Create your Trip Journal [click here]Our hotel was so convenient; just across the street from the airport and easy to get to. No worries about commuting, getting a taxi or making sure we got to the airport the next morning in time for our commute to Cusco. Adventure Life had taken care of everything from flights, to hotels, to even most meals. And I didn't have to worry about the quality or safety of the hotels as they were all nice and the quality was superb.
After arriving in Cusco and having some time to check into our hotel and rest a bit (which we needed), our wonderful guide, Boris, took us on a tour of the downtown area and up to the mountain that overlooks Cusco, Sacsayhuaman (pronounced like Sexy Woman.) Boris was excellent at sharing the history of how the massive stones were lifted and put in place at this historic site. Dinner at a local restaurant in Cusco with our group was the perfect end to a perfect first day. We already have made some great friends with everyone in our small group!
Our guide took us through Chinchero, Maras, Moray, the Salt mines, then to Ollantaytambo. Boris, our guide, added much more than what was initially on our itinerary (he catered the trip to what our interests were). After a very long, yet awesome day, we checked into one of the nicest hotels yet. (But the hotels get even better than this!) We went out to dinner, but Boris had added yet one more surprise to our itinerary; we got the opportunity to visit one of the local's home and see how the people in this country live. A real treat, the home visit and the restaurant. Can it get any better??????
After getting up to a wonderful view of the mountains and an awesome breakfast, we even saw llamas in the courtyard, we took the train toward Machu Picchu. It was nice to take the train - very scenic views and even a snack! When we arrived in the town at the base of Machu Picchu, we checked into a hotel that was even more spectacular than the one we slept in last night! Apparently we were upgraded to this hotel. Our room was the 'Matrimony Suite' and it had a very nice back patio that overlooked the river. We went to sit in the suana after our wonderful dinner. I just don't see how tomorrow's visit into Machu Picchu could top this....everything is perfect for our 25th anniversary trip so far. If we went home now, it would be the best trip ever, but it doesn't stop......!
After a great breakfast, we took a bus up to the Machu Picchu ruins and WOW! I did not know that this was the 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu! Here we were celebrating our 25th anniversary and Machu Picchu was celebrating its own anniversary too. We got a special stamp in our passport book that commemorates our visit. Once we entered the historical sites, just let me say, the pictures do not do it justice! Such a beautiful place. Hiked all over and even hiked to the Inka Bridge, a little trail that takes you to a breathtaking view almost as great as the Machu Picchu ruins. Can there be anything else that Boris could do to make this better? Well, read on......
As if our visit to Machu Picchu wasn't grand enough, our guide got us tickets to hike to the top of Huayna Picchu. It wasn't initially on our itinerary, but after our group sort of got all psyched up, Boris did it again. He went and bought us the last 5 tickets that were available for the trail! There were 5 of us in the group. Amazing in every turn of this awesome trip. We really didn't think we could hike to the top of Wayna Picchu, but we did! Our group really bonded - so worth it!
After our wonderful hike, we had to go back to Cusco. I didn't want to leave, but as we got on the train and were settling in to the ride back, we got yet another very pleasant surprise - the train had a special 'Fashion Show' where they sold clothing made from Alpaca and had a person dressed up in the customary costume of the local tribe! The only thing that made me distracted were the views of the scenery from the train. Another wonderful ending to another wonderful day. Have I mentioned that it hasn't rained once since we've gotten here. And it's their rainy season....this trip just couldn't get any better if God had booked it Himself. We finally made it back to Cusco that evening and stayed for another day or two before leaving. This was our time to just do our own thing and shop for those items we wanted to bring back. Our guide's wife took us to the local market where all the locals shop and our last night in Cusco they had us over to their house for dinner. Like I said, there are just surprises around every corner.
Although we were not ready to leave, we had to go back to Lima for a 'red-eye' flight back to the States. Boris, yet again, planned for us to have a taxi driver meet us at the Lima airport and take us to Miraflores to enjoy one last evening before having to leave this wonderful place. We met our very nice driver (a friend of our guide, Boris) and he took us to Miraflores, which was absolutely beautiful and safe area of Lima. We did a little shopping and ate dinner at our last restaurant before having to return home. It was yet again, the best food. Afterwards, our taxi driver took us safely back to the airport and we finally had to say our 'Adios' to the trip we had waited so long to do. We were exhausted, tired, but could have stayed another week! It was that great of a trip.
