Peru; Cusco and Machu Picchu

Cusco

JUL28:

The following morning, we found ourselves on another airplane headed towards our last destination as a family, Cusco. We were warned of the dangers of altitude sickness beforehand, and therefore took preventative pills prescribed from our doctors back in the States. The pills however made our entire bodies tingly and didn't actually seem to prevent the effects from the ungodly lack of oxygen in the air. How people function with less than half the oxygen we are accustomed to, is a mystery to me. My poor mother was hit first and hardest, and fell to the comforts of her bed almost immediately. We were all given coca tea, to alleviate the effects, and we were told by our cousin Kelly not to walk too much. However, we were all feeling the crunch of time, since we only had one day in Cusco, one day for the Sacred Valley and one day for Machu Pichu, we couldn't possibly spend our one and only day in the adorable town of Cusco horizontal. We attempted napping, which in actuality was not too difficult of a task considering the speed of our traveling,and arose, ready for shopping. We did not venture far, and walked little, heeding the advice of our wise cousin. Bargaining or trickery soared to a new high after I refused to buy a painting for $10 from a young boy sitting on the church steps. He then offered two for the price of one, followed by three paintings for $1, until he was finally offering me 6 paintings for $1. I didn't buy from him, because something about that offer, hmmmm I wonder what, made me suspicious. We attempted and succeeded in our own bargaining feats that day, and went home very proud of our improving skills. My mom however, who had projectile vomited her coca tea, was not so excited to hear of our achievements or view our fun souvenirs.

Our evening was a flash of colors, Peruvian song, dance, with rich and flavorful food. We treated ourselves to an evening of Peruvian culture and a fantastic full buffet complete with Alpaca meat and genie pig with claws and all. We walked ten to fifteen minutes home because it seemed too short of a ride for the hassle of a taxi, but that mistake, cost Nancy a peaceful evenings rest, and awarded her the joys of altitude sickness. The following morning we dressed and were out the door for our tour of the Sacred Valley. We were told to meet our van in front of the main Cathedral. Out of character, we arrived early and sat waiting on the steps of the church in the beautiful town square. After a few minutes of waiting however, the policia informed us that we were waiting in the wrong location because all of the tours left from the next street over. We lazily stood up and meandered over to where we had been directed. There were several buses lined on this street, but no church. Walking was still an effort in the oxygen deprived air, so Kyle I volunteered to walk further down the street to the smaller church, to see if that was where we were supposed to be. On our way, we ran into a business man opening shop. He kindly offered to call the number on the receipt to find out the true location of our meeting point. After a few minutes, he informed us that our number didn't connect with who we needed to speak with, and the people he had spoken with, were imbeciles. Glancing at my watch I began to panic. We thanked the man, and ran as quickly as we could to find the family. The family was sitting on the steps of a building in front of the buses deciding whether to buy gloves from a walking vendor. I, however, was in panic mode, because we were already late to this appointment that we had arrived early for. I ran back to the place we had been told to wait originally, after looking around frantically, heard the voice of an angel. In actuality, it was just a regular man's voice calling out in a thick Spanish accent,“Sanders Family,” but the words, being shouted, outside of a church and was my holy grail for the day, I nearly cried with happiness. I had been in a frenzied state of agitation, that we would miss our tour to the Sacred Valley and by the grace of God and by the help of an angel/Peruvian man, we were not left to wander the streets of Cusco. We hopped in the van, and drove in search of our lost family.

The tour was from 9am to 5pm covering several small towns, Inca ruins, demonstrations on how Peruvian hand-crafts were made, breath-taking scenery, and of course, shopping! Our guide of this particular tour, was my least favorite because of the dullness that seemed to resound in the vibrations of his vocal chords. He lacked the enthusiasm for teaching about his ancestors that many of the other guides had demonstrated. Our first stop was two-fold, picture taking and shopping. Our second stop was a hike to the Inca ruins. The queens stayed in the market area, fearing any exertion would cause the evil sickness of the mountains to re-emerge. And, in fact, what looked like a simple hike took the energy and oxygen that I would imagine running a marathon would take. Even Lisa, the energizer bunny, who never runs out of energy or breath, was winded by this deceivingly difficult feat. After our buffet lunch, we headed to the Pisac market, which is one of the largest and most famous of the Peruvian markets and given 15 minutes to shop if we wanted to hike and see the Inca ruins. My desire to view the ruins was overruled by my desire to shop. Shopping in this fantastic market for only fifteen minutes would be equivalent to Mission Impossible, however unlike Tom Cruise, I would not be successful. There is an electric current that is stimulated when that perfect find is discovered and the best price possible is decided upon. I love the thrill of it all, the searching, digging, bargaining and buying. A good deal is always so satisfying. However, my poor mother didn't have the heart for the bargaining. She wanted to give the vendors what she thought they deserved, even though she could buy fewer things with this method. I tried to explain, by bargaining and saving money, we were able to spread out the wealth throughout all of Peru, but unless Kyle and I were there, she wouldn't or couldn't bargain. So we shopped, and we shopped some more until we almost hit our breaking point of “shopped-out,” but alas, you can't keep our family down long.

Machu Picchu

The following morning we boarded a train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. The cute little town is like a holding pen for tourists waiting to discover the wonder and mystery of one of the seven wonders of the world. We walked around town, ate, and rested for our day the following morning. At four thirty the following morning a knock was sounded on our door. Mistaking the hotel staff for my mom, I yelled “Thank you” in my sweetest morning voice possible, which is probably as nice as a lions roar. After we had dressed and made our way down to breakfast, Lisa informed us that not only had she made the same mistake, but had also used her sweetest morning voice to acknowledge the annoyingness of being woken at such an ungodly hour. Before the sun had woken up, we were walking to the bus depot to stand in line with hundreds of other tourists from all over the world. It was like a world convention, except without translators, intercommunication or cooperation. The bus ride was magnificent, yet terrifying. There was only room for one bus on the staggering mountain road at a time, there for if two buses were trying to pass each other, one would have to stop and back up (on the narrow mountain road thousands of miles high) to a spot that would allow for two buses.

Walking into the gates, of Machu Picchu, the air of grandeur floats in the wisps of clouds concealing the entire structure from view, keeping it's secrets hidden from the human eye. For many people Machu Picchu is the sole reason for coming to Peru. What is so special about Machu Picchu, you might ask? It is important to note, that although it is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world now, to the Inca culture, it was no more important than any of their other Inca sites. What makes Machu Picchu special to the world now, is it's awe-inspiring location and the amazing preservation of this spectacular archaeological site. Surrounded by lush green mountains, what could be considered a pile of rocks to some, is a magical and mysterious door into an ancient and advanced culture. Llamas wondered the premises as we gazed upon gray rocks structures, that at one time were purposeful building. We sat and gazed, trying to imagine what it once looked like, hundreds of years ago. The sun lazily rose from it's bed of mountains, and sent rays of gold to illuminate this already stunning site. After we were done staring, we walked through the site, along side the llamas, to learn more about it's history. When our tour was over, we left the gates to use the restroom because there were no restrooms within the gates. The queens stayed outside, but were still able to enjoy the view from afar, while Jonathan, Lisa, Kyle and I hiked to the Sun Gate. A smaller, yet higher archaeological site, with a fantastic view of Machu Picchu. We returned tired, satisfied and ready to return home.

The train ride back into Cusco was longer than the ride into Machu Picchu Pueblo even though it covered the same distance. We were therefore entertained by a strange clown/mime with a stuffed animal llama, followed by an impromptu fashion show by the train staff. We decided that maybe being a train attendant was a foot in the door to a career in modeling. Our last night together was anti-climatic seeing as the queens were too tired to go out to dinner and retreated to their beds while Kyle, Lisa and I went to dinner. Jonathan after our day at Machu Picchu was attacked by traveler's sickness and also took to bed. I mention this dinner, not because the food was fantastic, or the conversation original, because honestly we were all ready for bed, but because it was a good example of a constant issue we ran into throughout our journey of Peru. After we ate, we received the check for 30 soles. We gave the waiter a 50 soles, and were curtly informed that they couldn't change a bill that high, so late in the evening. This was very confusing for me because, I would think that at the end of the day, a business would have more change. We didn't have any other bills, so they grudgingly accepted it. A minute later, we see one of the workers storming out of the restaurant obviously off to find someone who could provide change.

When it was time for us to leave in the morning, we were tired, exhausted and sad to say goodbye to our family. It had been a crazy adventure, full of mishaps, and general insanity, but without those elements, this story, and our trip would have much less interesting. I love my family and genuinely enjoy spending time with them and I will always cherish our trip to Peru. But unlike our family, Kyle and I were not finished with our journey....

Cusco

The following morning, we found ourselves on another airplane headed towards our last destination as a family, Cusco. We were warned of the dangers of altitude sickness beforehand, and therefore took preventative pills prescribed from our doctors back in the States. The pills however made our entire bodies tingly and didn't actually seem to prevent the effects from the ungodly lack of oxygen in the air. How people function with less than half the oxygen we are accustomed to, is a mystery to me. My poor mother was hit first and hardest, and fell to the comforts of her bed almost immediately. We were all given coca tea, to alleviate the effects, and we were told by our cousin Kelly not to walk too much. However, we were all feeling the crunch of time, since we only had one day in Cusco, one day for the Sacred Valley and one day for Machu Pichu, we couldn't possibly spend our one and only day in the adorable town of Cusco horizontal. We attempted napping, which in actuality was not too difficult of a task considering the speed of our traveling,and arose, ready for shopping. We did not venture far, and walked little, heeding the advice of our wise cousin. Bargaining or trickery soared to a new high after I refused to buy a painting for $10 from a young boy sitting on the church steps. He then offered two for the price of one, followed by three paintings for $1, until he was finally offering me 6 paintings for $1. I didn't buy from him, because something about that offer, hmmmm I wonder what, made me suspicious. We attempted and succeeded in our own bargaining feats that day, and went home very proud of our improving skills. My mom however, who had projectile vomited her coca tea, was not so excited to hear of our achievements or view our fun souvenirs.

Our evening was a flash of colors, Peruvian song, dance, with rich and flavorful food. We treated ourselves to an evening of Peruvian culture and a fantastic full buffet complete with Alpaca meat and genie pig with claws and all. We walked ten to fifteen minutes home because it seemed too short of a ride for the hassle of a taxi, but that mistake, cost Nancy a peaceful evenings rest, and awarded her the joys of altitude sickness. The following morning we dressed and were out the door for our tour of the Sacred Valley. We were told to meet our van in front of the main Cathedral. Out of character, we arrived early and sat waiting on the steps of the church in the beautiful town square. After a few minutes of waiting however, the policia informed us that we were waiting in the wrong location because all of the tours left from the next street over. We lazily stood up and meandered over to where we had been directed. There were several buses lined on this street, but no church. Walking was still an effort in the oxygen deprived air, so Kyle I volunteered to walk further down the street to the smaller church, to see if that was where we were supposed to be. On our way, we ran into a business man opening shop. He kindly offered to call the number on the receipt to find out the true location of our meeting point. After a few minutes, he informed us that our number didn't connect with who we needed to speak with, and the people he had spoken with, were imbeciles. Glancing at my watch I began to panic. We thanked the man, and ran as quickly as we could to find the family. The family was sitting on the steps of a building in front of the buses deciding whether to buy gloves from a walking vendor. I, however, was in panic mode, because we were already late to this appointment that we had arrived early for. I ran back to the place we had been told to wait originally, after looking around frantically, heard the voice of an angel. In actuality, it was just a regular man's voice calling out in a thick Spanish accent,“Sanders Family,” but the words, being shouted, outside of a church and was my holy grail for the day, I nearly cried with happiness. I had been in a frenzied state of agitation, that we would miss our tour to the Sacred Valley and by the grace of God and by the help of an angel/Peruvian man, we were not left to wander the streets of Cusco. We hopped in the van, and drove in search of our lost family.

The tour was from 9am to 5pm covering several small towns, Inca ruins, demonstrations on how Peruvian hand-crafts were made, breath-taking scenery, and of course, shopping! Our guide of this particular tour, was my least favorite because of the dullness that seemed to resound in the vibrations of his vocal chords. He lacked the enthusiasm for teaching about his ancestors that many of the other guides had demonstrated. Our first stop was two-fold, picture taking and shopping. Our second stop was a hike to the Inca ruins. The queens stayed in the market area, fearing any exertion would cause the evil sickness of the mountains to re-emerge. And, in fact, what looked like a simple hike took the energy and oxygen that I would imagine running a marathon would take. Even Lisa, the energizer bunny, who never runs out of energy or breath, was winded by this deceivingly difficult feat. After our buffet lunch, we headed to the Pisac market, which is one of the largest and most famous of the Peruvian markets and given 15 minutes to shop if we wanted to hike and see the Inca ruins. My desire to view the ruins was overruled by my desire to shop. Shopping in this fantastic market for only fifteen minutes would be equivalent to Mission Impossible, however unlike Tom Cruise, I would not be successful. There is an electric current that is stimulated when that perfect find is discovered and the best price possible is decided upon. I love the thrill of it all, the searching, digging, bargaining and buying. A good deal is always so satisfying. However, my poor mother didn't have the heart for the bargaining. She wanted to give the vendors what she thought they deserved, even though she could buy fewer things with this method. I tried to explain, by bargaining and saving money, we were able to spread out the wealth throughout all of Peru, but unless Kyle and I were there, she wouldn't or couldn't bargain. So we shopped, and we shopped some more until we almost hit our breaking point of “shopped-out,” but alas, you can't keep our family down long.

Machu Picchu

The following morning we boarded a train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. The cute little town is like a holding pen for tourists waiting to discover the wonder and mystery of one of the seven wonders of the world. We walked around town, ate, and rested for our day the following morning. At four thirty the following morning a knock was sounded on our door. Mistaking the hotel staff for my mom, I yelled “Thank you” in my sweetest morning voice possible, which is probably as nice as a lions roar. After we had dressed and made our way down to breakfast, Lisa informed us that not only had she made the same mistake, but had also used her sweetest morning voice to acknowledge the annoyingness of being woken at such an ungodly hour. Before the sun had woken up, we were walking to the bus depot to stand in line with hundreds of other tourists from all over the world. It was like a world convention, except without translators, intercommunication or cooperation. The bus ride was magnificent, yet terrifying. There was only room for one bus on the staggering mountain road at a time, there for if two buses were trying to pass each other, one would have to stop and back up (on the narrow mountain road thousands of miles high) to a spot that would allow for two buses.

Walking into the gates, of Machu Picchu, the air of grandeur floats in the wisps of clouds concealing the entire structure from view, keeping it's secrets hidden from the human eye. For many people Machu Picchu is the sole reason for coming to Peru. What is so special about Machu Picchu, you might ask? It is important to note, that although it is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world now, to the Inca culture, it was no more important than any of their other Inca sites. What makes Machu Picchu special to the world now, is it's awe-inspiring location and the amazing preservation of this spectacular archaeological site. Surrounded by lush green mountains, what could be considered a pile of rocks to some, is a magical and mysterious door into an ancient and advanced culture. Llamas wondered the premises as we gazed upon gray rocks structures, that at one time were purposeful building. We sat and gazed, trying to imagine what it once looked like, hundreds of years ago. The sun lazily rose from it's bed of mountains, and sent rays of gold to illuminate this already stunning site. After we were done staring, we walked through the site, along side the llamas, to learn more about it's history. When our tour was over, we left the gates to use the restroom because there were no restrooms within the gates. The queens stayed outside, but were still able to enjoy the view from afar, while Jonathan, Lisa, Kyle and I hiked to the Sun Gate. A smaller, yet higher archaeological site, with a fantastic view of Machu Picchu. We returned tired, satisfied and ready to return home.

The train ride back into Cusco was longer than the ride into Machu Picchu Pueblo even though it covered the same distance. We were therefore entertained by a strange clown/mime with a stuffed animal llama, followed by an impromptu fashion show by the train staff. We decided that maybe being a train attendant was a foot in the door to a career in modeling. Our last night together was anti-climatic seeing as the queens were too tired to go out to dinner and retreated to their beds while Kyle, Lisa and I went to dinner. Jonathan after our day at Machu Picchu was attacked by traveler's sickness and also took to bed. I mention this dinner, not because the food was fantastic, or the conversation original, because honestly we were all ready for bed, but because it was a good example of a constant issue we ran into throughout our journey of Peru. After we ate, we received the check for 30 soles. We gave the waiter a 50 soles, and were curtly informed that they couldn't change a bill that high, so late in the evening. This was very confusing for me because, I would think that at the end of the day, a business would have more change. We didn't have any other bills, so they grudgingly accepted it. A minute later, we see one of the workers storming out of the restaurant obviously off to find someone who could provide change.

When it was time for us to leave in the morning, we were tired, exhausted and sad to say goodbye to our family. It had been a crazy adventure, full of mishaps, and general insanity, but without those elements, this story, and our trip would have much less interesting. I love my family and genuinely enjoy spending time with them and I will always cherish our trip to Peru. But unlike our family, Kyle and I were not finished with our journey....

more pics

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