Peru

peru/peru_canal_boat_lock

Classic view over Machu Picchu, Peru — April 4, 2022

Can’t believe it took me fifty years to finally visit this power spot; so happy have finally made it, and so happy to share the moment with you Zara-joon. We almost didn’t see it and then the clouds cleared. Patience is a virtue in more ways than one. This is the classic photo, but this citadel is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and valleys on all sides with thick jungle and rivers below. It’s also much lower in altitude than Cusco, which I thought was opposite before arriving. We ended up hiking all the way down to the village. I hope we can return.


peru/peru_canal_boat_lock

Brian and the baby alpaca, Cusco, Peru — April 5, 2022


Peru 2022 Journal

Thursday, March 31 — Lima

Hotel holiday inn Our Copa Airlines 737-800 lands at Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez at 7:21pm. We grab our bags, exit the airport and grab the shuttle for the Holiday Inn Lima Airport. Ater check in, we make a game-time decision to Uber over and try Astrid y Gaston, with tonight being our only realistic opportunity. After a thirty-minute ride we arrive at the Casa Hacienda Moreyra which houses the famed restaurant.

Friday, April 1 — Sacred Valley

Decent breakfast at the hotel w/papaya, cheese, eggs
Shuttle to the airport and check in to LATAM Airlines flight LA2009. Our Airbus A320-200 takes off at 11:20am. During the decent in clouds, I suddenly realize the plane is surrounded by terraced mountains on both sides and that we are actually flying through the clouds in a canyon. It seems quite dangerous actually. Nonetheles, our good captains land at 12:43pm. We are met by our guide Gabby and drive away in a nice van. We stop at Awana Kancha, where we are introduced to the full array of camelids: llama, alpaca, vicuña and guanaco. We feed the animals and I buy a beautiful baby alpaca (meaning the first trimming) scarf.
We then visit a nice market and head to Hotel Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, in Huayoccari, where we check into a casita with a nice view of the valley and mountains beyond.
Tea time
Fun
Dinner at room

Saturday, April 2 — Sacred Valley

Breakfast at hotel the ancient salt mines of Maras circular agricultural terraces at Moray Chinchero Twilight’s tour Dinner at hotel

Sunday, April 3rd — Machu Picchu

Breakfast at hotel
Archaeological site of Ollantaytambo
Visit the chicheria for a game of sapo to drink some normal chicha and strawberry-flavored frutillada drink

Vistadome train from Ollantaytambo to Machupicchu Pueblo, also known as Aguas Calientes 🚂
Check into the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
Walk around, visit the soccer turf
Hot tub
Fun
Dinner at hotel
Hot tub

Monday, April 4 — Cusco

Break fast at hotel
Heading to the Machu Picchu site with our guide, Justo.
Walked back down many, many steps through the jungle and rain to Machupicchu Pueblo
Lunch of off-menu and locals-only Lenteja con pescado aka lentiles, rice and king makerel (which as it turns out is a traditional Monday food) as well as chicken soup and Cusqueña wheat beer at Restaurant Loretana
Chill in hotel including a hot tub and dip in the coold 'pond'
Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo; there is a landslide on the tracks and we get stuck for two hours
Cusco
Inkaterra La Casona
Dinner of two soups at hotel

Tuesday, April 5 — Cusco

Breakfast at hotel TAMBOMACHAY PUKA PUKARA SAOSAYWAMAN #tambomachay #pukapukara #sasaywaman Quechua Cusco Cathedral walked to San Pedro market (Five blocks, pass Francisco square, passed arch, is San Pedro market) ate Picarones beer at Antes of Cristo walked to San blas

April 6th

Breakfast at hotel
Flight to Puerto Maldonado
Driver met us at the airport, took a bus to the riverboat, took the river boat to the hotel
Check into Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, have lunch and go to cabana #2, on the river
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica natural area, where you will discover the Amazon Basin. Chilax
Twilight River excursion on the Madre de Dios River to see caiman, who are alligatorids belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within Alligatoridae, the other being alligators. We see several babies caimen and one larger reptile as well as some of those large rhodnets. we also see a Capi bara- the large rhodent animal on the bank. Baby Cayman
Dinner

April 7th

Breakfast at hotel (Boat ride on the lake nad walk in the Tambopata National Reserve) Lake Sandoval excursion into the Tambopata National Reserve. White necked heron Black Comorant, Snake bird, Brazilian wandering spider Moving walking palm tree, Maulwechous Palm or water palm Stick insect On the walk back, we see red tamarin monkey high up in the trees. They are beautiful
We also see many more Moving walking palm tree, and other trees that take over and grow on top of palm trees and become thrice as large and tall.
King fisher Kima Cieva tree Lunch at hotel Chilax Lunch Inkaterra Canopy Walkway offers unique views of the surrounding Amazon rainforest and all of its inhabitants. WE find a stick insect on the way up Inkaterra Canopy Walkway 2 observation towers, 8 platforms and 7 hanging bridges each 100ft above the ground to observe the surrounding wildlife in Amazon rainforest. Chilax Night walk in Jungle: tarantula, scorpion, other spiders, kane toad Dinner

April 8th

Breakfast in hotel We wake at 6am, have a quick breakfast, and at 7am, we catch the river boat to Inkaterra’s sister lodge, Hacienda Concepcion, when we get off the boat we hear the loudest Howler monkeys I have ever heard-- not that I've even heard them before, but even if I had, this was damn loud! In fact, all of us thought the camp might have been playing a trick on us by ampliphying pre-recording monkey sounds through a loud P.A. Not the case! These were two groups of real Howler monkeys, high up in the trees, howling at one another. I can't even begin to tell you how horse we'd all be if we attempted to mimic them for even a few moments.
We walk through the hotel grounds and down a path to some canoes, where we board and canoe out in the beautiful marshy lake. There are prehistoric-looing Hwatsi birds everywhere.
Lunch
At around 2pm, we take the river boat again and visit Gamitana Farm. The rainforest is often considered the world’s largest pharmacy. We see: Amazon Apple, sour lime, sour Lemmon, star fruit, pumpkin papaya, plantain (melon), Copoazu fruit, big white flesh with big seed (also the frozen cocktail)Copoazu fruit, big white flesh with big seed (also the frozen cocktail) Camucu
Dragons blood tree. Cures everything Oropendola bird Makes the coolest noise
Cocona
the Peuvians mention to try, chirimoya and to ask at the Hotel B to make us one- which we forget to do.

Massage

Birthday Dinner

April 9th

Breakfast at hotel Chilax Airport to Lima Hotel B Dinner at Maido

April 10th

Breakfast at hotel Walk to Dédalo Sleep Plaza Mayor de Lima Cathedral of Lima Catedral de Lima dinner at Athabasca Walk to hotel B Sleep

April 11th

Breakfast at hotel Fly to Panama Check it at hotel Waldorf Astoria Panama Sleep

April 12th

Breakfast Uber to downtown Lunch at a local spot Under back to hotel Airport to SF.

local_airport