Max and I want to see all 7 Manmade Wonders of the World by 2031 (our ten-year wedding anniversary). We have seen the Coloseaum together in 2022 and were contemplating what trip we'd like to do next. We decided to see Machu Piccu!
Thus this trip to Peru was born. Compared to France, this was haphazard. Max had been working nights for almost a year. I started a new job when we decided to do this trip. We bought our plane tickets and promptly forgot about the entire thing until about 6 weeks before the trip. We both LOVE to plan and research. We conceded that neither of us had the time to do this trip justice. Thank goodness Tina had a travel agent in her back pocket!
So off we go on a new adventure with a fully-planned itinerary! Something new for us, indeed! I could get used to the private transportation :)
The first stop was Sacred Valley! We stopped at a llama and alpaca sanctuary. We learned about the protected species called vicuñas and how they sheered these gentle creatures to make clothing. I did buy a shawl here because I did not realize how chilly it was at this altitude of 9,000 ft above sea level. I literally used it every day of the trip until we got to Lima.
We made a few little stops for views.
We had lunch by the Urubamba River. Damni, our guide, cautioned us to not eat too much or drink alcohol because he said it can be hard for our stomachs to digest at this altitude. Something I had not previously thought of! Max broke the alcohol rule right away 😂
And finally, we arrived at Ollantaytambo! This is when I realized how winded I was with the altitude. It was amazing to climb and learn the history of this place from, Damni -- who by the way, would be our guide for today and three days in Cusco.
We made another small stop at a Museo Vivo, which was fine, but something we wouldn't have chosen to do. So part of the 'cons' of a fully-planned trip by someone other than ourselves.
We stayed at a splendid Sonesta and had dinner onsite. It was delicious and we both this time broke the alcohol rule hehe.
Buenas noches xx
No comments:
Post a Comment