A long day bit well worth it.

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Today was a long day to say the least. Wake up was at 4:30 AM, breakfast at 5 AM and departure at 5:30 AM! We were headed to the Lima airport for a short hop over to Cusco our next port of call. Breakfast was a few bites of roll with some strawberry preserves and a cup of hot java. Not much for the stomach but it was really too early to eat any more. Shortly after breakfast we had our bags in hand and we headed down to the first floor and boarded the bus.

Apparently Lima is busy on a Sunday morning, even at this ungodly hour.We dodged the morning commuters and arrived at the airport in plenty of time for our flight. A quick and painless check in and a breeze through security, we arrived at our gate with an hour to spare.

Some people were beginning to develop a healthy concern for altitude sickness for our flight would take us from near sea level to over 9,000 feet when we land in Cusco an hour later. Many folks were taking a prescription medicine, some taking herbs and others, myself included, nothing. Some folks were not really following the prescription drug plan and would forget a dose or two. Not a good idea, because if you forget a dose you are back to square 1.

The flight was called, we boarded without incident and settled in for the relatively short flight. I, of course fell asleep so the flight was over before it began as far as I was concerned. We departed the plane and I immediately felt a little dizzy. A direct result of altitude sickness. Heading to baggage claim, I took it slow, just moved along at no great rate of speed, I soon found myself at baggage claim.

Here there was a plethora of booths hawking tours of Machu Picchu and offering a free hit of cocoa leaves. I quickly took some. Coca leaves have a little hit of cocaine, not much but just enough to give you a little lift and, supposedly, help you deal with the high altitude.Having studied a bit of how to partake of the dry leaves, I put a few in my mouth and chewed them. The taste was a little like rotted grass.

You are supposed to chew until you have mashed the leaves into a mush, then stick it between the gums and the lips and leave it there, something like chewing tobacco. Since I have never chewed tobacco I did not know what to expect.

Unlike tobacco, where you spit out the juice slobber, with cocoa you swallow the juice...careful not to swallow the leaves. Apparently there is an art to this, as I swallowed as much juice as leaves. I soon got the hang of it and felt a little better. There is no taste to the juice, but the leaves remain a dry grass taste. Soon there is nothing left but a muck and out it goes. I lasted about 10 minutes!

I have to say it did make my dizziness disappear, but I was not looking to chew on more dry leaves. Fortunately when we left the baggage area and headed to the bus there were some nice old Inca ladies selling hats, cocoa candy and fresh cocoa leaves. A small bag cost $1 so I had a supply of fresh leaves. Now fresh leaves are just a little better tasting and easier to mash into something that would stay in the appropriate position in my mouth. Some folks on the bus wanted to try so I shared a few leaves but kept the better part of my stash to myself.

Before we hit the bus, I did take a closer look at the hats the ladies were selling and found them to actually be pretty nice. They were wide brimmed, has a lip on the back to protect the neck and came in a variety of colors all for the low low price of $5. I hammed it up a bit on the bus and sold 4 of them to my fellow travelers! The ladies were thankful and we soon departed for the Andes.

Now, were were at 9,000 feet and heading to 12,000. It was a little cool so I was glad I had a light coat. The drive up the hills was amazing, the view stunning. We got to see Cusco from the drive on up the mountain. Cusco is settled within a bowl surrounded on 4 sides by high peaks of the Andes. We had our Kodak moment and back on the bus.

A little further along, it was now about 11:AM, we hit our first stop. We stopped at the weaving collective. This is a group of native Inca that revived the old way of raising, shearing, dying, spinning and weaving Alpaca and Llama fur. The ladies were dressed in very colorful native costume, and in very clear English, walked us through the entire process. While we learned how to raise and shear the animals, how to use natural roots, herbs and bugs to make the dyes and how to hand weave, we were also introduced to cocoa tea.

Cocoa tea is made from the same cocoa leaves I was chewing all day. The tea is a clear liquid, naturally sweet and very tasty. I had three cups. I did notice that the tea definitely gave you a buzz. To add to the buzz I chewed the tea leaves that had been soaking in the hot water. This released more of the cocaine element and by the end of the presentation I was feeling no pain. Some of our crew did not partake of the tea and were unfortunately feeling the effects of the higher elevation.

After the presentation, it was time for lunch. We stayed within the collective and were treated to a very traditional meal. We were served plates of hot stuffed peppers, Fava beans, corn, tamale, home made bread with cheese and a spicy mustard. The feast continued with a local Inca soup and sweet potato and the specialty of Guinea Pig.

The Guinea Pig is a delicacy, or a rodent you can decide, that is served on special occasions.We were considered special guests hence the treat. I was a little put off at first but I did taste the meat and found it a bit salty but very pleasing overall. The meal continued with a toast of anise a local liquor made with anise which tasted like licorice.Now you are not supposed to drink alcohol at high altitude so several gusts did not partake. Since, as an Italian, it is rude not to consume the offered drink, I helped out by finishing four of the beverages. Between the tea, the cocoa leaves and the anise, I had no idea if I was at sea level or a mile high. I felt great.

From the collective we walked around the area and were treated to a surprise of shopping. There were local craftsman, and junk dealers. The main items were alpaca and Llama products but they also had jewelry, especially silver ( I have a new ring), and many many other items for sale on the streets and within the many shops.

We went to the silversmith and learned the art of the silver smith. I found a really nice Inca trinity ring. The trinity ring shows the condor, the the puma and the snake, the three sacred animals of the Inca. They wanted a bundle for it but I bargained them down to well under $50.

We spend the next 2 hours exploring and climbing ever higher.along steep, narrow trails in the local town. We climbed to 12, 859 feet and were treated to an amazing view of the Andes and the surrounding land. At the summit there was a beautiful church, which was holding outside church services so we could not go inside to see the art within. We walked around, bought more local trade and soon headed back to the bus for the ride to our hotel and much needed rest.

The ride home was about 45 minutes and would take us from 12,000 to 9,000 feet. The mountain pass was narrow, twisting and, for some, more than a little harrowing. Our driver, I am sure has done this road a million times, was driving the bus a little like a formula 1 race car. We flew down the narrow road, passing slower cars on the opposite side of the two lane road, flew around hair pin turns and back around again and again. I am afraid it was too much for some. Two folks got sick on the bus while those who suffered from altitude sickness got worse. Some of us who had a good dose of cocoa leaves enjoyed the ride, helped from the cocaine high I am sure, the others, not so much. Some folks complained the ride was uncalled for and let their feeling known to Raul our guide. They were right, we really did not need the extra excitement.

We arrived at our mountain retreat hotel.It is much like a typical hacienda one might find in Arizona. Cute rooms, a pool (with frigid water) and a quiet place to walk rest and reflect. We had 3 hours to dinner. I enjoyed a beer with some fellow travelers, tried, unsuccessfully to buy some ice cream and now sit waiting for dinner and our next adventure.

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