PERU: Walking the Saltankay Route to Machu Picchu, Day 1

ML has wanted to go to Machu Picchu in Peru for as long as I've known her.  Shucks, that's almost 10 years (that's a joke - we've been together for 35 years or so).  It was time to do it - or never do it.

So, in honor of a special birthday for her (the number of years is withheld to protect the innocent), we decided to go.  We looked at various possibilities, and settled on a once in our lifetime "Mountain Lodge" walking trip organized by REI.  I think it was the only trip that every reviewer had given it 5 stars.  Here it is: "Peru: Trek Across the Andes from Cusco to Machu Picchu"  Both ML and I like to walk, so it combined exercise with touring - plus it was all organized and we didn't have to do a thing but pack our passport.  We were pleased that my brother Bob and his wife Glenda could join us.

Oops, not so fast.   What?  On Day 4 of the trip, we go over a 15,000 foot high mountain pass?  I guess we better get in "shape."  So we spent some of the summer in Sitka traipsing up and down Harbor Mountain road: 10 miles and 2000 vertical feet.  But we start at maybe 20 feet above sea level.  Hmmm.

But finally we are off.  Good-bye Rocky Gutierrez Airport!










Air travel is such fun.  We leave at 11 a.m. Alaska Time, arrive in Los Angeles about 8 p.m.  Then pick up Lan Peru Airlines at midnight to arrive in Lima - 8 and a half hours later.  A couple of hours of waiting and then one more hour to Cusco.  Whew.  But, even though we were 2 days early, an REI representative was there to pick us up and take us to the El Mercado Hotel.

We hadn't done any international travel for quite awhile and it was exciting to be in a "different land."  Here is a view of Cusco outside our room window.

Catty corner across the street was this example of fine construction.




Cusco is listed at about 11,200 feet in elevation.  Breathe deep and walk slow.  Expect a headache.








For dinner, we arbitrarily chose Limo Restaurant.   The food was great and we discovered a red wine blend that we stuck with the whole trip - Tacama.  It comes in red or white but we drank the "tinto."  The food was great, but Francisco, our waiter, spoke very good English.  When we asked him how he came to speak such great English, it turned out that his parents and sister lived outside of Phoenix and he had lived in the U.S. for a year or two.  He is studying to be a chef and after his 3 year program, he wants to move to the Phoenix area and open a Peruvian restaurant with his Mom and sister.  He told us alot about the food that we were eating and we just followed his recommendations.  I had alpaca which was tasty, but the best was a quinoa brulee for dessert. 

I think most of the fun of travel is the people that you meet and unexpected events.  This trip was starting great.