Going to PERU ! - Her Story

Peru...a dream destination that was on our heavily populated Bucket List ... that came into our reality last December when Joanne attended a talk by Magda Cooper at the Isles Yacht Club.  It was about one of the most spectacular settings on earth - that the great Inca ruler Pachacuti built - that is known at Machu Picchu! 

Magda grew up in Peru and volunteered to take interested people on a tour of her beautiful country.  We immediately signed up to go on this unique opportunity with her and her husband, Ford.  Magda met Ford in Lima, Peru.  They both worked in the American Embassy when Ford was a young foreign service officer.  As we got to know them better, we realized how fortunate we were to travel with this remarkable couple.  They have a world view since they served in many diplomatic posts throughout South and Central America with an extended stint in Finland.

Landing in Peru's Capital City, Lima, and Flying to Cusco

With Ford and Madga

Only five hours in the air from Miami, we landed in Lima!  Magda's nephew and wife welcomed us there with an authentic cowboy hat for Richard and a Peruvian purse and pin for Joanne!  They took us on an open-air bus tour of Miraflores, a beautiful area and treated us to lunch in a lovely place overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean.  We then headed back to our hotel for rest before flying the next day to Cusco, the ancient Inca Capital City that is 11,000 ft elevation.  The city is located below the equator, thus, their seasons are opposite than ours here in Florida. September is the best time to visit because it is the tail end of the dry season before the rains come and beginning of Spring.  We found the weather to be quite comfortable - in the high 50's and 60's, sweater weather for sure!

Since we live at sea level, we obtained RXs for altitude pills to help us adjust to the thin air and high altitude.  We also drank many cups of their coca tea, a local remedy to aid in our adjustment.  We never were sick although we did drink only bottled water and avoided raw vegetables that were not peeled, e.g., lettuce.

The cuisine was delicious ... many grilled meats (beef, chicken, pork, lamb), vegetables (multiple varieties of potatoes, rice, beets, cauliflower, etc.) and yummy desserts (flan, cookies, cakes). We loved the home-made soups made with chicken and quinoa (a high protein grain). 

We tried the national cocktail of Peru, Pisco Sour (something like a Whiskey Sour)!  Yum!  Also, we had Chicha Morada, a non-alcoholic drink made from purple maize with some cinnamon and/or cloves mixed into it.  We like Inca Kola, sort of like a Cream Soda, and also Chicha, a beer-like drink.

Train Trip to Machu Picchu

After spending 2 days touring Cusco and the Sacred Valley, we boarded Peruvian Rail for a pleasant five hour ride to Aguas Calintes, the closest railstop to Machu Picchu (MP).  The travel guides and pictures simply do not do MP justice.  It is meant to be experienced in person to see the scope of the buildings and the magnificent scenery.  We stayed in the InkaTerra Resort, a gorgeous place, with nature tours provided and excellent food and service. 

In the late morning, we hopped on a bus for the winding drive up to the the ancient site.  On cue, the weather cleared and the sun shone as we scaled the paths up, up to admire the perfectly cut stone buildings that were engineered in the 1500s by the remarkable Incans.  There is no mortar between the huge stonework.  It is grooved to fit perfectly and it is mindblowing that they could create such masterpieces without modern tools and machinery. 

It is thought that Machu Picchu was built for use by the Incan

royalty and the most beautiful buildings constructed to honor the gods.  There was a beautiful serenity there and I especially enjoyed hiking up to the highest point, the Intiwatana Stone, where I said prayers for family members.  Of course, Miluska, our guide, did a terrific job explaining and answering our many questions.

Onto Lake Titicaca and the Uros People

Next on the agenda was a 7-hour bus ride over the highest mountain peak (14,500 ft) to Lake Titicaca.  The lake is HUGE...the size of the country of Belgium...and is the largest navigable high mountain (glacier-fed) lake in the world!

After spending a lovely night in our new hotel, we awoke and boarded a small boat.  We traveled through a check point to visit an ancient people, the Uros, who in the 1500's in order to avoid the Spanish Rule, hid on their boats on the lake.  Eventually, they built over 70 floating islands make of reeds that grow on the edge of the water.   The islands are about the size of football fields; approximately, 20 members of extended families live on each of them in reed huts.  They paddle reed-built boats to catch fish and to travel around and even eat the reeds! 

This was the most amazing part of the entire trip!  These people live a primitive life that is unknown to us in the modern world.  They graciously invited us into their little huts and dressed us in their traditional costumes.  They sang songs in their language and took us for a ride on their reed boats.  We were so touched by their sincerity and kindness.

Full Circle back to Lima by Air

We flew back the next day to Lima for a lovely city tour of fabulous churches and museums.  The 8 days had flown by and we sadly bid goodbye to the other 8 members of our tour group.

Before we left, the group discussed some of their favorite moments.  Here are some of them...

• The  Uros People and their habitat on Lake Titicaca ..it was like being on a National Geographic Special of amazing ancient cultures!
• The awe inspiring site of Machu Picchu, a wonder of the world
• The friendly Peruvian People and guides
• The magnificent Andean vistas
• Lovely markets featuring silver, handwoven Alpaca sweaters and rugs   .... and last but NOT Least
• Magda and Ford Cooper, who educated and entertained us with their extensive knowledge of Peruvian and South American politics, customs and traditions.  Thanks so much!!