Thank you friend for sticking with me through this long and rather posting-delayed adventure. Sorry it takes me so long to get everything up and blogged (partial fault goes to Andy for hoarding most of the photos). Life sure does have a tendency to keep me busy! (Also…I’m lazy)

We saved the center of the Inca Empire for our last day in Peru. Somehow, it seemed fitting. I am, of course, speaking of the magnificent Qurikancha (aka the Temple of the Sun or now known as the Church of Santo Domingo). Right there in Cusco was one of the most important structures to the Inca royalty and civilization. The Sun God was the most powerful deity in Inca religion. So, his building had to be the most magnificent and awe-inspiring. History has it that the entire courtyard was filled with life sized golden statues of everything the Incas held dear, including plants, animals, and people.

When the Spanish Conquistadors took over Peru, they immediately melted down these precious golden statues and shipped everything back to Spain. And to further diminish the remaining power of the Incas, they built a church on the existing foundations of the Inca temple. The strange thing is that the Spanish never asked the Incas about their engineering or building methods, I guess they thought they were clearly superior. However, after several major earthquakes, the church’s walls continue to crumble while the original interlocking Inca walls continue to stand. It’s such a waste that all that knowledge wasn’t preserved. Sigh.

Anyhow, some of the original Inca ruins can still be seen throughout the church. For a small fee, you can gain entrance to take a peek (though the convent and school are off limits). Hint: there are bunch of local tour guides loitering at the entrance of the museum. They seem to belong to the same group/company, so the rates were fixed ($10 for the entire tour). We found a guide that spoke decent English and I’m glad we hired her. There is so much history and the descriptions of the exhibits/rooms inside the church are either in Spanish or non-existent.

The remains of the old courtyard, the one originally covered in golden statues. Can you imagine what it must have looked like?? By the by, you can see basically where the Inca temple stops (stone walls) and where the Spanish church begins (white plaster walls).

Whenever they could, the Spanish tried to use the existing Inca architecture. For instance, the white plaster arches sitting on top of the Inca walls. I guess you may as well use what you've already got, right?

Look at the windows in these ancient walls. They are perfectly aligned! Amazing!

In this part of the museum, you can see how perhaps the Inca walls are so sturdy. The stones interlock on the interior, like Tetris pieces. But on the outside, it just looks like a square/rectangular stone.

The Incas believed that the very heart of their empire was right in this spot. They brought soil from all the corners of their conquered lands and joined them together in this courtyard. Okay...where I'm standing is only an approximation. But, you get the idea. It's a cool spot.

Andy and me getting one last look at Qurikancha and Cusco. What a beautiful and interesting place!

We still had some time to kill before our flight back to Lima/Texas. So, we stopped at the local farmer’s market. It’s always fun to see farmer’s markets!

Look at all those tiny strawberries! They smelled wonderful!

How about some pork? I know it looks gruesome. But the meat was so fresh, that there was no smell and no gore. Just people buying good meat to feed their families that day.

And look at all these food stalls! Lots of locals slurping soup and enjoying a hot meal.

We could’ve ordered a nice hot bowl of soup…but there was one more Peruvian dish that I wanted to try before we left…

Pollo a la Brasa! It's a deliciously fire roasted rotisserie chicken served with fresh french fries. Yum!

And with that, our adventure to Peru was at an end. We tried so many new things and saw such wonderful sights. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I’m so glad we got to visit. In the end, travel is a never ending pursuit. The more you travel, the more you realize you’ll never be done traveling. And I’m okay with that.

You can see more pictures of our last day in Cusco by clicking here, or browse all of our Peru pictures by clicking here.

Before we get started on our last vacation day in Machu Picchu, just a quick shout out to wish my Mom a very fantastic Mother’s Day! We miss you when you’re halfway around the world but we hope you’re having a great time!

Mom and me, photo taken in 1984-85. And look! My Cabbage Patch doll, Pappy! Yes, I named her myself...and how awesome is that couch?

Okay, on to our early morning bird watching nature hike at the InkaTerra Hotel. Andy and I have never been bird watching before, and I think we can now say that it’s not a hobby for us. Getting up crazy early to identify fast moving little birds that I can barely see, let alone identify? But at least I can say I gave it a try! And what better place to try than the amazingly diverse wildlife of the Cloud Forest?

The hotel studded several tall trees full of bananas to attract brightly colored tanagers, such as this blue necked tanager.

Or how about these beautiful saffron crowned tanagers? And see? They love bananas!

And even this thick billed euphonia came over to see what was for breakfast!

The highlight of the tour? The national bird of Peru, the Andean Cock of the Rock (yes, that's it's name). It's the bright red spot that refused to show its head. So, I suppose I could've tied a red scarf to a tree and tell you that we saw an Andean Cock of the Rock and you'd never know any different! Oh well, I didn't have a red scarf handy and I promise we did actually see (part of) the bird!

Are you very impressed that I remembered the names of all these birds? Don’t be. I asked Fermin the tour guide to write them all down for me. After our bird tour, we were able to relax just a little before running off to our Andean Bear Experience!

Did you ever read about Paddington Bear? It’s a children’s book series about a little bear that was found in London with a tag around his neck asking a family to “please look after this bear”. Well, he mentions that he came from deepest darkest Peru. And the only bear that lives in Peru is the Spectacled Bear.

Cute little Paddington Bear, picture from A Blog for English Lovers

So, when I found out that InkaTerra’s not for profit organization is working to save the Spectacled Bears, I had to go take a look! They have Yogui, Coco, and Pepe currently on location. They have high hopes that Yogui and Coco will be rehabilitated and released back into the wild. However, Pepe was rescued from a life at the zoo and wouldn’t be able to survive on his own. So, Pepe is in retirement in the comfort of the InkaTerra property.

This is Yogui, the youngest of the three Spectacled Bears. He's starting out his breakfast with a lovely bunch of alfalfa.

And Coco getting comfy while he scarfs down his alfalfa.

And Pepe enjoying his avocado. All three bears LOVE avocados! They peel and eat the flesh, leaving the seeds. It's strangely fun to watch!

However, all three bears don't appear to like watermelon very much. They only eat it when it's the last thing remaining, like Pepe is demonstrating.

These bears are endangered because of the usual factors, lack of education in the local population, deforestation, illegal poaching, and loss of natural habitat/food sources. But it was nice to see an organization working to try to save these magnificent bears. And that ended our spectacular and extremely memorable stay at the InkaTerra. We highly recommend staying there and hope to try one of their other locations in the future.

After taking the train back to Cusco in the afternoon, we arrived just in time to try a fantastic restaurant for dinner, the Inka Grill, located right in the main square.

Andy ordered alpaca steaks for dinner. He was very excited to try eating the happy woolly pretty little alpacas. Sigh. Yes, I tried a bite too. Alpaca tastes like a cross between pork and lamb without the funky lamb flavor.

And I ordered aji de gallina, a delicious yellow pepper and chicken dish. Just another reason to get a Peruvian cookbook and try making this at home! Yum!

Our Peru trip is quickly coming to an end, but what an experience we’ve had! The last full day has been terrific! Please click here to see more birds, bears, and other pictures.

Hallelujah! Andy finally posted the Machu Picchu pictures! It took a lot of poking, prodding, nudging, and nagging. Thanks to those that helped me shame him into finally uploading the photos (i.e. family members, the Kilians…etc). Are you ready? Because this was the highlight of our trip!

If you know us, you know that we are NOT morning people. We are solidly in the stay up late, get up late category. Nevertheless, from all the research and blogs I’ve read, all the advice says to get to Machu Picchu as early as possible. So, we dragged ourselves out of our super comfy bed at the crack of dawn to take the bus up to Machu Picchu. Yes again, you can take the one day hike to the top of the mountain. But get up crazy early to hike? Not going to happen. Thankfully, early morning crankiness never set in because our InkaTerra package included a fantastic personal tour guide, Fermin, to show us the ruins. He chattered happily to us about Peruvian history and interesting facts for the half an hour bus ride.

Me and our InkaTerra tour guide, Fermin.

Tips for future Machu Picchu travelers that we learned from Fermin:

1. Bring your passport. They will NOT allow you to enter if you don’t have your passport. Seeing as how we always leave our passports safely locked at the hotel, this was a strange suggestion, but better than getting turned away!
2. Bring a rain jacket. No matter what the clouds may look like, there is always a chance of rain in the mountains. On the up side, it usually rolls out as quickly as it rolls in. So, if you meet rain, stick around for a bit, it’s likely to clear up so you can still get your picture perfect shot.
3. Bring plenty of sunscreen. Just like rain is unpredictable, so is the sunshine. And being surrounded by stone buildings is similar to being in an oven come afternoon.
4. Comfy shoes with good traction is a must. There are a lot of stone steps to maneuver, falling would be a bad thing.
5. Get a tour guide. There are some seriously large amounts of history that I found fascinating and wouldn’t have known on my own, despite my research.

So, the thing that none of the guide books mentioned is that even though we took the bus, it’s still a good 15 minute up hill hike to get to the ruins. Sigh. It took me a little longer than Andy and Fermin, but I huffed and puffed my way to the top. And what a rewarding view it was!

Sunrise at Machu Picchu just doesn't get any prettier than that!! We got superbly lucky and the weather was perfect! But see? Getting there early means we get amazing pictures without tourists in the background. Worth it!

This is a view back up to the entrance. See the little house? That's where you get the best pictures looking down at Machu Picchu. Also, keep an eye out for wild chinchillas that live in the stones. Fermin says that they frequently come out to sunbathe. Sadly, despite my best efforts to spot a chinchilla, I guess they weren't in a tanning mood that day.

You may ask, what was an impressive structure like Machu Picchu built for? The most popular current theory is that the city was built for royalty and VIP guests as a halfway point between Cusco (the capital of the Inca Empire) and Vilcabamba (another important Inca city and the last Inca stronghold to fall to the Spaniards). Often times, the royal families would travel to Machu Picchu for important astronomical events, such as solstices and equinoxes.

This building was called the Temple of the Three Windows. Appropriately named, no? First thing to note, is that the windows are trapezoidal. This is a signature style of Inca structures. Fermin informed us that one of the reasons Inca buildings are resistant to earthquakes is partially due to these trapezoid windows. They release excess tension when the walls shake...or something like that. Also, the three windows line up perfectly with the sun's position throughout the year. And no, the "orb" is just a lens flare from too much sunlight streaming into the camera lens, not mystical/alien influences.

And of course there are free roaming llamas still at Machu Picchu, mainly brought in to entertain the tourists...like us. I got to pet this furry buddy, he was surprisingly soft! And no, he seemed quite content and didn't spit or kick.

If you look carefully, all over Machu Picchu there are structures with three steps. In Inca religion, they believe in three symbolic animals, the condor to represent the heavens, the puma to represent life on earth, and the snake to represent the underworld. When this series of three steps is put together on four sides, it becomes the Andean cross (or chakana). This stone in combination with its shadow is a perfect Andean cross at the summer solstice.

See how these rocks look similar to the mountains behind them? Well, they are mini replicas of the mountains! In Inca times, if you running short on time and you can't climb the actual mountain to make your offering to the gods, you can just leave your prayers and tokens here at the mini version!

It's a secret-ish passageway! Thankfully, we're not claustrophobic!

One last look back into the fabulous Machu Picchu ruins, a truly once in a lifetime experience!

All in all, we spent a total of six hours at Machu Picchu. We probably could have wandered for an entire day up there, but it was starting to get really warm and extremely crowded. Instead, we decided to head back to the hotel for a little relaxation. Oh yeah, and our massages were booked for the afternoon. And we certainly didn’t want to miss those!

All around the hotel, they have feeders to attract the prettiest hummingbirds! I could have watched them for hours at a time! What fascinating little birds!

And we went on the hotel’s nature walk, it seemed fitting for Earth Day!

Andy and some local school children even helped the hotel's not for profit partner plant some trees in honor of Earth Day.

Also as part of our InkaTerra package, we got a private dinner in a location of our choice on the hotel property. At the concierge’s suggestion, they set up a lovely dinner area for just Andy and me in a little room off of the lobby. We had our own private waiter (who was amazingly friendly and hilarious) and the chef came out to introduce himself and give us menu suggestions. I’ve never been so spoiled!

Andy and me being completely pampered at our special dinner. Sigh...wish I were still there...

There you have it, one completely amazing, dream come true, couldn’t have asked for anything better day. Again, I’ll mention that the InkaTerra is pricey but completely worth it! Please feel free to browse through ALL the pictures we took from today. They are numerous, but some of those views are truly breathtaking.

Okay, slowly but surely, we’re building up to the highlight of the trip! We took a train via Peru Rail from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (the closest town to Machu Picchu). There are three levels of train, the cheapest fare (Expedition), the middle class fare (Vistadome), and the high class expensive fare (the Hiram Bingham). We took the Vistadome, comfy with a tasty snack but still 1/3 the price of the Hiram Bingham train.

Now…some people prefer to hike the four day Inca Trail. I won’t lie, after my research, it does sound pretty fantastic. Along the way, you can see some amazing Inca ruins leading up to Machu Picchu. However, it is not an easy trail to navigate and don’t forget the high altitudes! Oh, and have I mentioned that I don’t have any desire to sleep outside? Throw in the fact that it’s a full four days of hiking outside, peeing outside, eating outside, and all before being forced to sleep outside, and I guarantee you’ll have a grouchy Angela on your hands! So, the train it is!

Andy's pretty excited about the train too! Though, I'm pretty sure he'd also love the being outdoors and hiking part.

In about four hours, we arrived in Aguas Calientes. So, when researching our trip, we decided to really splurge on this leg of our vacation by booking a Machu Picchu package at the InkaTerra Hotel. Yes, it was expensive but we saved all our extra pennies for this once in a lifetime experience. And the hotel and all its staff was so amazing, I’m glad we decided to splurge. One of the hotel concierge staff met us at the train station and helped carry our bags to the hotel, which was only two blocks away! Talk about convenient!

Once we checked in, we sat down with the EcoLodge to plan out our three day stay. Since InkaTerra is an eco-hotel, they have a lot of tours and interesting things to see on the hotel property. First up on the list? A tea tour! The InkaTerra grows their own organic tea, processes it naturally, and bags it for the gift shop and the hotel’s tea time between 4-6 pm. So, for approximately an hour, Andy and I got to try our hand at being tea producers…let’s just say, we’re going to need a lot more practice before starting our own tea house!

Andy and I working hard in the tea fields, picking tea leaves off the bushes. Thankfully, I was focusing so hard on the baby tea leaves, I never noticed the giant spiders that were apparently everywhere. Andy didn't mention this (smart on his part) until afterwards...

Next step? You grind and smush the tea leaves on a rough surface until you have a pile of tea leaf bits. After this step, you would typically let the tea leaves oxidize and then roast gently. But since we only had an hour, we got to skip this step.

After roasting, we got to sift the tea so only the tasty tea leaves remain.

And then? You bag the tea leaves for a single serving!

All that work for a lovely and aromatic cup of tea!

What goes better than a lovely plate of cookies and brownies with that cup of tea?

Oh I know! How about a beautiful mini chocolate raspberry cake that they brought to our room as part of our vacation package! Yes, it's a lot of sweets, but trust me, we'll definitely work it off in the next two days...

Oh, and did I mention that as part of our package, all our meals (plus tea times) are included? The InkaTerra on site restaurant is fantastic!! We had trouble trying to decide what to get from their awesome menu at each meal! We’ve been absolutely spoiled!

At the end of the night, they even started a fabulously toasty fire for us in our casita. It does get pretty chilly at night in the mountains.

But it was early to bed, because we were supposed to be early to rise the next morning for our trek to Machu Picchu!! (which I will blog about as soon as Andy gets the pictures uploaded to our gallery…)

Technically, I’m already home. But the internet was really spotty once we left Lima, so I wasn’t able to upload any additional photos. And what is a blog about our vacation without photos?? So, I’m going to keep blogging about our trip as if I were still there, because I still have a lot of vacation to talk about!

Early Saturday morning, we took a short flight from Lima to Cusco. This was a difficult transition because Cusco sits high in the mountains at 11,200 feet. Andy and I have been to Colorado enough to know that one has to be very careful in high elevations. Because of the decreased levels of oxygen, visitors frequently get altitude sickness. But if you take it slow, drink plenty of water, skip the alcoholic beverages, and eat lightly for the first day or two, your body will generally adjust to the environment.

Of course, you can also get a prescription from your doctor for acetazolamide. I personally didn’t like the side effects of the medication (i.e. constant pins and needles sensation in your fingers and toes) and stopped taking it after a day. Or you can follow the local Andean tradition and try some coca tea, coca candies, or chewing coca leaves. And yes, they are the same coca leaves that are used to make cocaine. However, you would have to chew a LOT of coca leaves or drink a massive amount of tea to get high. Yes, I tried the tea, and I have to say, it’s not very tasty nor did it seem to help me with the altitude adjustment.

Anyhow, our hotel (the Terra Andina) was only four blocks from the main square (Plaza de Armas) in Cusco. Which doesn’t sound like a very long distance, but it took us awhile to huff and puff our way there on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Cusco was actually the center of the Inca Empire, which of course meant that the Spanish Conquistadors had to completely overhaul the city to destroy any semblance of Inca power once they took over. Yeah…the city has a lot of history, most of which is tragic and bloody. (more on this history later when we return to Cusco)

The beautiful Plaza de Armas is the main square where you can find a lot of fun shops, two cathedrals (because one just isn't enough!), and great restaurants.

A pretty stone archway between our hotel and the main square. The views from Cusco really can't be beat!

We slowly wandered around the Plaza de Armas and the Plaza de San Francisco for the afternoon and headed back to the hotel for some well deserved rest because we’re off to Aguas Calientes tomorrow and one step closer to Machu Picchu!! Click here for more photos from Cusco.

Yay! It’s finally my big tour of Lima day! This time, the hotel (correctly) booked a full day tour for me through LimaVision. The guides have decent English and the tour buses are not the fanciest, but they’re clean and functional. I met some fellow tourists along the way from all over the world and was able to really enjoy my day out and about!

First off, the Larco Museum. They have the largest collection of historical Peruvian ceramics, as well as textiles and costume jewelery. (they also have a gallery of erotic pottery, which I avoided because that’s just uncomfortable…) Though I can’t say I am hugely interested in galleries full of ceramic pots, I did find some exhibits interesting and I learned a lot.

The entrance to the Larco Museum was breathtaking! Look at all the brightly colored bougainvillea flowers!

The historians/archeologists can tell where and when the ceramic item was made from the handle, style, color, and shape. I am a little creeped out by the weird little monkey creature in the front...exactly what is he doing to that poor man??

The Larco Museum had an entire gallery dedicated to sacrificial ceramics. Since several of the ancient civilizations in Peru believed in human sacrifice, obviously you need containers for all the victims' spilled blood. I mean, why let good blood go to waste? Past that disturbing thought, most of the jars were in the form of demon deities...like this sacrificial demon dog. I think he's rather cute...for a demon dog.

This series of strings and knots was used by the Incas similarly to a Chinese abacus. It was a method of keeping track of how many llamas, potatoes, corn, alpaca sweaters, slaves, gold statues, sacrificial victims...etc. you had or sold. In theory, each string was for a different item and each color stood for a different category. The knots were some sort of tallying system. It seems complicated to me, but maybe I could figure it out after studying the user's manual?

And one of the most awesome things about the Larco Museum? They let you venture into their storerooms! You can see any of their pieces that aren't currently on display. Just goes to show how much a museum has on hand at any given time!

After plenty of time spent admiring the different periods of ceramics, we headed to a fabulous restaurant in Miraflores called Alfresco Seafood Restaurant. We actually walked right past it yesterday on our way to the coast! Apparently, they have one of the best bowls of ceviche in the city…which I did not dare try on my just recovered stomach. I got a nice but rather boring lunch of plain chicken and rice. While everybody else snacked on fresh seafood. Sigh. But better boring than sick! On the up side, I did get to try the Lima drink of choice, chicha morada. It’s a sweet drink made from purple corn, star anise, sugar, and cinnamon…though every family in Lima has their own secret recipe. I liked it quite a bit, very refreshing!

In the afternoon, it was time to drive out of Central Lima to go see the Sacred Citadel of Pachacamac. And what better way to start out an adventure than with a few llamas? By the way, do you know the difference between a llama and an alpaca? From what I’ve been told, a llama is bigger than an alpaca, has coarser wool, can carry more weight, and has upper lips that are split from the nose (like a bunny). An alpaca has finer wood and has a solid upper lip. The more you know!

It's a mommy and baby llama! So cute and so silly looking at the same time!

Okay, on to Pachacamac! It was an ancient Inca religious and administrative site where both religious rituals were performed and day to day activities were dealt with. First stop was the Temple of the Moon (known as Acclawasi), where the sacrificial virgins and future concubines were trained. Doesn’t that sound like a cheery place?

No matter what culture or time you are from, a dorm is still going to look like a dorm huh? Though, do notice that the windows are slightly trapezoid in shape. This is a major architectural component of Inca construction.

And across from the Temple of the Moon is the Temple of the Sun. This was quite a hike to get to the base of the pyramid, let alone to the top, but the view was definitely worth it! And yes, it’s still called a pyramid even if it doesn’t exactly look like the Egyptian pyramids. The Inca style is more like a wedding cake with tiers.

Finally made it to the base of the Temple of the Sun, now the trek to the top!!

My giant head at the top of the Temple of the Sun. Behind me on the platform is where they would sacrifice the virgins/children to the sun god. Again, isn't that cheery? Hey, a lot of really good and extremely bad things have been done in the name of religion. I guess the Incas are no different.

This is a view from the climb looking back towards the entrance. The half built mounds of dirt are the remains of administrative buildings that used to function during the Inca Empire.

And the view from the top. No matter how many pictures I attempted, they just can't quite give you a sense of how grand and beautiful the view was. Not to mention, fog was rolling in from the ocean making all of my pictures a little hazy.

After we had finished exploring Pachacamac, we headed for the Barranco district in Lima. This area is famous for the artists, poets, and writers of Lima (i.e. the 2010 Nobel Prize Winner in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa) It’s also very popular with tourists due to its bohemian vibe, abundance in nightlife, and amazing restaurants. The tour was there to show us the Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs). It is said that if you make a wish, then hold your breath and walk (not run) across the bridge, your wish would come true. I was content just soaking in the area and taking pictures.

It's not a very impressive looking bridge, but it sure is popular! And it's smack dab in a beautiful little park.

And right next to the bridge is this beautiful old church. Apparently, it is no longer in service and is just there for historical and aesthetic significance.

And there you have it! My last day in Lima and I’m happy that I finally got to cover several of the spots that I had on my list. Andy’s classes ended tonight, so I have his undivided attention again starting tomorrow. Also, I have to throw in here that the Westin Hotel in Lima has been fantastic! The guest service is great, the beds are amazingly comfy, the air is purified leaving me completely allergy free, and I’ve really enjoyed our stay! But I guess that’s what you would expect from a Westin. Although, I’ve only stayed at one other Westin, so I find it all pretty snazzy. Tomorrow, we’re off to Cusco! (Click here for more pictures from my tour day in Lima!)

I rested during the day, eating only bananas and bread that I picked up at the grocery store. Which, can I just say, is entirely not exciting. But in the end, it was a good call because I was feeling a little better by the time Andy got off class around 3 pm and we decided to explore a little bit.

First off, the Mercado Indio in the Miraflores district. It’s the arts and crafts market, the perfect place for souvenir and trinket shopping. Lots of fun and interesting stuff to browse through. I won’t lie, I got a pretty spiffy painting of llamas on a hill. I can’t really explain my fascination with llamas, but Peru is definitely the place for anybody that’s looking for some quality llama decor! We didn’t take any pictures of the market (sorry!). I always feel a little weird taking pictures of other people’s handiwork and creativity, especially if I’m not buying anything from their store.

After we had our fill of vendors trying to entice us to buy their wares, we headed for a huge stretch of park called the Malecon in Miraflores that runs along the coast. What could be better that a view of the beach at sunset?

Check out that beautiful coastline of Lima! This view was definitely worth the 30 minute walk and dodging crazy Peruvian drivers!

And we even happened upon some of Andy's classmates, who had the same idea to catch the sunset.

After the sunset, we continued to walk up the coast to the Larcomar area. It’s this huge mall like complex that’s actually built into the cliffs so it doesn’t disturb the natural landscape. It’s really cool, has lots of shopping, and plenty of fantastic looking restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately, even though it smelled delicious, we headed back to the hotel for a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup instead. Thankfully, I am feeling much better after giving my body a day’s worth of rest and hopefully I’ll be back to normal tomorrow! Click here to see the rest of our sunset pictures!