September 17-20, 2018 La Paz, Bolivia

Monday, September 17

Today we drive around the Lake to La Paz, the highest capital in the world at 12,800 feet. Lake Titicaca is divided into two parts a major and minor and connected at the Strait of Tiquina. Here we had to take a small boat across in large swells. Fortunately, it was a short crossing. All vehicles went on a ferry. We were dropped at our Hotel. It used to be a Sheraton, then a Radisson but now owned by the government. It is smack downtown and noisy . We will be here 4 nights. 

September 18, Tuesday 

Our guide, Diego picked us up at 0900am for a tour of LaPaz. He acquired a car for us as it is very hilly and hot. I am so grateful. You will see from the pictures that this City is unlike any I have seen. Massive sprawl. They have solved some of their terrible traffic problems in a unique way. They have had the Swiss company Doppelmayr, the maker of ski lifts, install 6 different gondola lifts with 5 to go. They soar above the city in all directions and were a joy to ride. The views were terrific. I wonder why more cities have not utilized this great option? We visited yet another splendid Cathedral which was all white marble. It was a gift from a Pope in 1500’s. Sent in pieces, I know not how it could have happened. Diego left us at lunch and we wandered back to the hotel some 40 blocks, downhill.

September 19, Wednesday

We now have two free days in LaPaz, unfortunately. We would have loved to come home early but the cost was prohibitive. Ed did however, find a site on which he could bid for Business Class seats and was fortunate to obtain them from here to Washington DC. At 20% of the original cost. Today I crashed, slept most of day. 2 short walks. Poor Ed. He is so patient. We will take our guide, Diego to dinner tonight. Ed told him that he is the best guide he has had on any of his trips.

September 20, Thursday

This has been an amazing trip. Everything has gone like clockwork. Ed and World Expeditions do a great job. Only glitch was a credit card invasion. US Bank was great to work with in getting it solved.

It is getting harder to remember which sites, ruins, guides were in which town on which day. A blurr of great memories. Every new day presented us with yet another more amazing surprise. Looking back the towns were quite similar, each had a soccer field, some had covered stadiums, soccer games on at least 3 channels at any time of day or night. They all had churches, home crafted arts, and did I mention DOGS? Colorful native dress, open air markets, Patron Saints and Virgins on parade. Always a protest march over wages, corrupt leadership etc.  There are many Hostels everywhere and amazingly a lot of VW bugs! And my favorite, plazas in the center of town. They take much pride in these. They were always well manicured with flowers, fountains and a statue of someone. We spent many hours sitting in them and watching the people.....and dogs. My favorite time was when the uniformed school children came through. We saw families with 4 generations together. Kids kicking soccer balls, babies sleeping in bundles on Mama’s back. The very old and the very young and many lovers all coming together. These are a joyful, happy people, everywhere we went even though their circumstances seem dire to us.

We will get out this afternoon for a walk and a few museums and may take a tram ride above the city after dark. Diego will pick us up a midnight for a ride to the airport for our 3:40 flight to Bogota, Columbia then on to Washington DC, then Seattle and finally Boise. Back to some sanity our wonderful and friends and the mountain.

Cathedral in Copacabana

Sunset over Lake Titicaca 

High point hike destination 

View of Copacabana from high point above city

Our van on the barge

View of La Paz on our drive into town

From the tram

Our guide Diego from the tram

Happy campers

September 14-16, 2018 Lake Titicaca and Copacabana

Friday, September 14

The bus ride from Cusco to Puno was a little over 10 hours. It was not our best decision. We had discussed flying. Passing through many small towns and beautifully groomed fields seeing native population and children and oh so many stray dogs. As in Nepal, I felt sadness at the extreme poverty. These humble people work so hard. Their fields and their livestock well kept, their children and themselves well dressed but their homes and surroundings are awful, trash everywhere with hundreds of dogs rummaging in it, homes half built with tarps for roofs and windows, so many abandoned structures. So much pride in some areas of their lives and seemingly none in other areas. Sanitation does not exist.

Then, just when I thought we had seen it all... our boat tour to the Uros Islands blew me away. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, at 12,500 feet. Not far off shore, maybe 20 minutes, are these floating reed islands, which are inhabited! The people add more reed roots on top of the 6 meter base and cover them with harvest reeds then build their homes, also of reed. They drive a long pole into the bottom of the lake to anchor their island in place. The island we were taken to had five families on it. They survive on tourism almost 100%. We felt like a captive audience and felt obligated to purchase some of the wife’s handiwork, which was beautiful. Yes, we rode on the banana looking boats. Crazy! Later that afternoon we went to a Saturday evening Mass. The locals were dressed to the hilt. Of course we did not understand a word and had to call Ed’s mother to ask about some of the traditions we observed. Religion is the basis of these families lives. Almost every town has a patron saint which is worshipped fervently.

September 16, Sunday

Took another bus ride, this one into Bolivia going through customs twice, coming out of Peru and then going into Bolivia. It was pretty easy but hot standing in line. Our destination was a small town called, Copacabana. I don’t think Barry Manilow was singing about this place! Even though we have been at 12,500 feet for two days I am quite uncomfortable. Our guide suggested we drink Anise tea (ugh) to aid in digestion. I was hesitant after the cacao experience but am doing it. So today, Ed and our guide, Diego are climbing to the top of the highest point of the town. This is a trail that represents the Passion of Christ with the Stations of the Cross on top. Every year many thousands of believers walk from as far away as La Paz to climb up here. We are seeing some changes in the style of the women’s native dress. Skirts are still very full but many fewer jewels and embellishments. No pushy street vendors here. Tomorrow we travel to La Paz.

Inca ruins at Raqchi. All original (1300’s) except the roofs.

 The Uros Islands 

 Off the boat and onto a floating island.

 With our hosts in traditional dress.

 All hand made

 View of the Puno Town Square from our hotel window

Reed boat in the Uros Islands

September 12-13, 2018 Machu Picchu & Cusco

September 12, Wednesday 

Today is the day we have been waiting for! Fortunately we will not hike the 4th segment of the Ancient Inca Trail due to my 2 falls several days ago, one a face plant into a muddy bog, which in looking back is kind of funny. That’s the only wet place we have seen. The second, a collision with a large rock after going too fast on a rocky downhill grade. Got lucky, it could have been very serious. Thank you, Peg. So, instead, we took a lovely train ride along a beautiful river through farmland with the tall Andes towering above us. 

The small  community of Machu Picchu is delightful. Very hilly, no cars, no taxis just wheel barrels! For one Solis, (3.2 equals a dollar) men pushed huge loads of, you name it: cement, propane tanks, cases of water, beer and wine. From this tiny town, we boarded a bus to travel a winding road to the actual beginning of the World Heritage UNESCO site. Once a site has this designation, no one is allowed to make any change to the site. Not even to make repairs or do maintenance. All the Inca ruins we have visited are designated UNESCO sites. 

We spent 3 hours climbing up and down hundreds of stairs. I would like to have just sat quietly and observed. There were thousands of people on site many of which stood in line for hours to catch the bus. Fortunately, our guide knew this and got us there early. Ed got many great pictures which I will let speak for themselves. The majesty, history and genius of this place I cannot put into words. It had us so engrossed that we forgot to do a SPOT! Never a place more deserving.

Back to the hotel in Ollantaytambo to collect our bags and  then a very long drive back to Cusco to the same Motel we stayed in last week. Dinner was a glass of wine and a protein bar in our room!

September 13, Thursday 

We have a free day!  No driving, no guide, no ruins or Cathedrals. We really need it. It has been 24/7 for the last 15 days. Our heads are swimming with facts, sites, people, meters, kilometers and the Spanish language. We have been so fortunate to have great weather, everyday sunny and warm. We have good karma! Ever more in love and blessed. Ed has set up a massage for me this afternoon, here in our room. Strolled around slowly, sat in one of the town main plaza people watching, had a coffee and danish. Very relaxing. Tomorrow we will up early for a 6-8 hour bus ride to Puno, situated on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Rock carving 

On the train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu

Wow

She said yes again

With our guide Ever

Just amazing 

September 8-10, 2018 Cachiccata to Inca Trail

Saturday September 8

Today we hike up to the Cachiccata Quarries on an old Inca path to the Apu Buena Nebraska, a geological formation. We are at 2700 M. It is from here the Incas carved out the massive stones,some several tons, that were used to construct the fortress at Ollantaytambo which we climbed 2 days ago. These same stones were severed from the mountain using existing cracks, burning wood followed by cold water. Three consecutive walls were constructed down the mountain to stop the stones. They were then moved down the very path we have been climbing using logs to roll them. Throughout the hike we have been viewing the very impressive and beautiful snow covered Andes, the terraced fields and rivers of the Sacred Valley.

Sunday September 9

Today is the first day of our trek on the Ancient Inca Trail. It began with a 45 minute drive back up a long valley. The farther we get from town the more authentic life becomes. This is very rural and residents represent the hundreds of year old traditional way of life. It is their market day. I saw fruits and vegetables I could not recognize. We saw the secondary school that World Expeditions built 10 years ago. We began walking down the valley and visited with local farmers in their field. These fields were plowed by oxen with men following behind holding a wooden plow. Prior to planting the seeds, they must give thanks to Mother Earth by pouring certain liquids, cacao beans and other leaves as a sacrifice. Then they have a feast right there is the field where they are about to plant corn. We continued down the trail with our eventual goal being Punmarca, an archeological site reasonable intact with much terracing. It’s purpose originally was as a fort and lookout. We continue down observing many terraces planted in traditional crops. The irrigation troughs are all original Inca, with some repairs. We see sheep and cows tethered in place quite frequently. It was a long way down, rocky and steep. I am afraid to say it got the best of me. I am going to take tomorrow off!

Monday September 10

Ed is hiking with our guide alone today. I slept until noon, did laundry. There is so much that we have learned about the local people.  Many cannot read or write and that translates into some interesting ways of life. If a building has a red flag, plastic bag, hanging by the door, the business is a bar, if it is a blue “bag flag”, it is a restaurant. This is election time here in Peru. Every rural community, small town and city has a mayor who is elected to a term of 5 years. The political ads for those who are running, and there are many, are painted on the sides of buildings. The owner of the building is in turn granted an offer of a job. Each ad includes a symbol, such as a flower, a tree, ones uses a shovel, or an animal to identify that candidate. In this way the people are able to identify each candidate. The Inca live in harmony with earth. They worship the sun, moon,stars and mountains. The puma, cormorants, and frogs are sacred. We see each of these represented in the beautiful woven patterns of their fabrics.

Motorcycle taxi 

Sunday Market

Mother and children in traditional dress 

At the Inca Quarry looking down the Sacred Valley 

A long hike up 

September 1-4, 2018 Lima to Cusco

Saturday, September 1  

Today we are touring Lima with our guide whose name  is Ana. She is very knowledgeable and her English is excellent. We spent a lot of time in the St Francis of Assisi Cathedral. There were thousands of bouquets of fresh flowers at each of the side altars. We were also allowed to go through the Rectory and the catacombs. There were hundreds of skulls and large bones, etc. We were told that in older times, for enough money, you could be buried in the cathedral and it would assure you of going to heaven no matter how bad a person you had been. It is no longer being utilized and will be sealed up after the death of the last few aging priests still living in the rectory. We viewed a lot of splendid vestments. The Cathedral is considered to be from the 1600’s. Peg would have loved these Cathedrals so much. Coincidentally, St Francis Of Assisi is Ed’s confirmation name. We dined that evening at a nice BBQ restaurant. The menu was scary! Rabbit, guinea pig, intestines, bull testicles, llama,lamb, alpaca and beef. We had the latter two!

Sunday, September 2nd

Spent most of the day flying to Puerto Maldonado. This is small very poor town that reminds us of Kathmandu on a smaller scale. We went to a butterfly sanctuary for an hour while we waited for three other people who were going to the jungle lodge. Saw very few butterflies. Our journey to the Sandoval Lake Lodge required us to take a bus, a boat, similar to a gondola but with a motor, hike 1.6 miles through the jungle and then a long canoe across the lake! We arrived after dark and saw black cayman eyes in the water! The room was small and the bed had a mosquito net over the bed. We had power only from 6 am to 9pm. Dinner was at 7:30 and was the toughest beef we have ever had, similar to jerky! We met our guide, Soledad, at 5:30 am and took a 2 hour ride around the lake in the canoe. The sounds from the jungle were amazing. We saw Squirrel monkeys, flying through the branches, large and small black Cayman and a family of 11 giant river/fresh water otters. They would catch a fish and eat crunching bones and all. They wee ones cried when they could not keep up.  We also watched a medium sized bird eat a snake, an electric eel, that that was about a foot long. After lunch we took a 2 hour jungle hike identifying medicinal plants and the many beautiful flowers. Ed skipped this as he has come down with another respiratory bug and feels crummy. We are sharing these jungle experiences with a lovely English father and 2 daughters. One last outing here in the jungle was a night walk. The only night life we saw was a giant tarantula. This is truly an amazing place. I could have done another day. Nice just to sit and listen to the sounds. Amazingly, no mosquito bites but lots of deet. Tomorrow morning we do the same modes of transportation, canoe, hike, boat and bus back to the airport to Port Maldonado. 

Tuesday, September  4 

Arrived in Cusco. Many modern buildings all built on Ancient Inca foundations with stones they had stolen from other Inca structures in the outlying areas. Went through two Cathedrals filled with much silver and gold. Each stunning and beautiful. All the streets are one way as they are severely narrow made of cobblestone. Our guide’s name is Ever. He will be with us for 8 days thru Machu Pichu trek. As with the others, his knowledge is excellent however,his accent is thick and we do not always understand him. We are now at 12,000 feet, which is higher than the Ancient Inca Trail. Ed, of course is not feeling it much but I am quick to get short of breath with any incline. They immediately offered us cacao tea to help us adjust. I had a second cup at 6 pm and was feeling dizzy, light headed, and unbalanced. Someone told us a lunch the next day it is a trace of cocaine. Very unpleasant feeling. No more tea! 

This is definitely my favorite City so far. We walked for maybe  6 hours today, lots of steps. Visited the market, it was huge with many smells, some good, some not so much. It is a very clean City and has an amazing police presence. Our guide tells us that Peru is very aware of the importance of tourism’s impact on the economy and required guides, waiters, hotel staff and taxi drivers to take classes about making the tourists visits safe and pleasant. On our second day here in Cusco, we drove to surrounding Inca sites. One was a Sacred Temple to water where there was a large natural spring. The original Inca structures of canal and fountains still stand. We visited a small village church that had hand painted murals on the walls and ceilings. These were done by the Spanish 500-600 years ago. They are beautiful and amazingly preserved. 

The town was preparing for a celebration the next day. Our guide told us there are religious celebrations every several weeks as moral boosting for the general population. Their daily lives are simple but hard and long.  Their living conditions are very rough but given all this, they are happy. We will now drive 60 miles to the Sacred Valley. Along the way we stopped at an experimental farm constructed by the Incas to test seed growing at different altitudes and degrees of heat and amounts of water. The whole area is in circular concentric terraces with watering and drainage systems in place. A civilization so advanced. Next we walked through a salt mining area also constructed by the Incas and still functioning today. 

Our next stop will probably be my favorite spot. It was an authentic textiles site. It is here that we learned how the dirty lamb and alpaca wool is made beautiful. The two fabrics can not compare. One is course and one so soft. They showed us how it is washed, how they spin it into a single thread, how they make they the dyes from natural roots, lichen and berries and then how they blend colors and dip the wool strands. Next they weave the different patterns. It takes from 36 to 40 days to create a table runner of a simple design. These native women,in native dresses, greeted and left us with a song. The Inca women are amazing. They do so many things and always are multitasking with an baby on their back. 

I loved this stop! We will be in this area for the next 4 nights as we climb toward our goal of Machu Pichu. Our hotel is very quaint and clean with a lot of flowers in the courtyard. Our first evening we walked to the small plaza or town square. Every town has them. The Andes tower over us at 10,000 feet. We were treated to hundreds of school kids dressed in native Inca costumes dancing historical dances. This ceremony was to celebrate the anniversary of their school. Our next day we climbed to the top of a temple/fortress set high on a ridge above the small city. We also went to their local market. Nothing goes to waste here. We saw a whole cow head eyes and tongue intact. Next we wandered through the back streets where Inca farmers would have lived and the same is true today. We saw an authentic Inca dog, they have no hair except the tip of their tail and head. Similar to Nepal, there are stray dogs every where. We even went into a typical one room home and observed their actual lifestyle. There was a family alter, an adobe wood stove, Guinea pigs running all over the dirt floors. It smelled like pee. These are the meat of choice here, no refrigeration needed! We have not tried it yet. This ended today’s tour, thankfully. We needed to rest. Tomorrow begins our trek.

Cathedral in Lima

At a butterfly sanctuary 

Jungle hike toward Sandoval Lake Lodge


Canoe across Sandoval Lake to lodge


Mosquito netting over our bed

Sandoval Lake Lodge

Moray agriculture experiment site

Moray II

Salt mining 

Susan at the Textile Center