Macchu Picchu

I've had Machu Picchu on my bucket list for the last 20+ years.  It was the big reason that we travelled all the way to Peru.

 

The adventure started with a  ride on a glass topped train alongside the Urubamba river to the city of Aguas Calientes. 

 

 

We then boarded a bus for a very scary drive up the mountain to the actual Machu Picchu archaeological site

And there she is....my first sight of Machu Picchu - one of the 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.  It was very overwhelming to finally be there

Many tourist buses zip up and down those switchback roads all day long - the scariest bus ride that I have ever done! 

It was such an overwhelming day that was both fabulous and disappointing.  I loved being there but there were just too many tourists, and the tourist police refused to let us sit down and just take it all in.  We were rushed through the site in about 3 hours with no time to pause, to breathe and reflect on the magnificence of Machu Picchu.

Sacred Valley, Peru

From Cusco, we travelled through the Sacred Valley by private coach - it was gorgeous!

The shopping in Pisac Market was fabulous, the last bit of really good shopping on our trip.  We bought more table runners and a few water-colour paintings from the local artists.  Leonie always carries a tape measure around with her (so clever!); here she's measuring the shoulders of a shirt to see if it will fit one of her grandsons

This is Cuy - guinea pig, a Peruvian delicacy.  We tried most things in Peru but not Cuy!

We visited Ollantaytambo, an Incan military, religious, and agricultural center located at the top of a mountain. From the perspective of the archaeological site, you will look down upon the town of the same name and see its incredibly narrow streets and canals that have not changed since the Incas constructed them.

We climbed zillions of stairs and walked a LOT while in Peru 

The lunch stop was pretty, the food not so good; Leonie was fascinated by the hostess in the pink outfit and big hat

This lady was crocheting a very intricate pattern in very thin cotton; the hand crafts in Peru are fantastic 

We overnighted at Casa Andina Private Collection Sacred Valley...those mountains are incredible!

 Inca Cola apparently outsells Coca Cola in Peru.  I don't really drink cooldrinks so I didn't love it but glad we tasted it.  It tasted a bit like a combination of fruit, cream soda and bubblegum!

 

Hello Cusco

We flew from the Amazon to Cusco, and spent a few days acclimatizing to the high altitude.

We stayed at the fabulous Palacio del Inca Hotel in the center of Cusco. 

The hotel provides free coca tea which helps with altitude sickness.   We drank a few cups of the herbal tea, but we didn't really need it - Johannesburg is at high altitude, so we were fine with the high altitude in Cusco.  We got a bit out of breath when we walked up stairs, but otherwise, we were fine.

Buying alpaca wool; we should have bought lots more!

 

After a morning of shopping, we did a half day excursion with Condor Travel - it was excellent.

Visiting Saqsaywaman just outside of Cusco

And then we visited Qenqo

I Looove those table runners; I bought a few, but should have bought a lot more!  The best handcrafted items like this are found in Cusco and the Sacred Valley.  As our trip progressed, we found less and less indigenous handcrafted items that we liked, and more touristy rubbish on sale.