Día 21

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Leaving Chiclayo today, so we met in the lobby to head to the airport at 9am. Really gonna miss the tour bus we had here! Only 10 minute drive to airport, and thankfully the whole group got there at the same time! On an unfortunate note, my two bags weighed an excess of 10 kilos so they charged me an additional 20 dollars... US dollars, not 20 soles. I will pack a bit more strategically for the next flight!

We had some time in the airport before our flight took off, so Natalie and the boys and I played a few games of Uno. I won 2 or 3. Somewhat of an upset for those seasoned players!

When we got to Lima, we had all of 15 minutes to get off the plane and run through the airport to the gate to board the flight to Cusco. Because our previous flight had been delayed, the guard at the gate gave us a hard time about getting on the plane since we still had to got through security. Turned out we were taking the exact same plane we had just gotten off of, but no one told us we could have stayed at the gate! Anyway, I lost my watch at the security checkpoint. It´s a cheap digital watch, but I ALWAYS wear a watch! Hate being dependent on other people for the current time.

Our flight arrived in Cusco around 3:30, and we had to move very slowly and with extreme caution as our bodies were adjusting to the change in altitude. Cusco sits at 3,350 miles above sea level, so a lot of tourists to the region tend to get sick from the extreme change. I am also taking Diamox to prevent symptoms of altitude sickness, but I still want to be extra careful so not to get sick. What a beautiful city though! Set right in the Andes Mountains, everywhere you look are beautiful sights and snow capped mountaintops. I could see all of the scenery before the plane had even landed.

We were met by our new tour guide, Juan, who will be with us for the week. He has a great sense of humor and we all like him a lot. We made a couple of stops on the way to our lodge in The Sacred Valley, one being an alpaca farm, that is also home to llamas and vicuñas. We were given some plants to feed the animals, and they all came right up to us with no fear or shyness.

Our home for the next week is the Valle Sagrado Lodge, or Sacred Valley Lodge. It is a beautiful place, set right amongst the mountains, with large comfy beds and a fantastic shower. ValleSagrado We were a bit surprised by the warm weather when we arrived, as we were told that Cusco and its surrounding areas are very cold. When nighttime rolled around and the sun had set for the day, wow! What a difference in temperature. It certainly does get much colder at night and in the early morning, as we would soon learn.

Dinner was at the hotel where I ate.... wait for it..... alpaca stir fry! Just hope it wasn´t one of the alpacas I had taken pictures of earlier. The meat was a little tough for me, not a big fan, but it was kind of cool to try it. We also had Kinuwa soup, made from Andean grains and veggies. For dessert they served a delicious fruit salad.

We were exhausted after a long day of travelling, and the change in altitude and temperature. Both Natalie and I were asleep before 10pm! Another long day ahead for tomorrow....

Alyssa the alpaca eater

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