My first posting was about our first blogable trip. This is our last major trip. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did. We learn by traveling. Although I may not be an expert on any place that I have been it is in the traveling that I begin my education.
Peru and Ecuador
Finally got the last stuff into our two checked bags, two personal items and one carry on about ten minutes before Sandy and Gary came to pick us up. As they were pulling up I was putting out the trash and turning off the water to the house and water heater. I went in to tell Dusty they had arrived and was met with unhappiness at having turned off the water as she came out of the bathroom. Half a bottled water got the hands washed and we loaded the car for our 5:45 trip to the Tampa airport. Oops. Forgot the Mothers Day card for Dusty’s mom and made a quick pitstop for that.
Sandy asked Gary to let me drive their car and he kindly agreed. Took me one hour and fifteen minutes to get there. I got a message two hours later that she had gotten back in time to work the office.
Seats 13D and 13F. No problem. Arriving at Gate D13 in Miami. No problem. As one of the last to board we were told we had to check our one carryon bag and trust that all three would make it to Peru.
Fortunately we left on time and got to Miami early for a short layover. Unfortunately they had trouble getting the air bridge out to our plane. Fortunately our departing flight was in the same terminal as our arrival. Unfortunately it was at the opposite end.
Arrival in Lima was fine. Customs told us men to the left and women to the right. When I stopped to give Dusty her paperwork they said we could stay together. Yay! A few minutes of looking at our passports and asking some questions and we were on our way. Later noticed no stamps in them. What’s the point of getting extra pages if you don’t get a bunch of stamps?
Bags came out in time and we looked for our guide. No show. Looked around. Not there. Reread the itinerary and see our hotel is across the street, so off we go on foot with bags in tow.
Another guide from our group, Vaya, overheard our situation and sent out a message to locate our guide. About five minutes later he showed up an introduced himself as Inti. He would assist us the next day to get checked in for our flight to Cusco.
The room was fine, but simple. Out our fourth floor window we looked directly across at the entrance to the airport and control tower.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant was beef two ways and was as nice as any stateside restaurant meal we had in the past two years at half the price. Our first pisco sours were like a margarita with a hint of brandy topped with a little egg white froth.
An early morning with a generous buffet and omelette station had us fueled up to finish flying and start traveling. Inti met us to take our bags and inform us of a little change in plans.
Apparently there were protests in Cusco that might impact our transportation. He gave us a contact number for local assistance in case we needed to take the police bus out of the airport to meet up with our driver at the public square outside of the airport. This is part of the reason we booked through a large travel group instead of doing myself like I usually have.
Sat in Premium Economy for our one hour flight from Lima to Cusco. Dusty had a row 2 window seat. Row one in front of her was open and the flight attendant said I could sit there if I wanted to.
The change on landscape was amazing. Arid coastal ranges grew in height as we moved inland towards the Andes mountains. The colors shifted from sandy light brown to pale green as the land got touches of water. As the land got greener flashes of snow covered peaks appeared on the horizon and streams and ponds began to attract homes and villages beneath us. Eventually the mountains were above our plane as we descended into the airport.
Knowing I’ve had problems with nasty headaches at high altitude I opted to take an acetaminophen shortly before we landed. The airport was nearly 11,000 feet.
We gathered our luggage in the usual way and went out to find we had no driver waiting. The police had closed all entrance to the airport to keep protesters from causing chaos. I pulled out my phone and activated roaming for the Peru phone carriers. Then I followed our morning instructions and pulled out the phone number and made the call as an officer attempted to assist. Soon the officer was yelling at the person on the other end and they yelled back and hung up. Crap.
Others were walking out the gate to the street 100 yards away and Dusty said we should go too. I chose to open our instructions from the tour group and find the local contact for Peru. After a brief discussion without police assistance I was advised to go out the front gate and to the right to meet our driver and guide. To avoid any confusion I asked his name. Juan Carlos would be our guide. Yep. Dusty was right. But so was I.
We were met with a smile behind a mask, help with Dusty’s luggage, some bottled water and snacks. Good start. We were told there was a change in plans due to protesters blocking roads and we would visit sites planned for later in our trip.
Instead of going to a lower elevation to get acclimated at 8000 feet we were going up to 12,000 feet to a couple of Inca sites. Puka Pukara was our first stop and we were met by women selling hats and woven goods of all kinds. We passed on any purchases, but realized we would be needing our hats and sunscreen on a clear day at this elevation. We only spent about twenty minutes there. What harm?
Our first view of the Incan stonework at Puka Pukara was as impressive as the fresh clear air and beautiful views from the site. Serious. Historical. Very impressive.
Next stop commercial cuteness. Llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, guanacos and the opportunity to buy stuff made from their fur. Dozens of each kind of critter of all ages roaming around with lots of chances to take pictures and spend money. We had the opportunity to see crafts being created literally from the wool to the finished product. Took pictures, spent no money.
And that is the first half our first day of actual travel in Peru. So far... Lovin' it.
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