We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday to meet our fellow travelers, the staff who will be traveling with us, and the lecturers who will be with us for part, or all, of our trip. Everyone is very excited about the journey we are about to take together and dinner was a rousing affair.
On Thursday we boarded our plane at the crack of dawn to fly to Lima where we changed to a smaller plane for the flight to Cusco, Peru. Cusco is a city in the Andes at 11,500 feet where the air is thin and it takes some time to become acclim
ated. On our first day we toured the town and spent much of our visit in the cathedral in the center of town. Peruvians are 90% catholic and they are very proud of their churches which are decorated with ornate gold and silver altars and statues dressed in fancy garments that are made by the locals and changed every couple of years. All around the town there are women and little girls selling dolls, woven items, and jewelry. They are very persistent. “Remember me, lady,” called one. “ Come back tomorrow. My name is Martha Washington.”
Early Friday morning we boarded the train for the three hour ride through the mountains to Machu Picchu, which is lower than Cusco at 8,700 feet. Along the way, our local guide
gave us some Incan history and pointed out remains of Incan civilization along the way. Today, the Peruvians who live in this part of the Andes are farmers, growing corn and potatoes. Their corn has very large kernels, about the size of lima beans, and it is very chewy, but tasty, and is a nice addition to a cold salad with various beans, As for the potatoes, the ancient Incans grew, ate, worshipped them, and even buried them with their dead. Today Peru has the greatest variety of potatoes in the world, with approximately 3000 varieties. One more interesting tidbit for the foodies; Peruvians love guinea pig. It is such a delicacy that it is eaten only for special occasions and holidays. I believe it is also served in nice restaurants, but we did not have the opportunity to taste this delicacy.
We finally arrived at Machu Picchu and broke off into small groups for the climb to the ancient city. Dave and I chose the fast group hoping to cover more area this way. Once on the trail, I began to think this was not a wise choice as I huffed and puffed my way up the steep path until I noticed that my fellow travelers were having the same breathing problems.
Machu Picchu means ‘old peak’ and faces the two smaller peaks that lie behind the city and which you see in pictures. This unbelievable ancient city was built between 1460 and 1470 in the mountains above the Urabamba River. It was believed that the city was either a royal estate or a religious retreat with 200 buildings with 1200 people. The Incans only lived here for about 65 years when they retreated further into the mountains to avoid the Spanish conquistadors, but not until they had lost 50% of their population to smallpox.
On Thursday we boarded our plane at the crack of dawn to fly to Lima where we changed to a smaller plane for the flight to Cusco, Peru. Cusco is a city in the Andes at 11,500 feet where the air is thin and it takes some time to become acclim
ated. On our first day we toured the town and spent much of our visit in the cathedral in the center of town. Peruvians are 90% catholic and they are very proud of their churches which are decorated with ornate gold and silver altars and statues dressed in fancy garments that are made by the locals and changed every couple of years. All around the town there are women and little girls selling dolls, woven items, and jewelry. They are very persistent. “Remember me, lady,” called one. “ Come back tomorrow. My name is Martha Washington.”Early Friday morning we boarded the train for the three hour ride through the mountains to Machu Picchu, which is lower than Cusco at 8,700 feet. Along the way, our local guide
gave us some Incan history and pointed out remains of Incan civilization along the way. Today, the Peruvians who live in this part of the Andes are farmers, growing corn and potatoes. Their corn has very large kernels, about the size of lima beans, and it is very chewy, but tasty, and is a nice addition to a cold salad with various beans, As for the potatoes, the ancient Incans grew, ate, worshipped them, and even buried them with their dead. Today Peru has the greatest variety of potatoes in the world, with approximately 3000 varieties. One more interesting tidbit for the foodies; Peruvians love guinea pig. It is such a delicacy that it is eaten only for special occasions and holidays. I believe it is also served in nice restaurants, but we did not have the opportunity to taste this delicacy.We finally arrived at Machu Picchu and broke off into small groups for the climb to the ancient city. Dave and I chose the fast group hoping to cover more area this way. Once on the trail, I began to think this was not a wise choice as I huffed and puffed my way up the steep path until I noticed that my fellow travelers were having the same breathing problems.
Machu Picchu means ‘old peak’ and faces the two smaller peaks that lie behind the city and which you see in pictures. This unbelievable ancient city was built between 1460 and 1470 in the mountains above the Urabamba River. It was believed that the city was either a royal estate or a religious retreat with 200 buildings with 1200 people. The Incans only lived here for about 65 years when they retreated further into the mountains to avoid the Spanish conquistadors, but not until they had lost 50% of their population to smallpox.
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