I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly good this trip was. We began in Peru with a group of 10: 2 single women about 42, a couple from Vancouver, BC; one from Sidney, AU; one from Denver, CO; and us. We spent the day in Lima doing museums, etc. to set the scene for the rest of the journey. 

The next morning very early, we flew to Cuzco in the Andes and were met by our guides for the rest of the Peru. As we sat at breakfast, one of the guides asked me if we had all known each other before this trip; this was day two and already it seemed as if we had known each other forever! Already the jokes were flying!

That first day in Cuzco was a slow and easy one, just getting used to the altitude. As we took a walk around midday, our guide admonished us: "This is NOT NY; this is NOT LA!! Look at the locals! Watch how they walk! They walk SLOWLY; they stop to rest! You do the same!" Of course then he went on to tell us how we should be drinking a lot of water and he would give us two liter bottles of bottled water per day. We spent the rest of the trip looking for a restroom! And laughing!

I had regarded most of all of this as a necessary evil to get to Machu Picchu, but this area of Peru is gorgeous and charming in its own right. I really fell in love with it. We spent two days in the Urumbamba Valley before going to Machu Picchu. We traveled in a huge coach-type bus (for 10 people!!) and stopped for wonderful picnic lunches which were provided by some magician of a chef, Carlos, whom we would pick up along the way.

One particularly magical day which stands out in my mind, we started out by going way up into the hills (at this altitude, this means the boondocks!) to a market/social gathering to the subsistence farmers who live there. They get together to exchange goods, news, and just to socialize on a Sunday morning. (We were the only outsiders present.) Our guide takes crayons, paper, pencils, etc. regularly to the kids and they are quite happy to see him! The people were dressed in the brightly colored Peruvian clothing and, except for the children, were more or less oblivious to our presence.

After our hair-raising bus ride on the EDGE of a mountain, we once again found our magical chef and proceeded to Chinchero for our picnic. On the way, we picked up a 14-year old boy and his drum, who sang for us en route and during the picnic. Adelqui (our guide) said that a few years earlier he had met this boy on the street; he was begging. Adelqui bought him a drum and told him he should learn to play it to earn some money. Now he travels with tour groups like ours and we all tip him nicely at the end of the day. He is working hard at school and wants to be a tour guide!

After another fantastic picnic, we went to the local market at Chinchero--our first real opportunity to shop! What fun! (Especially since the Peruvians specialize in brightly colored BAGS!) As we were milling around the town square, a woman came up to Adelqui, greeted him warmly, and asked if we wanted to come to her house to see how they make the vegetable dyes for the wools; this was totally spontaneous! Of course we went. The demonstration was interesting, but the people were fantastic. They spoke only the Quechua dialect, but they smiled constantly, showing their friendliness and good will.

They had a little boy of about 7 or 8. He was absolutely darling, especially dressed in his traditional clothing! I took his picture with the digital camera and showed it to him on the display monitor. Needless to say, I had a new friend. He kept coming back for more, and I kept obliging. He just loved this camera; I loved the pictures I was getting!

In the midst of all of this we had a hail storm!! (the first and only inclement weather we encountered in Peru!) We were invited into their small adobe dwelling for shelter. How warm and hospitable these people are with what little material goods they possess!

Shortly afterwards, we left. As we were walking through the town squarein the rain, that little boy caught up with us. He said goodbye to Adelqui, and then came to me and took my hand and squeezed it. I was moved to tears!

So what I had thought of as just pre-Machu Picchu fluff turned out to be one of the most memorable times of the entire trip. We had not even gotten to Machu Picchu yet, and we were all in love with Peru!

It was the next day that we went to Machu Picchu--very early (what else is new! This trip broke all early morning wake-up call records!!) in the morning. We were told to pack a small bag and to send the rest of our belongings back to Cuzco with our bus. We would board a train, then have to carry our bags to the bus which climbs up to Machu Picchu itself. It was in the hotel right at the ruins where we were staying for the next two nights. Of course you know that anything I needed for the next two days was happily vacationg in my bag in Cuzco, while I was roughing it in Machu Picchu. For this entire trip, any of the goodies that I had thoughtfully packed were vacationing in some place other than where I was and where I needed them!

Machu Picchu IS awesome! There is no other word to describe it! We spent the first afternon touring the ruins with Adelqui. Up and down, around and through! A fear of heights is not even a consideration after a few hours! You just DO IT! No railings, no disclaimers, no lawyers! You just walk very CAREFULLY! When you want to take a picture (which is almost constantly...) you stop!

The next morning we were planning on treating ourselves to a 9 am wakeup (we did not have to meet the guide until noon!) when someone got the bright idea to get up for sunrise! Since we couldn't stand to miss anything, we did too. There was no observable sunrise; it was misty and foggy. But it was totally quiet and mystical, the hordes of tourists not arriving until much later. We got up at 5 both mornings--idiots that we are!

That afternoon was "Deathwalk #341". We hiked the Inca Trail up to the Sun Gate and beyond. Of our group of 10, only FOUR went beyond. The rest of us had had enough and returned after this first considerable distance. The trail is steep, narrow, and has an uneven rocky surface. My feet will never be the same! Oh, and NO guard rails--since there are no lawyers!

Too soon it was time to go back to Cuzco to be reunited with our bags and to think about going to the Galapagos. I shed a tear as we flew up over the Andes and back down to sea level, leaving the beautiful, colorful world of the Incas behind.

The Galapagos is another whole, completely different story! Stay tuned...