Nov 2009 Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and FL, Part 1

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Pat and Cornelia with Lamas and native girl
Native girls dyeing the wool
At Machu Picchu
Alpaca with owner

Part 1 Machu Picchu

We left the heat and humidity of the jungle for another extreme - high altitude and very dry - when we flew from Iquitos to Cusco, via Lima. Cusco sits at 10,200 feet. Needless to say we were not acclimated to the altitude, but as soon as we landed we were off on a guided tour of the Incan ruins in the hills surrounding Cusco. Cornelia and I had problems adjusting to this altitude. I can’t say I got much out of this tour other than shortness of breath and a tingling in my hands. Even with altitude pills and coco tea, I didn’t get much relief until we descended by van to the Sacred Valley the next day. Here there were more ruins to explore, more long steep staircases to climb. Fortunately, due to the downturn in the economy and tourism, we were upgrade to the Rio Sagrado Hotel Villas and Spa. It was a beautiful spot and we caught up on our rest. The next day we boarded the train for an hour and a half ride to Aguas Calientes. From here we took a bus up the side of the mountain to the entrance of Machu Picchu.
We were lucky to get an excellent guide for this portion of the trip. He helped recreate the history and explained the symbolism in the temples. We all walked the final portion of the Inca Trail before entering the passageway into Machu Picchu. After the guided tour and lunch, Pat walked the Inca Trail up to the Gate of the Sun, the first place that hikers get to see Machu Picchu. The rest of us continued to tour the remainder of the ruins. Instead of that mystical feeling that some people get here, my stomach was giving me very disturbing feelings. Back at the hotel, I passed on going out to dinner. Pat planned to bring me some chicken soup back for dinner. I guess carry out is not a concept that has caught on here. The waiter carried a large fancy bowl of soup five blocks to our hotel, carried it up the stairs to the third floor and delivered it to me in our room. He waited in the lobby for 45 min, then he returned to pick up the bowl. The next morning the hotel manager fixed up a mixture of three teas to help settle my stomach and allowed us to stay in our hotel room a few extra hours. We took the afternoon train back to Cusco. Here we said goodbye to Tom and Cornelia, who returned home.

Nov 2009 Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and FL, Part 2

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With Family on floating island
Reed boat ride
Pat dancing with our hostess
Native dancers

Part 2 Lake Titicaca
We headed to Puno, which sits on the shore of Lake Titicaca, via the Tourist Bus. It was a ten hour bus ride but was broken into segments as we stopped to see interesting sights along the way. At 12,500 feet, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. From Puno we took a boat to Uros Floating Islands in Puno Bay and stopped at one of the islands. We learned the islands are made with a base of root mat from the reeds, which are tied together to form a large floating mass. Then reeds are cut and placed in criss-cross pattern until the desired height above the water is reached. The floating island is then staked in shallow water so it doesn’t drift away. If you don’t get along with your neighbor island, you just pick up your stakes and move. Before we left we were given a ride on a reed boat - very cool.
We left the Puno Bay and entered Lake Titicaca to reach Amantani Island where we would spend the night with a native family. Needless to say, we were a bit apprehensive about this part of the trip, especially considering my stomach condition which had not returned to normal. When we landed our personal guide, who speaks Spanish, English and Quechua (the local language) saw a lady he knew and soon we were racing up the hill, trying to keep up with this old woman. We found our room to be cleaner and nicer than expected. They even built a special bathroom just for their guests. For lunch our hostess prepared a delicious soup made from vegetables straight from her garden, along with potatoes and goat cheese. It was more than we could eat. We hiked up to an altitude of 13,300 feet to reach Pachamana, Temple of Nature, to see the sunset over Lake Titicaca. That evening, the locals held a dance party in honor of their guests. The guests were all attired in the local costume. Trust me, dancing with a wool poncho and knit hat will warm you up. The locals performed a few of their dances for their guests.
Our time spent with this family was very special and memorable. Long after I forget about the structures of Machu Picchu, I’ll remember the night we spent on this island in Lake Titicaca. After two more days of sightseeing, we started the trip home, which included a 7 hour layover at the Lima airport. While we were glad to get back to our RV in Florida, we were thankful for the special trip we had.

Nov 2009 Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and FL, Part 3

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Red Shouldered hawk
With Mary’s family
With my Cousins Brenda and Mary
With my Aunt Bernie

Part 3 Florida, Family and Friends
After we flew back to Orlando, we went down the Gulf Coast and camped at several state or county parks along the way. We drove across to Fort Lauderdale and had Thanksgiving dinner with my Cousin Mary’s family. We also enjoyed our time with Randy in Boca. We spent a week in the Keys camping at Bahia Honda, Long Key and Jonathan Pennekamp State Parks. In Key West we toured the fort at Zachary Taylor State Park. We also took a 2 ½ hr boat ride to the Dry Tortugas National Park. We toured Fort Jefferson and snorkeled around the island. We left Key West with a $75 parking ticket. Apparently Key West is not RV friendly. We returned to Fort Lauderdale and our friends Don and Patty had us over for dinner. We caught up with my Aunt Bernie who had just returned from Maryland. On our trip north we had dinner at Conchy Joes with our friend Sandra. We left the warm weather and headed for Maryland.