The Last Day

Okay. This is it   We head home tomorrow the day in Cusco is packed although we don’t start until 9am. First stop a walk to the monastery.  We had been there before but I didn’t remember until we were almost done.  Next the cathedral. Patty and I took a gander.  We decided to op for shopping instead of another church   Much more fun.  

Next stop was Sacsayhuamán just above Cusco.  Large stones and a monumental undertaking of the Incas    Afterward we returned to the hotel with free time for 2 hours.  I am glad we had a January trip or I would have felt cheated.  The other sites are nearby and tell important stories.  It does open up the possibility of going to the market.  I ask for a map and get directions. The street is a Y Dan thinks we should take the upper road. None of the streets are on the map. So to google maps we go for directions.   It seems to take a while to walk the .6 miles that is for sure.  Eventually we arrive at the market. It it as crazy as I remember.   It is a marathon shopping experience since we have to walk back without getting lost, finish packing and bags out.  I will do a nurse thing since since one of our members who was going on to Lake Titicaca only had 2 more altitude medication pills left and went to the pharmacy. 

So with all that planning if we had stopped at some of the stores on the way to the market by going the correct route we would have avoided the market since I saw all the same things and had time for lunch at the JW.  We really wanted some of the garlic shrimp.  Oh well, maybe next time. 

Everything done we had some cookies and Coke Zero for lunch just before getting on the plane. 

I haven’t mentioned the weather.  When we left San Diego it looked like 50-90% every day for most hours. Well the only rain that affected us was when we were getting onto the bus to leave Cusco for the airport and then we had 5 minutes that actually had hail although it did not feel cold outside. Do even though we expected rain the sun shone brightly making for a great trip. 

On to Machu Picchu

Our hotel was terrific in the sacred valley but it was nothing compared with our Machu Picchu hotel. The grounds are heavily planted with ferns, orchids and other plants. The hotel has tours throughout the garden and specialty tours like making your own tea or bird watching.

The plan for today is the train to Machu Picchu then wait for the bus to the top   We have lunch at the buffet restaurant at the top near the entrance to Machu Picchu.  After lunch we start our exploration.  Yes the steps were as high and as bad as I remember and I was not any faster than last time.

We finish up and take the bus down.  Then have to hike to the hotel.  The hotel sits on a hill so there are tons of steps to get to the office to check in. We have a room that is fairly close to the office. It is a beautiful room. Still with two double beds but does and a robe if you want a trip to the spa.  The best part with turn down service was they put a hot water bottle in your bed to warm it.

Dinner at the restaurant you could order off the menu.  The alcohol was separate but dinner included dessert and there was a welcome pisco sour. The problem became that I forgot you should just have 1 pisco sour.  I did not have a good night and the next day was rocky but it seems I was in good company. Several members of the tour felt some of the same symptoms most GI cramming and diarrhea.  Every blames the food at the buffet

The next morning you could go back up the mountain, climb The Machu Picchu steps and then go on a trail called the Inka Bridge trail. 4 members of our group went   Seems it was tough very narrow but great photos especially of the mountains and clouds coming down.  The rest of us hung out at the hotel or did some shopping in town.  It was a quiet day which was great for me dice my GI track was on overdrive.  In the late afternoon we took the train all the way to Poroy just outside Cusco. Yes the fashion show happened again. So the car attendants greet people, serve food,, sell alcohol, and have to model clothes or sweaters and collect money and pick up any used items.  Yes our group spent money. It was a good day for Sol Alpaca.

We get to the hotel at 9pm and sit down to have dinner. Dan and I opt not to eat but go to our room.  Eating at 9pm would be a disaster for us.  I am hoping sleep will help and improve my GI track since tomorrow is a travel day.

We made the train and up the steps!

Trip to chinchero. Notice snow on glacier

Trip to Ollantaytambo

Photos of the hotel grounds

Our day in the sacred valley

Today we have several stops exploring the sacred valley. First stop Ollantaytambo.  This archeological site we saw before.  Unfortunately our guide did not allow as much time to fully appreciate the Incas and their ability to control water. We did have time to climb to the top of the steps which I had no desire to do. I am glad we were able to explore and see this site in January as today’s visit is so short

Next the market.  Not a trinket market but a fruit and food market.  It was interesting since we have not seen many fruits growing.  At lunch we were served the fruit for dessert.  So a first time eating passion fruit.

After the market we are off to Chinchero. This is a village of the weavers.  We are served lunch. It is a 4 course lunch with several sides.  Peruvians eat their big meal at lunch.  So we start with fried corn meal spiced with onion. Then soup, then chicken accompanied by rice , three types of potatoes, fresh vegetables, tomatoes, carrots etc plus a few other things I have forgotten.

Next the ladies showed us how they created the wool and dyed the wool. Next the loom.  8 families live in this cooperative but each Weaver is responsible to sell their own wears and keeps the profits. All of the things are made of alpaca or wool.

Back to the hotel for dinner. Food is plentiful on this trip. The hotel we have will be at for 2 nights.  Tomorrow to Machu Picchu.

Travel Day

We leave the jungle at 8am. Boat ride for 1 hour and then bus for 1 hour and then a repacking event at the lodge offices and on to the airport to check in for a 1 hour flight to Cusco.

We are not staying in Cusco but taking a bus and heading directly to the Sacred Valley. Lunch was in the airport a box lunch provided by the lodge.  On the bus we have a stop at the llama/alpaca exhibit. They have all the different types of llamas and vicuña. Grasses to feed them and a large shop with a multitude of things to buy. Dan being allergic to wool makes my choices easy.

We head into the valley. Unfortunately there are no further stops since it is a 2 hour drive or more to the hotel in Ollantaytambo. This means the highlight of the trip I was hoping for will not come to pass. That was going to be shopping at the market in Pisac. I had some things I wanted to get and it is off the table. Unlike most tours where there is plenty of time for shopping no so with this trip.  We will have 3 hours in Cusco of course we could skip going to the ruins but it is interesting to see and hear different perspectives.

Our trip through the valley is different as we seem to be going through different cities and it is daylight instead of dark. There is still snow on the highest peaks they are calling glaciers. I am not sure as to what is snow cap and what is glacier.

We arrive at the hotel and it is beautiful. This too is a Casa Andina but upscale.  Dinner is a fixed menu but the food is in quality wine is high at $30-$50 or more a bottle.  We will save 1/2 of the bottle for tomorrow since we are here 2 nights

The hotel grounds are big and spacious. Lot of grass flowers and trees.  Unfortunately our block of rooms with double beds are near the back which means a walk and lots of steps to get there. I guess we are in training for Machu Picchu in 2 days.

Afternoon Hike

Well the plan is to hike to the “mammal clay lick”.  Dan and  I opted for a shower and quiet afternoon.  Even a little nap considering the day started at 3:45 am.    Well according to fellow travelers it was a great success. The birders spotted a toucan and others spotted several animals and more monkeys.  Apparently the group split and 1/2 left early than the others. The early group got the pleasure of first hand witnessing one snake eating a Rosa boa snake while the guide was within a small distance videotaping with her phone. Too bad we missed it.  At the lodge we did see a cootie walk by the dining room.   The cap off of our last day was a night hike. We went on one night hike and I had really no desire to see any animals up close at night. Apparently a two toed sloth and another snake sighting were the highlights.  Not really sorry I missed.

To summarize our impressions.  The southern access to the basin is actually in the Tambopata reserve. No where near the Amazon River.   The lodge is great if you love the outdoors and don’t mind sleeping with bugs since rooms were open to the lodge grounds. Anything can come into your room.  One night I went to the bathroom and had a cicada land on me before I could get back under the mosquito netting. Also probably not recommended for anyone with claustrophobia.  The upside is the food was better and always a dessert.  There are a lot more animals and the area is drier at least when we were there.   You choose call if you have any questions.

Photos of McCaws aka Parrots

Views of the river. We have 126 steps up from the river every time we go out in a boat

Last day at the lodge

I am ready to be out of the jungle.  Mostly the heat and bugs are so annoying. Today’s morning outing is to a clay lick to see McCaws. We get to leave camp at 4:15am, take a 2 hour boat ride then a 1 hours hike.  The reason for this is to see the parrots in there natural jungle environment.  The borders are excited.  The boat also slows several times if we see an interesting bird. Of course this is lost on Dan and I

So arrival at the clay lick. There is an area of tall bamboo type grasses and then a rope barrier.  The clay lick looks like several rock walls. They are approximately 200 feet or so away. There are several tall trees near the licks. We wait.  There are several parrots flying in pairs and landing in  the trees. It is a beautiful site. The birds fly in their pairs and stay together. With parrots they are the same coloring books not like other birds with the male much prettier

We watch the birds for over an hour  Having breakfast at the observation area.  In spite of not being a bird person the morning has been spectacular.  I will post several photographs. Some of the close ups were taken through a telescope that was set up

Photos from canoe trip. Monkey in tree

Didn’t take long to get behind blogging

Day 2 at the lodge we hike 45 minutes to the pond. We are going to be paddled around the pond and look for wildlife and birds specifically. So here we are again fall in the water Ellen having to get in and out of the canoe.  So I did okay getting in but it is always getting out that is the problem. About 30 minutes or so and we stop in the blind and our guides
have bread to feed to the piranhas. This is great entertainment for 5 minutes or so. We suddenly come to the edge of the pond.  No dock just some mud stairs. Looks like my favorite type of hike to do!!

Off the canoe and into the jungle where we get to see a large focus tree that you are able to walk inside and see the remains of the tree it strangled.  Then around the next bend and even larger Kapok tree. At least some of the plant people are happy.

Back to camp no falls into the water. It’s a good day. In the afternoon there is a planned visit to a farm which is across the river.  There is apparently a deal with a local farmers that owns more than 1000 hectares but doesn’t farm all the land or sell all the produce because the prices are so low.  Since this tour you can choose to participate or not participate in any activity.  Dan and I chose to miss the farm. It is way too hot and since the lodge is so primitive there is no way to get cool.  There was about 1/3 of the group that didn’t go. We started happy hour early.

The plan is there is one activity in the morning and you are back by 11a for lunch the one in the late afternoon. There are other tours that the staff leads around the grounds but again they are in the afternoon or morning.  You are not able to explore the lodge or grounds without a guide.

There is a ton of wildlife here and we are always stopping on our walks to observe monkeys or ground animals or bugs.

Hot, Humid and Wet

So we arrive at the lodge.  Totally overwhelmed with the heat and humidity. The afternoon plan is a hike to the canopy tower.  We had been in the north and was well aware of canopies and bridges etc.  well in the south it is an 85 foot tower you climb up to view the vegetation.  We are actually staying in the Tambopata Reserve which is a national park.

I am totally underwhelmed with the canopy.  The climb not withstanding was okay but not terrific no sense that you were above the tree line.  This is the highlight of the trip. Dinner and then bed.   There is really no lodge activities although there is a 30 minute lecture before dinner each evening.

Our first impression is the southern Amazon is drier than the north.  We saw lots of mud on our walks in the north when compared to the south.  The upside is in the south there are tons more animals and they are much closer than the north.  We have seen 3 different species of monkeys many with babies on their backs.  Lots of birds. We even saw a toucan with a bright yellow beak fly overhead

The river environment is entirely different. The Amazon is a large well travelled river with lots of settlements along the banks. You see people fishing and farming along the Tambopata there is no such thing since it is a national park only the official lodges can operate a business for tourists. Others that come in and fish can be considered “poaching “.   Although you are able to own land or at one time were able since there is a farmers across the river from the lodge.

Food at the lodge is much the same always chicken and fish always rice and potatoes in addition to several vegetables. There is even a green lettuce salad each night with vinegar and oil to use.  Several spicy salsas or cream sauces. The main difference is in the south there is dessert every night cake or some other sheet type dessert in the north the only dessert we saw was fresh  fruit.

Will add some photos

Yes mosquito nets and no ceiling fans but lots of air just not conditioned

Some photos of lunch on the boat, and our room. The slots are the bathroom floor open to dirt below the other is the forth wall of our room open to outside and our shower. More room photos tomorrow. Too much like camping for me!!

Back into the Jungle

Today a trip to the airport and fly to the town of Puerto Maldonado the gateway to the Tambopata reserve and our lodge in the southern Amazon basin    Back to the heat and humidity. We are prepared so we think.

How wrong I was.    We arrived in Puerto Maldonado and repack what we want to take into the jungle. It is a 1 hour bus ride in a bouncy small bus. Then we get to the dock and it is a 1 hour boat ride to get to the lodge

Lunch and a snack in route.  The first challenge comes when we get to the dock.  In the north Amazon every time we went out in the boat it was a 2 flight of stairs up and a 5-10 walk on wooden walkway to our room.  Here it is a 126 steps up with some wooden hand rails and then a 20 minute or 25 minute walk to the lodge  

There is 24 hour electricity in the rooms. There are No ceiling fans in the rooms or the main dining room. No air conditioning either.  The lodge I’d fairly primitive but there is a bar.  We sleep under mosquitoe netting and the room is open on one side to the jungle. Lots of bugs in the room all the time. There is no way to cool off.  There is no breeze.    Dan is really not happy about that.

Food is okay.   Buffet style fish and chicken at every meal. Various salsas and lots of salads and vegetables. Fruit juice at every meal and tons of water.  All without ice. The lodge is bio ecology friendly so soap and no fresh towels every day.  There is a clothesline outside the open wall of our room and a waterfall type shower in the bathroom.

I will send photos on the next posting

A lot of bird watchers

You would think that a garden sponsored trip would’ve focused on plants flowers etc.   Not so with this trip.  Seems most of the people are bird watchers.  Carrying big binoculars or long telephoto lenses for their cameras.  In looking at the itinerary there will be a focus on birds.

Our excursion on day 2 in Lima took us south of the city to a fishing village then we got to get in small open boats and head to the ocean.  The highlight was seeing the penguins.  I guess this is a rare occurrence. There were tons of sea lions lazing about on the rocks.

After lunch.  A stop at a bird sanctuary to observe the birds living in the protected marsh. The bird lovers with their binoculars were in hog heaven.  We leave for the airport in the morning to go into the Amazon.

A weather update which will jinx us for sure.  We have had perfect weather.  A little scattered rain on a couple of days while we we driving but none at the time we were exploring.  Hope our luck holds

Today’s outing was to a boat ride along the shore south of Lima. As we ride these small open boats through the surf. Took my Dramamine anyway!