Macchu picchu

Four days of tough hiking through the Andes and we made it.
Just hearing about hurricane sandy damage. It's hard to take it all in.

Day 3 sights of cusco

Yet another rich day. All packed and ready for a 5:30 am departure tomorrow for the trail.

Day 2 sacsayhuaman and the temple of the moon

We spent a few hours exploring the sacsayhuaman inca ruins and looking down on cusco, which was a sea of red roof tiles. As we debated walking or taking a taxi to town for lunch we were approached by Jenny who said she would take us to the temple of the moon, a little of the beaten pass and not mentioned in the guide books as such. On route she took us to a textile factory, we were reluctant to enter but then Gwen spotted a loom and so in we went. We were given a lesson on grades of alpaca and the fake acrylic and also made some purchases. There was an overwhelming display of beautiful goods. Jenny gave us a fine tour of the temple of the moon and we saw the alter where the Incas sacrificed virgin women to satisfy mamapacha (mother earth). This was a very moving experience, I remembered learning about the inca ritual as a girl in England. Jenny assured us that we should put our hands on the alter, close our eyes and that we would be filled with good energy. Up above the alter in a dark cave was an opening that the moon shines through when it's full. 5 of us then piled into a tiny taxi and Jenny took us to to typical Peruvian restaurant for a delicious late lunch. We were even entertained with dancing and were served the large Peruvian corn kernels.

Some wandering around cusco, a cafe in a balcony overlooking plaza de armas, a search for the famous pub "cross keys" and we stumbled back to our hotel. 2 of us have sunburned faces, all of us are doing well with the altitude, if a little breathless at times.

One more day before the trek begins.

Training

We climbed many stairs today to get above cusco and visit that Inca ruins. At 3600m we did pretty well.

Day 1

Exploring cusco in the morning. We finalized our inca trail trek, went to an amazing food market and then of to the sacred valley to visit DD#2 host family, a very touching experience.

Pub quiz on our first night in cusco

What about the altitude?

Well we've been drinking mucho water, had some mate de coca in Lima, but this was not quite the real macoy, in a bag. Upon landing in cusco we all felt a little light headed, but it could have been the combination of long journey, lack of sleep and altitude, but really not bad. As soon as we checked in at our hotel we had the real stuff. It tastes herby and quite pleasant. After a good nights sleep we feel good at the start of day1, but of course we have't done any hiking yet, just strolling about town. feeling good on day 1, bright sunny day with deep blue sky.

Arrival in cusco

What a relief to see a Peruvian man wearing a suit holding a sign with "Petra Koza" at the baggage claim. That was rubin the travel agent working with our charming hotel. Our assortment of luggage was rounded up we corralled into a mini van and off we went. Cusco was cloudy, many unfinished concrete houses, narrow cobbled streets, lots of construction, lots of beeping. Finally after 25 hours of travel we had arrived. Rubin gave us lots of good advice related to safety and will meet with us again so we can plan our post inca trail days.

Security screening at Lima airport

We had a long lay-over at Lima airport, going through security was interesting. There were several large containers with all the dangerous items that had been confiscated.

Lots of nice penknives, scissors and such.

Hanging out at Lima airport

The night flight was uneventful, a good first experience with LAN airlines, especially the dainty glass used to serve vino tinto.

We're taking keeping hydrating very seriously!

Once through check-in we found out that 1.5L of Evian was tres expensive.

And we're off!

Luggage is brimming over, it's the toilet paper, wipes, playing cards, bamboo shovel, crotchet and lots of underwear.

Getting Ready: The TRALPers go South

My vacation begins today, Pam still had to go to school this morning but Diane and Gwen are also getting ready..........it is a beautiful autumn New England Day, a chill in the air, blue sky, leaves just past their peak with lots of yellows and of course many leaves on the ground left to clear. I've vacuumed up a few amidst errands like the post office, coffee shop, gas station and now to finish packing.....

Who are the TRALPers?

Well, the TRALPers (Tuesday Running and Libation Professionals) are a very special bunch that have been meeting for almost 4 yours now every Tuesday, for a run, walk and/or beverage. We have an amazingly inspiring CEO a.k.a Sharon, our own logo and tshirt! More on that at another time.

Three of us TRALPers (Gwen, Diane and me) plus guest TRALPer Pamela are off to Peru tomorrow, where we'll meet my DD#2 who is spending a semester volunteering in Peru and we will start hiking the Inca Trail on Sunday October 28th (also my parent's 50th anniversary...a very special day). We have been planning, training and stressing for a few months now and tomorrow the big adventure begins. Tonight it's packing whilst enjoying a pretty good Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon. There have been many requests from DD#2...some I'm having a hard time finding...where is that purplish backpack? I've found 5 other backpacks.....and the elusive black zip-up, the tres expensive almond butter, the peanut butter, the special body lotion, the nutella, the origami books and papers, the maple syrup, English phrase book have all been packed, the case is almost full and I haven't packed any clothes apart from 8 pairs of smart wool socks, 4 for me and and 4 for DD#2.

look at that luxurious purple silk sleeping bag liner, surely that will be comfy on the Inca TrailFinal prep tomorrow, I think I may have solved the backpack for Ana problem.......that will be my overflow and hold the majority of my clothes.