Peru did not start well

So, yesterday afternoon, we were picked up at the hotel at 2:30 pm by our usual driver, Victor, and so we were at the airport by 3:15ish for our 6 something flight. It took us a long time to get through check in and after Cara checking in our whole group individually, (well I helped with 3 of us), they started from scratch at the airport and issued us new boarding passes and luggage tags. We already knew our flight was delayed by 30 minutes as it had shown up that was the case the previous night. However, in the course of 2 hours, the time and gate changed 4 times keeping us on our toes and shuffling back and forth from gate to gate. Finally we were in the air and on our way.

After an uneventful flight, (those are the best kind) we were picked up by the G Adventures driver in Lima for our “40 minute” transfer to the hotel, arriving an hour later, or at 11:30 pmish. Needless to say it was a long day. And the hotel was not one of the best. 3 Star would be pushing it. We knew our flight to Cusco this morning was going to be early, but we received a note upon check in from our Peru CEO, Caty, that we would be picked up at 5:00 am so my alarm was set for 4:30. Breakfast was toast and tea or coffee, and we were on our way at 5 am. We met our CEO and the rest of the adventurers with rather muted enthusiasm, only because of the sleep deprivation. Once at the airport we discovered our flight to Cusco had been cancelled and we were re-booked on one leaving at 10:30 putting us 2 hours behind on our itinerary for the day. So the early start for nothing.

But things went up hill from there. We were able to have a leisurely breakfast at the airport at a restaurant that is apparently owned by the chef of one of the best restaurants in Lima. Our check in and security check was pain free and leisurely and the flight was on time leaving.

So we arrived in Cusco and in no time were on our way to the first of three stops today. Right from the get go, the scenery was amazing. Coming through Cusco we saw glimpses of what we have to look forward to later in the week when we return for two nights. Stunning architecture and a vibrant city. The plan is to spend the first few days in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, which are lower than Cusco, for the travellers who just joined us to get acclimated to the higher altitudes. We got as high as 4000 metres today but didn’t have to exert ourselves at that altitude.

As we were leaving Cusco the traffic was snarled near two cemeteries as people were celebrating Mother’s Day here by visiting the grave sites of their loved ones. People were in a festive mood, setting up with big umbrellas and picnic gear all around the cemetery. Not a bad practise I’d say.

Next we went through Poroy, which is a favourite place for people from Cusco to celebrate graduations and birthdays etc. And they almost always celebrate by serving Guinea Pig. I had yet to try it but will given the opportunity.

The area around Cusco and the Sacred Valley is still agricultural as it was when the Inca’s walked the land. The primary crops are potatoes, quinoa (all sorts of colours), wheat, and barley. The crops are 98% organic. Eucalyptus trees dot the countryside to help stop erosion. Hydro to all families and communities in the Cusco area is supplied from a hydro plant in Machu Picchu and it also supplies 37% of the power to all of Peru.

We passed a couple of lakes where speckled trout, whose ancestors were imported from Canada, are raised.

Our first stop was just off the main road and it was at the Moray Ruins. It looks like the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre with tiered seating, but archeologists believe it is an “Open Experimental Centre” built by the Incas in the mid-1400’s. Here all different climates in the region were replicated and various plant varieties were tested. It’s beautiful and pretty darn smart of the Incas. Most of the area has been restored (only 25 % of the area hasn’t been). The temperatures from top to bottom of the ruins apparently shift as much as 15 degrees. Thankfully our guide was really thoughtful and only had us do some walking down hill and directed our route so that the bus could pick us up and not have to walk back up hill again. We were all OK with that suggestion.

By the way, our CEO, Katy, has a degree in Tourism from the University of Cusco, and one of her professors was also with us today and guided us through the sites we visited.

The second stop was at a “Salt Mine”, Las Salineras Pre-Incan Salt Pans, only it’s not really a mine. The water comes into the area and over 1000 terraced ponds, still worked by the community are producing a very special kind of pink salt, found in only 4 other places in the world. (Virgin Islands, Italy, Australian and one more I can’t recall). And yes, there was the opportunity to grab some of the famous pink salt at stands throughout the complex.

We wandered around the site, and had a chance to give the incoming water a feel and a taste. I was surprised to find out that it was quite warm water and not surprisingly it was really salty. It’s something like 3.5 times more salty than the Dead Sea. Their pink salt is shipped to Chefs around the world because of it’s unique composition of minerals.

Next it was on to what was supposed to be lunch but which turned out to be an early dinner. It was a dinner cooked in a 1000 year old traditional way called Pachamanca, They served the largest plate of food you can imagine. The meat (in this case, chicken, beef and lamb) and vegetables are cooked in an oven created by hot stones covered in the earth. It was delicious, but way too much food. I felt guilty leaving so much, especially since it was so tasty.

We made our way back across Urubamba to our lodge for the next two nights (Yay) and it looks really nice, but it was dark when we arrived so we’ll check it out tomorrow. As we came through town we drove past a festival of townspeople celebrating. Katy said there was a very popular folk singer scheduled to sing there tonight. There was dancing and music and even bounces castles for the kids. Might have been fun to join in, but we were all so tired we just wanted to get to our beds.

I’m not sure what I was expecting here, but whatever the expectations I had were blown out of the water. The views are absolutely breathtaking.