Chalaca68

Early Tuesday 09/01/09 we showed up at the airport on time to check-in, go through security, and wait for the flight to depart. When we got to LAN’s counter, we were told that our 10:40am flight had been discontinued more than THREE MONTHS AGO. Simple question: When were they planning on letting us know? The counter lady said that because we hadn’t provided a Lima phone number at the time of our on-line ticket purchase, LAN didn’t have a way to get in touch with us. I then pointed out the obvious: They had my e-mail address, which I had provided at the time of the purchase and where LAN had sent the ticket confirmations. Besides, e-mail is accessible from anywhere in the world and why, oh why, hadn’t we been told of the flight cancellation ... read more

Sunday morning 08/30/09 we got up and got ready to be picked up, but Monica and Beto were running a bit late. Being low on cash, we decided to kill time by going to the nearest ATM, get dollars, and exchange them with a “Cambista,” a man or woman who wears a bright vest with a big “$” in the back to indicate that he/she exchanges money (dollars/euros/soles), right there on the street. They usually stand near the entrance to a bank or ATMs, and because cops are always stationed outside banks and ATMs, it’s normally a safe transaction. Besides, Cambistas give you the best rates, better than banks, exchange houses, or ATMs (if you get Soles). With this done, we met up with Monica and Beto and headed over to El Farolito in the district ... read more

Friday 08/28/09 we got up as late as we could to still be able to get breakfast at the Inkarri’s café. Then, we walked over to the Qoricancha, or Gold Courtyard, the most important Inca temple in Cuzco, dedicated to the adoration of the supreme Inca god, the Inti (Sun). Qoricancha is also said to have been the Inca’s main residence (Cuzco was the capital of the Inca Empire), as the Inca was a demi-god. Cuzco, or Qosqo, means “The navel of the world” and Qoricancha is at its center. Both are World Heritage sites. The Incas were very knowledgeable in regards to the natural rhythms of nature: Sunrise, sunset, solstice, seasons. They studied the sun, the moon, the stars. They incorporated this cosmology into their religious beliefs. Within Qoricancha, there were individual temples dedicated to ... read more

On Wednesday 08/26/09, we got up and headed down for breakfast, checked out (the hotel would hold our bags), and headed back up to Machu Picchu. It was more crowded than the previous afternoon; the bulk of visitors are there through noon. We explored the city at our leisure, going into houses, rooms, ceremonial chambers, looking down at the plazas, and just admiring the place. Around 11am, we headed over to the Inca Bridge, located past the Guard’s Gatehouse. On the way, we stopped at a terrace, with some trees and rocks, perfect place for a break or a picnic. It also turned out to be a perfect picture spot and where we could get a vantage point of Huayna Picchu. We could have spent all day there! We were using our binoculars to see the ... read more

On Monday 08/24/09 we got up and headed to the hotel’s dining room for breakfast. We had Andean cereal mixed with papaya and yogurt, eggs, bread, butter, strawberry jam, juice, coffee…a pretty good spread. We were supposed to meet up with Percy at 9am but Cathy wasn’t feeling very well (altitude sickness), so it took us a bit to get going waiting for the anti-altitude sickness pills to take effect. The city tour included Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Pucapucara, and Qenqo and would last ½ day. On the way to Sacsayhuaman, we stopped at an outlook, where one can see the entire city of Cuzco, capital of the Inca Empire (1200s to 1532). In the distance, the snowcapped mountain Ausangati rises to 6,380 meters (21,000 feet) above sea level. Our first stop, Sacsayhuaman, is an impressive Inca complex ... read more