Cusco, Machu Picchu, Puno, and back again!

So, I tried to write this part of the blog from our hotel in Puno, but was cut off and it didn't get saved, so I have to write it all again...

We met up with Roy and Connie on Sunday, the 15th at the Lima airport. We spent the night there and then caught an early flight to Cusco. The flight was quite an experience because Cusco is in a very tight valley so the planes have to descend quickly and land at a very fast speed...it was kind of scary, but the pilot knew what he was doing.

Upon arriving at our hotel, we were presented with tea made from coca leaves (the plant used to make cocaine) because it's supposed to help with altitude sickness--just to clarify, Cusco is around 11,000 feet above sea level. The tea was disgusting, but I choked it down (after the bishop's approval) so I wouldn't get sick. I didn't drink it anymore after that! We found Cusco to be much more of a touristy town. It was cleaner, prettier, and there were so many more tourists (and other blonds so I wasn't being whistled at all the time). We also ended up in a very nice hotel in some of the nicest rooms.

On Tuesday, we went on a tour of the Sacred Valley, which is the valley below the city. There is mostly farmland around the area, but there are tons of Incan ruins throughout it as well. We stopped at a city called Chinchero and we saw old Incan roads, water canals, and old walls which now serve as the foundation for Spanish colonial buildings. Then we went to an old Incan fortress called Ollantaytambo. It was huge! There was terrace after terrace climbing the mountain and then finally temples and other buildings on top. The Inca Trail also passes through this site. We climbed all the way to the top (gradually given the altitude) and got to hike part of the Inca trail.

On Wednesday, we left very early in the morning to catch a train to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu. Then we caught a bus up the switchbacks to the actual site. I must say that it was surreal being up there! It was amazing to see all of the buildings, the terraces, all nestled in the middle of tons of huge, beautiful mountains! We went on a guided tour for about two hours and then found a nice quiet spot with a view to relax for a while. We were lucky enough to be staying the night in Aguas Calientes (most tourists catch the train back to Cusco the same night) so we got to stay at the site much longer than everyone else. After the crowds started to clear, we went and explored some more and found some amazing views. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were dressed way too warm so we went to the market that night to find short-sleeved shirts for Shane and Roy in the market in town.

We got up early the next morning to return to Machu Picchu. It was cloudy and misty and completely opposite of the day before. It was still fairly empty when we got there and we set out on a hike up to Intipunku (Sun Gate), the point where the Inca Trail enters Machu Picchu and exactly where the sun rises during the summer solstice. The hike took about an hour but it was worth it. The view would've been even better if the clouds had lifted, but they blocked a lot of our view. We hiked back down and spent a while longer there before we had to head back and catch our train back to Cusco.

On Friday, we went on a tour of Cusco city and some of the closer archaeological sites. We saw the city cathedral and an old Incan temple that is now a monastery. Then we headed out to Sacsaywaman, more Incan ruins. This site had HUGE rocks that were moved and fit together into perfect, huge terraces in zigzag shapes. We were told it was a sacred place used for festivals and such, and it was cool to see.

During all of this, we were working to confirm our travel to Puno (Lake Titicaca) and we discovered that the trains weren't running because of teachers' strikes that were going on throughout the country. The protest moved throughout the country and while they were in Puno, they ripped up some of the train tracks and burned areas around the train station and airport. Luckily we were able to find room on a bus line that was traveling there. We checked with locals to make sure that it was safe to go, which it was, and bought our tickets.

We rode the bus all day Saturday to Puno and returned again to normal Peru, not the pretty, clean touristy city Cusco was. Puno is on the shore of Lake Titicaca, which crosses the border of Peru and Bolivia. The lake is at about 12,500 feet and is the highest navigable lake in the world. Our hotel was just off the main plaza and close to a pedestrian street that was full of shops and restaurants.

On Sunday, we took a tour to Sillustani--a funeral ground for the pre-Incan people in the area. They built circular tombs to house the remains of important people. We were able to see the progression of architecture over time and also to see the Incan influence once they joined the Incas. On our way back to town, we stopped at a living museum, where a family demonstrated daily life. They let us look in their adobe huts, showed us how they ground their grains for flour, how they built their stoves, how they farmed, and many other things. It was amazing to see that people still lived like that! It was probably the highlight of the day, along with petting a few llamas and alpacas.

On Monday, we got on a boat and headed out to the Uros (the floating reed islands). The islands have all settled into an opening amongst all of the reeds and most are now anchored down. There are about 35 islands in all and about 3,000 people still live out there. We stopped at an island where they showed us how they built the islands and their houses and how they got food and cooked. Then they divided us up and took us into their houses where they proceeded to dress us up in traditional clothes. The girl I went with even braided my hair and added in the pom-pom things they wear in their hair. We took a bunch of pictures and the old ladies on the island laughed at me because I apparently looked funny. We then bought a few things from them to show our appreciation for welcoming us and then they took us on a ride in one of their reed boats. It was like going to a whole different world!

After our trip to the Uros, we continued out into the lake for about 2 hours to Taquile island. We hiked up to the top of the island (which was quite a hike). The people are known for their weaving so we bought a couple bracelets and hats and then we went to a local restaurant to try local cuisine. The food was actually really good and none of us got sick! Then we hiked back down the other side of the mountain and got back on the boat to head back to shore.

We left the next afternoon to head back to Lima to prepare to return home. We stayed in the J.W. Marriott (thanks to Connie's Marriott points) which was a complete change from where we had been!! We went an saw a few sites in the city and then spent the afternoon wandering around the shops by the Marriott and we even saw Ocean's 13 to kill time since our flight didn't leave until 11:30 pm!

We flew home Wednesday night and got to Phoenix at 8:30 am today. We didn't get much sleep on the flight and so we've been pretty loopy today, but we'll sure sleep well tonight!

I'll write more tomorrow reflecting on the trip as a whole and we'll get some pictures uploaded soon...