ALLLL ABOARRRRRRD....NEXT STOP LAKE TITICACA

Today we said goodbye to Cusco and the Sacred Valley and traveled south. By train. We woke up bright and early (5:20!) after a night of oxygen enriched sleep for me and a complete lack of sleep for dad. He wasnt hindered by this however. We went down and enjoyed our delicious breakfast at Monastario and then headed off to the train station.

Our train car...the british a hole can be found in the bottom left hand corner

Fun story. Flashback: We had tickets reserved for the train to Puno but all we had was a voucher to exchange for the hard tickets. We arrived in Cusco after the train station closed so I assumed our only option was to check in the morning of our train. When I called the concierge at Monastario later that night to schedule our taxi I found out there was a lady in the hotel who could have printed our tickets but she had already left. It just figures.

Adobe bricks drying in the sun

So now we found ourselves waiting at the Cusco train terminal an hour before our train. We met this great little baggage handler guy, Julius. He told me all aout how he has worked with tourists since he was a boy and he loves them. We talked soccer and Peru and overall he was pretty awesome. He checked our bags and we made our way to the main office to exchange our voucher. We waited in the waiting room to change our ticket but there was only 1 guy working (on peru time of course). I was sweating bullets because Julius had already ut our bags on our train! But luckily a worker realized our train was leaving soon and let us buck the line.

waving as the train passes

We boarded the train only to find out that our seats were across the aisle from each other!!! Luckily there was a young couple in the same situation with us and we finally worked something out. We took off and started our 10 hour journey to Puno. We had our own table with 2 nice chairs facing each other, I rode backwards so dad could get the good shots (or hurl his guts across the train).

working in the fields

It was kind of exciting riding in a train. It felt like an old movie or something, like Alfred Hitchcock minus the killings or mysteries. We each were given a free Pisco sour and we drank them with delight. They came around to take our order for lunch and afternoon tea. Dad asked if he they offered alcohol instead of tea…classic.

Chicha for sale...see the red bag?

taking the sheep for a walk

The landscape was pretty bare. There wasn’t much of anything to look at. We made our way back to the caboose where they had an open air car that was pretty cool. We stopped at a little trading post but didn’t find anything to buy. They mobbed everyone on the train but dad managed to pass a candy to a kid below through the train window. We took off again whizzing through the countryside. We past herds of Alpaca and took some pictures along the way.

stopped at the trading post...notice the glacier.

herds of alpaca

which way are we going?? you tell me...

check out those clouds!

We had lunch (For starters I had pumpkin soup and dad had a veggie "sushi", for our entree we had roast beef with mashed potatoes and rice pudding for dessert). Every time the waiters would parade out with our food and place it on our tables at the same time. There were musicians walking through th eaisles every so often playing Peruvian folk music. After lunch I took a nap and Dad stared out the window and took some pictures. I read my kindle and just passed the time. There are a group of weiners on the train and dad came this close to throwing them out the window. They're british know it alls...and of course they are also at our hotel. The guy we met when we boarded the train(the couple we changed seats with) got sick so we being the good samaritans we are gave him some of our caca agua pills and some pepto. He slept the whole 10 hours! We finally pulled into the Puno station and got our bags.

mmmm....beef.

laundry day.

We are staying at the Sonesta Posada del Inka right on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We were walking around the hotel and passed the restaurant when who should we see? but the couple we met in Ollantaytambo and then saw again yesterday in Cusco. They are staying at our hotel too. Small world...since Peru is 3 times the size of California. Tomorrow we will go out on a tour of the floating reed islands and check out the lake. It should be pretty exciting but it is our first group tour. And we all know that dad dosnt play well with others. He says he is gonna take up smoking for the day….just to make everyone nervous on the floating reed islands. But that’s probably already the case with him :) We will be here until Wednesday and then we leave for Lima and then...the Amazon.

Adios!

"How much is that llama in the window?"-Dad

We would just like to remind everyone that you can double click the pictures to make them bigger :)

Pictures from yesterday:


The (now) 3 day old Pony at Sol y Luna


Women working in the fields shucking corn


These are actually Inka tombs. The holes were made by grave robbers stealing the gold and silver. Located at the Pisac Ruins


Our guide Ruben. Check out those stairs!! at the Pisac Ruins


Ruben lives on the edge.

Well....we have just returned from a full day of shopping!! My favorite kind of day!

After updating this morning we headed out to the Pisac market. It was amazing and so huge (thats what she said-Dad). It has everything you could ever want in Peru. We spent the first hour just getting our bearings in the place. Every corner you turned revealed more and more stalls, filled with textiles, ceramics and little knick knacks. This was a place to browse for souveneirs that you may or may not be able to find in Cusco and haggle with the merchants. Its a place to rub elbows with the locals who often travel for miles to buy and sell at the merchendise. It´s filled with sound and color. Everywhere merchants are yelling to sell their merchendise while the smells of the city and Peru waft through the air. Its easy to get lost just watching and admiring the sights around you...things you would never dream of in the states.


Dyes at the Pisac Market.


Dad's beloved Coca...at the Pisac Market. But dad wants to what is in the plastic jugs. Thanfully I was able to wrestle him away.

After browsing through souveneirs we headed to the part we were most excited for...the food. After looking around the market, sampling some of the local orange juice and giving away a good ration of our candy we decided it was time to get down to business. We asked the security guard where we could try some cuy, or guinea pig. Guinea pig is a specialty here in Peru. It is eaten on special occasions. In fact on a childs first birthday it is customary for everyone to eat a smiling guinea pig.


Just your typical Sunday brunch in Pisac.
("Should we go to the Doughnut Wheel?")

She showed us down an alley leading off from the market where they quickly sat us down in an open air cafe. In front of us lay the huge oven, a wood burning one, like they use to make pizzas. We ordered our cuy and waited anxiously for them to bring it to the table. All the other patrons stared and waited with us, anxious to see the crazy americans who would eat such a thing. The master chef asked us if we wanted the cuy cut up or served whole. We chose the later. After pulling the cuy out of the oven on his 12 foot stick the chef crought our lunch to the table. The plate was filled heaping with potatos and right on top...a whole cuy, head and all (and a few chompers hangin in there as well). After pondering for several how best to devour this beast we asked a kid to help us out. He cut it down and we began searching for meat. The thing about guinea pigs is that there isnt much meat to them. As we took our first bites, we realized it wasnt as bad as you would think. It´s actually pretty good....if only you could find enough meat to fill yourself up on. After making a royal mess of the thing (and being mocked by a grandma type lady next to us) we decided to head out.


The anticipation is the worst part...






Cuy and potatoes...a staple of every Peruvian diet. Check out the teeth.

We went back to the hotel and retrieved our bags and headed out with our cab driver over the hills and back to Cusco. He floored it the whole way. He was doing about 50 mph on switchback turns...the guy was loco. We flew past the sacred valley and said goodbye. We pulled into Cusco and checked in at our hotel for the night, the Hotel Monastario. This is another Orient Express hotel. It's actually an old monastary from the 1500s that has been converted into a hotel. It still has the chapel that was used for mass. Lucky us, we were upgraded into a Junior Suite. HOLLA! Our room has oxygen pumped directly into it to help combat altitude sickness. And we have a view of the back of the Cathedral. It's gorgeous. Its a two story room and...wait for it...the TV pops out of a box at the foot of our bed! Whoa man!!!! Its sweet.


Our "sitting area" in our room


The only cedar tree in Cusco...in the courtyard of our hotel


The chapel at our hotel

We stopped at the pharmacy to get some more immodium (yikes! I had a scare this morning). We spent the rest of the day shopping for souveniers. As we were walking down Calle del Sol we ran across a couple who we had met in Ollantaytambo. They, concidentally, will be heading to Lake Titicaca tomorrow as well. After that, we found a burger place in the Plaza del Armas called Bembos which appears to be a Peruvian fast food chain. We grabbed burgers, fries and cokes and prayed that it would taste like home. It didnt. But we enjoyed it anyways (It was like 70%-Dad). We spent the rest of the night running around the city shopping and are now back to the hotel to rest.




La Compania De Jesus...dad just cant get enough

Tomorrow we leave for Lake Titicaca, which is located at 12,500 ft. The lake is shared between Peru and Bolivia. We are both very excited. We will be taking a 10 hour train ride on the Andean Explorer. Unfortunately I forgot my hanky and will not be able to wave goodbye to my many admirers who will be waiting on the platform. We did, however, buy erotic pottery playing cards to help pass the time. Well its off to our oxygen enriched beds for us!



Me singing the carpenters in the Market...
Dont you remember you told me you loved me baby...
with dad playing snare drum...



Adios!

Mini Inka Trail....yikes

Hey Yall...Just a quick update today...and no pictures because there´s no time! The internet was down at our hotel last night so we just jumped on :(

Well yesterday we left Sol Y Luna (dragging our feet on the way). That place was so beautiful and we even went to visit the baby pony. I think Dad wanted to say goodbye.

We took off with Edwi our cab driver and began our journey toward Pisac. It took us through the Sacred Valley again, along the river (the Urumbamba or in Quechwa the Wilkamayu). Edwi spoke only Spanish but still managed to point out some things along the way. It´s a totally different environment from anything I have ever seen: Cows in the middle of the road, running free, ladies sitting in the fields shucking HUGE ears of corn and kids playing everywhere. Houses also have these long poles (like cane poles) out front with a red plastic bag tied on. This means that the house has Chicha (an Inkan corn beer that is supposed to knock you on your ass) inside. It´s an invitation to come inside and buy some from them. We havent yet becasue dad is still under the weather (un poco mal).

We arrived in Pisac and checked into our hotel, The Royal Inka Pisac. Its a dumpy little place but supposed to be the best in Pisac. uh huh. We went up to the ruins nearby and were given a tour by Ruben, a guide we found right outside. He was Buddhist and totally into the spiritual side so he was pretty cool. We paid $10 for a tour and that included his flute he played along the way.

We came back to the hotel and toook a dip in the indoor pool (which was freezing) and had dinner. We spent the rest of the night relaxing ad watching the 1 english channel we got (we only got 4 channels as it was).

So now we are off the the famous Pisac market to shop and take in the local wares. People come from villages all the way to Pisac in order to sell their goods. But we are most excited about trying Cuy (or guinea pig). Wish us luck!

Adios!

Look for an update later tonight when we have more time!

p.s. check out the hits on the site! It can be found on the right hand side below the post archive! We´re almost at 500!! Keep it up people! We wanna hit a thousand! Thanks again for reading and all of your comments. Its so awesome to hear from you...it makes us feel like home, but not as much as a tacos morenos would :)

Sad to say goodbye :(

a llama.


Overlooking the main square of Machu Picchu. The acoustics here are perfect. It echoes so everyone would be able to hear.

Today´s post will include pictures from both yesterday and today at Machu Picchu...

In front of the sign for our hotel

We woke up bright and early this morning after having a great time last night. After blogging we went to dinner at the lodge. We both split beef skewers to start. Dad had beef tenderloin and I had Alpaca tenderloin. For dessert, dad had chocolate cake with mint ice cream and i had fried bananas. Yum.

Part of the main plaza of Machu Picchu with Wyna picchu in the background, to your right. It means "young mountain"

Dad woke up this morning not feeling so well in the stomach department but we decided to try and make it out to Machu Picchu by sunrise anyway. We went out there and hiked around for a bit. It was overcast and cloudy so the sunrise wasnt exactly what happened but it was still awesome. We went back to the Lodge for breakfast, ate and then headed back. Dad and I parked ourselves on one of the terraces of Machu Picchu and just absorbed it all. We just relaxed and took in the sun. It´s pretty surreal being there. It looks like something out of Jurrasic Park. It just looks so unreal.

The sun temple. On the two soltices the sun shines through the windows and lands exactly on the altar where the Inkas would give offereings to the Sun.

overlooking Machu Picchu. At the bottom of the picture are the terraces used for farming in the Inka times.

After, we decided to try and hike to the very top of the citadel. Once we got up there, 8 llamas were there to greet us. It was pretty cool (and scary...c´mon their hooves are sharp). We stayed a while longer and finally it was time to catch the bus back down the mountain. I really didnt want to leave. I mean I´ve been dreaming of going to Machu Picchu for 5 years now and to have it actually happen seems like a dream. So it sucked to have to walk away. As we were boarding the bus we saw Miguel (our guide from yesterday) and he wished us good luck on the rest of our journey.

Machu Picchu

The bus ride down took us back to the village of Aguas Caliente. We hung around in the main square people watching and hiked up to the thermal baths there. The town is a pretty unique place. We decided to try and squeeze lunch in before catching our train. We ate at this little restaurant near the station. Dad had a taco and I got fried chicken tenders. Dad was pretty brave eating Mexican food considering his track record throughout the day with eating and trips to the baño. We rushed through lunch and got on our train.

You can see the bus route up the mountain. Notice all the switchbacks!

The train ride was fairly uneventful except when the workers put on crazy masks and went down the aisles dancing or put on a fashion show of alpaca sweaters to Abba´s "Dancing Queen". Overall a good time to be had by all. We pulled into the station praying that our bags were still at "El Albergue" where we had left them. Thankfully the guy remembered us (He was like a Peruvian Jay Leno) and our bags were safe. He called a taxi for us to Urumbamba.

The little girl from breakfast yesterday. Check out her blingin candy bracelet

The taxi driver picked us up and we haggled over the price to take us. Unfortunately he didnt speak any english so it was all in Español. We finally ended up on 30 soles (US$10) and were off. We arrived in Urumbamba a half hour later at our hotel, Sol Y Luna.

Our bungalow. Second from the left. #17

Our hotel is actually made up of 30 or so different bungalows. There are also tennis courts, a spa and a ranch with horses on the grounds. Its like a little compound really. It´s really pretty and will be relaxing. Dad and I walked out to the ranch earlier and saw that there was a little pony. When we asked the worker when it was born he told us "Dos Dias". Two days old!!

So now we are heading back to the room to relax or in dad´s case pass out and try and recover. Tomorrow we head to Pisac where we will see the ruins and the famous market there on Sunday morning. It should be great!

Adios!

notice: these are only a small fraction of the pictures we have from Machu Picchu. Pictures cannot describe the wonder and beauty of the place. If we were to put them all up it would take over the blog. Hopefully we will find someway to send a link to our online albums. Thanks for reading!

"Hold on to your hats and glasses cuz this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness..."- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disneyland

First off, let me start with the bad news. No pictures today :( We can access this computer's USB port so you are gonna have to wait in suspense until tomorrow. "Although the pictures cant tell you...(shakes his head)..."- DadWe started off this morning bright and early. We woke up at 6, packed the rest of our things in our bags (which we left at our hotel in Ollantaytambo because it was too big [Dad: "Thats what she said"]) and went downstairs for breakfast. We had delicious pancakes with banana. While we were eating, the cook's daughter peeked around the corner so of course the candyman sprang into action. She sat with us through breakfast and yelled "Caio! Amigos" when we left. She couldnt have been more than 3. We boarded the Orient Express and left the station at 7:45. This train leads all the way from Cusco to the gateway to Machu Picchu, Aguas Caliente. We picked it up half way down in Ollantaytambo. We were seated in the midst of a tour group with some guy from Texas who thought he was a comedian. guh. About halfway through Dad got this little box to pop up over the pictures he took so of course he stressed over that the rest of the way. The train ride was awesome thought, taking us through several of Peru's climates. The whole time I kept expecting to go through the primeival world or grand canyon like at Dland but no such luck. I have to admit…this was a tad bit better.We pulled into Aguas Caliente and unlike the other people on the train we were on our own. It is an awesome little town full of markets and merchants selling their wares. We ran to teh bus station hoping to get up to our hotel (which is located at the entrance to Machu Picchu, the only hotel you can get that is actually around the citadel). Only, we found out that not only did we need to purchase bus tickets up but our entrance to the citadel as well! We rushed around (me using my limited spanish skills) and finally found the place. We were unsure as to whether or not the hotel had tickets for us but decided to buy them anyway. We ran to the bus and were finally on our way.
After the 15 minute bus ride up the hill we finally pulled up to our hotel. It is literally right outside the entrance gates to Machu Picchu. We are staying at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, an Orient Express hotel. They showed us to our room (which thankfully has a bathroom...when we booked it we were told it would have a shower but no toilet). We dropped our stuff off and made our way into Machu Picchu. Nothing can prepare you for a glimpse of Machu Picchu. It is much bigger than I could have ever imagined. Even if we could post pictures tonight, it would not do it justice. We wandered around for a while just getting the feel for the place. It was a beautiful experience just to walk around taking it all in. There are llamas who live in the citadel and simply graze all day. You have to watch where you walk, there not coffee beans, its llama caca. There were a lot of tourists though.Luckily we found some camera guru who fixed dad's camera. Then we went back to the room to rest before our tour which was scheduled at 2pm.Dad wasnt feeling well so we hung around the room before heading to the lunch buffet. All of our food and drinks are included in the price of the room (which explains why dad and I are sitting at the bar right now drinking and blogging. We are trying to get some of dad's $815 back by drinking it back. So far we are at $38 but the night is young. We're aiming for $200 ;) The lunch buffet had a whole roasted pig (with the head I might add) and was delicious! After that we headed to the room to rest and figure out what movie to get from the front desk tonight.

We met our guide Miguel at 2 in the lobby. He took us around the citadel but first made us sit down so he could explain that Machu Pichu was a sacred place, a place for the Inka people to connect with nature and their gods. It was a place for them to learn. He equated it to a University. He said around 700 people lived in the citadel but only stayed for a limited time. He showed us the sundial the Inkas used to keep their calendar, the guest house for visiting Inka royalty and the Sun temple. He took us all around Machu Pichu for 2 hours before taking us to the edge of the cliffs and explaining to us the importance of Coca. I didn't let on that dad was actually a coca expert and recovering addict but listened intently anyway. When he offered us a taste of the coca of course dad perked up like a fat lady when they bring out the birthday cake at a kids birthday party. I regret to inform you readers, that I also succumb to the peer pressure and partook in the coca myself. It wasn't half bad but didn't really like it. Dad had been dying all day; he hadn't been feeling well but hung in there like a trooper but now claims that the coca made him feel better.


So for now we have returned back to the hotel. Dad is feeling real good and muttering things for me to add into the blog. We have dinner reservations at 7 and then we'll retire to the room to watch movies and relax. We have an early morning tomorrow, hoping to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu.

Tomorrow we take the train back to Ollantaytambo where we will continue on for a day of relaxation in Urumbamba. Hopefully I will be able to post another entry tomorrow of just pictures from Machu Picchu but I don't know what the internet situation will be. Be patient. Thanks for reading!

Adios!

"I like Deep Purple...and the beach boys"- Carlos

NOTICE TO ALL READERS: If you double click any picture it will get bigger. That is all.

Dear Readers...tonight for the first tme we come to you from an internet cafe. We have arrived in the small town of Ollantaytambo. But the journey to it is the real story.

We left our hotel in Cusco after a good night's sleep (thanks to cough medicine and Tylenol PM on Dad's plate. We woke in a frenzy though because we were late getting down to breakfast. We packed up and ran downstairs to grab a bite to eat. We finished our hectic breakfast and met our guide for the day, Carlos in our hotel.

Dad and I in front of the Sacred Valley

Carlos bagan our whirlwind tour by taking us through Cusco out to the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is located a little north of Cusco. It is mainly agricultural but holds some of the most amazing ruins in Peru. It is also the gateway to the mother of all ruins: Macchu Picchu. On the way out of town Carlos pulled over to let us watch a guy bungee jump. From there we blazed through the countryside. Carlos would pull off every so often to show us something new or let us take a picture. His english was fairly good but still lacking which made for a fun day. He pulled over and showed us the Andes mountain range. He explained that how 2 years ago, the Andes were covered in ice, glaciers in fact. Now there are only a few snowcapped peaks left, the effects of Global warming.

The Andes behind us.

We moved on to the town of Chinchero. This is a small town know for its textile market. We pulled in and everyone seemed to know "papa Carlos". He took us through the main square where we played some music with a local merchant. (Dad and I played some sort of percussion instument made out of hoofs or beaks or something). Then we went into the church of Chincheros. Yet again we learned that when the Spanish came into Peru they destroyed the Inka's temples, only to use the stones to build their own churches on top. This church had frescoes on the cielings. We then went out back to what was remaining of the Inka ruins. It was beautiful and built right into the hillside. Then Carlos made us run across the field with him so we could see what it was like to breathe at that elevation. Yea...thanks Carlos. We tried some local potatoes (which tasted of rocks), learned that during the time of the Inkas there were over 3,000 different types of potatoes and even learned the process of textile weaving. We were taken back into a pueblo where a girl showed us how first they take a root that they grind up (on a cheese grater) and it turns into soap. They clean the wool, spin it and begin making the dyes. The dyes are all made out of natural elements (insects, plants, minerals, roots and even salt.) It was pretty amazing and something we wouldnt have seen without Papa Carlos.

She smashed some bugs off of that cactus behind her to make the red. Add salt and you get orange.

From there Carlos took us to the salt mines of Maras. These mines are cascading pools with little toughs bringing the water (which comes from a thermal spring in the nearby mountains) down into various levels of pools. This was something taht was used by the Inkas. There were around 2500 little holes that deposit the water into the pools. It was very interesting. After 28 days, the water evaporates leaving salt. This salt is not exported. It is used only in Cusco and the surrounding areas.

The Salt flats at Maras

After this Carlos took us to Moray. Moray is made up of 14 cocentric circles all elading down into the earth. It created 14 different terraces. These terrances were used for biological and agricultural laboratories. At one point the Inka's had over 300 types of Orchids grown there. They say that the temperature drops 5 degrees for every terrance you descend.

Moray

In the meantime, everywhere we drive through the valley is showing us the real Peru. It is all agricultural areas, really country. Donkeys carrying corn on the side of the road, dogs running amuck and 4 wheeling in Carlos' little car (it was smaller than a taurus. lets just leave it at that.)

Check out the kid. Dad wanted a ride. Luckily the child locks were on.

Carlos found a spot for lunch in Urumbamba, the last town before the city we arestaying in tonight, Ollantaytambo. It was an Andian buffet. And it was delicious. We ate several types of potato, alpaca, chicken, rice pudding with purple corn syrup, flan and the most delicious soup we had ever had. It was delicious.

From there Carlos brought us up to Ollantaytambo. He had put on music earlier, and i think it was music he thought we liked. When we asked him he said "I like Deep Purple and the Beach Boys". As we were flying past the base of the Andes mountains and countryside the soothing sounds of "Hotel California" came on his radio. It was quite an existential experience for me: Here listening to a song that I have listened to so many times in the States, but now listening to it in Peru. Listening to it while passing other cars on the wrong side of the road. Listening to it while whizzing past glaciers. But there was no where in the world I would rather be. It was one of those moments you know you are gonna look back on in time and remember forever. And it was so simple. It was perfect.

We pulled into Ollantaytambo (which cant even really be called a town) just aroudn 4:30. The "town" is one small square with restaurants and internet cafes. Its the smallest town we've ever been in; smaller than Dixon or Los Gatos. I'm talkin small. So we turned down this small road and came to the train station. The streets arent even cobblestone, but rocks. There are motorcars (or as Carlos called them 'taxis del Cholos´). They are basically a mix between a motorcycle and a rickshaw. We hope we can get one back to our hotel :) As we got closer to the station Carlos found that the street leading to our hotel (which is actually on the train platform..something we knew before hand. dont worry) was closed. After arguing with the cops for 10 minutes (smart move Carlos) he decided to park the car and we walked our bags toward the hotel. We had to go through the station to get to our hotel. We checked in and now found out that our bags are too big to take to Macchu Picchu. So now we will leave them at our hotel and go up only with our backpacks.

Ollantaytambo...pretty much all of it.

Our hotel is comfortable, simple but enough. There are hammocks in the back and a game where you try to throw golden coins into corresponding holes, or a frog's mouth (la rana). Dad killed me but whatever. Now we are on the lookout for somewhere to eat dinner then will go back to the hotel to rest before our big day tomorrow. We leave on the train to Macchu Picchu at 7:45 am. I cant wait. With that said we must be going. Today was definitely a good day.

Attention readers: We REALLY appreciate all of your comments. We wish you were all here with us too...but sorry we cant replay to you all. But know that we are reading them and thinking of you all. We appreciate hearing from you. It's nice to come on the computer and read some english for a change :) Keep commenting!! We love logging in everyday to see who's reading!

"Caca Agua...see I know Spanish"-Dad

Well well well. This morning we woke up at 6:30 am in order to meet Norka, the lady we booked our Inti Raymi tickets through, at 7:15 in the lobby. Dad woke up sick and now I am paranoid. It's just a cold though so no need to send the mounties. We ran downstairs grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to wait in the lobby. Well, she was on Peru time so she showed up around 7:45. We walked a block down to where we were supposed to meet the other members of our party.

First, some backstory. Dad and I decided that we wanted to attend the Inti Raymi pretty much as soon as we decided to come to Peru. The Inti Raymi is a major Inkan festival which celebrates the winter solstice and allows the Inka's to give thanks to one of their gods: the Sun. We looked for tickets in the U.S. but couldnt really find anything because they dont go on sale (for tourists) until a week before the festival. Luckily we met Norka who was the sister of our cab driver from the airport. She offered us an English tour with seats in the best section of the field. After shopping around we took 'em.

Flash forward, to dad and I sitting in a courtyard with a mother and son from Spain and a family from California (who's father was originally from Peru) who is fluent in Spanish, and a tour guide speaking only in Spanish. Yikes. Luckily the son, Ivan, who is 24 years old offered to translate for us. I was pretty okay following along but dad was pretty much lost (whats new). The whole family helped fill in the blanks when I came up short. We were given a DVD, informational pamphlet, and the best, a radio receiver that was supposed to translate for everyone since the entire ceremony takes in Quechua, the native peruvian language (a mix of Spanish and Inkan).

Dante, Our Guide

The first portion of the celebration takes place at Koricancha, the temple we visited a few days ago. We all waited along the fence and got to know each other a little better. We were packed in like sardines. Finally the horn blew and represetatives of the 4 regions of the inkan empire took the field below Koricancha. Cusco was the capital of the Inkan empire because it was the place that these 4 regions connected. There were warriors, messengers and accolytes from each region, the Inka's wife and daughters and finally, the man himself: The Inka. The Inka is the son of the Sun. He ruled over all the Inka's and lead today's ceremony. It was wonderful to watch all of the different regions displayed with different colors all together on the field.

at Koricancha

After initiating the ceremony at Koricancha we hurried to the Plaza del Armas for the second portion of the ceremony. And by hurried I mean we tried to move through the other sardines as best we could without getting lost. We hurried up to wait. We waited, and waited, and waited at the Plaza del Armas. All the while the masses were pushing and inching their ways into our laps. Finally the Inka processed in and told us all that we should proceed to Sacsayhuman (pronounced "Sexy Woman", dad just likes saying it for that reason) for the official ceremony.

Plaza del Armas

We body checked people out of our way to get to our van and all loaded in, after a potty and water break. The van began the accent up the hill, along with every other van in Cusco. Our guide told us different facts about Cusco and Macchu Picchu, translated of course by Ivan, but it helped to pass the time.

Finally we made our way to Sacsayhuman. This ancient fortress is located high above Cusco. It overlooks the entires city. It is made of stones that were brought there by the Inka people from 5-10 km away, this without a wheel. We made our way through the throngs of people and found our seats. It was like woodstock, people everywhere, selling hats, food, and native Cusqueños (residents of Cusco) sitting on the hill high above the field. We found our seats and found that something had gone right, we had the best seats in the house. We were dead center right in front of the Inkas throne. Our guide left to get our bag lunches while we took the time to people watch. The ceremony began with everyone parading in, but while this was happening we heard a commotion behind us. They had allowed the Cusquños to take seats on the hills behind us! It was a freakin zoo, like the running of the bulls or something. This massive group of Cusquños ran down the mountain all fighting for spots on the hill. At last the ceremony went on.

The hills behind us.

The ceremony included several sacrafices. The first was an offering of Chicha, or corn beer, to both the sun and the mamapacha, the earth. Next a llama was sacrificed (but not really) and its heart and lungs were examined. There was one point where the Inka asked everyone present to raise their arms and pray to the sun god for warmth. The clouds at the time were blocking the sun out and it was actually quite cold. As I turned to dad and told him to raise his arms, believe it or not, the clouds parted and the sun shone down. Dad is convinced it was him but I have my doubts. It was truly a moment I will never forget.

The llama hart and lungs

Throughout the ceremony I had tried to pick up this promised "english transmition" with no luck. No matter how many times I went through the radio stations it wasnt there. As we left the field I joined our guide in cursing the "mentirosas", the liars.We headed back to the van with the other thousands of people who were in attendance. We waited for the van with our group and finally boarded. It took us over an hour to make the normally 10 minute drive back to Cusco. The whole time we chatted with everyone in our group. While talking about cold drinks (or lack thereof) dad asked Ivan if he had been drinking the water here. Ivan said he didnt because he was scared of getting sick. To which dad replied "si, caca agua...see, I can speak Spanish". Ivan cracked up.

The ceremony was the most fascinating part of our trip so far, in my opinion. The Peruvians are forced to lead dual lives because of the past. They have deep ties to the Catholic church from when the Spanish colonized here yet still maintain ties to their Inkan roots. It truly is a situation like very few in the world.

And now, after getting dad some cold medicine (we think) at the Peruvian pharmacy we will be hitting the hay. Well in dad's case passing out of Codine purchased over the counter! Hay Oh! Tomorrow we will be heading out to the sacred valley. We will stop in Moray, Chincheros and end our day in Urumbamba: our last stop before Macchu Picchu. I'm not sure what the computer situation will be but hopefully we will be able to catch you up again. Thanks for reading!

Adios!

Dancing in the streets

Dear readers, tonight we are on a time crunch. The masses have descended upon Cusco. It is the night before the Inti Raymi festival and it seems as if the population of Cusco has doubled, or even tripled.

We started this morning by sleeping in for the first time on our trip. This day was very South American. We took everything at our own pace. Dad woke up twitching so I figured the coca was out of his system. So we needed to get him more pronto. We walked up to San Blas, the artisan neighborhood, and found the store we had been searching for: The Coca Shop. They had everything here: coca leaf, coca candy, coca chocolate, coca toffee, coca cookies, coca brownies and even coca ice cream (the ice cream kinda looked like a turd in a cone, but who am i to judge). We bought a few things (and dad tried some samples...) and were on our merry, or in dad's case very merry, way. Now his mission is to ship it out of the country. My mission is not to be involved.

coca must stunt your growth. look at that door...

We started the morning at the Cathedral. The cathedral is the main focal point in Cusco, it is the most important part of the Plaza del Armas. The Cathedral is actually made up of three different churches. Each more elaborate than the next. My favorite was the main church. It is still used today; Mass is held at 6am and 10am every day. The walls of the main church are filled with miniature shrines devoted to various saints. But unfortunately no photos were allowed in the church (that doesnt mean dad didnt try...again. but this time they didnt come out) There was a special choir loft with individual seats carved out of wood for each member. It was hands down the most beautiful church I have ever seen (but LMU's is a close second). The next portion of the cathedral even had some underground catacombs holding the remains of prominent Inka and Spanish leaders of Cusco.

After we left the Cathedral, we made our way to the Museo del Inka. This museum is home to many artifacts that have been excavated from around Peru. It even had 8 mummies, which kind of freaked me out but whatev. The Inkas were amazing people. Not only did they build homes and buildings that were earthquake proof but had tweezers all the way back in 400 a.c.

From there we decided we needed a really good lunch. Of course this meant going to the store to buy some rolls, salami, chips and 2 crush sodas. Hands down, best lunch we've had. While going to get a refill on my crush dad bought a tamale for 50 centimos, or US$0.15. He says it was delish. We left after lunch to explore the town.

There was yet again another festival in the Plaza so we watched for a while but we made our way to Calle del Sol, a main avenue off the Plaza. This is where the real party was. It was wall to wall locals, selling everything you could think of. Off the streets! There were ladies frying eggs, french fries and meats right on the street. And fresh squeezed juices from ladies who peeled the fruit on the spot. Dad scored a shish kabob from a woman cooking on the street and followed it up with some fresh pineapple. yum! The smells and colors are something that can never be described.

carne on a stick. what kind? who knows.

We went to dinner at this place in the Plaza del Armas called Inka Grill. It was the best dinner we have had yet! Dad had a pisco sour and fettucinne with proscuitto, and I had a club sandwich. superb. We walked around the Plaza some more just watching the amazing sights around us. We decided to head back to the real party on Calle del Sol. There were so many people; it was like a concert, with everyone pushing and cramped together. There were firecrackers going off and the smell of fried eggs and fruits in the air. Men with megaphones put on sugar cane poles yelling "chocolates, 50 centavos" while the man next to him yells into his own pole "50 centavos chocolate", but both are considerate enough to take turns.

The people here have been welcoming and friendly so far. Whenever we seem to have trouble someone is there to help us out with spanish words, directions or making room on a bench. They are filled with a pride I have never observed anywhere else and are true to their roots. It's moving to see customs that have survived not only decades, but millenia.

Tomorrow is the day that will top it all off. The festival of Inti Rymi. It is the day the Inka's pay homage to the father sun, the pachapapa. We will join thousands (200,000 approx) at the ancient fortress of Sacsayhuman up in the hills of Cusco, and we will all be connected by the events we will witness. I may not understand the language but everyone will understand the sentiment in the air. I cant wait. And with that we wish you a good night.

Adios!