Quetchua boy with his llamaWe've finally got our mountain legs and woke up yesterday to take a hike around the periphery of Cusco with our guide, Teddy Romero Mendoza. (I asked him what his given name was, and he said, ''Teddy''). The hotels and restaurants offer copious amounts of coca mate tea, and it really has helped to quell the altitude issues that came with landing at 12,000 feet. We were so lucky that on this tour, because we shared Teddy with one other very compatible couple, and we always managed to get out in front of the crowds.
We toured several very significant ancient sites around Cusco, even more remarkable in some ways than the Machu Picchu. We started at the weaver's village of Chinchero where we were taught the details of cleaning the wool and alpaca fur, natural dying, and backstrap loom weaving. We purchased a gorgeous table runner, completely hand-crafted, from one of the women in the artists cooperative.
The round, Incan terraces of Moray were a sight to behold. I have to say, photos don't do them justice. We also headed to the ruins at Pisac that provided us with an intricate look at the engineering of the Quechua people, including running water! Finally, Sacsayhuaman has, beyond doubt, the biggest boulders that have been moved by man alone to create the fortress and temple that protected the Incans from, other indigenous ''foreign'' invaders. We had a full day, and a great prelude to our trek to Machu Picchu.
Cusco was indeed, the center of the Incan, then the Santo Dominican culture. We had a great conversation that evening with Malku, a local shaman, and got a very distinct perspective on the intersection of the Incan and western cultures. Peruvians, I believe, recognize the potential for tourist dollars from our western interest in ancient cultures, and do a decent job of elevating the mystique and sharing information about the Incans. However, in talking with Malku, an Andean native (Quechuan), I see that views of the ancients are often viewed through very European lenses.
I think we are not in the ''high'' tourist season in February. Although we see plenty of westerners, we are largely out numbered by the locals. Cusco and surrounding environments is THE place to buy alpaca clothing, wall hangings and other goods. And as expensive as the shops around the central plaza can be by local standards, there's no way you could touch any of these hand woven and hand knitted items in the US for these prices. I tried to keep suitcase space in mind as we looked around, but I had to plan on purchasing another duffel.
Internet service in our Cusco hotel has been spotty at best, but finally came in with a vengeance about half way through our trip, and allowed me to continue posting our experiences on the Van Haalen blog (www.vanhaalen.com)
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
1 month ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
2 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.