I really hope the third time if the charm!!! I’ve typed out three great emails in the last week and lost them all!!! So, here goes one more try.

Jo and I arrived in Lima last Tuesday afternoon. As we landed we had only a vague plan of where we going and NO reservations. Our first stop, after collecting our luggage, was the tourist desk where a great lady got us a room for the night, then we began discussing train tickets and the like. She hooked us up with a travel agent who met us at our hotel later that afternoon.

We spend a couple of hours running around the Mira Flores area of Lima.

At 4:45 the next morning we were rushed through the seedier parts of Lima to the airport. What struck me was the enormous difference in social class. Those in the upper class lived in relatively well-kept buildings made from stone or cement. The lower classes lived in makeshift houses made from irregularly shaped mud blocks. Unreal!

So, we arrived in Cusco about 7 a.m. As we disembarked from the plane, the breath was literally sucked from our lungs. We had gone from sea level to 11,155 feet. I was slowed to a near crawl to navigate simple pathways, steps were another thing completely! Fortunately there was a taxi waiting for us.

We arrived at he hotel I’d chosen…The Sacred Convent! They had a room and after a look at our faces they ushered us quickly up to it. Half and hour later, there was a knock at the door. A sweet little man stood with a tray carrying two steaming cups of Mate do Coca (tea Coca leaves)! While I was determined to refuse this brew, it has turned out to be a live saver!!! It helps you adjust to altitude and there are no noticable side effects…..so far!

Cusco is an interesting city! A little on the dirty side of things, but interesting! After seeing some of the local archeological sites, what I’ve found amazing is how much community order and technology has been lost! It’s difficult to comprehend how advanced previous generations of construction and order are compared to the present. The rock walls, carvings and general architecture I’ve seen is mind-blowing!!

Thursday was a tour of the Sacred Valley. Quechua (the people the Incas ruled) believe mountains to be gods and this valley is hemmed in by towering peaks, some with snow. At the highest point in the road, we were up above 13,000 feet.

The tour stopped along the road for photo ops of the valley and general accosting from children trying to get you to buy something or take a photo of them for money. The first real stop was in a typical village (complete with tourist market); then on to another town, Pisaq (complete with another tourist market!); the third stop was Ollantaytambo, my first ruins. We had a pretty good guide, but some of the stories were  a little difficult to believe!

Friday and Saturday were spent in Machu Picchu. The trip took about five hours by train and finally bus. Our guide immediately took us up a steep path to the original Inca trail so we could enter the city as the Incas had. The tour was crowded, but full of incredible information! The site itself should be on everyone’s top 20 things to see before they die!!!

Because we overnighted in Aqua Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu, Jo and I were able to have a few extra hours to just hang out on top of the mountain with almost no other visitors. I sat on a rock overlooking the site and just soaked it in.

That evening was the must-do trip to the natural hot springs. It was exactly what the doctor ordered after hiking around the site all day.

The next day we went back to Machu Picchu. This day was tougher as my legs were just about dead from the day before. But….th that as it may, a 500 meter climb awaited. The mountain is called Huaya Picchu or “young mountain”. Near the top is an outlook station. The views from here were worth the climb, but I’m going to be paying for it for a while!!! The trail was carved into the side of the nearly vertical mountain. Ropes had been placed in some of the more extreme parts. The vista left me breathless. If going to that point had been all I’d done on this trip, it would be enough!!! The trip back down left a little to be desired as it was raining like crazy and we were going down rocky slopes.

Today we took a horseback tour of four local ruins. Our guide walked along behind us which should give you an idea of how fast we were going! 🙂  The great thing was the countryside you got to see. It was like getting a behind-the-scenes tour. The first site we stopped at was fairly nondescript until the park ranger showed us photos. The Quechuans had carved the rocks to cast shadows of pumas and other animals when the sun rises on exact days….like December 3. Unreal!!!

The lat site in my mind was by far the most incredible!!! Saqsaywaman was a fortress The massive stones rival those of the pyramids. The seams after some 400 years of neglect and still so tight you cannot get a credit card between them. I’ve got nearly a roll of photos from this site alone!!!

We leave tomorrow for an 11 hour train ride to Puno with two days on Lake Titicaca. Next Thursday we’ll fly to Lima and then on to Quito, Ecuador on Friday.