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Published: September 28th 2011
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Cusco Streets
Cusco street outside my hotel September 24, 2001 Machu picchu
Happy Birthday Shirley!
Today is the beginning of my last expedition in Peru. Up at five, I have a taxi at six. It's a forty five minute drive to the airport and the flight leaves at ten forty five. Cusco and Machu Picchu here I come. Cusco is 13,000 feet above sea level and Machu Picchu is 8,000 feet above sea level. I am a little apprehensive about this altitude. My last trip to the mountains, high altitude made me think I was going to die.
The flight from Lima to Cusco is an hour and firty five minutes. The flight is beautiful. the Andes and all their glory. As I step off the plane my lungs beg for more oxygen. This is going to be a hard trip. After a thirty minute drive and check in to the hotel, I have the rest of the day free. This city was built by the Inca about the same time as Machu Picchu, in the 1400's. The Spanish built the churches. They never found Machu Picchu. For a good video on the history of Machu Picchu copy and paste this link in your address bar,
Cusco Streets
The shops of Cusco With little oxygen and a steady stream of taxis and buses polluting the rest of it, I head out. I feel me, the tourist, the taxis and the buses have been dropped back in time. The shops are many, selling the usual tourist fare. The specialty here is alpaca, everything from hats to coats made from the luxurious wool from the Alpaca. I see more Americans (USA) tourist here than any place I've been. I walk a block or two and stop to catch my breath, no matter where I stop the view is incredible. Be sure to view all my pictures on snapfish. Copy and past in your address bar
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/fe/l=en_US/p/dasta/Main/s_c=0/s_se=FDR#state=%7B%22pl%22%3A%7B%22uc%22%3A2%2C%22aid%22%3A%224471124028%22%2C%22vp%22%3A%22g%22%2C%22sb%22%3A5%7D%2C%22svm%22%3A%7B%22v%22%3A%22s%22%7D%7D
Enjoy!
The hunger pains hit and I select a second story restaurant with a table over looking a cobble stone street (all streets are cobble stone) I have a salad with greens, goat cheese, salami and ham. As I eat, I pray, please let me sleep tonight, may my body acclimate and let me drift off. This is not to be and I have all night to think I have another night here.
Up early (actually I haven't been to sleep) and off to
Woman & Child in Cusco
Mom and Child in Cusco the train station for a three hour ride to Machu Picchu City. The trip is beyond words, post card beauty everywhere you look. After arrival I find my contact and assigned to a four person group for the bus ride and Machu Picchu tour. My group consist of a doctor from the (sp) Check Republic and two lady cousins, one living and attending college in Florida and the other from England. Both have brown skin and speak English. I cannot identify ethnicity. I had to ask. The older one was born in England, her mother India Indian and father Pakistani, the younger both parents Pakistani. You can never assume one's Country from their race. I met two Japanese girls, one from Canada and the other from California. Both had been in the highlands teaching English with the Peace Corp. You cannot judge a book by it's cover.
The bus is a twenty minute ride on a winding, one lane dirt road that buses some how pass. Back up, pull forward and finally pass with only inches to spare. I keep my eyes closed during this maneuver. We arrive, meet our guide and enter Machu Picchu. pinch me am I
really here? Is this real? My eyes are actually seeing what pictures could not convey. There is no way to absorb the emotions and grandiose beauty. Machu Picchu is actually less altitude than Cusco. Thank God! After a few minutes you realize you will have to climb many steps to heaven. After the first hour the knees of this old restaurateur start banging and the low oxygen keeps me out of breath. O' to be twenty again. The history of this mountain and the Inca is truly interesting. This blog is not the forum for it, please google and be enlightened.
After our tour the Doc decides to solo for another hour. The girls and I decide to catch a bus back to machu Picchu City and have dinner. In the middle of dinner I discover my train is leaving like now. In a frantic state I leave without paying for my meal and run to the train station. I missed my train. This turns out to a real problem. I did make it back, late with a lot of help and a few green backs. If your interested in the whole story, ask me when you see me.
Yes, I had another terrible night in Cusco, I even had a little oxygen, out of the bottle. Better than a fine wine. I have an early morning flight to Lima with a taxi waiting to take me to my apartment in Miraflores.
Viva Lima, oxygen, taxi to my apartment and much needed sleep. I slept all afternoon and through the night. Wow! How great it is to sleep and wake up refreshed and breathing normal. Cafe Z and a cup of American coffee with leche, wonderful. As I am writing Martin calls and invites me to a trade show tomorrow.
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