What a day!! Exhilarating and exhausting! I could write a book of details from all the interesting things we experienced today. Instead I will be as brief as possible, and highly recommend you see it for yourself - as my words and the pictures will hardly do it the justice it deserves. It is not quite 7pm, pitch black and cold out (winter here), and we are more than ready to collapse. It was about2am by the time we got to our bed in Lima last night, and the alarm went off at 5am to catch our flight to Cusco.
I went through a stage in my life where I somehow developed a nasty anxiety of flying. Each time I get on a plane now, I am in awe that I have surpassed that awful stage. Well, Cusco - being one of the most challenging airports to land at given its high altitude and surrounding terrain - was one I thought I'd never brave. So Greg's joke this morning about the duck tape on the engine... He is lucky I am past caring! I am pretty sure Lima is a very long drive back to the U.S.
Our guide for the next 3 days, Juan Jose, met us at the Cusco airport - in a large passenger van all to ourselves. He is amazing and very likable. He is a tremendous source of knowledge - all in perfect English.
We didn't spend any time in Cusco but instead left immediately for the Sacred Valley. Our intention was to acclimate at the slightly lower altitude rather than Cusco's 10,860 feet. He drove us to Ollantaytambo via Chinchero (a small town), Moray (precise agricultural circles which look like they were created by aliens) and Salineras (salt pools built by the Incas and still actively used today). They were each quite peaceful with very few other tourists.
Our favorite was Salineras. When we came out of the entrance of shops, our view was like looking at bright white snow. Greg was particularly fascinated by the process and had a slew of questions. But he can't own and farm any of the 3000 salt pools because he is not from the town of Maras.
The homes here are very simple walls with a roof, a small door, and maybe a tiny window or two. I stopped asking if people lived in them because the answer was always yes. The small size of the doors was intriguing to me. Juan said they believed big openings released warmth, so they were customarily built no bigger than necessary.
The drive was almost more scenic than the stops- because it opened our eyes to this world of Peru. Everywhere we went had the presence of the magnificent snow-covered Andes in the background. It is baffling to see all the dogs running and laying around here - all pets, not wild. The farm animals (we saw donkey, sheep and bulls) wander freely amongst fenceless pastures, with the occasional one tied up. In what seems like the middle of no where a single person would be walking or herding. Many were females and they were all in the customary clothes. They carry everything on their backs (including babies) in a sling. We passed a school bus - a truck full of kids standing in its open bed. We saw a few people plowing their field by hand with oxen. The thing about everything we saw was that, if I can put my finger on it... These people seemed to be working so hard doing manual labor and they were very happy doing it. As Juan said, "That is the daily life and they are happy." They have what they need and want what they have.
For a female visitor in Peru, going to the bathroom is a re-learning process. Where you naturally want to drop the toilet paper into the toilet, you cannot do that here because the plumbing cannot handle it. It feels quite odd to wipe your hiney and then throw it in the waste can!
I'm still uncertain what effect the altitude is having on us. We haven't had any coco tea offered to us yet - unfortunately because it is quite beneficial against the effects of soroche (altitude sickness). So instead we are trying to stay hydrated with water. I have a constant headache - exemplified by all the dirt roads we drive on - but that is normal for me all the time, so I was expecting it. However Greg has one too, which is not normal.
We are staying the night in Ollantaytambo which is perhaps the last inhabited town in Peru to maintain the street-grid created during Inca times. Every road is uneven cobblestone and most of the streets only big enough for pedestrians. They have a gutter canal (irrigation) running down them with water rushing loudly enough for me to hear in our room. I love quaint towns and unique features like this!
