Blogs from Peru, South America - page 14

Met up with Jasmin in Cuzco where I promptly fell ill. We made it to Urubamba in a crowded collectivo. I was so sick I didn't even notice the town was nestled in lush mountains. Of all the places I could have gotten sick, this was the most luxurious place I could have recuperated thanks to Jasmin and her points. After a full day sleeping the next day we got out and saw the Moray archeological site and Maras salt mines. We moved on to Ollantaytambo, super cute town. We went to the south side of town and climbed all over the ruins.... read more

I had scheduled a homestay with the Awamaki organization in Ollantayambo before the trip. I went to their office and met with their helpful staff who introduced us to our homestay mother Tina. Awamaki is similar to Sacred Hearts in mission, but they also provide local weaving classes and homestays where all the money goes to the local families, thus creating a meaningful cultural bridge and also a source of income. I am ceaselessly inspired by all the people we have met who have given up their comfortable lives with all the modern conveniences for a life of charity and hard work in Peru. After huge hugs and kisses welcoming us, Tina walked us to her home, which was only a few blocks from the center of the city. She did not speak a single word ... read more

We slept in for the first time yet on this trip, which felt wonderful and was much needed. After a leisurely breakfast we caught a shared taxi to Ollantaytambo, our final stop for this trip. Ollantaytambo is about an 1 ½ hr. drive from Cusco in the Sacred Valley, lies at 9186 ft. and has a population of about 2,000. It is designated as a UNESCO world heritage site, and is considered a “living Incan city” and the finest example of such. There are numerous Incan ruins within short walking distance of the city, and you can see about four distinct sites on the mountainsides while sitting in a café in the center of town. Tourism is present here, but the town has maintained it’s dignity and cultural identity. It has been continuously inhabited since the ... read more

Having fortunately escaped Ecuador in one piece, we had a beautiful flight over the Andes into Cuzco, Peru. Cuzco After basically spending six months at sea level the altitude and temperature of Cuzco was a bit of a shock, but also a pleasant change. The city is packed nicely into a beautiful valley at 11,200 ft. The little hostel we found was just outside the city center and up about 100 steps, which kicked our asses and left us breathless during our first few ascents. There is a tremendous number of amazing Inca historical sites to see in the city itself and the nearby Sacred Valley and we hit just about everything prior to embarking on our Inca Trail hike. I read a great book titled, "The Last Days of the Incas" over the previous few ... read more

With a bit of a flight delay we arrived in Cuenca fairly late on, we’d booked ahead and were staying in an old part of the town. On first impressions Cuenca appeared to be very nice, lots of small cafes, and wide streets leading down to a tree lined river. The next day having found our land legs we wandered around the town. It had a lovely central plaza with a number of cafes and as normal lots of churches. It was easy just to wander the streets – it wasn’t full of people rushing around – it had a nice pace of life. The town has many small museums a couple we visited included the Panama Hat museum – Panama hats not being Panamanian but actually Ecuadorian in origin and a museum with an extensive ... read more