cook up the different yarn dyeWe left Aguas Calientes, the little town at the foot of Machu Picchu, on PeruRail, retracing our path along the Urubamba River back to Cusco. While it wasn't sunny, the weather was dry and warm. We left in the morning amidst a downpour that didn't look as though it would let up all day. The day prior, we had a bit of rain as well, but we were touring an orchid garden in the middle of the rainforest, so the dampness seemed apropos.
People live along the tracks in this raging river gorge, and we passed small schools, cornfields, and Quechua people carrying large bundles somewhere. Peruvians are now quite proud of their Incan heritage, a distinct difference from the discrimination that I observed 40 years ago in Peace Corps. Now, the native language is taught in schools, ancient traditions are practiced by shamans and others, and certainly, the government is putting a boatload of tourist dollars into the reconstruction of the Incan ruins. However, abysmal poverty still exists, largely among the indigenous people, with the same maladies that our poor experience in the US: lack of health care, and inadequate education.
Our train took a stop about a half hour into our journey to wait for the luxury rail, the Hiram Bingham, to come through. The HB comes all the way from Cusco, with white linen tablecloths, crystal glassware, chandeliers, and other amenities. It reportedly costs $500 round trip! While we were waiting, the attractive porters on our train gave us a fashion show of some very high quality alpaca clothing (SOL Alpaca) that is marketed only through Peru Rail. I resisted! We enjoyed a lovely last evening in Cusco, taking in the main square, the lights that sprinkle up the hillsides surrounding the town like a princess necklace, and of course, Peruvian ceviche!
We will be relishing our photos, memories, and new found friends, for decades to come.
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
2 months 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
3 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.