Off the Sidewalk

It’s always good to come home to familiar things, but my thoughts are still in Peru. I won’t miss having to use bottled water to brush my teeth and make sure not to get water in my mouth in the shower. I won’t miss having to throw used toilet paper in the trash rather than in the toilet. But I will carry the images of colorful Peru and its warm, inquisitive people with me for a long time. It’s good to step outside your comfort zone once in a while. A bit of a challenge, but usually rewarding and surprising. I learned things about myself on this trip. Good things. I guess that’s the whole point of travelling the world, to see what’s out there and what we can learn.

This trip was arranged through a small tour company called Adventure Life, based in Missoula, Montana. Lots of people avoid tours, thinking it means being crammed in a huge bus and missing out on the intimate parts of their destination. But this tour was much the opposite. We had eight people on our trip, including the two of us.

Our plane was met in Cusco by Yuri, a friendly guy eager to see that we got to our hotel promptly and to answer our questions about the days ahead. We arrived early in Cusco so that we could have a few days to acclimate before the tour started. This turned out to be a great thing. It gave us time to settle in and wander on our own with no agenda, exploring as we wished.

Our tour group consisted of two other couples about our age; one couple had their two kids along, ages 11 and 14. It was obvious right from the start that those kids had done their share of travelling. They never once complained. They sat quietly while we waited or when conversation didn’t include them. They ate from the regular menu and seemed to enjoy all kinds of food, familiar or not. They were a pleasure to travel with. The adults on the trip were interesting and well-travelled and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.

The hotels arranged for us were great. With the exception of the hotel in Lima (which was fine, but not great), all hotels were first rate, and appropriate to the locations we visited. In Cusco, Hotel Del Prado is just steps from the main square. The staff went out of their way for us, bringing coca tea when we arrived, suggesting nearby sights to see or restaurants to try. In Ollantaytambo, Hotel El Sauce was small, charming and clean, in a fantastic location in the middle of town. In Aguas Calientes, we stayed at the Machu Picchu Inn; simple and close to the trains arriving from Ollantaytambo and the busses leaving for Machu Picchu.

Our guide, Marco Palomino, couldn’t have been better. He loves his country and was eager to share his knowledge of its history, culture and customs with us.

When one couple in our group told him their daughter had brought some toys and clothing to give to a Peruvian girl, he took us down a long bumpy road barely wide enough for our van. We stopped at a small house and he introduced us to the shy young boy living there with his family, who were away working in nearby fields at the time. We peeked inside the tiny home. Dirt floors and a table were pretty much all we saw. Chickens, dogs and people co-habitating. I wish the girls had been home to receive the gifts, but I am sure they were thrilled to see the package later.

I would highly recommend Adventure Life and wouldn’t hesitate to tour with them again.

…and here are some of my paintings.” Strolling the Plaza de Armas in Cusco is like running a obstacle course. Every few feet we are approached by one or more people trying to sell us something. Saying “no, gracias” becomes as natural as saying “buenas dias”. Some of the kids have a unique approach, like the boy claiming to be Picasso, offering us some “original” paintings from the stack he produced from under his jacket. Then there was Milton, a boy selling postcards who asked where we were from. When he heard California, he listed the facts he knew of our state: capitol is Sacramento; governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Next time we´re asked I´m going to say we´re from North Dakota and see what happens. Other sellers are pushing finger puppets, handmade dolls, carvings, anything and everything a tourist might want, but not need.

Today we toured the hilly area northeast of Cusco. Saqsaywaman (pronounced “sexy woman”) is an incredible Incan stone fortress covering many acres. The gigantic stones assembled there by Incan craftsmen fit together perfectly without mortar. An overwhelming accomplishment, standing in the presence of the magnificent stones is a moving experience. Similar to the giants on Easter Island or the pyramids in Egypt, it´s impossible to comprehend how something so huge could be formed and transported to the site.

Here we are. We had a delayed takeoff from the US but an uneventful flight to Lima. After filling out our Andean Immigration Card and indicating our "main porpouse of travel" we arrived Lima after midnight. The taxi ride to our hotel was mildly terrifying. My first impression of Lima ... [Continue reading this entry]

Guidebooks? Check. Maps? Check. Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Tetanus, Hepatitis shots and Malaria pills? Yikes, what are we getting ourselves into? This blog will document our trip to Peru. Well, hopefully, anyway, since I'm not so sure how this all works ... [Continue reading this entry]