Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos and Machu Picchu trip - Lima, Peru to Cusco to The Sacred Valley of the Incas
This morning began at zero-dark-thirty as we had to be up, have our bags outside our room by 6:30, get breakfast, and be on the bus by 7:00. As expected, Lima traffic was nuts but we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
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| Since Lima is the Capital of Peru, there are lots of embassies here (and casinos - not sure if they're connected) |
I have to hand it to Celebrity. Our guide for this week, Jenny, is terrific and is doing a wonderful job of herding us around. She had porters ready to schlep the luggage for everyone, gave us our luggage tags and boarding passes, escorted us past the long lines, and explained that passengers over 60 (that's all of us) qualify in Peru for express treatment. That meant we got to skip the line at security, and we got to board the aircraft first. Nice.
The airport was an absolute zoo.
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| It was like organized chaos but without the organizing |
Jenny had warned us that our gate would likely change. It did. Twice. We arrived at the airport and were scheduled for gate #9. Then, it changed to gate #11. Then, it changed back to gate #9. Boarding happened late, we pushed back late, we sat on the tarmac, and finally launched an hour late. Yea, Latam Airlines. There were three separate flights from Lima to Cusco leaving from three separate gates in the same area all within 45 minutes or so. It was crazy.
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| Me, taking full advantage of our time on the tarmac |
The one-hour flight was fine. Shortly after takeoff, we started crossing the Andes. The Andes is extremely long. Geologically, the Rockies in the US are an extension of the Andes - they are that long.
Let me address Cuzco versus Cusco. I had been spelling it Cuzco as that is how it was printed in the Celebrity paperwork. But, looking on maps, I have seen it as Cusco so I Googled it. Cusco is now the preferred spelling in Peru, so I will write Cusco from here on.
We arrived in Cusco with an extremely fast and full-flap landing. At just over 11,000 feet, the air is very thin, producing less lift on the wings than at sea level. Therefore, flaps and speed are used to compensate and produce the necessary lift to keep flying. This meant hard braking and full reverse thrust as soon as we touched down. Even with all that, it was an uneventful flight, and that is always good.
The airport in Cusco was small and crowded with long lines for the restrooms, regardless of gender. We retrieved our luggage, porters grabbed it all, and Jenny took us to our waiting bus and local guide, Kol. We departed the airport and headed northeast toward The Sacred Valley of the Incas.
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| Leaving the airport |
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| Looking down at Cusco |
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| The White Christ - a mini Christ the Redeemer, and a protector of Cusco |
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| Alpacas along the way |
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| We drove up past 12,000 feet through a eucalyptus forest before starting our descent into the Sacred Valley |
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| No idea what this was but you can see a building behind made from sun-dried mud bricks - still a popular construction method today |
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| Like in Lima, there are archeological sites here |
We made a stop at Hotel Altar Inca for a "technical stop" (read: bathroom break). It overlooks the Sacred Valley and was an amazingly picturesque place to stop.
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| The river you can see at the top actually flows into the Amazon, so the water here eventually makes its way to the Atlantic |
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| There were a few daring photo spots - Arlona opted for the wings |
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| Our friend Pat was more daring, walking out to the palm for a photo |
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| She crawled back :-) |
We continued our descent into the Valley, passing through several small towns along the way.
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| Tuk-tuks are the preferred taxis in these small towns |
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| Like Ecuador, Guinea Pigs are a delicacy here - this town has lots of statues honoring them |
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| They also had many vendors who cooked them on sticks |
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| Incas respected and honored the puma - here is a statue of one |
We continued on, arriving at Hacienda Huayoccari (
https://haciendahuayoccari.com/). It is a ranch, a museum, gardens, and a restaurant. It was stunning.
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| Fresh lemonade was waiting when we arrived |
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| A potato and chili sauce snack |
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| Appetizers - everything was really fresh |
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| Main courses - chicken, fish, beef, and more |
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| Several dessert choices |
After lunch, we had a few minutes to tour the grounds.
The indicators for the correct side of the restrooms were less interesting, but perhaps initially more clear than yesterday's
After lunch, we continued to our hotel which will be home tonight and tomorrow night.
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| There are a lot of tuk-tuks here in various styles |
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| All the hotels have been part of Mariott Bonvoy so they must partner with Celebrity |
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| They had a couple of small alpacas out front |
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| Alpaca selfies |
We took a short walk across the street to the markets.
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| The main market was filled with fresh food |
We wandered around a bit, walking through some of the shopping areas. It was geared more toward locals than tourists and featured many barbers and dentists. It was interesting to see a convenience store, then a dentist right next door, a shoe store, and another dentist.
We walked back to the hotel and relaxed a bit. We had dinner available but we didn't want a big meal. At the last hotel, the meals were all fixed and only offered heavy choices. We checked it out and at this hotel, we could order from the main menu. They had a nice Hawaiian personal pizza that we decided to split and it was perfect. It tasted good and was just the right size for something light. We also opted for the Snickers sundae. I mean, we're not crazy.
We also tried the muña tea. They have two natural remedies for altitude sickness. The first is coca. You can chew the leaves directly or brew tea with the leaves. It is not recommended after 5 PM as it also has the same effect as drinking a Red Bull. The other is muña. Muña is a mint-like Peruvian medicinal plant that can be brewed into a mint-like tea. Unlike coca, it doesn't act as a stimulant but does help alleviate altitude sickness symptoms. With a little sugar, the tea wasn't bad. I'm hoping it helps me ease into the altitude.
Here in Urabamba, Peru, we are at 9,400 feet, or nearly 3,000 feet lower than our highest elevation of today on the drive from the airport in Cusco. Spending a couple of days here should help ease us into our two days in Cusco at 11,100 feet later this week.
We have a full day touring tomorrow so time to get a full night's sleep tonight.
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