it was.
We arrived in last night to Cusco and have been touring the city all day. We have seen an Inca ruin as well as many cathedrals. We are now headed to check out some museums. Cusco is beautiful and I can see why this was the center of the Inca empire.
That all for now. We will write more as our adventure continues. Thanks for reading our log !!
