Magical Machu Picchu

We had no pre-set plans or arrangements for our time in Lima so we had decided to stay within walking distance of our hotel and just explore. The weather was typical for Lima with mild temperatures and a heavy marine layer blocking the sun. We started out by taking a self-guided tour through some Indian markets on our way to Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca pyramid that is still in the excavation/restoration process. As I was walking through these markets I felt like perhaps they were a bit of a tourist trap but in retrospect as I'm writing this after the trip has been completed, we certainly saw some worthwhile souvenirs and such there that we didn't come across on any other portion of the trip. The highlight of our day was our visit to Huaca Pucllana. Aside from the ruin itself, the guided tour takes you to see various plant life and animal life that is important to Peruvian culture. Tim's notes on this experience was that it is interesting that the pre-Inca civilization had a taxing system that required citizens to work three months out of the year on the building of the pyramid/temple. From the ruins we walked about three miles or so to the coast with the goal of having lunch at El Mercado for some local Ceviche only to find out that they are closed on Mondays so we ended up at Sophie Bistro where we struggled with ordering (this was the only restaurant on our entire trip that did not offer a menu in English as well as Spanish). The restaurant was a suggestions from the Frommer's Guide, Peru Day-by-Day which frankly was of little use to us during the trip. Our next stop was my personal favorite part of the day, a Chocolate Museum where we were instantly greeted with choco tea (yummy) and learned about the process of making chocolate. Then it was back to the hotel for a late afternoon-siesta before dinner at Panchita - a Gaston Acurio restaurant. The food at Panchita was delicious and the group tried the Cuy delicacy (guinea pig) which was tender, juicy and terrific but a lot of work to get such small amount of meat from the bones. Our general consensus on Lima is that Adventure Life knows what they're doing when planning these trips! Our original itinerary did not include this day in Lima but we added it on and really there was no need to have done so.

On this morning we headed to the airport for the short (just over an hour) internal flight to Cusco. There were some amazing views of the Andes from the plane window and upon arrival in Cusco we were greeted by our AMAZING guide for the remainder of our trip, Teddy. He and our driver Orelleo took us to check in at our hotel and then we were off to enjoy an afternoon walking tour of Cusco which included the convent, La Catedral and Plaza de Armas. The convent was interesting because the Spanish had covered Inca structures that they could not destroy with stucco and this was only discovered during the last century when some of the stucco came down during an earthquake. The cathedral was impressive from the sheer amount of wealth that flows through it and ornate it's alters. Teddy is extremely knowledgeable about the merging of the native religions which worshiped the sun/moon/stars etc. and that of the Catholic faith brought over by the Spaniard's. Hearing the history and stories and how the converging faiths still impact the lives of Peruvian today while sitting in the cathedral was fascinating. For dinner, we used Trip Advisor to find a highly rated spot in close proximity to our hotel and ended up at Uchu, a Peruvian steakhouse. The meat (including the favorite, alpaca) was served on a sizzling hot stone and was totally delicious! As we were walking around, I definitely felt the altitude of Cusco and fought a mild headache most of the day. I did not take anything other than some Advil and was fine the rest of the trip.

Today we left Cusco to journey to the Sacred Valley and ultimately Ollaytatambo. It is impossible to comment about the drive out of Cusco without mentioning the plethora of stray dogs that seem to overtake the city's outer edges. I wonder how they all manage to get enough to eat while appearing to leave the roaming chickens and such alone. Our first stop was a native Ketuwa town where we were treated to an incredible weaving demonstration. They showed how glass was used to cut the wool from the hide, how they clean the wool using a root that makes a natural shampoo when grated, and how various color dyes are created using all natural elements found locally. By far the highlight was the ''sacrifice'' of a beetle/parasite that can be found on cactus which is used in order to make over 24 different shades of red (apparently it is also good for a lip color which will last 24 hours or 100 kisses but we didn't test this out ourselves). We also got a kick out of Anita, the resident alpaca, when she spit at Teddy. This is also where we treated ourselves to some textiles to take home with us and it is fun to be chronicling our adventures after the fact with an alpaca throw blanket wrapped around me. From the weaving demonstration the day just kept getting better, we got to see our first up close agricultural terraces in two different locations, a national park that is currently restoring some terraces, and a church dating back to the 1500's. Perhaps the best part of the day however, was our picnic lunch that we had in a secluded spot that Teddy and our driver discovered which had a breathtaking view overlooking the Sacred Valley and Urubamba river. The descent and drive into the town of Ollaytatambo was lovely and although we had already had such a full day by the time that we arrived, we were excited to walk up and explore the massive ruins. At the height of the ruin temple, Teddy pointed out the mountain range on the opposite side of the river from where we stood. ON this range you could see the granite quarry which was apparently where the Inca's had taken the stone to build the temple we were standing on. How they transported 1000's of tons of granite down a mountain, across a river, and up another mountain without the use of any modern day equipment is astonishing. This was also a really good place to visually see and be amazed by the extensive aqueduct and irrigation systems built by the Incas that are still working today.

In Tim's words ''This is no joke!'' The hiking on day two was difficult made more so by the fact that we didn't really get much sleep our first night in our tents. We all had the crazy assumption that roosters only started crowing in the morning as the sun was rising but at the campsite in Huayllabamba, they crow ALL night long. Eventually they are joined by sounds of donkeys as well which was the better indication that morning was approaching. But you didn't actually need the roosters or the donkeys since our porters were knocking on our tent flaps with a ''Buenos Dias'' accompanied by hot water for coffee or tea well before the sun was up. There is a reason that the climb on day two is known as the ''Gringo Killer'' and ''Dead Woman's Pass''! You climb about 4000 feet before reaching the pass. But as difficult as it is, the journey is totally worth the effort! Tim's favorite parts of the hike included the sections were you were engulfed in the cloud forest and we had a good section of this during day 2. My brother says he will never forget the look on my face as it was instantly transformed from exhausted exertion from climbing to wondrous joy and excitement upon seeing my first wild llama grazing along the trail. When I look back on this day, the main thing that comes to mind was how the incline just never seemed to end - I stopped often on the pretense of taking lots of pictures. I tried chewing the coco leaves but I never quite got the hang of spitting so the rest of my stash was ultimately disbursed among Teddy and our porters. Speaking of porters - these guys are incredible! We start our hike while they pack up the campsite and about an hour or so later, one by one, they start jogging past us on the trail. By the time we reach our lunch site, they have the kitchen and dining tents set up, water boiled and ready for us to wash up with and a hot drink of some sort waiting for us. After lunch, we start walking again and an hour or so later, here come our porters. We had a couple of porters who were in their mid-50's, wearing sandals, carrying their weight in our stuff on their backs and still running past us along the trail. It truly is a sight. Our trek was planned for four days which felt like the perfect amount of time in terms of not feeling rushed but also not having too much down time but Teddy was telling us that they hold an annual race every year and the record time is under four HOURS. When you ultimately reach Dead Woman's Pass, the views are out of this world and the sense of accomplishment is astonishing. At that point, it becomes clear that you've completed the most difficult portion of the trek and for me at least, I was able to relax knowing that I would be able to finish the journey we had started.

After an early night, we were waiting at the entrance gates to Machu Picchu when they opened at 6 am. There were about 30 or so people in line in front of us, but because we knew where we were going from the day before, we were the first to arrive at the guard tower that morning intending to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the clouds did not cooperate with our plans and so there was no sunlight to be had for the first couple of hours but even just watching the clouds move through the city was a sight to behold. We staked out the guard tower for a while taking pictures of the resident llamas or of the city when there was a break in the clouds. Everything about this trip had been magical to this point and an experience that I will cherish and be grateful for having the rest of my life but it was on this morning that my life was truly changed. Tim grabbed my hands, looked in my eyes and said that sunrise or no sunrise, he loves me and wants to spend his life with me and as I stood there shocked and teary eyed, he gets down on his knee (the good one), and pulls a ring out of his pocket as he asked me to marry him. A small group of onlookers cheered as I said ''YES!'' and my brother (who knew Tim's plan) and my sister in law (who did not) got pictures of the whole thing as it unfold. I will forever get to laugh and tease at the fact that Tim proposed to me with coco leaves in his mouth and he gets to laugh and tease that the reason his bag was so heavy was because he was carrying a big rock around with him, but truly the experience could not have been more perfect for either of us. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. We walked to the Inca Bridge, explored every corner of the Machu Picchu ruins and then reluctantly headed to the buses to take us to Agua Caliente where we had lunch before meeting up with Teddy and hopping on the train back to Ollantatambo and ultimately the drive back to Cusco.