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Published: January 24th 2013
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The alarm went off at 0320 this morning and we were both like, aaarrrgggghhhhhh….. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find our hotel had set up the breakfast buffet early for us and the air crews staying at the hotel, so we went to the airport in good spirits. 0400 is about the only time of day Buenos Aires roads are clear, and it still took us a half hour to get to the international airport. We scored again with TACA (used to be “Take A Chance Airline” but has come a LONG way – got to fly in a brand-spanking new Airbus 330 that has more computerized stuff on each seatback than the old space shuttles), as we were allowed to send all of our bags onboard for no extra charge. We had been stressing about this because tying the long cruise with a hiking trip in the amazing variety of weather we have encountered is hard to pack for, and we brought a lot, and of course, bought more stuff on the cruise, but we are in tall cotton now! It just requires a little teamwork to get things re-organized for each leg of the journey, so now we
are in “minimal mode” for Machu Picchu, as the weight limit for our packs is about 6 kg. each, plus Steve’s camera gear. We took the time to do a little calculating today, and we have now traveled 14,042 total miles since leaving San Francisco 33 days ago, and still have a grunch to go before we return home. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise at the airport, got through customs and security (WOW! What a chore that is here in South America, especially in Peru where we were bagged for passport checks no less than five times and had to fill out all kinds of paperwork, as well as have our luggage searched), hopped on the plane and crossed the country in about 4.5 hours. Got through the Peruvian process in Lima and hopped another flight for the one-hour ride to Cuzco, main portal to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Landing at Cuzco is a hoot, as we dropped down between these towering peaks on downwind, base and final approach and sort of scootched in real low over the bowl the city lies in – would not want to shoot this approach in IFR minimums! It was
a really tough transition for us because we have been living at sea level for the past month, and Cuzco is nestled in the Andes Range at about 11,200 feet, and boy, did we feel it! Took a great 90-minute drive through the Andes (our driver, who lives here, was hitting spots on the winding road that felt like we were pulling three G’s, and traffic control here, like most of this country, is non-existent and road signs are just sort of a suggestion. The terrain here is simply amazing, with towering green peaks, snow-capped peaks, and steep, knife-edged valleys everywhere. We finally arrived at our hotel in the Sacred Valley and were amazed by the beauty here, as well as all of the flowers and birds on the property. If you every plan to come to South America, you need to book through a company named “Avanti Destinations,” as they have done just a tremendous job for us. We have been drinking the local Coco Tea (Mate’ sort of stuff with sugar in it made from the same leaves that cocaine is brewed from, but non-narcotic and chugged by the gallon by locals here) and gulping the fluids while
we rest and adjust to the altitude change). They are setting up for a big Inca show of some sort tonight, so we sign off here in preparation for our first day of touring tomorrow. It is DARK at 1900! We have had sunsets at 2330 and are now backing to almost winter sunsets in the South American summer. It is also nice and cool this evening at dark, and the Southern Cross lights up the night like a beacon. Carol has checked the weather forecast for Wednesday and Thursday (our permit days for the Machu Picchu ruins) and looks like the weather gods will favor us with little or no rain – YEAH!! Tomorrow we tour the Sacred Valley ruins and a small town called Pisac nearby.
Looks like Green bay won yesterday, which is probably better for the Niners than the Vikings, but Seattle is going to be the real test.
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