PERU
(Peru Flag)
(Peru Map)
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2009:
We had to get up very early on Tuesday for our flight from Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru.
It was about a 3.5 hour flight. We arrived at the Hotel Meli� Lima mid afternoon.
The Meli� Lima hotel is located in the residential and financial district of San Isidro.
It's the nearest five star hotel to Jorge Ch�vez International Airport and very near the historical heart of the city.
All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2009:
It was back to the airport again first thing Wednesday morning for our flight to Cusco.
We arrived in Cusco, Peru very early in the afternoon on Wednesday.
We had to take things nice and slow our first day in Cusco, the city's elevation of 11,000 feet takes some getting used to.
Our hotel was literally inches from the Coricancha (Temple of the Sun).
The Coricancha was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God.
Above the city of Cusco is Sacsayhuam�n, an Inca walled complex.
Climbing around these ruins at an elevation of 12,142 feet is not easy on your first day at this altitude.
But the historical significance and beauty of the area made it well worth the effort.
Some believe the walls were a form of fortification, while others believe it was only used to form the head of the Puma
that Sacsayhuam�n along with Cusco form when seen from above.
We toured the Cathedral of Santo Domingo which was completed in 1654, almost 100 years after construction began.
The interior of the cathedral was the most beautiful I had ever seen (photography was not allowed).
If there is a more beautiful square in this world than the Plaza de Armas, I have not seen it.
The two churches on the square are, La Iglesia de la Compa��a de Jes�s, Upper left photo and
the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, upper middle and lower right photos.
10 minute video of Cusco, Peru. Click on the player above to watch on �YouTube. |
Wednesday evening we went to dinner at a local restaurant.
We were entertained after dinner and I shot the videos below.
7 minute video of the performing musicians at the Inka Wall in Cusco, Peru. Click on the player above to watch the video. |
11 minute video of the performing dancers at the Inka Wall in Cusco, Peru. Click on the player above to watch the video. |
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009:
We hit the road at 5:00 A.M. on Thursday and began our trek to Machu Picchu.
It was a two hour drive to Ollantaytambo where we caught a Peru Rail train to Aguas Calientes.
After 90 minutes or so on the train we arrived at Aguas Calientes.
It was then a 30 minute shuttle bus ride up the mountain to Machu Picchu.
The video just below these 3 pictures chronicles the journey, while the video further down is of Machu Picchu itself.
11 minute video of roundtrip journey to Machu Picchu in Peru. Click on the player above to watch on �YouTube. |
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 8000 feet above sea level.
It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 50 miles northwest of Cusco.
Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is one of the most familiar symbols of the Inca Empire.
Two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba river, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms
and some 150 houses, all in a remarkable state of preservation. These structures, carved from the gray granite of the
mountain top are wonders of both architectural and aesthetic genius. Many of the building blocks weigh 50 tons or more
yet are so precisely sculpted and fitted together with such exactitude that the mortarless joints will not permit the
insertion of even a thin knife blade.
The Incas started building it around 1460 AD but was abandoned as an official site for
the Inca rulers a hundred years later, at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.
Although known locally, it was said to have been forgotten for centuries when
the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian.
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas,
it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.
The city sits in a saddle between two mountains,
with a commanding view down two valleys and a nearly impassable mountain at its back.
While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain top, erecting many hundreds of stone structures from the
early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language) was
revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time.
Whatever its origins, the Inca turned the site into a small (5 square miles) but extraordinary city.
Invisible from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population,
and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city.
After we finished at Machu Picchu we had a couple of hours to explore Aguas Calientes.
Aguas Calientes is the colloquial name for Machupicchu Pueblo, a town on the Urubamba River.
It is best known as the closest access point to the the sacred Incan city of Machu Picchu which is 3.7 miles away.
Aguas Calientes serves as a terminal for the PeruRail passenger train service from Cusco.
9 minute video of Machu Picchu and the lost city of the Incas. Click on the player above to watch on �YouTube. |
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2009:
It was back to the airport Friday morning for our flight back to Lima.
We arrived in Lima around noon and had a nice tour of the city.
The heart of the old town is around the Plaza Mayor, until a few years ago known as the Plaza de Armas.
The austere Cathedral, designed by Francisco Becerra, was modelled on that of Ja�n in Spain in a Renaissance style.
Surrounding Plaza Mayor are several brightly painted and well restored colonial buildings.
These buildings are both government offices and privately owned businesses.
8 minute video of Lima, Peru. Click on the player above to watch on �YouTube. |
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Hello All, This is my final report from the trip. I know I was complaining about my travel headaches in the last email. I am happy to say the effort was well worth it. Cusco and Machu Picchu were amazing. Wednesday morning we flew from Lima to Cusco. It only took one hour to get there by air. Would have took over 20 hours if we had driven there. It was a beautiful sunny day in Cusco and very warm. Not what I expected it to be like since the city's elevation is over 11,000 feet. We all had some troubles with the altitude the first night, headaches, shortness of breath and the like. Cusco is a beautiful old city and our landmark hotel was right in the center of it. That afternoon we had a tour of the city. Saw a lot of Inka ruins dating back to the 1500s. Our guides took things nice and slow since none of us could breath. We visited this huge cathedral which was the most beautiful I have ever seen. I have never seen so much silver and gold in my life. Later that evening we went to dinner in this nice restaurant in town. The food was fantastic and they entertained us with a folklore show after dinner. It was a great day.  Thursday, Machu Picchu day, started very early. Breakfast at 4:00 A.M. and to the buses right after. Even though there is only 36 of us, we had to split into two groups. Big buses could never fit on Cusco's small streets. First it was about a 2 hour drive to the train station. It really wasn't that far but you rarely can go faster than 20 miles per hour on these roads. Then it was about 90 minutes on the train through the Andes Mountains to the base of Machu Picchu. We then switched to shuttle buses for the 30 minute drive straight up in the air. Then finally our four day vigil to get here paid off. It was a beautiful day and we spent several hours walking around the ruins of the lost city of the Inkas. I have attached a photo. We had lunch up on top before coming back down on the shuttle buses. We then had a couple hours to explore the village around the train station. The village is built around the rapids of the river and probably had more peddlers per square inch than any other place in the world. Our train left the village a little before 5:00. They entertained us on the train with performances of local customs. It was about 9:00 P.M. before we got back to the hotel. A very long day, but worth every minute.  Today, Friday, we flew back to Lima arriving here a little after noon. We had a tour of the city of Lima before returning to our hotel for our final night. It has been a great trip. Sad that it is over but I had a great time. Tim |
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2009:
At 1:25 A.M. my Delta flight departed Jorge Ch�vez International Airport in Lima, Peru for home.
I had about a four hour layover in Atlanta and arrived home at 2:00 P.M.
It was a wonderful vacation and as usual I am now looking forward to the next one.
Click on the arrow above to continue to my next adventure, ASIA.
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