Cusco

  We landed in Cusco shortly after noon on June 10, and after lunch at our hotel, we were given a little rest time.  Cusco's elevation is a bit over 11,000 feet, so we were told we needed to adjust.  Dave Webb gave us a very interesting lecture later in the afternoon about the early history of the area from pre-Inca time to the Spanish conquest.  Cusco was the Inca capital and dates back to around 1100 AD.

  In the evening, we walked around the Plaza des Armas, a block from our hotel.  The winter solstice is a major holiday dating from Inca times, so there were mobs downtown each evening with school groups from kindergarten through high school practicing for the major event.

Following the walk around, we had dinner here:

 After breakfast the next morning, we headed up to Saksaywaman above Cusco to look at the ruins dating back to pre-Inca times.  

Here we saw our first (but not our last) alpacas (left) and lama.

Our tour leader Dave Webb and his wife Melody in front of the Utah rock.  Note:  this fortress was put together around 1100, before the Incas took over.  Amazing rock work!

Next we stopped at the statue of Christ above the city.  (Copied from the statue above Rio.)

The view of Cusco from above.

The Plaza

En route Urubamba (Sacred) Valley and Pisac, we stopped to see and pet some lamas and alpacas.

Terry feeding an alpaca (must be the origin of dreadlocks!).

Lots of varieties of potato, corn and couscous grown locally.

Above the valley

Across the valley we walked up to the Inca ruins.

Lots of terracing done by the Incas.

Some of us hiked on up to the top of the ruins.

We stopped briefly at the market in Pisac, then returned to Cusco for the evening.  Lots of activity around the Plaza.

Many costumed dancing groups.  Here's the view from our restaurant.

Loved the crowds.

That concluded our day on June 11.

More from the Amazon basin

  I finally accessed my camera pictures.  On the way to the lodge.

Terry & Angela

Base of a walking palm

Copybara at night

Heading for Lake Sandoval



Saw some bats on the trees.

Nice, cool afternoon on the lake.

Peru -- In the beginning, the Amazon basin.

   After a weekend with the Kringels (including Ever's graduation ),

we headed for Lima at midnight, Monday, June 6 --  an eight-plus hour non-stop flight on LATAM airline.  Arrived in Lima about 10 am.  It's cloud-covered most of the year, and the coast is a desert.  No pictures.  Hung out at the hotel at the airport all afternoon -- too tired to try to do anything else.  Besides, wouldn't have known what to do.  The airport area in Callao is not a good location for wandering around, we were told.  The rest of the tour group arrived late that night.  We took off early the next morning (June 8) for Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon basin.  Once we got above the clouds, we could see the Andes.

  After landing, we left our bags in storage and took small carry-ons to the river. 



We boarded our boats and headed down the river for a 20 minute ride to our jungle lodge.  We were told the elevation here was only about 600 feet above sea level.  After flying over the Andes -- and our stopover at Cusco at 11,000 feet en route -- it was hard to imagine that the bulk of South America was so flat.  If the rivers only drop 600 feet while flowing 2,500 miles or so, it's no wonder they are wide, deep and slow moving!

Our home for the next two nights:

Did a jungle walk in the afternoon.  It was most interesting to see that the jungle isn't much different that our Hawaii jungle.  Many of the same trees and plants

 

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to load my camera pictures -- only the ones from my iPhone.   After dinner, we took an evening ride down the river looking for copybara and cayman.  Saw a few of each.  The next morning week saw these macaw and a parrot at the lodge.

After breakfast we headed over to monkey island.  The monkeys like bananas, so come for treats.

   After monkey island, we ate on the boats and headed back into the jungle for a trek to Lake Sandoval. 

Saw several walking palms. 



And some ants.

In the canoe on the way to the lake.

  We were fortunate to have cool weather.  It had been 90 degrees the day before we arrived.  But we were greeted with a cold wind from the Andes and temperatures in the high 60s.  Perfect!

  Early the next morning, we went into the jungle to see parrots feeding on a clay bank. 

  It was a nice sunny morning as we headed back to Puerto Maldonado. 

Saw several cayman along the way.

  Back to the Golden Gate.

    Had a few minutes to walk through the local markets.

   Then back to the airport where we said goodbye to our jungle guides before flying off to Cusco.

  'Twas a nice way to start our adventure.  Stay tuned for more.