Okay, here goes my insights and tips. This trip is AWESOME! The land and the people left me in awe and wonder and Macchu Picchu is truly Peru's jewel.
Our guides were Armando, and Alejandra was our local guide. Both have been doing this
ABD trip for the last 3 years. The funny thing is, we saw Chris, our SWS ABD guide who just finished the previous Peru trip! He was on his way back to the US to do SWS again. Both our guides were funny. Armando is the epitome of cool, calm, collected and he is also very attentive and good with the kids.
WEAVING DEMO IN CHINCHERO - This was our very first activity at 12, 800 feet. Most of us felt the effects of high altitude once we got there. One child, whose family arrived early in the morning on the same day passed out and vomited probably a combination of fatigue and altitude sickness. Poor thing. Anyway, the women weavers are astounding and the work they do is impressive. Since we just got there and I felt light-headed from the low pressure atmosphere, I only got a few items from them. We had a free afternoon that day and our guides recommended to take it easy, relax to help us acclimatize. So we did. The walkway in the lodge where we stayed is mostly uphill. It's not steep but the path is uneven, you can feel yourself panting and heart beating fast after just a few feet of walking.
URUBAMBA RAFTING - This was fun but I was very apprehensive before we started. The last words Chris told us before we parted ways in the hotel lobby was, "close your mouth in the Urubamba". I have read about it being polluted due to the growing Cuzco town. I took heed and had fun. You can't help getting splashed with water especially once you go through the Class 3 rapids. We were advised not to splash water at each other and some still did, and I was horrified to find out, that one family even swam in the water. As expected, 2 members of the family got sick - 1 missed one day of the tour and 2 missed 2 days, even Macchu Picchu. Hubby got sick too...
He sat in front and got a good splash. He managed to pull through and didn't miss a day.
OLLANTAYTAMBO RUINS - This was our first test of endurance. The ruins is astounding, how the Incas piled the rocks in such a way like a jigsaw puzzle. The ascent to the top and appreciate the pink granite of the unfinished sun temple was a work out. What the guides did was stop every few steps and rest on the terraces. This gave us more than enough time to recover.
MORAY AND THE SALT MINES - The hike down and up the terraces in Moray was probably the toughest hike of the tour. We start on the top of the terraces and walk our way down. The steps were made of granite rocks stuck on the side of the terraces. It was nice to get down but the climb up can really get you winded.
The salt mines were also amazing. I have never seen anything like it! The hike from the start is a long one to and involves walking on a dusty path which can be slippery if you don't wear the right footwear. One of the kids got a nasty gash on his knee after slipping.
MACCHU PICCHU - I was speechless. I could not believe I was finally seeing this world wonder with my own eyes. You really have to see it to experience it. We had optional activities in the afternoon and I chose to do the Inca Trail. Hubby and daughter, since the former was not feeling 100%, decided to stay with the tour with the local expert, which I also wanted to do. There were only 3 (4 including Armando)of us who hiked the last part of the Inca Trail. We hiked up to the Moonstone, a temple where the Incas worshipped the moon. It was probably a mile hike uphill and very strenuous. We had a great view of Macchu Picchu and I felt great having walked part of the Inca Trail which takes about 3-5 days to hike all 27 miles of it.
PISAQ MARKET - This is where the shopping begins.
LLAMA FARM - We got up close and personal with these animals which serve many purpose to the local people. The shop there is really nice and they have the quality woven clothing and other merchandise made mostly from baby alpaca wool.
CUZCO - More shopping! Wait till you get to Cuzco to do major shopping. They have beautiful silver jewelry which I indulged on
and other fashionable wool ponchos, shawls and scarves. They also have several museums you can visit and even the imposing cathedral is a sight to behold.
Thanks to kermit's tip, the Peruvians are very particular about the quality of the dollar bills. At one point, hubby was paying for one item and they rejected half of the $20 he paid, he ended up giving our whole wad of bills and asked them to choose.
Altitude sickness happens and according to the guides, the adults are affected more than the kids. Just follow the guides' advise and you will be okay - drink lots of water, pace yourself and don't overeat. And since all we did was drink water (sometimes I consume 1.5 liter a day), take advantage of every potty stop. I used it almost every time!
It will be useful to have toilet paper handy since not all restrooms have toilet paper. The guides have them each and every time as well as alcogel.
If you can get new $ bills to pay, it would be less of a hassle. Another option is just use soles.
It is chilly in the morning but it gets warm during the day. I thought it would be colder at the Sol y Luna Lodge but the space heater and the double wool blanket on the beds was more than enough to keep me nice and comfy through the night. The pillows though are very soft, we had to add the blanket we brought (which we used on the plane) or the throw pillow on the bed to give more fluff and height on the pillows.
So there. Any questions I'll be willing to answer. Those who will be doing the trip this July will most likely have Armando as their guide. Poor guy, he also caught a stomach bug early on our trip but he was all better after a couple of days.
I can always hope the new ones are better...
Looking forward to your Report!
