Kicker Rock - San Cristobal P. Baquerizo - San Cristobal Punta Suarez - Espanola It was an early start to the day for us as we had signed up for the early morning activity, a Zodiac ride around Kicker Rock. We were on the lookout for more blue footed boobies, sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, etc. However it was a bit of a letdown after the amazing introduction yesterday afternoon. Afterwards, we went snorkeling, this turned out to be a blast! There were several sealions in the water with us, they'd come up and blow air, then dart away before coming back and looking at us. It was hilarious! During lunch, we cruised to the next island, Espanola, the southernmost island in the archipelago. Our destination here was Punta Suarez, on the western tip of the ... read more

Hotel: Sonesta Posada del Inca Cusco (Cuzco, Peru) We had booked the tour to the Sacred Valley, Pisac and Ollantaytambo for the day. We had missed the main Pisac market on Saturday, but they still have smaller markets on other days of the week. The Sacred Valley is a very fertile valley along the Urubamba river that was the homeland of the Inca. Over 1000 varieties of maize were at one time grown in the valley. We visited the Pisac ruins, then stopped for a buffet lunch. When we arrived at Ollantaytambo, there was an Epiphany festival going on, with people dressed up as cariactures of the conquistadores. I had already seen the Olla ruins previously, and both my wife and I were feeling ruined out at that point , so we decided to stay in ... read more

Train: Cuzco to Aguas Calientes (http://www.perurail.com) Hotel: Aquas Calientes (Machu Picchu, Peru) A very early start at 5:45AM as we had to get to the train station for Machu Picchu. The train is the only way to get to the ruins now, unless you hike in on the Inca trail. We had the hotel pack us a couple of lunchboxes for the trip. We planned on spending the night in Machu Picchu village, to spend more time in the ruins after all the tourists had left. The train station was complete chaos, with hundreds of tourists milling about, we managed to lose our tour guide who hadn't yet told us which hotel we were staying at! The Vistadome tourist trains are brand new, with panoramic windows on the roof, as most of the trip is spent ... read more

Bus: Puno to Cuzco (http://www.perucuzco.com/imexsotours/transport.htm) Hotel: Libertador Hotel (Cuzco, Peru) $162 We left the hotel at 7 AM for the 6 hr bus ride to Cuzco. The train had been the preferred transportation on this route before the paved road was completed a few years ago. There are several buses that run the route, we took the non-tourist bus that goes straight through without stopping. The VCR broke halfway through Troy. When we arrived in Cuzco, the Sonesta hotel was not available, so we decided to splurge for one night at the Libertador hotel. The location is right across from the Qoricancha, the former Incan temple of the Sun, a few blocks away from the Plaza del Armas. Very nice hotel inside, the beds were very comfortable, and they had the heat cranked up in the ... read more

Flight: Arequipa to Juliaca, LanPeru 131 (320) Hotel: Sonesta Posada del Inca Lake Titicaca (Puno, Peru) $65 We had all mornining free before our afternoon flight to Puno. We decided to visit the Santa Catalina convent in Arequipa; this was totally closed off to outsiders until the late 1970's! It's a truly magical place, very photogenic with red, white, and blue colored walls, and flowers and citrus trees everywhere. Different parts of the convent are designed to look like regions in Spain. Take lots and lots of film or memory cards with you! Afterwards, we decided to visit the Juanita mummy that was discovered on the top of a nearby mountain a few years ago. She is only on display for parts of the year, and today was the last day that she would be on ... read more