Peru

 Day #1 - Lima

For years, visiting Machu Picchu in Peru has been on our bucket list, so when Gate 1 offered a good discount on a 9-day trip to Peru, we jumped at the chance to go. We even talked our friends, Laura and Christopher into joining us. 

Our adventure began by taking a red eye flight from LAX to Houston and then on to Lima. We arrived at our hotel (the Miraflores Hilton Garden Inn) in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima at around 2am. We purposely flew in a day early so that we'd have the first day to acclimate to the time change and to leave some buffer in case of travel delays. But our flights were right on time, so we had a whole day to explore before joining our Gate 1 tour group. 

We started our 1st morning in Lima by walking to Huaca Pucllana, an ancient pre-Inca archaeological site in the middle of the city. We joined an hour-long guided tour of the site during which we learned that the adobe and clay pyramid structures were used as a ceremonial site and date back to 400 B.C. Excavation of the site didn't begin until 1981. Prior to 1981, Huaca Pucllana looked like big dirt mounds surrounded by the modern city on all sides.

After the tour of Huaca Pullcana, we walked to Kennedy Park which is a popular green space in the middle of Miraflores known for being the home to many stray cats. We saw a few cats, but not as many as expected. We found a restaurant nearby for lunch, before heading toward the clifftop walkway - Malecon de Miraflores.

We walked north to the Navy Lighthouse and then turned south and spent some time at Parque del Amor (Love Park) which was very fitting as we were there on Valentine's Day. We were surprised by what a big deal the holiday is in Peru. Many of the restaurants were adorned with Valentine's Day decorations, the sidewalks were crowded, and the park was packed with couples all dressed up, many carrying beautiful bouquets of flowers. 

Navy Lighthouse

The mosaic tile walls near Parque de Amor reminded us of the park in Barcelona where Gaudi's mosaic tile work also adorns the park walls.

The Monument to Love in Love Park

Next, we walked to the Barranco neighborhood of Lima, which is known as a bohemian, artsy area of the city containing colorfully painted buildings and many murals.  

Jim and I after having crossed The Bridge of Sighs.

Our day wrapped up with dinner back near Kennedy Park. It was a great first day in Lima in which we racked up over 23000 steps of exploration!

Day #2 - Lima

We met up with our Gate 1 tour guide, Americo, and the 23 other members of our tour in the hotel lobby for a tour of the colonial center of the city. The bus dropped us for the walking tour in the Plaza San Martin.

 In the center of Plaza San Martin is a monument to Jose de San Martin, the liberator of Peru from Spain.

Following Americo from Plaza San Martin to the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco

The Basilica and Convent of San Franciso was fascinating as the tour included its catacombs which is the burial site to approximately 70000 people.

The streets of historic Lima

The Cathedral of Lima in the Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

After the morning walking tour, it was on to the Larco Museum which is a renowned museum of pre-Colombian art.  The museum is housed on a gorgeous property of an 18th century mansion that had stunning bougainvillea and other flowers in bloom during our visit.

After a delicious lunch at the Larco Museum, we had a few hours on our own before the Gate 1 Welcome Meeting in the evening. Jim and I chose to head back to the cliffside walk since it was much less hazy/foggy today than it had been yesterday while we were there.

Day #3 - Cusco and The Sacred Valley

Our day began with a flight to Cusco, Peru arriving by midday. Once in Cusco, we met up with Joel, who is a tour guide in training who helped Americo during our time in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.

Ready to land in Cusco

On the drive from the Cusco airport to the historic city center.

Walking toward the main plaza, Plaza de Armas, in historic Cusco.

The Church of the Society of Jesus in Plaza de Armas in Cusco

Our Gate 1 travel companions

While at Plaza de Armas, we toured the Colonial Cathedral before walking several blocks to see the site of the Corincancha (the Temple of the Sun). The Corincancha was the most important temple of the Inca Empire. It was called the Temple of the Sun because its walls were covered in gold making the entire temple shine. When Spanish conquerors came to Cusco, they looted and destroyed the original temple, leaving only the foundation. On its foundation, they built the Monastery of Santo Domingo.

In front of the site of the Incan temple, Corincancha.

The grounds of the Santo Domingo Monastery.

Due to the fact that Cusco sits at an elevation of 12,000 feet, altitude sickness can be a real problem for travelers. Because of this, the Gate 1 itinerary only allows for a few hours in Cusco before heading to the lower elevation of The Sacred Valley. So, after our time in historic Cusco, we enjoyed a scenic drive in the Andes mountains to our hotel in Urubamba.

Our beautiful hotel in Urubamba

Day #4 - Machu Picchu

The itinerary today revolved around the highlight of the trip - Machu Picchu! Unfortunately, Jim woke up feeling pretty bad with symptoms of either Montezuma's Revenge or altitude sickness. Getting to Machu Picchu is a long day that includes a bus ride, a train ride, another bus ride, and then the walk through the actual site, so suffice it to say, Jim was pretty miserable. But he was a trooper and we got the iconic photo to prove we made it to the bucket list destination of Machu Picchu.

The Sacred Valley

Before boarding the train to Machu Picchu, we had a quick walking tour of the ancient town of Ollantaytambo.

We got a peek into a traditional home in Ollantaytambo with its many guinea pigs which are a staple in the Peruvian diet.

The Vistadome train which took us from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes on the way to Machu Picchu

On the train getting excited to get to Machu Picchu

A view from the train

We got off the train in the town of Aguas Calientes where we boarded a bus that took us up the mountain to Machu Picchu. 

It started to rain while we were in Aguas Calientes and continued as we were on the bus up the mountain. It was very misty and cloudy, so we were worried that the views might be obscured. But as we hiked up to the iconic viewpoints, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared enough to get some really good photos. It started to rain again on the back side of the hike, but by then it didn't matter.

Our Gate 1 group

Machu Picchu definitely lived up to the hype it receives as an international travel destination! Not only is the setting absolutely breathtaking, but It's also hard to wrap your head around how the Incan people built this massive citadel in the Andes mountains and then only used it for approximately 100 years before abandoning it during the Spanish conquest of Peru. And that it remained hidden for almost 400 years until rediscovery in 1911.

Back in Aguas Calientes, we had a very late lunch and then walked around town for a bit before boarding the train and then bus to our hotel in Cusco.

Day #5 - Cusco

Jim was still feeling under the weather, so he opted to lay low at the hotel for the day. I joined the optional Gate 1 morning tour which started with a demonstration by of an offering ceremony by an Andean shaman.

Then we made our way to a local marketplace. It was absolutely fascinating to see the stalls overflowing with fruits and vegetables (some varieties I had never seen before), meats, and other staples. 

Americo, our guide

There was a section of the market that was comprised of many small kitchens that had a counter or table in front where patrons could order food. Families operate small restaurant businesses out this set up.

After the market, we next stopped at the Almudena Cemetery in the middle of the city. 

The entrance to Almudena Cemetery

Just inside the entrance are burial plots of wealthy Cusco families. Our guide, Americo, has a large family plot as generations of his family were very wealthy. 

Joel, the assistant tour guide

It was interesting to see that people are buried in stacked crypts with shadowbox graves. The family of the deceased decorate the shadowboxes in ways that represent their loved one. The graves at the lowest level of the crypt walls are much more expensive to rent than the higher levels due to the fact that it is easier for the family to tend to the grave if it's lower in the wall. All spaces are rented, which means that a body can be evicted if the family doesn't keep up with rent payments.

The morning tour concluded with a cooking demonstration at a local restaurant followed by a delicious lunch. After lunch, we drove just outside of Cusco to visit several Incan archaeological sites. The first site was Tambomachay which is renowned for its sophisticated water engineering including aqueducts, waterfalls, amd canals.

The second site was Q'enqo which was an Inca ceremonial center featuring huge limestone monoliths and tunnels.

Looking down on the city of Cusco from the Q'enqo site

We took a break at a local family run business that sells alpaca textiles and got to feed the llamas and alpacas out back.

The final stop of the tour was to Saqsaywaman, a citadel from the Inca Empire.

The Incas cut these huge boulders to fit together intricately without the use of mortar.

 

At the conclusion of the archaeological tour, we were scheduled to return to the city center for a dinner at a local restaurant. I had read about a flower street (Calle Siete Borreguitos) and the Sapantiana Aqueduct which are located near Saqsaywaman. So, Laura, Christopher, and I had the bus drop us off and then we walked down the steps of the flower street, took a few photos of the aqueduct, before walking back into town for dinner.

Calle Siete Borreguitos

Sapantiana Aqueduct

Day #6 - Drive from Cusco to Puno

Day #7 - Lake Titicaca and Puno

Day #8 - Back to Lima