We´ve completed the gringo trail and, back in Lima, have an easy day before we fly home. It´s been a busy month and tours begin early in Peru. I have to say that breakfast tastes much better at 10 a.m. than 5 a.m. Yesterday we toured the convent of Santa Catalina, a city within cities where the nuns, traditionally second daughters from wealthy Spanish families, were allowed up to three servants. They could invite musicians, have parties and generally live it up until 1871 when Pope Pius IX sent a strict Dominican nun to sort them out. Now the remaining twenty [View Full Entry]

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During the 30-minute flight from Puno to Arequipa we had an excellent view of the Chachani volcano, one of several that surround the white city of Arequipa. This second largest city of Peru is the home of the Museo Sanctuary where Juanita the ice maiden rests. This Inca princess was sacrificed on the summit of the Ampato volcano over 500 years ago and her frozen remains were discovered in 1995. En route to the Colca Canyon we drove through herds of llama, aplaca and vicuna (all members of the camelid family) roaming safely in the national reserve of Salinas and Aguada [View Full Entry]

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It was a beautiful sunny day when we left Cusco for Puno. Our bus stopped at several points of interest including the remains of the largest known Inca temple at Raqchi, and the museum at La Raya where we saw stone statues of The Decapitator with the head of the priviledged sacrificee in his left hand. With stops for lunch, an old colonial (Spanish) church, photograph opportunities and just enough time to purchase two alpaca skin rugs, it took ten hours to reach Puno. As we gradually left the lush and fertile sacred valley and climbed into the Andean highlands (4300m), [View Full Entry]

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Hardy souls can experience THE Inca trail (although in actual fact there are over 40,000 kms of trails all branching out from Cusco) with a four-day gruelling trudge, sleeping in gravel campsites and being eaten alive by silent bugs. We decided the one-day hike into Machu Picchu, staying at the Inkaterra hotel, would be more our style. On request, the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu will stop at the 104 km. point where passengers can get off and cross the Urubamba River to the trail check point at Chachabamba (2120m). After a three-hour climb overlooking the river below we arrived [View Full Entry]

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Sitting in a small restaurant at lunchtime, looking through open windows to Cusco´s main square, I really felt as though I was in South America. Relaxing Andean music was playing and we ordered guinea pig (cuy)which came with a stuffed pepper, a potato cake and onion and tomato slices. These are not the cuddly guinea pigs we know as pets but rabbit-sized indigenous guinea pigs that comprised one of the few sources of protein before domestic animals were brought to the Andes. The meat was dark in colour like duck meat and had a distinctive flavour that may have been the [View Full Entry]

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Visiting Galapogos is a unique experience only enjoyed by a few. Tourism has grown steadily since 1970. Even so, only 160,000 visitors came to the islands in 2007. The best way to see the islands is aboard one of the few boats that offer guided tours. Our boat, Sagitta, was skippered by Lenin Cruz and our guide was Valentina, his sister. Both were born on the islands but Valentina went to Cuba to gain her degree in Biology before returning as a guide. Life aboard Sagitta was very comfortable and the boat made a great platform from which to visit the [View Full Entry]

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Monday began clear and sunny and we talked Carlos our guide into skipping the scheduled market tour. Instead we drove to Cajas National Park, 35k west of Cuenca for a 3 1/2 hour hike. It was beautiful there and reminded me of the Lake District or perhaps the Scottish Highlands without the heather: mountain lakes everywhere and mountains green with vegetation. I was hoping to see a humming bird or two feeding from the flowers of the bromeliads which were an unusual faded blue-green colour on 5 foot stalks. Instead we saw a variable hawk that had just caught its breakfast. [View Full Entry]

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On Friday we departed Quito with our guide Carlos and driver Ivan for a five-day tour of the Ecuadorian highlands. The Cotopaxi National Park is home to the highest active volcano at 5897m. Unfortunately, due to low clouds, we only caught a glimpse of the snow-capped peak. Although we didn't see a puma we did see an equally shy Andean fox, a couple of grazing llamas and several small birds on the small lake Limpiopungo. We spent a pleasant evening at the Hacienda Hato Verde, a working dairy farm with 150 cows which offers B&B with ten or so rooms. Driving [View Full Entry]

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Our bags arrived first thing this morning. Hooray. Taking pleasure in small comforts such as fresh socks and moisturizer, we drove by minivan to several places of interest outside Quito. We saw where cochineal comes from, used for dying wool, and know how to tell a top quality Panama hat from a second rate one. We lunched in a lovely old Spanish hacienda, now a hotel and restaurant, where a large black and emerald humming bird chattered as we passed. Ecuador is a country of farmers and artesans and we visited two markets and numerous shops. The volcanic soil in Ecuador [View Full Entry]

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After an uneventful flight we arrived in Quito in good spirits only to be told that our bags were still in Houston. Continental has not improved much. As they have a flight every day we hope to see our bags tonight at midnight. We spent a pleasant day walking around the Old Town in Quito and visited the requisite churches and squares. When the late afternoon rain started we retreated to our hotel, the Hilton Colon. A nice, well-located hotel. Frances' raincoat was, off-course, in her checked bag. My socks should last another day, but if the bags don't arrive tonight [View Full Entry]

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