Peru 2009

In early 2009 we received a phone call from Australia. It was the Dowds asking if we were interested in a little trip; to Peru! So in November the Dowds arrived in the US with a plan for our trip. We boarded a plane for Miami and the transferred to a plane leaving for Lima, Peru. We arrived in Lima and were met by a guide who took us to a hotel in the Miraflores section of the city where we got a few hours sleep followed by a quick lunch and a trip back to the airport to fly to Cusco and then on to Juiliaca, where we were picked up for a drive to Puno on Lake Titicaca at nearly 13,000 feet altitude.

On the drive to Puno we were taken to a place called Sillustani where there was a small village of traditional huts and a hike up to an even higher altitude to see the cylindrical Inca burial tombs and a view of the sunset over the Laguna Umayo. The next day in Puno we took a boat ride out onto Lake Titicaca where we visited the Grass Islands and Taquile Island. The third day we boarded a bus for the long trip over the 14,000 foot pass and down to Cusco. From Cusco we took a day trip into the Sacred Valley where we visited Pisac, Ollantapytambo, and finally the weaving village of Chinchero.

We then took a train to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu Ciudad del Mundu. We took the bus up the steep, narrow, multi-switchback road from the town to Machu Picchu. After one overnight in Aguas Calientes we returned by train to Cusco. We spent a day exploring Cusco including a guinea pig dinner. While the meat was good tasting and well-prepared, there was not much to it except an unusual, for us, experience.

Day 1: Arrive in Lima, fly to Juliaca, Sillustani, Puno

When we arrived in Lima it was the wee hours of the morning so we were met by a guide who took us to hotel in the Miraflores district where we could get a few hours of sleep. We got up to have lunch at a local restaurant and then were picked up by our transport to go back to the airport for our flight to Juliaca that stopped on the was in Cusco. The picture of the moneychangers was taken from our hotel window. It seems to be an unusual quirk of Lima that when you want to exchange foreign money you can do so on the street with a guard there with him. On the way to the airport we were driven down to the Pacific Ocean and then along the Ocean Road and back up to the airport for our flight.

We arrived in Juliaca to a small airport with a decorated baggage claim and an Andean band serenading the arriving flights. We were on our way to Puno where we were to stay for our Lake Titicaca adventure. The drive out of Juliaca was a busy narrow street with vendors selling a large variety of foods including the Peruvian specialty-guinea pic. We drove through this street and I took as many pictures as I could of the business and the vendors befor we came out on to the highway to the small village called Sillustani. There we climbed upward from our already high altitude of 12,800 feet by another several hundred feet, which was very demanding since we had just arrived from sea level in Lima. We arrived on the top of hill to view the Chullpas or burial tombs of the Incan royaly. They were cylindrical constructions of extremely close fitting rocks, which seemed to be a feature of ancient Incan architecture. From the top we could not only see the tombs close up but watched the sun set over Lake Umayo before coming down and going to our hotel in Puno.


Street Money Changers in Lima	Lima Road to the Ocean


Ocean Road in Lima	Road to Lima Airport


Over the Mountains to Juliaca	Flight to Juliaca


Arrival at Juliaca Airport	Music at Juliaca Airport


Juliaca Aiport Baggage Claim	Juliaca Street Vendor Potatoes


Julica Street Vendor Guinea Pigs	Juliaca Street Vendor Fruit


Sillustani Village Homes	Sillustani Burial Tower


Shirley and Trish Honoring the Burial Tower	Sillustani Stonework


Sillustani Burial Towers	Sunset Over Lake Umayo

Day 2: Lake Titicaca, grass islands, Taquile

On day 2 we woke up in Puno and headed down to Lake Titicaca for our boatride adventure. We headed out onto the lake located at altitude of 12,500 feet. One of the first features of the lake was the section with acres and acres of reeds. There was a whole group of Incas who at one time were driven to the lake by opposing forces and figured out how to weave the very coarse reeds into floating islands with reed houses and boats and lookout towers. It is an an amazing sight to see these many islands that still exist today with thousands of residents. On the way out we saw severarl reed-gather boats loaded to the gills. We stopped on an island where we were greeted by the Head Man (the Pachamama) and several residents who were engaged in weaving activities. We didn't see the actual weaving of island territory but we did take a short ride on a reed boat to a nearby island. I also noted one reed house with solar panels on the roof.

After the reed island we headed out to a real rock and dirt island called Taquile. There our boat pulled up beside a series of other boats that were linked to each other with the closest one docked at the pier. To disembark you walked from on boat to another stepping over the side of each until you reached the one at the pier. We then hiked, very slowly up the steep hill of the island where we were treated to an outdoor meal of local favorites. I don't particularly remember what the meal was but I am pretty sure that it was heavy on fish dishes. We hiked around the top of the island a little before we passed through a stone portal to begin the descent along a steep winding path on the rocky island.

One of the noticeable things about Lake Titicaca was the seeming constant prescence of interesting high cloud structures that can be seen in many of the photographs. On the way back to Puno a storm sprung up and the waves on the lake got quite high and began tossing the small boat about. The pilot of the boat seemed somewhere between sleepy and drunk. I think that we were all a little fearful that we were going to end our lives there, but we did get back or I wouldn't be writing this.


Clouds Over Lake Titicaca	Gathering Reeds on Lake Titicaca


Reeds on Lake Titicaca	Floating Grass Island


The Pachamama	Showing Weaving Done on the Island


Grass Boat	Grass Island with Houses


Grass Island House with Solar Panel	Grass Islands


Arrival at Taquile Island	Taquile View


Stone Arch on Taquile Island	Taquile Lunch


Gordon, Trish, Shirley, and Rich on Taquile Island	Taquile View


Cantatu Inca Sacred Flower	Taquile Trees on Hillside

Day 3: Bus to Cusco

On day 3 we went down to the bus station in Puno to catch the overland through the Altiplano, over La Raya pass and down into Cusco at a lower altitude under 8,000 feet. As we pulled out of Puno we climbed away from Lake Titicaca onto the flat plain of the Altiplano at about 13,000 feet above sea level. The plain is surrounded by mountain ranges that rise up to 18,000 to 20,000 feet. I looks a little like the central Colorado plateau at twice the altitude. On the way we went through the village of Pucara and eventually climbed to the top of La Raya Pass at over 14,000 feet. At the pass was a sort of flea market of woven goods and locals in traditional dress with their llamas and goats. From the pass we began the descent towards Cusco with a stop at Wiraqucha to see some impressive ancient ruins.


Puno Bus Station	Hillside Cross Leaving Puno


Looking Down on Titicaca Climbing out of Puno	Small Service Station on Road out of Puno


Political Campaign Sign	Long Road Across the Altiplano


Pucara	Pucara


Selling Fruit in Pucara	Church Interior Pucara


Pucaro Statues	Altiplano View


La Raya Pass Woman with Llamas	La Raya pass Goods for Sale


La Raya Sign and Goods for Sale	Leaving La Raya down to Cusco


Mural on Road to Cusco	Musician at Wiraqucha


Wiraqucha	Trish Shopping at Wiraqucha


Wiraqucha Wall	Wiraqucha Wall

Day 4: Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero

We were now based in Cusco, the capital of the ancient Incan empire. On our first day (fourth overall) we took a bus trip to a variety of interesting locations in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We paused on a curve in the road to take pictures looking down upon the length of the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was the town of Pisac in which there was a festival with pretty much the whole town out and lots of dancers in traditional costumes. We then drove further down the road in the valley and stopped at the Restaurante Tunupa for a sumptuous lunch and a wander in the gardens down to the Urubamba River that runs through the valley. A little boy was fascinated with my small camera and I handed it to him. He pretended that he was taking a picture but never pushed the button.

We then proceeded to Ollantaytambo near the end of the valley. Above the town were gargantuan tiered plateaus with rock faces that dominate the entire landscape. Across from these were graneries carved into the rock looking like some sort of artistic fantasy. We climbed, well Gordon and I, to the top where our guide showed us more of the intricate Incan rock work and we could look over the entire valley.

On our way back we went up a different road and stopped at the village of Chinchero to see demontrations of dying and weaving the extremely colorful clothes of the traditional natives of the area. Toward sunset we set off back to Cusco for the night.


Girl with Llamas	Trish and Shirley Overlooking the Sacred Valley


Llama Eating	Hillside above Sacred Valley


View of Sacred Valley	Rich at Sacred Valley


Pisac Celebration	Pisac Dancers


Restaurante Tunupa Gate	Restaurante Tunupa


Restaurante Tunupa Dining Room	Restaurante Tunupa Boy with Camera


Ollantaytambo Cacti	Ollantaytambo Guide


Across the Valley from Ollantaytambo	Ollantaytambo Terraces


Ollantaytambo Terraces	Ollantaytambo Stonework


Road to Chinchero	Dying Wool in Chinchero


Chinchero Weaver	Chinchero Wool


Shopping in Chinchero	Chinchero Sunset

Day 5: Train to Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu

On the fifth day we again began in Cusco and this time took the train, Peru Rail, down the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes where we checked into a hotel overlooking the train tracks and immediately went to the starting point for the buses up the steep switchback road to Machu Picchu, the highlight of any trip to Peru. Machu Picchu is another example of incredible Incan stonework. But it is much more than that sitting atop a steep mountain peak above a bend in the Urubamba River. In the early hours it is in clouds seeming to rise from the valley below. As the day goes on the clouds rise above and the sun begins to shine. We spent our first couple of hours touring the site with a guide while wearing colorful rain coverings and umbrellas. After our tour we climbed a little higher onto the site to look down on the sun-drenched afternoon.


Machu Picchu Bus	Machu Piccu View of Urubamba River


Morning Clouds over Machu Picchu	Morning Clouds over Machu Picchu


Machu Picchu View	Machu Picchu Steep Hillside


Machu Picchu Structures	Dowds at Machu Picchu


Machu Picchu Walkway with Clouds	Machu Picchu Terraces


Machu Picchu In the Rain	Machu Picchu Window


Bridge over Urubamba River	Tree at Machu Picchu


Climbing Machu Picchu	Many Steps at Machu Picchu


The Sun comes out at Machu Picchu	Shirley Enjoying the Sun at Machu Picchu

Llama on Machu Picchu

Day 6: Aguas Calientes

After our tour of Machu Picchu we went back to our hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes. The hotel was located on the railroad tracks with a sidewalk on either side but no actual street. We could open the window of our room and practically touch the train as it rolled down the tracks. The next day in Aguas we went down to the River Urubamba to see the turbulent, rushing, muddy river. We went across a creek into town where there was a market that was make up of outdoor shops that had corrugated iron roofs that were at various angles forming a piecemeal overall roof. Construction was going on along the creek that ran into the Urubamba with streams of workmen pushing wheelbarrows up a slope. We observed a worker leaving the market carrying a full-sized refrigerator on his back. I the afternoon we reboarded the train and headed back to Cusco.


Hotel "Street"	Creek in Aguas Calientes


Train from our Hotel Window	Train Street by Hotel


Train Street	Urubamba with Hotel in Background


Urubamba	Dowds by the Urubamba


Rampaging Urubamba	Train Street


Aguas Calientes Market	Aguas Calientes Construction


Carrying a Refrigerator	Aguas Calientes Town Square with Statues


Back on the Train	Entertainer on the Train

Days 7 & 8: Cusco

On days 7 and 8 we settled into our hotel in Cusco and began touring the local area. The hotel was located just off the Plaza de Armas on which one could see the cathedral, Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, and the Church of the Society of Jesus. I remember touring the Church and the Cathedral and finding out that the Spanish conquerors had local artists painting many of the details of the religious murals and that many had inserted interesting small tokens to their previous religion apparently unnoticed by the Spanish.

We went out to a location near the city called Saqsayhuamán (Sexy Woman in mis-pronounced English). Also spelled Saqsaywaman depending on source. It was apparently built in the 1400s out of large stone closely fitted together as a fort outside of Cusco by the Emporer Pachacuti. The fitting of stones without any kind of cement is yet another example of Incan stone architecture. After Saqsayhuamán we came back to Cusco and did some walking about neighborhoods near the city center and went for a dinner of the local speciality, roasted guinea pig. It was a tasty but soe what spare on the meat dinner. Our trip was to be capped off the next day by going back to spend a day exploring Lima.


Tile Roofs Outside our Hotel	Tile Roofs of Cusco


Plaza de Armas Cusco	Plaza de Armas Cusco


Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (Cusco Cathedral)	Cathedral Doors


Cusco Cathedral	Cusco Shrine


Saqsaywaman Sign	Saqsaywaman Stonework


Saqsaywaman	Saqsaywaman


Saqsaywaman	Shirley at Saqsaywaman


Saqsaywaman	Cusco Restaurante


Cusco Neighborhood	Cusco Gateway

Day 9: Back to Lima, Birthday Dinner

Day 9 we flew back to Lima to spend a day touring the town, particularly an area around the historic city center including the Basílica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima and the Municipal Palace. Among many other things we saw band marching through the streets and many cite around the Plaza de Armas de Lima. We finished the tour by visiting the Parque del Amor on the coast in the city where we saw the statue of "The Kiss" and the red cow.

That evening, November 22, 2009 we went to the restaurant, La Rosa Nautica, located on a pier jutting out into the Pacific Ocean to celebrate my 68th birthday. It was an incredible site with wonderful seafood dishes.


Arriving in Lima: A Czech VIP?	Plaza de Armas, Lima


Lima Basilica	Another View of Basilica


Lima Basilica Interior Artwork	Basilica Dome with Birds


Facade of Lima Municipal Palace	Marching Band in Lima Streets


Photographing in Front of Basilica	Street Art Sale


Lima Doorway	Lima Doorway


Presidencia Seal on Building	Cow Statue in Parque del Amor


At Parque del Amore	"The Kiss"


Restaurante La Rosa Náutica	Restaurante La Rosa Náutica


Dinner at Restaurante La Rosa Náutica	Sunset at Restaurante La Rosa Náutica

Sumptuous Seafood Banquet at La Rosa Náutica

And thus ended one the most exotic trips of our life