South America had been on “the list” for some time and after learning that this was a “bucket list” item for Terri Danola, Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos shot to the top of the list. The trip to Peru began in Lima which turned out to be simply a go between city to navigate into Peru and other parts of South America. After an evening stop-over, we headed to Cusco. At an elevation of approximately 11,500 ft. above sea level, this proved to be a challenging transition. Many coca tea drinks and time helped ease the transition.
The wonderful surprise (besides the beauty of the sacred valley and Machu Picchu) of Peru is the cuisine. Wonderful uses of legumes, varieties of giant white corn and hundreds of varieties of potatoes. It is not atypical to find multiple starches on a single entree.
After reaching Cusco, we traveled by van through the Urubamba Valley ultimately ending our road travel in Ollantaytambo where we had to catch a train through Vilcanota Canyon to reach Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.
Blog
| Arrived in Cusco Sunday, April 24, 2011 | Machu Picchu Tuesday, April 26, 2011 |
| Alpaca for dinner Sunday, April 24, 2011 | Machu Picchu – Sun Gate Tuesday, April 26, 2011 |
| Ollantaytambu and the route to Machu Picchu Monday, April 25, 2011 | Machu Picchu – back to Cusco Wednesday, April 27, 2011 |
| Aguas Calientes and bus to Machu Picchu Monday, April 25, 2011 | Travel Day Thursday, April 28, 2011 |
| Our first view Monday, April 25, 2011 |